IN THE BAG
Made to Endure
Max Warmth to Weight Max Wicking Max Efficiency
Matt Cooper, SPA instructor and trad climber M
att was in his late 20s when he first tried climbing at Redpoint climbing centre in Birmingham, but he has certainly made up for lost time over the following decade. Most of his trad-time is now spent on mountain crags, ‘avoiding Fulmar puke on sea cliffs’ and enjoying ‘the brutal conditions Scotland is famous for’. A Single Pitch Award-qualified instructor, Matt runs his own business and loves giving people the skills they need to have their own adventures in the outdoors. Puke and brutal conditions optional.
What is trad climbing all about?
Placing your own protection into cracks and breaks in the rock, keeping your cool while fumbling some gear into a crack when your miles above your last questionable placement. It’s not for everybody but it gives you such a high when you’re at your limit – it’s really addictive.
What do you like about it? I love the adventure and the places that trad can take you. One day you're climbing a wet chimney in Ogwen, North Wales, the next week you’re abseiling off a sea cliff to climb some quality limestone on the Dorset coast. No weekend is ever the same and every rock type has its own style. Learning trad can also lead you onto other types of climbing like winter climbing and alpine. The skills are totally transferable and being a good trad climber will help massively in the other disciplines.
What’s your dream climb? A large mountain route with a number of awesome pitches and
some suffering. My favourite routes so far are Obsession on Cadair Idris (VS) and Kirkus Route (VS) in Cwm Silyn. Both are quality routes with bags of adventure and you need to be really on your game with your navigation and route- reading. A coffee shop at the top with some good cake wouldn’t go a miss either.
What’s the best way to get started trad climbing? Most people learn by going out with friends. Peer learning is a great way to get started, but there are a lot of technical skills to learn so you might want to consider gaining these skills from a qualified instructor. Check out the Mountain Training website to find one in your area:
www.mountain-training.org
What are the best locations for it? You can’t beat Stanage and Burbage in the Peak District for sheer volume of routes and quality of rock. Both venues are a short walk from the car park and the easy descents allow you to cram more routes in.
Find out more:
www.mountainmatt.co.uk; Instagram @thematt_cooper; Facebook/MountainMattMidlands
www.dannah.uk.com Isle of Bute, Scotland
PHOTO: MATT COOPER COLLECTION.
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