Rob Matheson

Maybe one of the UK’s longest serving ‘trad’ men having established many wide ranging ‘extremes’ over 7 decades, including the “Extreme Rock” classics of Holocaust, Cruel Sister, Grand Alliance, Shere Khan and Lubyanka.

First started climbing back in 1957 with hemp ropes, nailed boots, no runners and no knowledge.

Rob has witnessed at first hand the changes, and sometimes controversies, within the climbing world and the emergence of the different disciplines and specialities. The journey through the E grades is a complex one and learning to cope with the "danger zone” will always deter the less adventurous, no matter how athletic or skilled.

He get a real buzz from doing routes today that I couldn’t do years ago, and drawing on that mental strength and experience to help counter the inevitable physical decline.