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Profile:
Bob
Smith: The Climber by
Andy Birtwistle
“Just
another day in the county, my place at 9:30, we’ll decide on the venue then.
The forecast isn’t too good but we should be ok.” says John.
We arrive at the crag and surprisingly
it’s in quite good nick. The expected condensation hasn’t arrived and a
couple of eager parties are already at work on the problems. Bob dons his
slippers and warms up on a fingery traverse. He moves easily across the rock,
his balletic motion smooth and
fluid, appearing devoid of exertion. He climbs easier than he walks these days;
come to think of it he always did. Other problems follow, progressively harder-
dismissing a handhold here, a foothold there. It should be just another day in
the county. Today is different though; Bob makes 50 on Monday. His enthusiasm
and appetite remain undiminished after a quarter of a century on the rock. Each
visit brings a new challenge and he still competes with the young hotshots,
giving advice, attempting and often succeeding on the latest problem.
Bob Smith, the father figure of
Northumbrian rock, is a blonde moustachioed guru, whose wiry physique and
tattooed forearm have always disguised a formidable talent. His contribution to
climbing is profoundly respected by anyone who is or has been anyone in the UK
scene for over 20 years. During this time he has developed a reputation, almost
Whillan’s like, for being hard and uncompromising - taking no prisoners both
on and off the rock. His respect has been well earned, over 300 new routes in
Northumberland and even more boulder problems. However there is much more to him
than a list of first ascents. Beneath this hard exterior there lies a much
softer more thoughtful individual than many imagine.
Bob
is a complex character who is many things to many people and much more than the
sum of his parts. A tradesman holding down a full time job grafting on the roofs
of Tyneside. A married man, with two children and strong family values and
bonds. An artist with a deep empathy for nature, expressed in beautiful
woodcarvings. A rock athlete, who lives and breathes climbing, with clear vision
and total dedication. Above all he is a man of strong conviction prepared to put
his cards on the table, one who cares deeply about issues and about his mates
and will do all in his power to defend them. His philosophy is black and white;
with no room for shades of grey. This laser like focus has given him a firm
belief in his own ability and a constructive critique of others. Respectful of
his peers but in awe of no one, he holds no truck with frauds and bullshitters.
Bob’s
climbing credentials speak for themselves. Hundreds of first ascents both within
and outside his beloved “county” were forged from determination, audacity,
and boldness. Early on-sight repeats of some of the hardest routes in other
areas at home and abroad, reveal that he was at the cutting edge for a long time
and for many years on homeground he was unassailable. Even today he will keep
most on their toes! Likewise as a
climbing partner he is totally reliable and dependable, keeping a cool head in a
crisis. Combine with this his openness to all, regardless of ability and the
unassuming way he goes about “the business”, he is a true climber’s
climber.
Bob Smith was born on the 12th
February 1951. Raised in the tough east end of Newcastle his background was
strictly working class where becoming streetwise was a necessity. A roofer by
trade, and accustomed to heights, he arrived at climbing through his elder
brother Tom, a fellow roofer. He in turn had been introduced by brother in law,
John Mountain (a southerner from Sheffield) whilst living in London of all
places. Extremely competitive by nature the brothers threw themselves into the
climbing foray with thoughtless disregard to standard procedure and protocols.
Soon they were challenging John Earl and Bob Hutchinson, the leading activists
in the region at the time.
The Smiths had made steady progress
moving through the grades when “the blue bible”, to quote Bob, inspired them
further. This 1975 New Routes Supplement to Northumberland, mostly a catalogue
of Earl and Hutchinson’s routes, was demoted to a “50p bag of shite” when
talking to them. The brothers soon got to grips with the harder offerings from
the ”bible” then turned their attention to setting the standard themselves.
They opened their account with a free ascent of The
Dangler E3 5c at Causey Quarry in
1978. Climbed at 6’oclock in the morning-before a full day at work. This was
an indication of their dedication and tenacity. They then developed Callerhues
Crag in 1978, virtually from scratch adding forty new routes. Even the VS’s
here are 5b and Tom was quoted as saying
“It’s
not gear they’ll need, it’s bog paper”!
The leap forward in difficulty soon to
follow demanded a different approach and the Smiths forcefully applied
themselves to the task. They trained hard, climbed hard and also drank hard.
With others they bouldered on a viaduct in winter evenings using tilley lamps
for light. Bob also discovered an old quarry in Jesmond Dene, near his home,
which they turned into a fierce training ground. It was not unusual for Bob to
have an hour down The Dene before work, put in a hard day on the roofs of
Tyneside, another hour after work then go to the climbing wall in the evening!
The
training paid off and very soon it was evident that there had been a jump in the
technicality and boldness of new routes in the county. First ascents, many of
the highest difficulty, were often done on sight or with a minimum of inspection
or cleaning. Tom equalled Bob in ability at that time and led many of his own
hard routes as well as seconding him, but that’s another story.
Bob’s 1978 routes, Last Retreat E4 6a at Great Wanney, Barbarian E5 6b (solo) and The
Rajah E5 6b at Bowden Doors, typified this surge in standards. Bob trained
for The Rajah, graded
XS 5c+ at the time, by manteling into his loft, an example of his vision and
tenacity. Bob’s other hard new lines in Northumberland in 1979 included
on-sight solos of Rising Damp E4 6b and High
Tide E5 6a at Bowden Doors.
The duo played away from home just as well aiming to become the best
climbing brothers in the UK. They looked only for the hardest routes, convinced
that they would climb them. In 1979 they began to turn up the heat elsewhere
with an early repeat of Right Wall E5 6a
on the Cromlech topping out with Grond E2
5b for luck. Not content with simply repeating hard routes they upped the
stakes by stringing a number together in a day; one early example being went
they went to Borrowdale and did Dry Gasp
E4 6a in the morning and Grand
Alliance E4 6a in the afternoon.
In the evenings the beer flowed and with
it a fierce brotherly rivalry. The drinking stories are legendary. Discussion
over a pint, debate, another beer, arguments, more beer, arms wrestling, yet
more beer, then verbal abuse before staggering home bosom buddies. Woe betide
anyone who crossed Bob or Tom in the later stage of the evening! One Smith was
trouble; few would be crazy enough to take on the two of them together. Opinions
were extended, to the rest of the team in later years. You’re either
“shite” or “a canny lad ye”, (either way he likes you). Few close
associates have escaped a Bob Smith Closing Time lecture, the “have a half”
cry, as he bends your ear on wildly and widely ranging topics. Resistance is
futile. But I digress.
At this point it is perhaps worth
recording that folk kept quiet about their achievements in those days rather
than seeking publicity. Geordies were keepers of the county and the guardians
also included John Earl, Billy Wayman, Steve Blake and Paul Stewart all of whom
were powerful climbers in their own rights. Only other Geordies and the Jocks,
especially Dave Cuthbertson, Murray Hamilton, Kenny Spence and Spider Mackenzie
were tolerated. Anyone else was a raider to be seen off.
In 1980 Bob teamed up with John Earl. Bob Hutchinson had been tragically
killed in the Lakes in 1978 while prospecting a new route and Tom had taken the
first of many early retirements. Bob continued to take the county by storm with
a series of E4 6b routes including
Kaiser Bill, and His
Eminence, at Bowden and Command
Performance at Simonside. It was also in this year that he ventured abroad
to Verdon. Nursing a broken and splinted finger he still ticked classics such as
La Demande E1 5b, Eperon Sublime E3
5c, and Squirrels Pillar E3 6a to name only a few, always on the lead.
During the early 80’s he was repeating
the hardest routes on-sight in the Lakes, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Wales and on
the more infrequent visits routes in Cornwall, Scotland and France. He was only
interested in the hardest traditional routes on-sight. Significant repeats from
this time included Dream/Liberator E3 6a,
Ommadawn E4 6a, Trilogy
E5 6a (1981) Mortlocks Arete E4 6a,
R ‘n’ S Special E5 6a, (1982) Shere
Khan E5 6a, Lost Horizons E4 6b, Footless
Crow E5 6b, Das Kapital E6 6b, Pichni
Bull E5 6b (1983) Ceramic
E4 6a, Pumpwater E5 6b, Yosemite
Wall E5 6a (1984) and Guadaloupe E5
6a, Claws E5 6a (1985).
An example of the Smith style comes from
an Easter trip to Cornwall. After a long drive the team decided to go to the pub
and eat before putting the tents up. Hours later after a liquid supper Bob was
so pissed that he threw up over the minibus on the drive to the camp site.
Pissed was normal throwing up rare! Once there he promptly collapsed in a ditch
full of nettles where the lads threw his tent over him and left him to sleep it
off. Next morning he bounced up from his bed of nettles and climbed to E3 in the
Great Zawn.
Around this time, Pete Kirton appeared on
the scene. A very strong local youth Pete’s power was directed towards boulder
problems, Bob’s speciality. Pete and Bob made formidable sparing partners
sharpening Bob’s competitive edge. Pete was the more powerful but Bob was
ahead in stamina, flexibility and the ability to perform the same hard moves
high above the ground. Their duels both physical and verbal were rarely resolved
as the bitching and bantering left any rules wide open to interpretation and
continued long into the evening’s drinking session at The Millstone. The cut
and thrust of their style and ego promoted their exploits to a prime spectator
sport and much merriment for those watching on.
On one trip Pete had been casually referring to Bob’s kids as brats on
the drive north. Bob said nothing, but on arrival at the crag when Pete took out
a pie he’d bought for lunch, Bob promptly stamped on it saying.“That’ll
teach ye to call my kids brats” Pete
sloped off temporarily subdued, while the rest of us rolled about in laughter. (1)
Between
1978 and 1989 Bob Smith dominated Northumberland climbing. A new climbs
supplement in 1984 stated that without his contributions it would probably not
have been necessary! Quite rightly so, as that booklet contained nearly a
hundred, Bob Smith routes, most of a high standard of difficulty. In 1981 he
breached the “impossible” overhanging wall at Back Bowden with Merlin
E5 6a, following it soon after with
Macbeth E6 6b, an achievement which
stands out as being particularly impressive for the time, and Poverty
E4 6c at Bowden in 1984, so named “cos there’s nowt there”. This
demonstrated his unorthodox approach and immense versatility, tackled by
sprinting diagonally towards the rock, then leaping to snatch poor holds half
way up the wall. Other routes from that time were equally impressive such as Second
Born E5 6b, at Callerhues in 1985 was climbed as a matter of urgency. He
soloed this one Wednesday evening, after reports that Yorkshire Terriors had
been eyeing it up the previous weekend. Many of Bob’s routes have not had any
known repeats and of those that have, few have been done in the same pure style.
Further
afield Bob was repeating top routes, often soon after they had been done,
usually on-sight flashing them. Although not a magazine name, and not a seeker
of publicity, he was equal to the best at the time. His work rate was prolific,
an example being a day on the Cromlech in 1984, with Lord
of the Flies E6 6a, Resurrection E4 6a, Memory Lane E3 5c, and The
Grim Jim E2 5b.
From
1985 to 1987 Bob and John were commissioned to help produce a new Eastern Fells
guide for the FRCC so the spotlight changed to the Lake District. Many new
routes followed with a clutch of six at Raven Crag Threshthwaite Cove.
High-octane efforts were Cabriolet E4 6b,
by Earl and Bob’s magnificent Internal
Combustion E6 6c,one of the hardest routes in the area at that time. Most of
the other hard routes in the area were re-climbed in the process of checking for
the guide and they still had time to travel to other venues for routes such as Golden
Mile E5 6b, Miller’s Tale E5 6c and Obsession F7b+ (1986). Further lines
were climbed at Thrang Crag, Stern Test
E5 6b, led by Earl and Bob’s aptly named Quest
E5 6b, on Iron Crag. (2)
In 1987 Bob repeated Hells
Wall E6 6c before turning his attention back to Northumberland. A new guide
was in the pipeline and in late November he tiptoed into the future with the
potentially bone breaking On The Rocks E7
6c, at Back Bowden while I tried to keep my camera from shaking! Notable
efforts in 1988 were an early ascent of Dominatrix
E6 6b (pre bolting), Sixpence E6 6c,
The Prow E6 6c, and
Angel Dust E5 6b, the hardest and last route left to tick at Trollers Gill.
Bob readily embraced the late 80’s
swing to sports climbing. Having systematically worked his way through nearly
all the hard traditional climbs in the Lakes, Yorkshire, and to a lesser extent
Derbyshire, bolts opened up a new exciting horizon. Limestone crags, such as
Kilnsey Malham, and Gordale became regular venues interspersed with trips to the
leafy dales of the Peak. Climbing as ever at the highest standards, the safety
of bolts compensated for an increasing awareness with age, of his mortality. As
usual he excelled progressing to the red pointing of Let Them Eat Jelly Beans (The Bulge) F8a at Kilnsey and the on-
sighting of many F7c’s both at home and abroad.
In the early 90’s the emphasis changed
again from routes to bouldering, Bob’s forte. This time it was the arrival of
Alec Burns from Yorkshire with a different eye for a problem, coupled with
Bob’s pioneering instinct, that provided an extra stimulus to search for fresh
venues and review old ones.
Always a boulderer, over the last 10 or
12 years Bob has been responsible for hundreds of quality problems throughout
“the county”. His unique approach creating moves so specialised and gnarly
that purely youth and power cannot solve them. such as The Mantel Northumberland B8+ (Font 7c+) and Piano Northumberland B8
(Font 7c). Many are grateful for his advice and encouragement, but still
only the best succeed.
Now the wrong side of fifty, the gnarly
old bugger is still “doing the business” with as much passion and drive as
ever. His climbing career has spanned the generations, from Don Whillans for
whom he was once proud to buy a pint quoting “Cheers mate, that’s for all
your routes”, to today’s strong boulderers. Those who know him well,
appreciate his humanity and his climbing genius. His legacy of climbs together
with the purity and elegance of ascent and the sheer audacity of execution, make
him one of the great climbers of his generation. You’re a one off mate, thanks
for all your routes and keep ‘em
coming.
(1)
More on their exchanges can be gleaned from an excellent article that Pete wrote published in “No Nobler County” the NMC’s 50th anniversary book.
(2)
The
Quest is a saga written about Bob and John’s partnership and their adventures
in the Eastern Fells.
Some significant routes in Bob’s
climbing history the majority being on-sight flashes
1978
FA
Dangler E3 5c Causey Quarry (The beginning of an auspicious career)
FA
Last Retreat E4 6a Great Wanney
FA Barbarian
E5 6b Bowden Doors
FA The
Rajah E5 6b Bowden Doors
1979
Right
Wall E5 6a Dinas Cromlech
Bitter
Oasis E3 5c Goat Crag
Dry
Gasp E4 6a Falcon Crag, Grand Alliance E3 6a Black Crag (on the same day)
Gates
of Delirium E4 6a Raven Crag Thirlmere
Holocaust
E4 6a Dow Crag
FA Rising
Damp E4 6b Bowden Doors
FA High
Tide E5 6a Bowden Doors
1980
Rectum
Rift E3 6b Almscliffe
FA
Kaiser Bill E4 6b Bowden Doors
FA
His Eminence E4 6b Bowden Doors
FA
Command Performance E4 6b Simonside
1981
Trilogy
E5 6a Raven Crag, Langdale
Creation
E4 6a Raven Crag, Thirlmere
Blitzkrieg
E4 6a Raven Crag, Thirlmere
Ommadawn
E4 6a Dove Crag
Inclination
E4 6b Shepherds
Jenny
Wren E4 6a Gordale
Dream/Liberator
E3 6a Bosigran
FA Absent Friends E5 6b Great Wanney (in
memory of Bob Hutchinson)
FA Merlin E5 6a Back Bowden
FA
Toffs E3 6b Bowden
FA Hard Shoulder E4 6a Goats Crag
1982
Darl E5
6b Kilnsey
Mortlocks
Arete E4 6a CheeTor
The
Cumbrian E4 6b Esk Buttress
R’n’S
Special E5 6a Raven Langdale
FA Macbeth E5 6b Back Bowden
1983
Shere
Khan E5 6a Scafell East
Lost
Horizons E4 6b Scafell East
Das
Kapital E6 6b Raven Crag Thirlmere
Footless
Crow E5 6b Goat Crag
Ceramic
E4 6a Chee Tor
Captain
Tripps E4 6a Kilnsey
Pichni
Bull E5 6b Verdon
1984
Peels
of Laughter E5 6b Raven Crag Thirlmere
Pumpwater
Meets the Hulk E5 6b Malham
Yosemite
Wall E5 6a Malham
El
Coronel E5 6b Malham
Guadaloupe
E5 6a Loup Scar
Lord of
the Flies E6 6a Dinas Cromlech
Cave
Route E6 6b Gordale
FA Angelic Upstart E5 6b Trollers Gill
(on-sight)
FA Poverty E4 6b Bowden
1985
Fear
& Fascination E5 6a Dove Crag
Liquid
Engineering E5 6b Raven Crag Threshthwaite Cove
Indecent
Exposure E6 6b Raven Tor
WeedkillerE5
6c Raven Tor
Supersonic
E5 6a, Castellan E5 6b (the same day which completed all the routes on High Tor
at that time)
Wild
Country E4 6c Dovedale
FA
Leonado E5 6b Sandy Crag
FA
Uncouth Youth E4 6a Back Bowden
FA
Right of Reply E5 6b Back Bowden
FA
Kremlin E4 6c Shitlington
FA
Second Born E5 6b Callerhues
1986
Penal
Servitude E5 6b Reecastle
Millers
Tale E5 6c Water cum Jolly
Whitebait
E5 6cWater cum Jolly
Golden
Mile E5 6b Chee Tor
Obsession
E6 6b Malham
FA
Internal Combustion E6 6c Raven Crag Threshthwaite Cove
1987
Hells
Wall E6 6b Bowderstone Crag
Daylight
Robbery E5 6c Reecastle
Wooly
Jumper E5 6b Knitting How
Waiting
for the Sun E4 6b Kilnsey
FA
The Quest Iron Crag E5 6b
FA On the Rocks E6 6c Back Bowden
1988
FA The Dissident E5 6b,Glasnost E4
5c,Perestrioika E5 6a, Greatend Crag (on the same afternoon)
Sixpence
E5 6c Pavey Ark
Dominatrix
E6 6b Kilnsey (on gear)
The
Prow E6 6b Raven Tor
Angel
Dust E5 6b Trollers Gill (completing all the routes on this crag)
1989
New
Dawn F7c Malham
Chiselling
the Dragon F7c Malham
Devils
Grip E6 6b Yew Cougar
Dreamtime
F7c+ Kilnsey
Man
with a Gun F7c+ Kilnsey
Let
Them eat Jelly Beans F 8a Kilnsey
Phantom
Zone F7c (on-sight) Kilnsey
Super
Duper Dupont F7c (on-sight) Chapel Head Scar
Risk
Business E5 6a Creag A Bhancair
Uncertain
Emotions E6 6b Creag A Bhancair
New
Blood 2nd ascent E5 6b
Creag A Bhancair
1990
Ashes
F7c+ and Comedy F7c Kilnsey (same day)
Fated
Path E7 6b Creag A Bhancair
1991
FA Life Begins at Forty E5 6b Eavestones.
And many many others!
Another perspective of Bob Smith:
"It was great to read the Bob Smith profile on your site (I know
its been there a while but I have only just come across it). Bob is a real
unsung hero and as it says in the article, his ascents were equal of any in his
day and far outweigh some of the so-called 'rock stars' that dominated the
magazines in the '80's. I well remember visits to Bowden as a teenager and
looking with awe at routes like Barbarian and Kaiser Bill.
I never knew Bob personally but I do have one very strong memory of him. I was
about 15 at the time and had just started climbing with the school in my home
town of Berwick. Me and a mate were particulary keen and used to borrow ropes
and slings from the school and hitch hike down to Bowden or Kyloe at the
weekend. Top roping was our thing at the time - we had no gear and didn't know
any better.
So there we were at Kyloe with a top rope set up on some VS when a wiry guy with
blonde hair and moustache came over to 'have a word' about the ethics of top
roping (we didn't know who he was at the time, but later realised it was Bob).
We bemoaned the fact that we had no gear to lead routes, so he went over to his
'sac, pulled out a carrier bag full of wires and extenders and said borrow this
for the day.
We set off up Fawlty Towers in fear and trembling, trying to learn how to put
gear in as we went - I eventually got to the top with one of the four or five
wires I had put in still in place, while Bob and his mates ate their sandwiches
and watched. Fantastic. We did a few more routes that day, then handed the gear
back with a thanks and immediately started saving to buy a rack of our own.
That was over 20 years ago now. I am based in Yorkshire these days and
still climb regularly in the Dales and on the gritstone. I never achieved any of
the heights that Bob did - E2/E3 was as good as it got for me - but I have
always been inspired by Bob's routes, his modesty about his achievements and the
encouragement he gave us that day at Kyloe to take the plunge into 'proper'
climbing. Great to hear he is still going strong and enjoying his climbing in
the County." David Lindsay 25th February 2005
To see another side of Bob Smith; The wildlife woodcarver.
Visit his web site Wild life from Wood
Gallery:
Bob Smith on Y Front, Bowden Doors. Photo (c) Andrew Birtwistle