In 1997 Jamie Fisher decided to climb all of the climbs in ‘Classic Rock’, a 1978 showcase of British rock climbs complied by Ken Wilson.  To make it far more of an interesting challenge than simply ‘puerile ticking’ he decided to cycle between them all. He wrote a great article about it in climber magazine that you can see here (sometimes doesn’t display on phone browsers).

I was fortunate to know Jamie and he was the first person to take me outdoor climbing at Blackford hill quarry many years ago, but sadly he died in an accident in the Alps in 1999. Jamie has always been an inspiration for me and I had always fancied a go at repeating what he did, and having run out of excuses not to give it a go….I did.

Having completed my own classic rock challenge, I have had time to reflect on what it meant to me.  Of course it was a fun challenge to set myself and I got a fantastic sense of achievement at the end of it all, but really what ended up being the most important things which was how much I enjoy being out climbing with good friends and having that shared adventure.  Then what made it even more special was to be able to involve some of Jamie’s friends who climbed with him back in 1997.  I hope (and I am sure they will) that more people with come up with their own version of a classic rock challenge, it would be wonderful to be get to know about another big adventure so please get in touch if you are feeling inspired.