We all started climbing together at Pudsey Grammar School (now Pudsey Grangefield). This was our first trip to the Alps, done on a shoestring. I Inter-railed it with Andrew Sugden. Craig hitched. We spent several weeks there, in absolute squalor, but had such a good time and met lots of great people. Craig was already showing his natural ability and bonded quickly with Don Barr and Rob Uttley, two outstanding Yorkshire climber who were on the site. Our climbing often consisted of trying to follow memorised descriptions from other people's guidebooks, not always successfully! I climbed using two pairs of my mum's tights as thermal underwear under my tracksuit buttoms, and ladies sheepskin mittens from Woolworths to keep my hands warm. Good times.

Great photo, Brian. You're looking debauched already!

I love photographs like this. Don Barr was a great climber. I climbed with him, at Stoney, about the time this photograph was taken. We met in the woodshed - he was sleeping on the planks above me. He cruised up Bitterfingers, Pickpocket, Traffic Jam... then he dragged me up. I've never learned as much in a day's climbing. I could be wrong but I think he was a policeman. But what impressed me most was the way he pressed his jeans under his pillow at night. Really cool. He left a lasting impression on me. A real climber. R.I.P Don Barr.

haha! I don't know why I felt the need to do that when someone pointed a camera at me!

Really outstanding!