Gripped

- Tom: Pete: Tom: Tom: Pete: Tom: Pete: Tom: Pete: Tom: Pete: Tom: Pete: Pete: Tom: Tom: Tom: Lauren Watson is a writer, climber and former intern based on the West Coast. She is looking forward to more coffee sessions with the Wide Boyz.

Compared to the other cracks you have climbed, what grade would you give Cobra?

Probably soft 5.14b. For how hard it felt when you get it r ight. When you work it, though, you think it is really hard.

Second hardest crack I have climbed. It is the technique of the Jams. You can do one jam and it feels terr ible. Then you change something subtle and it makes a world of difference.

Like, Will Stanhope and Mason Earle told us, you have to break it down and stick with it. It gets easier and easier, and it was kind of like that. You can go on Cobra and climb until you fall off, and then you can rest and have another good burn. Have you been on anything else since you got here?

We climbed the Grand Wall last night, straight off the Cobra because we wanted to do some other climbing. It has been kind of hard being here and not being able to climb other things. Other climbers are telling us to go try this and try that, but we have to say, “I know, but we are resting, we really want to do Cobra Crack!” What are your thoughts about Canada? Everybody is really nice and fr iendly.

I can’t believe for so many years I travelled to America and I didn’t come here. All the time I was thinking it would be an effort to go to Canada, like it was a long way away. I never looked at it. I feel a bit regretful about that. We will both retur n. What is the hardest route in this film you are making? Cobra Crack.

All the other ones have been build ups.You would be pretty hard pressed to find a route harder than Cobra Crack.

Definitely not a finger crack that is harder. What is your favourite crag?

Stoney Middleton, U.K., because there is no place on the planet where they have managed to fit so many var iations into a 10- metre space. It is a jewel in the crown of British climbing.

Burbage South, near Sheffield, U.K., I have done a lot of climbing there, a lot of new routes; I have a lot of memories. It is my local area and close to my house. It was world good, an iconic, world-class route. Made bigger by all the footage we’ve seen over the years and all the amazing people who have climbed it. I watched the video of it years ago. I don’t think I ever thought

enough.” I would be good What keeps you climbing?

For me, I have a big plan in my head of what I want to do with climbing, and what I want to achieve. I enjoy history and the passing of generation­s and their contr ibutions to climbing. I suppose I want to have my own contr ibution to climbing and I decided what I want that to be. So everything is working towards that ultimate goal.

I don’t know. I just enjoy going and doing it, hanging out with fr iends. Pete, has there ever been a point where you thought of quitting, stopping, giving up on goals in climbing?

I don’t think there is a point where I’d quit. I think it would just filter out gradually.

Pete is a very deter mined person, the difficulty of our projects reflect his character. When climbers who push limits and standards stop climbing, they seem to remain goal-driven individual­s, do you agree?

[to Pete] I could see you as a top hairdresse­r. Would you like to add anything else?

The thing I try to portray across to people is, because I work as a climbing coach, is that no one is naturally an amazing climber, it takes work. The more time I spend climbing I realize that almost without exception everyone is incredibly dedicated and hardworkin­g. Everyone always wants the quick fix, always thinks there is some magic thing that they can do to become better, stronger or fitter, but at the end of the day it is about persistent hard work.

Pete and I tend to be pretty honest about how hard we train. I like people to think I work hard because I like the honesty in doing that and other people don’t particular­ly like to come across being that way, but we all know that all those people, the secret trainers, they work blooming hard as well. I always wish people would understand that. Train hard, eat healthy and approach your climbing with goals in mind and you can climb whatever you want, we are proof of that.

Gripped

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada