Q&A: Dave Pickford

Karrimor's star climber shares his know-how

Dave Pickford is one of Britain’s leading traditional rock climbers, with ascents stretching from Britain to the Far East. Since 2003, he’s shifted gear in his professional approach, forging a successful career in both photography and journalism covering climbing, mountaineering, and adventure sports, along with other environmental and political topics worldwide. Luckily for the sport of climbing, Dave still finds time for pioneering new routes on British and European cliffs. His longer expeditions often combine adventure motorcycling and climbing, the most recent of which was a 15,000-kilometre journey around the Indian subcontinent on an Enfield Bullet 500.

How old were you when you first started climbing, and how did it come about?

I was eleven years old and my friend’s dad took us both out to Froggatt Edge in the Peak District, just a few miles from where I lived at the time. I soon worked out that I had found my chosen sport.

What do you love most about it?

Climbing is not just a sport, but also a way of life, it has given me many opportunities to travel to some very unusual places and meet some amazing people.

What is your favourite climbing destination?

This is difficult to answer since there are so many great places to climb. British sea cliffs are a very special adventure climbing arena – we have some of the best sea-cliff climbing in the world here in the UK. In terms of climbing as an athletic sport, the limestone cliffs of northern Spain are hard to beat.

Is there one piece of advice you’ve always heeded?

“If you climb to get to the top of something, you should seriously question why you do so” – John Redhead, climber and painter

What is your favourite bit of kit?

The Karrimor Alpiniste 45 climbing pack: it’s the ideal pack for lightweight alpine climbing, or short rock climbing trips in the UK and Europe.

What’s been your most breathtaking experience?

One of my most memorable climbing experiences was the first ascent of ‘From Russia With Love’ in Kyrgyzstan in 2005, with Sam Whittaker. We climbed this 500-metre pillar of golden granite completely on sight, with no previous knowledge. The climbing was hard in places and the whole experience was a huge adventure.

Describe your training regime.

I train regularly but don’t have a strict schedule. I’ve learnt to take a holistic approach to climbing and training over the years: I climb and train hard when I feel like it, and don’t when I don’t. That way, you don’t suffer the motivation issues that plague many conventional athletes, and you don’t get injured from overtraining and training when you’re tired. You also enjoy your sport a lot more.

Tell us your favourite climbing anecdote.

Funny things happen all the time in climbing. Over the years I’ve discovered that having a sense of humour is vital to successful adventures.  One of the funniest things I’ve witnessed recently was in Catalonia last year: a mountain goat cruised up a slab route that someone had been desperately trying to climb for over an hour. Our assumed superiority over animals is often misplaced!

Dave Pickford's finest climbs

UK climbing:

Wall of Spirits (E8 6b, 6b) Pentire Head, Cornwall (first ascent)

Infinite Gravity (E8 6b / 8a+) Blacker’s Hole, Swanage (second ascent)

The Monk’s Satanic Verses (E8 6c) Lower Sharpnose Point, Cornwall (second ascent)

De Quincey (E7 6b) Hell’s Wall, Borrowdale (on sight)

Galacticus (F8b) Cheddar Gorge, Somerset (second ascent)

The Brothers Karamazov (E8 6c) St. Govan’s, Pembroke (first ascent)

Climbing Fear and Fascination (E5) and Bucket City (E6) in one day, two of the best extremes in the Lake District on Dove Crag, Fairfield

Climbing The Pin (E2) and then The Steeple (E3 with the Haystacks crux) on Shelter Stone Crag in the Loch A’an Basin, Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland, aged fourteen. I have been addicted to big routes on high mountain crags ever since!

Overseas Climbing

From Russia With Love (E7 6b, 500m) Ak Su Valley, Kyrgyzstan (first ascent with Sam Whittaker, on sight)

Numerous adventures climbing on the biggest cliffs in Arabia (Oman) with Andy Whittaker

Climbing on one of Africa’s most impressive cliffs, the Tsaranoro Massif in Madagascar, with James McHaffie, Jack Geldard and Stephen Horne

Pioneering the first routes on the magnificent ‘Hollow Wall’ on Laoliang Island, Thailand, with Trev Massiah and Mike Weitzman.

Climbing Fantasia (7c, 800m) and Les Rivieres Pourpres (7b+, 500m) in Morocco with Jack Geldard and Juha Saatsi – two of the best big limestone routes in the world!

Bouldering at Badami and Hampi, India – two of the most magically atmospheric places on earth where you can climb.

Ice-fall climbing in the Massif des Ecrins, France: it’s the perfect ice climbing playground.

www.davidpickford.com

Find out more about Dave's sponsors and team at www.karrimor.com