To The Grit
Rock and Ice|December/January 2020
About 10 winters ago I touched down in Manchester in a hard, driving English rain. The city was hidden from view. I was groggy after a red-eye from Dallas, an over-brewed black tea barking on my dry tongue.
Chris Schulte
To The Grit

“Well, you’d best have your shit together next time, mate,” the customs officer told me after impatiently waiting for me to text my local friend for things like his home address, phone and email.

Long gray halls and concrete walls led me to baggage claim, but I had missed my first flight by 10 minutes and so my bags were now winging their way back to Texas.

“Two to five days and we’ll drop them at an address of your choice,” the customer service desk informed me. Thankfully, I packed spare clothes and climbing shoes in a carry on for just such an occasion. Four days later I received my bags, the airline carrier service having left them on the sidewalk next to the door. Of course it was raining.

Between my flight coming in late and the good times at the lost-bags counter, my airport ride had missed a hard-won appointment to get his sporty Subaru in tune for our upcoming trip.

“There must be loads of auto shops around, have you looked into it?” I inquired of my friend Adam Wood, aka Woody. He wryly looked back at me, a smile creasing his face with what we’d call a Bless-Your-Heart look down in Texas. I.e., You poor simpleton.

“Naaah, can’t be done really … there’s only one shop I’ll trust with it, and they’re five days out yet.” A roll of distant thunder struck as I gazed outside, across the gray concrete of the parking garage and out into grayer skies, gray with rain. Great.

Our destination, Bowden Doors, lay a crippling three-hour drive from Adam’s home town of Sheffield, 40 miles from the airport at Manchester. A handful of stops for fuel and snacks along the way showed me there was a new accent to be found every five miles or so. The overblown Cockney we often imitate in the States is just one small slice of damn near 50 ways to say “right.”

Denne historien er fra December/January 2020-utgaven av Rock and Ice.

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Denne historien er fra December/January 2020-utgaven av Rock and Ice.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ROCK AND ICESe alt
Rock and Ice

Call of Duty

Vikki Weldon: Hard lines and the front line

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June/July 2020
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THE BADGE

WE DEFINE OURSELVES AS CLIMBERS, BUT IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH?

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THE ACHIEVER

MARICELA ROSALES HAD EVERYTHING AGAINST HER. SHE BECAME A CLIMBER ANYWAY.

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Chris Sharma

FIRST ASCENTIONIST, FORMER WORLD CHAMPION, OWNS GYMS IN SPAIN AND USA. INTERVIEWED IN QUARANTINE IN BARCELONA WITH HIS WIFE, 3-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AND 1-YEAR-OLD SON.

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June/July 2020
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PROJECT WAIT

A LIFELONG CLIMBER CONSIDERS THROWING IN THE TOWEL

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June/July 2020
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Older, Wiser, Stronger!

YES, THEY CAN GO TOGETHER. HOW TO TRAIN STRENGTH AS YOU COME ALONG DOWN THE ROAD.

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June/July 2020
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CALCULATED RISK

HOW UNDERSTANDING DANGER COULD KEEP YOU OUT OF HARM’S WAY

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Accessories To Climb
Rock and Ice

Accessories To Climb

Field tested

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6 mins  |
February/March 2020
To The Grit
Rock and Ice

To The Grit

About 10 winters ago I touched down in Manchester in a hard, driving English rain. The city was hidden from view. I was groggy after a red-eye from Dallas, an over-brewed black tea barking on my dry tongue.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December/January 2020
The Wild Ones
Rock and Ice

The Wild Ones

North Conway is a typical New Hampshire town tucked among rolling hardwood hills and set at the foot of imposing granite slabs, but 30 years ago it was the stage on which a small band of climbers led the way in boldness and vision.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December/January 2020