Twid Turner
Twid has been climbing for 25 years and leading extreme for most of that time. He has been a British Mountain Guide for 10 years, working from Wales, Scotland and the Alps. He has climbed big walls, rock and Alpine routes all around the world, lectured at club events and festivals and has also made films for National Geographic.
He has made first ascents in Patagonia, Venezuela, Borneo, Baffin, Pakistan, Greenland, Alaska, Mali, Madagascar and Mexico.
He has led over 50 E7's on natural / traditional gear. New rock routes in the UK include Perfect Monsters E7 on Mingulay and Vitalstatistics E8 on Gogarth. In the Alps he made early repeats of The Fisch and Divine Providence, and climbed winter routes like the North Face of the Eiger, Beyond Fear and Evil and the Croz Spur. On Ice he has climbed VI and M8 extensively in Europe, and made many trips to the States and Canada. He was also a nominee for the prestigious Piolet D'Or Award in 2003 for the route Supa Dupa Coulior in Alaska.
Shows:
Vertical Camping - First ascents on Big Walls around the world. A photo and film presentation of climbing Big Walls in remote places.
After a quick introduction of why to avoid DIY, the show explores a few reasons why Big Wall climbing is addictive to a few (sad) individuals. It includes free climbs, aid routes and ice walls, illustrated with images and video.
It also includes a host of new routes:
The Citadel - 9 day Big wall
The Super Dupa Coulior - Piolet D'Or Nomination - 1000m of VI/V ice
Perfect Storm 1000m - 10 days of hellish weather
Rachel Welsh in Venezuela - The arete that leads to the land that time forgot - 600m Akapan Tepuey on the Brazilian Border
To encourage the audience to appreciate 'ledge life' on a Big Wall the show has a few moments of video from 'It's no Tango on Trango' - 21 consecutive nights in a portaledge on Greater Trango Tower in the Karakorum.
If you are asking why people do this then Terry Wogan spills the beans with a TV interview (with Twid!).
Climbing Big Walls in the Arctic Islands of Lofoten (Norway) lends a European flavour to the show, before wrapping up with some music and slides of a few other Big Wall hot spots Twid has ventured to - Baffin, Madagascar, Borneo, Mali, Greenland, Patagonia.
A veritable Big Wall feast!