This is so weird that it's off any scale of weirdness. This is UKC, and we have a very interesting -albeit ragged and badly edited - movie on climbing in the Verdon (perhaps the single greatest crag in Europe ... which includes us, BTW), and NO-ONE has yet made any comment.

I'm actually not convinced that many people are climbing any more. A lot are kind of pretending in bolted quarries maybe. But I went into the very good Scarthin Bookshop in Cromford today and, while there were a lot of Lake District guides, there were none on Snowdonia except a single Tremadog guide from quite a few years ago. We drove through the Pass about a month ago and, OK, the Corner looked a bit wet, but there was absolutely no one climbing anywhere on any of those amazing crags in the Pass. Just what is going on? Have trad climbers decided that it's all too dangerous? My own country is becoming less and less recognisable by the day as we slide, self-willed it seems, into sheer mediocrity in everything.

Disillusioned Gordon?.... Well you are not the only one. Life seems to revolve around self and self interest ,disinterest and instant gratification these days but do not despair.

Unashamedly you have to push back, you have to ruffle feathers ,you have to put the cat amongst the pigeons and ultimately you have to say what has to be said even if it upsets.

Have I climbed in the Verdon? No.

Am I going to climb in the Verdon. Yes.

Why? have just been provoked to climb in the Verdon so thank you.

That's really great. If I were 50 years younger, now, Verdon would just about be the top of all the places I'd want to climb.