1990’s Rack – Courtesy of Mike Raine
Well I saw this image in my house mates slide collection, and firstly wanted it to illustrate my coaching book, however it seemed priceless and worthy of a mention on here that he used to ground up new routes in Pembroke up to E4 with that rack. It seems rather pitiful by today’s standards. I think I have carried a bigger rack on a sport route on the Ormes than he had as his entire rack back then!
Its no wonder there is a decrease in the grade of routes all the time, I carry way more gear now, so can get in twice the amount of runners, such is the yellow belly approach I have to climbing. I often don’t leave the ground without 21 wires, some RPs, every size cam from 00 to 3 in quarter sizes, 14+ Quickdraws and enough slings to sink a battleship.
Just imagine how hairy it was when all you had was a hemp rope, a couple of rope slings, one or two carabiners and some native stones! The rule of the leader never fell was enforceable by heinous consequences. I always think of this on Javelin Blade climbed in !920 by ‘mistake’, and I bet Jack Longland thought he’d was on holiday by mistake when he swung right onto the arete about 30-40ft out from the last natural chock stone. Today you get a reasonable micro-wire just before you have to commit!
I can hear the old timers saying ‘back in the day’ already! Yeah, back in the day we knew how to take risks, the modern climber don’t know what true commitment is, blah, blah, blah! Truth is modern climbers aren’t as stupid as there latter day counter-parts. We’ve wised up and therefore live longer, climb harder and in the process have just as much fun.