I’m pretty fit. At least, I think I am. I tick off five CrossFit classes a week, I can perform 20 unbroken pull-ups and I deadlift more than double my bodyweight for reps. Earlier this year, I ran the Great North Run half-marathon in an hour and 43 minutes, so my cardiovascular fitness isn’t terrible, either. However, standing at the bottom of a speed climbing wall in the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA), Europe’s largest indoor climbing space, built into an old quarry in the Scottish capital’s countryside, my bravado is waning. This is a far cry from the workouts I’m used to. The arena has played host to championships, World Cups… and now a Men’s Health junior fitness editor way out of his depth.
My challenge is to scale the 15m speed climb as fast as I can. By pressing a big, red button at the bottom of the wall and then again at the top, my score can be recorded by a digital timer. To help me hold my own on the wall, the EICA has put me in the capable and well-chalked hands of Robbie Phillips, one of Scotland’s top climbers. On his Instagram (@robbiephillips_), Phillips describes his climbing style as “pure, unadulterated… no bullshit”. He’s just returned from spending a week suspended off an 800m rock face in Madagascar, where a friend fell from a 100m height and broke his leg (which doesn’t help to settle my nerves). Clearly, Phillips is the type of man who is drawn to danger. I avoid it at all costs, so the next few days should be interesting.
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Men's Health South Africa.
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This story is from the March 2020 edition of Men's Health South Africa.
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