22/01/2009Stevie Haston is back

Living and Climbing in Ariege.....and an Unshaggy Dog Story.

I first passed though Ariege in the French Pyrenees, on my way to Spain 15 years ago, it was quieter then, and it was misty, rainy, clad in cloud and miserable. The crags had wet streaks (just like the Peak District), and there were few bolted routes, but I knew they held magic potential (unlike the Peak District) and were somewhere an old climber might safely pass the twilight years of his zimmer-bound boring dotage. Fifteen years on and I wished I’d come sooner, as somewhere along my sponsored climbing life I had lost the simple smiles of loving stone. Today I am poor but don’t worry about money, half as strong as I was but I do more: old but have that childish twinkle of mischief again. It’s like when I moved to North Wales in the late 70's, the keenness is back, 'cos the routes are so good and stuff is fun.

Anyway what is there on offer? Well, 600 metres of granite if you want on the one hand, or 9a sport routes on the other. Plus throw in some excellent bouldering for the testicularly challenged and you have a good place to toast your tips. There is fantastic mountain walking, cycling and best of all for me, very good caving. The bit that made me come here to live is perhaps more difficult to explain. The place and the people still feel real, sure they are under siege by the silly new century but they are resisting. Come visit, enjoy, maybe stay like me.

A friend came to live in the area recently, his name is Jim Perrin, an older climber and a famous writer, some of his contemporaries know him as Jim the Dog. Anyway for 10 days I had to look after his un-toilet trained Parson Jack Russell terrier, a gift from the one and only Paul Ross, one of the fathers of rock climbing in Britain. The dog is the softest excuse you can imagine for this tough tenacious breed. It’s a perfumed decaying old dame; a manipulating, soft, twitching timorous tart. Paul Ross was instrumental in getting Jack Russells acknowledged as a breed and may have been the first climber in Britain to put up an E3. The great Joe Brown has also kept Jacks but I digress. Clearly, Paul Ross, that tough Cumberland lad, who used to enjoy a bit of post prandial fighting and now a desert tower climbing diehard, wanted shot of softie, so passed her on to Jim. Being in awe of Paul and in dept to Jim the Dog I saw it as my solemn duty not to let this champion Jack Russell get lost or come to any other harm! Easier said than done, when I took her climbing one time, I nearly died of embarrassment. My mates have big butch breeds and laughed at Fee Fee as she jumped into a football sized pocket and pissed herself in fear.

Big Eric one of the local route openers tried to control five oversized slavering and hungry Huskies while demeaning the diddy dog. Meantime, I vehemently denied ownership of said Fee Fee or Pee Pee as they cruelly referred to her. In an effort to drain her of urine I took her for long runs and would end up carrying her leaking carcass past my laughing neighbours working in the fields. The worst was yet to come. Just as I was showing off my rabbits to a potential customer at the time of the commune fete. I should mention that I breed large rare rabbits, as both a hobby and as a source of geld. Anyway, I have some rabbits called Giant Papillon Francais which have the same colouring as Jack Russells and weigh up to about 8kgs. Unbeknownst to me, while I was trying to make a sale, Iggy one of my champion Giant de Flanders rabbits and a ferocious randy buck had got out of his cage and pinned Perrin's dog in a corner and was giving her a right triangular head. At the increasing laughter and gesticulating I turned around to see Fee Fee's poor little legs give way as she was pounded like a Friesian pancake into a puddle of mud. I made no sales and became the object of ribald and very serious small village laughter.

Ariege has routes of all grades, easy to hard, but is extremely rich in steep rock, my particular favourite. The route Descent en Enfer 8c+ (Descent into Hell), Grotte de Sabart, was opened by Phil Girard, a local Ariege climber of outstanding ability, a master of all kinds of climbing and some one who is generous with his time and advice. I have learnt much from him. The route was left to the strong fingers and abbs of Eric Siguier who seemed velcroed to the holds on his redpoint, Eric is very low key and very strong. Next up was the pocket rocket Jamon from Spain who although demolishing the route in super quick style said it was hard at the grade. The route has fantastic fluid moves, always strenuous and dynamic, set in the dramatic entrance to the Sabart cave system this route is a must do of immeasurable quality. What can I say of my own ascent? After trying it off and on for a few years, I had lost hope of ever getting it, but recently with getting very seriously into training, 'Descent' started keeping me up at night. Far from being frightened of descending into hell, I looked forward to it. Talent didn’t get me up this route, hard work did and in December '08 I deserved the redpoint.

Photos

Top: Stevie having a word with Iggy about Fee Fee: "Bad boy, we are going to get you some glasses."

Bottom: "I'm in great shape. Every artery in me body is 'ard."