R Soloing on Salisbury Crags.
and accessible starting point for those hoping to eventually venture outside. Climbing is at its peak in terms of participation levels and Anna sees this as a positive.
“Climbing has diversified a lot and I've seen that just in the 10 to
12 years I've been climbing and I celebrate that. It's amazing to see so many more girls and women coming through, more people of colour and people with disabilities, it's amazing. To see it change from being what it was like in the past, it was quite an elitist gentlemen’s sport, I celebrate that change. “I know what it's like to start as an indoor climber and the outdoor world seems alien and you've got no way of getting in there. I think in writing this book I really wanted to help kind of bridge those two worlds. For the indoor climbers, to read it and find a way into that and to appreciate what traditional climbing is about, what the ethos is, what the history is, how it can be a way of relating to place and environment and landscape. And for the more old-school traditional climbers, to help them to get a sense of what this new sort of youth movement is and to see it as something that's not threatening, that kind exists alongside them and they can do a bit of work to meet and mingle in the middle.
“I love indoor climbing, I still go plenty. It's really sociable, it's really fun, it's good fitness. It's much better I think than going on the bloody treadmill!”
“Climbing is not a sport: It’s a way of life.” – Bill Birkett
Anna recalls in the ‘Lake District Rhyolite’ chapter, an interaction at the local pub with prodigious climber and author Bill Birkett. The semi-humorous chastising from a Lake District legend, submersion in the culture of hardened fellsmen and stonemasons and time spent soloing the rough rock of the Langdales brought about a change in Anna’s outlook on climbing. “I remember him delivering that line and being a bit like bit taken aback by it. I suppose in some ways this book is an exploration of what that's meant for me and I know it means different things for different people. “That kind of immersion within the culture of it, I love the community of climbing and all the enthusiasts you meet and share these languages and that passion. It's great to be able to just get pulled into that and be completely immersed in that world for however long feels right.” ‘Time on Rock’ traverses a breadth of personal experience, exploring the multi-faceted entity that is climbing and its intrinsic cultural and historical elements. With a witty and sometimes prose-like turn of phrase Anna invites the reader, climber or not, to join her on this literary exploration of one woman’s route into the mountains, and to delve a little deeper into their own relationship with rock.
Words: Hannah Mitchell
Hannah is a Lakes-based freelance writer and journalist with a particular interest in the outdoors and associated social and environmental issues. She is also a keen climber, nature lover and a rather average runner.
www.hannahmitchellwrites.com @hannahmitchellwrites
Learn how to: Respect the Rock
The BMC series is perfect for indoor climbers looking to take their first trip outdoors.
Starting to climb outside? Make sure you know how to lessen your impact to maintain these superb locations for future generations. New episodes incoming will cover the awesome sea cliffs of Pembrokeshire, the mega classic Raven Tor with Hubble the world’s first 9a, and the still developing crag of Cademan Wood.
WATCH:
www.youtube.com/teamBMC
42 | CLIMB. WALK. JOIN.
PHOTOS: ANNA FLEMING COLLECTION
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