*NEWSFLASH:
Mike currently has availability on Alpine tuition and guiding
Jan-May 2007*. Contact
info@mountaineeringlectures.co.uk for more information.
Mike Turner has had the
nick name of 'Twid' since early school days! He was lucky to
be brought into the mountaineering world by his father, who is
still a keen climber. Through early trips to Wales, Peak and
Wales he gain a love for the mountains that is still as
passionate 30 old years later. Climbing started on local
outcrops around the Merseyside area such as 'The Breck and
Pecks Hill'. North Wales provided a close training ground for
multi pitch summer and winter climbing. Having survived the
'Early Years' he took off to the Alps and Greater Ranges.
First trip to the Alps with his Father climbed peaks in the
Ecrin and around Chamonix where he now lives for much of the
Alpine climbing seasons. In December 2006 Mike went to
Patagonia to climb a new line on the unclimbed South Face of
the Central Tower of Paine.
Rock Climbing
Background
Developing strong
fingers on the local sandstone allowed Twid to progress
quickily through the grades. Climbing E6 at 20 and E7 at 21.
He has climbed up to E7 each year since. Generally can onsight
E5/6. Spending plenty of time on sports routes he has climbed
many routes at the grade 8a. Twid spends most of his time
pushing his climbing grade and finding new routes. He has put
up hundreds of new routes all over the UK but mostly in North
Wales. Some of his most memorable being Vitalstatistics E8
5b,6b,6b,6c on Gogarth, Perfect Monsters E7 5b,6c,6a,6a on
Mingulay in the Outer Hebredies, Sole Train E7 6b, 6b in
Pembroke, Follower of Hopless Causes E7 6a, 6b, 6c at Gogarth,
Heart of Stone E76b in Ogwen Valley. He has rockclimbed
extensively around Europe and the World. Places he has climbed
included Lofoten, Mali, Madagascar, Morroco, Austrailia,
Mexico, Venezuala, States, Greeenland, Borneo, Pakistan and
Patagonia.
Current
lectures include:
'Vertical camping
on the Biggest Walls of the World’.
An attempt to
climb the biggest walls on the seven continents. 20 years of
climbing first ascents around the world. Baffin, Greenland,
Pakistan, Patagonia, Alaska, Venezuela, Mali, Madagascar,
Morocco and Borneo included. Stories included: nearly getting
eaten by a Polar Bear, weeks living in portaledges and snow
holes, horrors of creepy crawlies, food poisoning, surviving
avalanches and some of the wildest rock climbing on the
planet!
‘A Good Kicking
in the Kitchatnas’
4 seasons climbing
new routes in a remote Alaskan Range. The Kitchatna Spires
often called the Patagonia of the north. First ascents on the
Citadel (The Supa Dupa coulior, Piolet d’or nominee), ‘Off the
wall Bonkers!’ 11 day rock wall and ‘The Perfect Storm’ on
Mount Nevermore. Extreme sledging features heavily.
image: Mike Turner
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