 I used to think Joe Simpson a practitioner of the black arts, reading my mind at night whilst I was asleep then putting them into print with such clarity I could only gape at in envy.
But really, life at 40 ain't that bad.Once the hangovers have worn off the mind becomes focussed on how to cram all that you've left undone, into the remaining 60 years.(I'm optimistic!)There's mountains still to walk up before the knees give way. I know the answers are on one of those peaks somewhere, if I keep trying I'm sure to find the right one. There's skiing to perfect. When I only managed to snowplough into the refreshment hut wall in my 20's, suddenly because time is short, you lose your vertiginous fear of heights and cram in ski lessons, holidays, scan the met reports anxiously- will there still be skiable snow in Scotland this Easter? can't afford to loose another year or I'll never make it to a black run. There's parapenting to try(a much more elegant word than paragliging don't you think?)Got to get a bird's eye perspective on life. Scrambling to improve on, rock climbing to try. So many things I was afraid to do when I was younger- in case the son was left motherless in his formative years. Now he's a teenager and raring to do all these things too. Joe Simpson is his hero-God help me!
Pity my poor colleague at work, who on seeing me hobble into work after wrenching my knee skiing said,"you should have known better at your age!"
Well I reckon I do know better and I intend to milk the remaining years for all they are worth and if that doesn't keep the wrinkles and flab at bay, well there's allways cosmetic surgery!
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 Rats, I wrote a whole reply then accidentally deleted it - I blame the Stone Roses... The gist of it, mixed in with pretentious stuff about brain cells and stardust, is that you don't have to wait till you're 40 to grab life by the scruff of the proverbial. Stuff our daft safety first, die later, save to spend your uncertain 60s wombling round golf courses and dying on Mediteranean cruise ships - party now.
Every time a big mountain wipes out another few brain cells or plants rainbows in my head, I thank whatever it is you thank, that I choose to spend my money on flights and climbing gear rather than absurd cars and stainless steel kitchen appliances.
So I guess what I'm saying is that I couldn't agree more, but don't wait till you're 40 to realise it. Get out and live.
Jon
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 er, yeah do everything when young, great idea. I'm 15, love anything outdoors, scan mags looking at gear thinking, 'how many weeks paper round wages will get me that!' Go to school looking at the snow capped hills and get the strong urge to say, 'sod school, lets go walking etc.' but your muscles start to go or weak fatty as you sit in a damp overheated classroom looking at boring poetry etc.
Ah well i have some essay on Language use in poetry, erm, ah, oh sod it, im going MTBing!
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 Of course he's giving Mountainering up now!
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... but only so he can spend more time paragliding. I interviewed Joe a few years back and, to be honest, the amazing thing was that he was still climbing at all and still at a high standard. He's trashed one knee and one ankle so he can no longer step up normally on one of his legs and according to the medics, he shouldn't even have been hillwalking.
I'm not sure about the golf though... Oh, and I wouldn't bet on him actually giving up mountaineering for long.
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I'm not so sure that falling from the side of a house with your legs either side of a brick wall is such a bad thing to give up though (admittedly it wasn't actually Joe).
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 Thought I'd do a Clive and retrieve an old thread. From what Ben has told me about his Mum, this lady's philosophy sounds familiar.
...is this her at the top of the thread?????
Is she a sheep too?
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i recon that you should get out and enjoy life!
try as many things as you can and take the oppurtunity to regret having tryed something, no matter how stupid it may seem at the time to yourself or others, NOT the regret of having not tryed it at all.
joe is an outstanding but also totaly normal person. he maybe a hero to many, and many will question if he really can give up climbing for good, but at the end of the day he is still a normal bloke like the rest of us, just a little bit luckier, yep think about that bit, luckier. how many people have come out of the scrapes joe has gotten into? not many! but i think he has had the coruage to make an impossible decsion.
i think that as a climber myself of 16 years plus, it must be one of the hardest descions to have to make, to give up a huge part of your life and one that has made you stand out in the public eye, given you a living and let you go further into acheiving your dreams of climbing and experiencing far away places.
but that thought must be there, 'will it be me next time', and after so many 'next times' it must feel as though you are either invicible and no matter what you do you will always survive, or that your number is VERY nearly up!
having that playing on your mind must drive you insine at times. it would me!
we as climbers have nearly all at sometime been in situtations that have been a little to close a call for comfort i guess, i know i have, and the relief afterwards can be as adictive as the sport it self. i wonder if it is this that also drives us to continue taking those risks?
ive meet joe a few times and hes a great bloke and one with more guts than most.
if the descion he has made to hang up his harness for good is the right one...well done joe and good luck, you have stonking great balls mate and are a better man than most!
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Jeannie. Im not sure, there are sheepy tendencys but the fleeces tend to be more of a polartech type. Yes the one at the top of thread is my dear ma who's taking me on a weeks hols to the peaks to take me on a tour of all the pubs and café she used to got to whilst a student. Cant wait.
P.s since my posting im now a year older-16 going on 17 now
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Ben - she sounds a wonderful woman - and if she's anything like you I bet she's very nice :0)
I have the greatest respect for JS by the way. Matt - the feeling you mention about the relief being as addictive as the sport - fear and adrenaline are very exciting if not a little addictive; and the rush of endorphins throbbing around your system after a near-miss or a spot of high-risk activity can make you feel like Superman (or woman). It is very regretful that some members of society get it from violence instead of high-octane sport.
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Why thank you my dear friend i will pass your compliment onto her when i next see her or she comes on to OM find it herself.
P.S is anyone gona be in the peaks next week?
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Haven't decided yet - IT'S HALF TERM YIPPPPEEEEE - (sorry, out of control as usual) - am very flexibiggle, will do as weather dictates. Have to emulsion the bedroom at some point :0(
Then again, I will have to get up some pointy things if I am to continue my quest to mount (oo-err) all these damned English hills. Bleakow is on the list and as I was christened in Longdendale I may call around there for a potter. Or then again, I may not. Depends what the rest of the 'team' fancy.
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im sure if u mention 'pub' and 'pint' and 'im buying' in the same sentance they will follow your every command
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Em doesn't drink pints - she's 14.
Sentences in our house usually include 'hills' 'climb' and 'fresh air is good for you'. The younger sprog is a couch potato I'm afraid. Boooo.
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mention spring, sun and bouncy new lambs
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She LOVES sheep! Bit early for lambs yet.
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 I hope it isn't, I'm feeling left out.
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Just descivered from her in charge(my wonderful ma) that im staying 1/2 km outside castleton, WAHOO stones throw from superb ride etc. Anyone intereseted in meeting up somewhere for sheepy exchange?
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Ben, we are most interested in a sheepy exchange. We fancy an overnighter in the Hope valley and one day walking from Glossop to Bleaklow and Higher Shelf Stones and the other day pottering around the Castleton area. There are some nice pubs in Castleton...good pub food, too.
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I'm just learning all the things I'm expected to do next week after reading the son's messages. Do any other families communicate within the home by Forum messages? I fancy doing Bleaklow again - last time was many years ago in thigh deep snow with a crashing hangover -not advisable. Still have my old 1:25000map of the Dark Peak- priced 95p.- much clearer for contours and less cluttered than the 'new' style maps.If any other readers of 'outdoors magic'are in the Dark Peak area next week just wave your 'on the hill' mags at us!How will you know us? We'll be disguised as Herdwicks so we'll stick out like sore thumbs!
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