In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:
Just wanted to introduce myself and say hello and thanks to Mick and everyone else who's wished me good luck. I am absolutely stoked, both as a professional journalist and as a climber, to have landed this job and it's a real privilege to be able to edit a magazine I've read since I started climbing.
I'm no 20 year veteran of the climbing scene but I'm no novice either - my UKC logbook isn't complete but gives a flavour of some of what I've done (including the dogged leads and knee tremblers on some of Almscliff's 'awkward' VS classics that I've been sent up by belay partners with a knowing smile and the words "It'll be 'reet").
I am unashamedly a punter and proud of it and I want Climber to reach, inspire and entertain those readers who get out when they can - when they can escape long working hours and the responsibilities of family life - simply because they love climbing, whether it be pottering happily up VDiffs, trying to push their grade on harder routes, doing a bit of bouldering or clipping bolts.
And that doesn't have to mean dumbing down content, or lots of 'how to abseil' articles, or ignoring the elite climbing achievements. What does it mean? Well, you'll just have to watch Climber over the coming months to find out.
I'm a regular UKC reader and occasionally loiter around the forums so feel free to drop me a line with any suggestions/abuse or just to say hello, and if you're Yorkshire-based you'll also find me down at the Leeds Wall some evenings struggling up routes and hiding in the cafe with a large mug of tea.