Climbers from United Kingdom

English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter.

Crowley was a pioneer of adventurous climbing in Victorian Britain, establishing rock climbs (and early bouldering) in the Lake District and on the enormous chalk cliff of Beachy Head. He ascended Mexican volcanoes and made the first ever attempts on K2 (1902) and Kanchenjunga (1905). Both expeditions ended acrimoniously.

Ronald Turnbull:

Some pretty unpleasant people have been great mountaineers […] In today’s celebrity circles, nastiness works for some as a career plan. But when it comes to pure, unadulterated evil, none can match the original monster of mountaineering, the Great Beast Aleister Crowley.

References

[1] https://aboutmountains.substack.com/p/aleister-crowley-magus-and-mountaineer

[2] https://open.spotify.com/episode/351IFQ6dWHAvGjYlhk2JfL

Bristol based climber whose early adoption of thorough top-rope practice helped him establish a number of hard routes in the Avon Gorge.

Andy Moles is a British climbing guide.

References

[1] https://www.molehillsclimbing.co.uk/

Notoriously strong 1970s and 1980s all-round rock climber. Continues to climb (2026) with Parkinson's disease.

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/being_weak_when_once_you_were_strong-16390

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/andy_pollitt_and_chris_christmas_hamper-9332

Andy Popp:

Cliff, a stalwart of the Llanberis scene since the 60s, was a man preceded by his reputation for deep, almost cosmic eccentricity and long-lived dirtbaggery. He was also known for some incredible tales of survival, particularly when he took a reputed 200ft ground fall soloing on the Mot, managing to crawl to the road before passing out. I believe he took another big soloing fall at Tremadog.

I knew Cliff a little as part of the general 'Beris scene in the 80s and remember a rather sweet man. He was a very active new router on the slate at that time, and as a climber he was really much more than the reputation for oddness and mishaps suggests. He was actually very good, on rock and in the Alps. [1]

References

[1] https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,18343.msg692404.html#msg692404