UKC

The Cloggy guide has amazing pics of a guy soloing shrike and The Axe- Who is Big Jim Jewel (after the big jim breakfast in pete's eats I assume)?- haven't been able to find any info on him apart from the guide and he looks like a real master. Anyone?

In reply to Lizard:
don't know much about him myself other than he was 'famous' for impressive soloing antics and I think he died in a fall whilst soloing (in wales?) when it started to rain?????
Or I might be thinking of someone else.
There is a video of him, but I've never seen it.

Wow my impressive record of uselessness in answering peoples questions continues...

In reply to Nik at work:

I belive he died falling off Poor Man's Peutry (sp?) at Tremadog. I think soemone posted something about it on here ages ago, something like he was meeting some friends at the top of the crag, used that route like a path, some water in a pocket and fell off etc etc.

In reply to Lizard:
He dies soloing at Tremadog in his trainners

In reply to Lizard:

Was, I am afraid. And the breakfast was named after him rather than the other way about.

A North Wales climber and renowned soloist who was killed falling off a Severe at Tremadog in (I think) 1986.

In reply to daveP:
On the subject of videos please accept my humblest apologies for my ongoing incompetence. I would make some lame excuses (I am really busy buying a house, my computer at home has blown up, the dog ate my homework etc etc) but the sad reality is I am a disorganised f*ckwit. I WILL remember one day soon(-ish).

In reply to Nik at work:

You are thinking of Derek Hersey, who was killed soloing the Steck-Salathe (I think) when he was caught in the rain.

In reply to Nik at work:
Just did a forum search and someone mentioned a video of him called 'total control'

In reply to Lizard:
All you need is chalk and balls and you're ready to cruise.
Jimmy Jewel

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Spike (Dave Pycroft) who posts on here occasionally knew him well and climbed with him a lot. Got some amazing stories to tell about him. IMO his eating exploits were as amazing as his climbing, a true legend.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:
Quite possibly. Frankly given my current state of exhaustion who knows what I was thinking.

Was there a Jim Jewel video or did I just make that up as well?

In reply to Lizard:


wahooooo - I am not halucinating, right back to yawning...

In reply to Lizard:

yes, you have most of it now

awesome soloist/climber

died downclimbing PMP in trainers in the rain I believe

do all you can to get hold of Total Control - beats any other climbing vid I've ever seen hands down - chilling/stunning sequences

In reply to Nik at work: The Jim Jewell video is called Total Control, and has fantastic sequences of him soling Silly Arete and T Rex among other routes. As well as his appetite he was famed for his rigorous training regime.

In reply to JonC:
excellent video - best with the sound off as I remember becuase the sound track is really really bad

In reply to Nik at work: no sweat brutha!

In reply to jellyknees:

Yeah the soundtrack is dreadful but the climbing pretty good (film quality not very good either). He did the first solo of the Cad (probably), T Rex as well as FA of Purrspire direct.

In reply to nature boy:


Another Big Jim quote:

"I may not be able to pull on the smallest of holds, but those I can pull on, I can pull on all day".

Good advice for all potential soloists ...

In reply to Anonymous:
Yeah- he makes it sound easy. But where can you get total contol from?

In reply to Lizard:

A true master, who unfortunately was killed when he fell off, down climbing at Tremadog. Goes to show what can happen, all the best leads and solos in the world don't make up for one dead man.

Check out 'Total Control', he's almost running at the top of Silly Arete. Look at the size of his arms on the 'Mau Mau' photo in the Llanberis guidebook.

In reply to Lizard:


That video was made by the Welsh filmmaker Alun Hughes. I don't have a copy, but I saw it many years ago. There is a nice bit when he's soloing T-Rex and has to pass a party on Dream of White Horses: he is cruising just in shorts and t-shirt or similar; they are of course trussed up like Christmas turkeys with hardware, ropes, helmets, etc etc.

He also solos Left Wall road-to-road in about 30 minutes. Impressive.

As to where you can get it, maybe you're in luck: a Google search on 'Alun Hughes' & 'Total Control' finds me the on-line shop

http://www.fflam.com/cymraeg/catalog/fideosdringo.htm

which lists the vid. Website seems a bit tricky to use - but there is a phone number. Might have to try speaking in Welsh, mind.

Good luck.

In reply to Anonymous:

that was actually Mr Ron Fawcett. Sorry. (Pedantic tw*t)

In reply to AndiT:
Same pic in my Paul Williams guide- he looks pumped!!!
Paul Williams died in an accident as well I believe. And I've just got the Peaks book by Paul Nunn and *he* died too.
I recon climbing guide books are jinxed for their authors

In reply to lummox:


Nope, don't think so.

But I will try to dig out the old mag (Mountain I think) where I read the quote.

'ar Ron's famous for 'Come on arms, do you stuff!', on Lord Of The Flies, isn't he?

In reply to Lizard: I think you'll find that most guidebook authors die eventually....

In reply to Anonymous: he may have plagurised, but he definitely sez it in On Pennine Rock, after climbing some limestone sports route in the Peak.

In reply to lummox: ps I meant that I was a pedantic tw*t. I`ll go away now..

In reply to lummox:

No, it was Big Jim.

There was a glorious summer of exploits back in the mid-late 80s, in which Jim was everywhere. I think the day I read he'd died was one of the saddest.

The Big Jim breakfast came about after the first time he went into Pete's, and asked (in deep Brummie twang) for a full cooked breakfast. Pete thought he asked for 'four', and cooked them all, wondering when his mates were going to turn up.

Once the confusion died down, Jim ate the lot anyway.

If you want to see the definition of ripped, have a look in the Paul Williams guide. I think Jim was doing the Mau Mau at the time. Quite the hero.

In reply to Lizard:

i heard a tale that during filming of the solo of the axe he had to to it more than once but to make it easier for the edit he chalked up at the same point on the route and climbed it almost identically each time!! even if this is a story that gets bigger with each telling it still amazes me.

In reply to stu:

I doubt it. I don't think The Axe solo was filmed at all, was it?

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

it was def a big numbered solo. i'll look into it properly

In reply to stu: That was Left Wall - he climbed it 3 or 4 times, with an identical sequence and chalking up in the same places each time.

In reply to John2:

The Axe was on the video as well, I'm sure, and there's a stunning poster of him on it

In reply to Tafka:

The Axe definitely wasn't on Total Control video and I've not seen it anywhere else (although Paul Pritchard climbs it as the opening sequence for a Welsh program on climbing ages ago)

In reply to lummox and anonymous:

The quote was a paraphrase of Jim Birkett who said "if I can get my fingers on it I can hang on it all day".

Now behave kiddies

In reply to Tafka: How many people does it take to convince you - The Axe was not on the video. We know that there was a stunning poster of it, and we also know that the photo appears on the front cover of the Cloggy guide.

In reply to sutty:


Okay, thanks.

Digging thro' an old pile of mags last night at home, I found the quote I mentioned in a profile of Jimmy, written by Paul Williams, in Mountain 116. There's also the 'All you need is chalk and balls man - it's the purest way to cruise' quote. And then, just six months later (in Mountain 119), there's his obituary. All very sad. Just shows it can even happen to the best.

But thanks for this thread, which has rekindled some great memories: I love the four breakfasts story!

(To Lizard: thinking about this last nigh,t it occurred to me that the on-line shop I mentioned might actually be selling videos in the Welsh language. So, check that out if you follow the lead.)

In reply to Anonymous:
Well- I recon that axe solo pic on the cover of the cloggy guide is quite a tribute to the guy. That route looks intense- major exposure. What a nutter.

In reply to Lizard:

I saw the poster with him on it and my blood ran cold. What a route and position for a solo. I still have not seen the total control video but would love to.

In reply to John2:

Don't recall being particularly vehement in my opinions - quite happy to concede the point.

Now, who usually puts your toys back in the pram after these little tantrums?

In reply to Lizard: you can get the video from Alun Hughes who made it. email - [email protected]