Johnny Dawes no handed climbing

"The rock has a dance form embedded in it which comes from quite a mysterious source." These are the words of Johnny Dawes, one of Great Britain’s most brilliant and influential rock climbers during the 1980’s and ’90’s who has recently been devoting time and attention to a somewhat unusual form of climbing: without hands. "In essence no handed climbing is a pointless thing to do" Dawes explains "as is rock climbing, as is most things we do, but I really get a lot out of it."

It’s always worth listening to Dawes and he offers the following advice "I think it's worth anybody trying to walk up slabs, they'll learn a lot about how to move and how to trust their body, what their body is really capable of." Dawes knows this full-well: his vertical explorations back in the day are legendary and relevant even today, as was proven only recently when Coeur de Lion was climbed for the first time… since his first ascent 28 years ago.




3/12/2011 - Johnny Dawes - the rock climbing interview
Eloquent, articulated. Talented. Artistic. Self-assured. These are the words that immediately spring to mind after speaking to Johnny Dawes, without a shadow of doubt one of the most talented and influential British rock climbers of all times.