Climbers

References

[1] Full Ring - A new area in Chironico, April 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy6HzNXm94Y

Jimmy Jewel was part of the 1980s climbing scene in Llanberis. He was well known for his solo climbing.

He died while down-climbing at Tremadog.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVmLaXiMXm0

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

Trad. climber, sport climber, big wall free climber, and social worker.

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/siebe_vanhee_talks_riders_on_the_storm_dawn_wall_and_conquering_the_useless-15702

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

Boulderer and alpinist.

Another champion of Bleau and beyond in the 1980s: Alain Ghersen. His personal obsession was to statically climb every move that others tackled dynamically. No more dynos — a technique commonly used in Bleau on boulders where bad falls are unlikely. Unlike Jérôme Jean-Charles, Alain Ghersen — now a mountain guide and instructor at ENSA — is a world-class alpinist. His solo ascents in the Mont Blanc massif, especially his link-ups in the late 1980s, left a lasting mark on the history of alpinism.

In an unpublished profile of Pierre Allain ('Pierre Allain, or the Prevalence of Pleasure, April 2015'), Alain Ghersen recounts a baroque link-up from the summer of 1987: a Paris–Bleau–Saussois–Chamonix journey starting from one of the most renowned routes in the forest, Le Carnage at Bas-Cuvier. Alain Ghersen: “In just over 40 hours, I linked together ascents of Carnage (7B) in Bleau, Bidule (8a+) in Saussois, and the full Peuterey Ridge on Mont Blanc — all solo.”

In the summer of 1990, Alain Ghersen once again demonstrated the extraordinary technique and endurance he had developed in Bleau on its most extreme circuits. Solo, without any self-belaying, and in a single continuous push, Ghersen climbed the Directe Américaine on the Drus, the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses, and the full Peuterey Ridge. Three historic, major alpine routes — it’s hard to top that. [1]

In 1987, Ghersen succeeded in climbing all problems in Fontainebleau graded 7A or above. [2]

References

[1] Modica, Godoffe, 'Fontainebleau: 100 ans d'escalade', p.232, Les Editions Mont Blanc, 2017

[2] OTE Guide, 1997

[3] https://www.instagram.com/p/DLzw88ZNrZ2/

The bouldering half of the strongest twins in the UK.

https://vimeo.com/user2388380

References

[1] Interview with Desnivel, 2023 https://www.desnivel.com/escalada-roca/escaladores/edu-marin-este-ano-quiero-hacer-9b-y-probar-9b/