Gary Gibson Book Launch
Posted by Jeremy Windsor on May 13, 2019
Gary Gibson is a prolific climber who is well known throughout the UK for his new routing. In fact, with almost 5000 to his name there's a good chance that you've climbed one of them! However along the way he's been no stranger to controversy. Here's what the "Who's Who In British Climbing" had to say about him...
"Looking through Gary Gibson's eyes all you can see is unclimbed rock. Has anyone put up more new routes than Gibson? His passion for climbing new lines is only surpassed by his enthusiasm for claiming them, a suspicion which was confirmed after he confessed to recording some lines he hadn't actually done. So what if he didn't have time to climb all the routes he'd spotted, cleaned and prepared so vigorously? As a consequence Lundy is sinking under the weight of his additions (e.g. Widespread Ocean of Fear E5 6a), Peak limestone has borne the brunt of his drill (Une Crime Passionelle et al), mid Wales and Pen Trywn... all have succumbed to Gibson's hunger for untrammelled ground.
In fact, Gary has spent so long foraging the tops of crags looking for belays that its perhaps not surprising that one day he was to come a cropper, when he toppled from the top of Moat Buttress at Water Cum Jolly, fortunately into the mud below (inspiring the name of the Malcolm Taylor route, A Bigger Splat). A more serious accident occurred when a block hit him on the head at Ban y Gor, necessitating surgery.
Not that it stopped him. Probably nothing could, for Gibson is probably the epitome of the climbing obsessive. Like a dog on diuretics in a lamp post factory Gary has been there, seen it and done a new route on it..."
Gary Gibson - "Some people collect records, some people collect football programmes and some people train spot. I collect new routes."
To put the record straight, Gary has written an autobiography - "Blood, Sweat and Smears". The book will be launched at Outside Cafe in Hathersage on Thursday 13th June at 7.30pm.
Tickets are £5 and can be bought from the shop.
It promises to be an entertaining night!
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