Ethos

Fair Head is the best crag in Ireland; that is undisputed. This web site aims to direct Irish Climbers focus back towards this adventurous outdoor crag after a dearth of activity from '96 to '02. Lead climbing at Fair Head is an unforgettable experience. It is vertical, the exposure is massive and the routes are a major undertaking. It's the ultimate full on climbing experience, a venue for real climbers, not the wanna be's.

Looking back at the MCI/Scottish meet in June 2002, this was a mega success. From the info on the web it had looked like a bit of a closed shop, so at the time a few of us just went up anyway to see who was about and what was happening. What we saw was a truly inspirational site to behold. There were about 30 teams scattered all over the crag, with every major line having a pair on it. The place was alive and the spark was there. That's what Fair Head needs, a focus on just getting up there, having fun and loving every minute of it.

In the past any info on the crag always centred on new route development. The phenomenal contributions from the likes of Cooper, Torrans, Higgs, Ryan, McHugh and all those familiar names we see in the guide is the legacy we now enjoy. Eddie Cooper continues to develop, working away, cleaning routes by himself on 100m abseils, creating the next playground for the hard core climbers of tomorrow. Total respect.

For the rest of us the interest is usually totally different. Many just go for a social day out, others to push themselves to their own limits, others working through their personal tick list of the greats, others just to see if they can climb there at all, without scaring themselves silly. Whatever the goal, the key emphasis is just on getting up there and returning home with a grin so wide that it doesn't fade for days. Makes you feel alive. Shear bliss.

Can you can think back to a time when you've been up there, struggling like hell to lead something, thinking you're coming off at any minute, rope getting caught up around your feet, so pumped you can't get any gear in, only to struggle on and eventually top out, finally slumping onto the belay ledge with your heart pumping like it's on overdrive? It's weird but it feels great when you look back to know you've got that elusive tick. And the next time you're at the wall and bump into someone else who's done the route, you find out he thought exactly the same and as you talk through the moves, the both of you end up with that same massive grin again, chuckling away. That's it, that's why we climb. Fair Head routes seem to produce these memories like nowhere else.

The idea for the web site is just about that. Getting people talking about routes. Letting everyone know about the latest beta and providing a focal point for info on the crag. The very nature of Fair Head climbing is such that if you see anyone up there at all, it's a surprise, and you know the feeling, it definitely does seem to become less fearsome when there's others about, has a kind of reassuring feeling about it, almost homely, just like the nights on the wall only a 100 times better.

The success of the site depends on the flow of information, so please mail it in and get it posted, for all to benefit. Whatever grade you climb at Fair Head, then you're a Fair Head Climber and this site should appeal to you, so help it grow...

The Essence of Fair Head.

Ethos