The Flames.

I never had as a goal doing a problem as quickly as possible. This was in contrast with many others I climbed with, particularly Bob Williams, who was instrumental in getting Jim Holloway into dynamics. We saw our craft through different lenses, but respected one another and had entertaining bouldering sessions. Whether a problem was difficult or easy to solve didn't make much difference to me; if it was easy and was appealing, I would work on polishing my performance, like a gymnast doing his best with a simple routine, enjoying the kinaesthetics as much as the challenge. A lot had to do with that flow a gymnast gets, where moves are done with a deceptive sensation of effortlessness. There were few around who saw bouldering that way, even in those days. Most - like now - wanted to do the hardest thing they could and weren't concerned with style and form. There are several ways to play the game, but the pursuit of difficulty almost always prevails. To show how far I wandered from the mainstream, I avoided using a heel-hook, thinking that it turned what I considered artistic into a kind of jungle gymnastics . . .