Climbers from United Kingdom

References

[1] Interview with Alex Megos, October 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FUiso5e6FQ

[2] Up For It On The Edge Issue 84, page 36

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZMyRxkvpY0

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqGsK9e7ppI

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFwmIi4Z9HA

1960s Peak Limestone aid climbing specialist. Got out of his etriers to contributed some classic free routes too, most notably the classic Sirplum (E1).

Frank Cannings is a British climber. He was active in the south west of England and climbed extensively with Pat Littlejohn during the 1970s, adding many high quality additions on Lundy and other crags in Devon and Cornwall.

During one unfortunate trip to Lundy in August 1971 Frank took a very bad fall, landing 80ft below at the base of the cliff and sustaining head injuries and a broken pelvis. A helicopter was summoned from the nearby RAF Chivenor in Devon, but when the helicopter arrived the winch cable was too short and so the helicopter had to wait idly by why other climbers on the island strapped him to a stretcher and hauled him to the top of the cliff.

Relief upon boarding the helicopter was short lived. Just five minutes after taking off the helicopter developed engine trouble and the pilot had to cut the engine and ditch the aircraft in to the sea! The pilot and co-pilot managed to escape through the cockpit windows, but Frank, the winchman and Patricia (Frank's then wife) were trapped in the rear of the aircraft, with Frank still strapped to a stretcher.

As the helicopter started to sink beneath the waves the winchman, Flight Sgt Geoff Parker, was able to force a way out and Pat was able to get free from the aircraft. Bravely, Parker returned to the sinking aircraft to try and free Frank. After struggling underwater with the stretcher, which had become jammed, Parker was unable to free it and had to return to the surface. Much to his surprise, when he reached the surface he found Frank there already!

Frank:

I got called Houdini at the time because I was still tied up in the climbing ropes and had been securely strapped to the stretcher. The winchman swore he hadn't released me - and I certainly couldn't have done it myself. It seems that I somehow slid out of the straps, leaving the stretcher still jammed across the exit, trapping Geoff until he could remove it.

From here their luck improved, and Parker was able to inflate a one man dinghy and get Frank and Pat aboard. After another 30 minutes a second helicopter arrived, winched them aboard and was able to take them to hospital.

References

[1] https://www.thefreelibrary.com/I+CHEATED+DEATH+TWICE+IN+ONE+DAY%3B+BBC+researchers+have+trawled+the...-a060631784

[2] Mountain issue 19, page 14

Very strong British sport climber and boulderer. His conservative grading (beware the Welford 7b+) may have caused his contributions to underestimated: The Bastard (8c+) was very hard indeed for the 1990s.

References

[1] Interview with Dave MacLeod, August 2006 https://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/2006/08/lucy-creamer-interview.html

[2] Interview with Del Goodey, 1997 On The Edge Issue 73 page 60

English rock climber and mountaineer of the post Brown and Whillans generation. His southern sandstone training made him a highly capable technical climber from an early age which he employed to great effect most notably on Welsh rock in the 1960s.

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/perfect_partners_10_-_rab_carrington_and_martin_boysen-10830

West Yorkshire based 70s and 80s activist who graduated from the school of Livesey to become a strong trad. and sport climber in his own right.

Jimmy Jewel was part of the 1980s climbing scene in Llanberis. He was known for his bold solo ascents of many hard testpieces of the time: Right Wall (E5), The Cad (E6), The Axe (E4) and more.

He died whilst down-climbing Poor Man's Peuterey (S) at Tremadog after slipping at the top of the first pitch.

The bouldering half of the strongest twins in the UK.

https://vimeo.com/user2388380

Andy Birtwistle:

Between '78 and '81 Bob Smith dominated Northumberland climbing. A new climbs supplement in '84 stated that without his contributions it would probably not have been necessary! Quite rightly so, as the booklet contained nearly 100 Bob Smith routes, most of a high standard of difficulty. [1]

References

[1] Bob the Climber, On The Edge Issue 109 page 40