From climbing up mountains to jumping off them
We planned to head to Conge in Italy for a Christmas of ice climbing. We started the drive from Scotland, picking up mates along the way until we had full van of 8 people. When we arrived the melting conditions meant we had to look higher- in Chamonix, it just so happened I had my new rig with me, (which I picked up en-route) and my skis. I had been researching a few skiBASE exit points in the area and with a weather window of one day and went for it.
Read more
Over the last 5 months climbing opportunities have been few and far between. The Falkland Islands aren’t a world known climbing destination and southern Chile seemed to have no climbing crags, and our three day visit meant we had time to walk to Torres del Paine but nothing more.
I’m a serial hobbyist and can’t even decide on one discipline of climbing to concentrate on. But BASE jumping is my new passion, I like how the skills from both climbing and BASE jumping compliment each other and I hope to combine these two sports in the future.
All these extreme sports have one thing in common: they’re dangerous. Avalanches, cliff strikes, decking out; they all come complete with their own life changing injuries and the looming possibility of death.
With my feet still feeling the effects of climbing the Eiger 3 weeks ago, I’m now in Italy looking up at a 1000m cliff face. The plan is to climb ‘Via Vertinge’ to the BASE jumping exit point over two days, where my cached Wingsuit and BASE rig will be waiting. Then take a quick flight back to the car-park and drive up to collect Gabo. This was the plan, reality was a bit different.
The 1000m climb was split into 2. The first half consisted of waves of limestone slab broken up by short bands of vertical rock. The second half was overhanging with multiple large roofs. The route, Via Vertinge, is graded 6+, A2.
Read more
Whilst climbing the North Face of the Eiger I could see the Mushroom to our Right. A detached pillar of Rock making a perfect jumping platform. I had to go back and jump it. So after climbing and jumping the Eiger the obvious goal would be to tick the remaining 5 North Faces off, and such the North B.A.S.E project was made.
Read more
I had to head back to the Eiger; the weather window during the previous climb had not allowed me to jump it. After taking the first train up, we climbed the west flank and reached the Mushroom in under three hours. A Tyrolean traverse was anchored to the freestanding pillar named the Mushroom, a perfect platform for launching yourself off the North Face. This would be the first of the six mountains that I was to jump and my first at high altitude, I stood at the exit wondering how the altitude would effect the flight.
Read more
Hard night in Vegas, onto a 10pm and then a 6am session at Red Rocks, onto a 8 hour drive to Yosemite. I park up at Bridalveil car park and within 20 minutes of arriving, I’ve cooked some noodles, thrown my kit in a haul bag, and we are off on the hour hike up the boulder field to the start. Sean (the nicest guy in big walling,) had spent the last 2 hours checking and re-checking his rack. Our plan is to climb the West Face of the Leaning Tower in a day.
Read more
After climbing the classic Don Whillans 
and Joe Brown route Cematory Gates, I stood on top of the route and looked down. The rock was sheer and the landing lay down near the road. The cliff was relatively low for a BASE jump but the extended hill would give us plenty of flight time. This jump had never been done before, so there was doubt in my mind.
