Trip Report
Armorican One Armed Bandit
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Thursday December 21, 2017 4:54am
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Warmest greetings SuperTopoists from a cold grey day in the UK!
Here is a Xmas offering and a wee video about my friend Andrew James Walker. Andrew is a gnarly "old school" climber with loads of bonkers tales to tell of a life less ordinary and has done oodles of big, serious routes over decades of climbing. Unfortunately Andrew had a very serious and life changing accident about 10 years ago. However he is not a man to be easily deterred and after a couple of years in a wheelchair and a very lengthy rehabilitation, Andrew returned to climbing and can bust some moves up to a pretty amazing standard with some inspiring ninja skills!
So with the invaluable help of Mr Climb Pembroke Henry Castle on the sharp end and my better half Em on Camera 2, we decided that the 3* VS super-classic Armorican at the delightful and photogenic Craig Caerfai near St Davids in North Pembroke would be an ideal route for Andrew to have a go at. Apart from being the crag classic, we thought Armorican would provide him with a pretty tough but hopefully attainable challenge. And did Andrew manage to climb the route I hear you ask? Well have a look at the following vid featuring Andrew's story with some aerial drone footage plus some devilishly dynamic dyno's to find out!
[ Click to View YouTube Video]
All constructive feedback welcome, please feel free to share to your Facebook friends and hopefully it will brighten up your tea or lunch break with a mince pie and drink! :-)
Merry Xmas to you all and wishing you a healthy + rocking 2018!
Dave
Bald Eagle
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About the Author
Bald Eagle is a trad climber from the UK who likes to boldly go where quite a few people have been before... :-) |
Comments
unlocked gait
Gym climber
the range
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Dec 21, 2017 - 05:03am PT
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please take our bald eagle mascot.
america's new representative is a day-old turd sweating in the tub refusing to flush.
Britain better deserves the stalwart bird.
your friend's antics are grand, and very admirable.
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Dec 21, 2017 - 06:52am PT
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Andrew shows us how to savor the day!
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Dec 21, 2017 - 07:35am PT
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Inspiring. The joy looks like what a newbie feels after doing a first big route.
Hope you have many more good climbs in the future.
What type of rock is that? Some kind of siltstone?
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Bald Eagle
Trad climber
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Author's Reply
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Dec 21, 2017 - 12:14pm PT
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Brilliant
Many thanks unlocked gait, Mark and Dingus for posting your kind comments as it is muchly appreciated! Merry Xmas! :-)
Cheers
Dave
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Bald Eagle
Trad climber
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Author's Reply
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Dec 21, 2017 - 12:18pm PT
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nspiring. The joy looks like what a newbie feels after doing a first big route.
Hope you have many more good climbs in the future.
What type of rock is that? Some kind of siltstone?
Hey AP thanks for taking the time to post your kind words and my buddy Andrew looked like he had a coat hanger stuck in his gob as he was smiling so much! And the rock at Craig Caerfai is a hard sandstone!:-)
Cheers
Dave
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Dec 21, 2017 - 12:36pm PT
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Awesome! Cheers!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Dec 21, 2017 - 12:39pm PT
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Clearly he needs a bigger challenge. El Cap, you say? :)
What are you guys anchoring from on these cliff climbs? They don't have much rock exposed on top to anchor into.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Dec 21, 2017 - 01:04pm PT
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Made my day/week/year, Baldy! Andrew ROCKS!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 21, 2017 - 02:44pm PT
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Beautiful and inspirational!
But now I feel a right punter!
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Dec 22, 2017 - 02:42am PT
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While I left off, having little nice to say about - the not so young and still "Full Of Himself" (know that series of videos? I'm sure you do), being, in my opinion, as you say over there - "J Dawes , yA punter"!
( it is to hard not to say, now that this vid is posted - Hey Dawes,just grab hold pull down hard and drop a few pounds, would ya?);~7( actually met that guy,JD, way back, at a high tea, before the Royal wedding:chrls/Camilla to her royal highness, The Princess Dianna)
This Is the antithesis of that !
and, yes Bloody Brilliant Way To Go Andrew !,
I used to call the Ducti' crotch rockets, ICKMMs,= It can Kill Me machines.
this "One arm Bandit" ?! Superlatives hardly do at all!(except for climbing with a ring on)
One of the more remarkable, - climber survives to live large & climb on- stories ever!
Thank You Happy climbing wishes in 2018 and a Merry Christmas to you!
and Em, and the whole crew,
Again Thank You.
&(A Wolf Hound on steroids? Whats that all about?)
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Bald Eagle
Trad climber
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Author's Reply
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Dec 22, 2017 - 02:34am PT
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Made my day/week/year, Baldy! Andrew ROCKS!
Hey thank you so much mouse, Studly, Dingus and Tad for taking the time to post all your kind comments as it makes those long hours of editing all worthwhile!
Merry Xmas and wishing you a healthy + rocking 2018! :-)
Cheers
Dave
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Bald Eagle
Trad climber
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Author's Reply
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Dec 22, 2017 - 02:38am PT
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Clearly he needs a bigger challenge. El Cap, you say? :)
What are you guys anchoring from on these cliff climbs? They don't have much rock exposed on top to anchor into.
Thanks Mungeclimber and Andrew climbed a route or 2 on El Cap a few years before his accident I believe, hence his reference to what the feeling was like topping out on this climb post-accident!
And as with quite a lot of the sea cliffs in Pembroke there are in-situ stakes to anchor into due to the absence of natural belays!
Merry Xmas! :-)
Dave
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Bald Eagle
Trad climber
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Author's Reply
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Dec 22, 2017 - 02:43am PT
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and, yes Bloody Brilliant Way To Go Andy !,
I used to call the Ducti' crotch rockets, ICKMMs,= It can Kill Me machines.
this "One arm Bandit" ?! Superlatives hardly do at all!(except for climbing with a ring on)
One of the more remarkable, - climber survives to live large & climb on- stories ever!
Thank You Happy climbing wishes in 2018 and a Merry Christmas to you!
and Em, and the whole crew,
Again Thank You.
&(A Wolf Hound on steroids? Whats that all about?)
Hey Gnome thanks a million and indeed Andrew did an amazing job!
The credit for Muumi the Wolfhound is just a bit of a joke at the end as Andrew's dog is so bleedin' large it looks like she has been fed steroids to bulk up even more! Muumi causes quite a stir wherever she goes and whilst on guard dog duty at the top of the crag, various random passers by were stopping and having selfies taken with her... :-) Merry Xmas and wishing you a healthy, rocking 2018!
Dave
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Bald Eagle
Trad climber
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Author's Reply
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Dec 22, 2017 - 02:46am PT
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Beautiful and inspirational!
But now I feel a right punter!
Ha ha thanks a million Reilly and if it is any consolation Andrew cruised up the route with more style and grace using his 3 points of contact compared to my inadequate 4... ;-)
Merry Xmas and a healthy, rocking 2018 to you and yours!
Cheers
Dave
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Ezra Ellis
Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
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Dec 22, 2017 - 02:56am PT
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stellar!
You always bring the goods Baldy,
Cheers to you and Andrew!
salud!
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Bald Eagle
Trad climber
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Author's Reply
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Dec 22, 2017 - 10:21am PT
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stellar!
You always bring the goods Baldy,
Cheers to you and Andrew!
salud!
Many thanks to you Ezra and a very merry Xmas as well! :-)
Cheers
Baldy
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 22, 2017 - 10:58am PT
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Dave, thanks for the kind wishes for 2018. Imagine my state of mind
last June when I was only able to look at Cloggy! Yes, I did manage
to walk up the Miners' Track so I was thankful for that. I'm three
weeks removed from the abattoir so I'm hoping that in 2018 I won't
have to just look at Cloggy. Actually, hoping for Stetind THIS June. :-)
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Bald Eagle
Trad climber
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Author's Reply
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Dec 23, 2017 - 01:19am PT
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Dave, thanks for the kind wishes for 2018. Imagine my state of mind last June when I was only able to look at Cloggy! Yes, I did manage to walk up the Miners' Track so I was thankful for that. I'm three weeks removed from the abattoir so I'm hoping that in 2018 I won't have to just look at Cloggy. Actually, hoping for Stetind THIS June. :-)
Oucha Reilly you could only look at Cloggy in June that must have stung a wee bit! I'm glad to hear you are on the road to recovery and have the amazing looking Stetind in your sights for June 2018! I have to fess up that the glorious looking South Pillar route is very high up on my list of things to climb and film... ;-) Cheers Baldy
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moacman
Trad climber
Montuckyian Via Canada Eh!
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Dec 23, 2017 - 12:26pm PT
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Made my day.......Thanks for sharing....
Stevo
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Bald Eagle
Trad climber
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Author's Reply
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Dec 23, 2017 - 11:57pm PT
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Made my day.......Thanks for sharing....
Stevo
Hey Stevo I'm glad my wee video made your day! Merry Xmas!:-)
Cheers
Dave
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moacman
Trad climber
Montuckyian Via Canada Eh!
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Dec 24, 2017 - 09:43am PT
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The same to you and yours..............
Stevo
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