Fame at Last. (story)

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 Slackboot 16 Jun 2021

Note to anyone who has enjoyed the stories. This is probably the last for a few weeks. I have loads but I need to pace myself a bit otherwise people might get sick of them. Thanks for reading them by the way.😊

Fame at Last 

The phone rang. It was my climbing mate. "You're on the front cover of Climber and Rambler" he said. I couldn't believe it! I was a climbing nobody. Why? How? Where? I needed answers. Later in the day I got my hands on a copy. It was me all right. I recognised the chalk bag. But I was so far away! So small in the photo as to be virtually unrecognisable. Probably two people in the world would know who it was. Me and my mate! A well known mountain photographer had snapped me seconding a route in the Lakes. I had been in the right place at precisely the right time. It was pure chance. Still it was the closest I was going to get to fame. I now shared that heady place occupied by the climbing greats of the 80's. I was a 'cover boy'. Hmm I thought, it doesn't sound right somehow.
  The next day I was climbing at Brimham, or Sandbag City as I liked to call it. I pranced about, certain in the knowledge that everyone was looking admiringly at this new 'star' in the climbing firmament..... I couldn't get off the ground! It was very embarrasing. Eventually I slunk off home. After all, even top performers have their off days!
  A few months later I was pottering around a gift shop in the Lakes when some postcards caught my eye. It was me! On the postcard! The front cover photo had been reproduced as a postcard! The shop assistant looked at me oddly as I bought all ten cards displayed. "Great card that" I said. " There's some better one's over there" was the uninterested reply". When I got home I put the postcards in a 'safe place' intending to send them to friends and family. I never saw them again!

1
 Skip 16 Jun 2021
In reply to Slackboot:

I've appeared in 3 different editions of Climber mag.

 Duncan Bourne 16 Jun 2021
In reply to Slackboot:

Enjoyed them very much thanks

OP Slackboot 16 Jun 2021
In reply to Skip:

I didn't deserve to be in it. I think you must deserve it if you've been in that many times.☺

OP Slackboot 16 Jun 2021
In reply to Duncan Bourne:

Thank you too. You've encouraged me all the way.

 Lankyman 16 Jun 2021
In reply to Slackboot:

Definitely your 15 minutes of fame! I made it onto the back cover of a guidebook once. I need a new agent.

 fmck 21 Jun 2021
In reply to Slackboot:

Not sure how I previously missed this one. The only time I appeared in a climbing magazine was in the background of a pub. Pint in one hand and fag in the other. Not one my proudest moments.

OP Slackboot 21 Jun 2021
In reply to fmck:

Who was in the foreground?

 Mark Kemball 21 Jun 2021
In reply to Slackboot:

I was on the cover of Bumbler and Stumbler once too - "Unknown climber, Ritchie's Gully Creag Meagaidh."

 nniff 21 Jun 2021
In reply to Slackboot:

I was an 'unknown climber' on Birch Tree Wall at Brimham, in one of Steve Ashton's guidebooks.  Oh well....

In reply to Slackboot:

I once drove up to Sheffield for a photoshoot for one of Alan's guidebooks. Within thirty seconds the cameraman had put his camera away. 'It's no use, Alan. We need someone more photogenic.'.

jcm

 fmck 21 Jun 2021
In reply to Slackboot:

It was the first or second BMC National youth meet in the 80s. It became the International youth meet the following year. I thought I was an alright climber for my age until I went to that meet at 18 years old. Youngsters soloing E5 routes I couldn't get off the ground on.  


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