E9 6c, Redhead and Dawes

but he gave off such an oompa-loompa vibe that I made sure that was my one and only meeting with the chap.

For John Redhead, who remains one of the UK's most enigmatic climbers, The 2012 KMF will not be a gathering where he will be seen or heard. And not surprisingly, given that an appearance he made at Kendal in the late 1990s has become almost the stuff of legend. Many of the earnest, muscular climbers who had come to hear of his exploits on rock ended up fighting for the exits like the steerage section on the Titanic, while those who remained witnessed a battle between hecklers and Redhead's volume control. When I asked him about 'the Kendal Gig' he explained:

Oh yes, the 'Kendal Gig'! What is it about the outdoor sector and creativity? Is sport an enemy of art? I guess the punters wanted to hear the big names talk about moves and numbers instead of ideas and possibilities. My show was based on the rites and considerations of the 'hunt', like being in a state of grace where all parties are involved.

I treated the subject very much like the sacred ground before a climb. This is not Pepsi-Max culture, and not something most climbers would want to pay money to hear. But that's what they got, as I turned up the volume to counteract the yells of abuse. Kendal is the epitome of the redneck mainstream climber festival. I gave the same show at Bangor University and stayed for hours afterwards having meaningful dialogue and discussion on the poetry and issues involved.