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Nick Bullock should need little in the way of introduction. One of Britain's finest alpinists and rock climbers, known for bold and audacious ascents, he is also a writer and occasional poet.
‘Write a climbing Bio and include what type of routes inspire you’ the folks at ME asked! I must admit, right or wrong, I don’t really get on with this type of thing, it feels akin to asking me to brag. Also, I feel it’s almost impossible for me to portray in words, what climbing means to me. How is it possible to avoid platitudes and cliches? How is it possible not to be a hypocrite?
And ‘What routes inspire’ is a difficult question, especially for a 55-year-old. If I were young, I would answer, most routes inspire; single pitch traditional rock, soaring 40m sport climbs passing tufa’s and pockets on perfect limestone. Multi-pitch rock on accessible mountains. The battle of Scottish winter mixed. Rock climbing on crumbling sea cliffs, rock climbing on edges battered by wind, or perfect pocketed Welsh Rhyolite. Climbing and exploring new routes on Alpine mountains and in the Greater Ranges. But, as my body becomes less able to do that which I ask of it, the routes that inspire now are the ones that enhance my life, but don’t destroy the future dreams, because for the ‘not so young’, but for someone who is still embroiled in climbing, there are always dreams and ambitions. And in a way, this returns to what climbing has always meant to me, and the closest I can come to explaining, would be; personal endeavour. The Middle English root of endeavour means to "put oneself in" or "do one's utmost," so if you endeavour to do something, you do it with earnestness and a fair amount of effort; add integrity and honesty to this, and in a nutshell, that is what climbing is for me.
And ‘What routes inspire’ is a difficult question, especially for a 55-year-old. If I were young, I would answer, most routes inspire; single pitch traditional rock, soaring 40m sport climbs passing tufa’s and pockets on perfect limestone. Multi-pitch rock on accessible mountains. The battle of Scottish winter mixed. Rock climbing on crumbling sea cliffs, rock climbing on edges battered by wind, or perfect pocketed Welsh Rhyolite. Climbing and exploring new routes on Alpine mountains and in the Greater Ranges. But, as my body becomes less able to do that which I ask of it, the routes that inspire now are the ones that enhance my life, but don’t destroy the future dreams, because for the ‘not so young’, but for someone who is still embroiled in climbing, there are always dreams and ambitions. And in a way, this returns to what climbing has always meant to me, and the closest I can come to explaining, would be; personal endeavour. The Middle English root of endeavour means to "put oneself in" or "do one's utmost," so if you endeavour to do something, you do it with earnestness and a fair amount of effort; add integrity and honesty to this, and in a nutshell, that is what climbing is for me.
