UKH

Hi, 

A long shot but my  husband used to climb with a guy called Terry King and wanted to get in touch with him, can anyone help? 

I think a friend of mine is in touch with him, I'll alert him to this thread.

I had a chain smoking computer teacher in the mid 80s who organised the outdoor activities at my school. He introduced me to climbing for which I am very grateful. Apparently he was quite a good alpinist in the 70s.

Could this be the same Terry King?

He was also a double in a movie if I'm not mistaken.

Terry King did the first free ascent of Regent's Street, not shabby for 1968. In the 70s he was both a strong alpinist and a proper actor, there is an amusing story in Bernadette McDonald's 'Art of Freedom', probably from the Anglo-Polish trip Westbrook was on, that employs his Royal Shakespeare Company ACT-OR persona.

He also proposed the under-used cigarette packet Alpine grading system (total smoked, a product of duration and fear) so chain-smoking teacher checks out!

I knew Terry. I seem to recall he had a part in Coronation Street. Back in the day a few of us from the Peak Climbing Club used to hang out and climb a lot at Millstone Edge.  We were working our way through free climbing a lot of the aid routes and had our eye on Regent Street so got up one morning intent on giving it a go. This was a big deal for us so one of the camp "followers" made a cooked breakfast as preparation.  This was something we had never done before.  When we arrived at the foot of Regent Street, delayed by having a good breakfast, Terry was half way up it so we had to settle on the second ascent. Life can be cruel can't it

In reply to Westbrook:

It might be worth removing his email address from a public forum; I can't speak for Mr. King but I certainly wouldn't thank you if it were mine.

One of the guys in our club ('heavy smoker' didn't really do him justice)  was known to take one fag per anticipated bivvy.  His partners wised up and used to see how many he was taking.  Same system?

His essay in Cold Climbs on climbing Sticil Face as a weekend trip, on the sleeper, from London, has always been a favourite. 

It has a particularly evocative last line, which I can’t quite remember, about being late for work on Monday, getting sacked as a result, and having plenty more time to climb. 

Can’t lay my hands on my copy of Cold Climbs. However.

If I recall correctly, he is woken at Kings Cross in the sleeper by the cleaner who, seeing the cut of him, and his climbing paraphernalia, declared, “who do you think you are, Sherpa bleedin’ Tensile!”

Ever after Sticil Face was (unrequitedly) top of my list.