Chris Cooper

A photographic exploration into the nature of climbing within the Peak District

Lose Yourself

When I climb I forget where I am in the world, and all the fears and concerns I have seem to disappear. If I am stressed or scared I go climbing, look at my surroundings and it helps me find a way to escape. Climbing to me is about the present, and the task in hand. This book explores the nature of climbing within the Peak District. It aims to inspire and motivate climbers to explore and experience the tranquility and beauty of this incredible area. Take time to lose yourself there, and it will help you find yourself again.

The Peak District is one of the most diverse and developed climbing areas in the world. The beauty of this incredible area makes it one of the most reknowned areas within the climbing community. There are hundreds of guides available highlighting exactly where to climb and how to get there. It is easy to become so ingrossed by these guides that one often forgets that climbing outside is not only about finding and completing specific, famous routes, but there is a deeper connection with the landscape. The comfort of indoor alternatives seems to contradict the essence of climbing, and the connection one has with the landscape and nature itself. This photographic exploration is not to be used as a practical guide, but instead should take you on a visual journey into the nature of climbing within the peaks, and the beauty of what can be seen and felt along the way.

How could one ever be bored with so many good things to see and feel?

- Yvon Chouinard

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When I am in the city there is never a time when I am as relaxed as when I climb here. The tactile nature of climbing outdoors, in which all my senses are somewhat heightened and stimulated, is something that I often long for when sitting on a bus, or waiting in line in busy traffic. The Peak District is only moments away from some of the major cities of Northern England; yet it seems that somehow the silence of the area is able to transport you into a completely different world. Take time to look at the tangled trees and dormant boulders and wonder how little the world up here changes. The slow pace and modesty of this landscape is something that perhaps should be reflected in all of our lives.

There are many boulders that are hidden deep within woodland. Often part of the challenge is navigating through tangled forest and uneven terrain. Rather than seeing this as a hiderence, I urge climbers to embrace the ability to escape the public footpath, and follow the trails made only by a select few. Take comfort in the fact that if a rock is difficult to find, it means that your presence is all the more significant. These boulders have been sitting patiently, watching the seasons drift by. Once the rock is found, take time to enjoy the silence, and the significance of your personal connection with the landscape.

Much of the rocks and cliff edges are hidden by dense woodland. The twisted, almost sculptural shapes formed by the trees present a definite presence within the area. The trees seem to give the landscape a voice that twists and sways as the seasons slowly change.

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QuoteLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam massa felis, malesuada eu luctus ut, mattis at leo. Nullam eu orci quis nisi tincidunt varius. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Vestibulum laoreet elit ac lacus aliquam dapibus. Nulla mattis laoreet tincidunt. Nullam dapibus sodales cursus. Nulla nisi massa, consequat ut mollis at, ultricies non tortor. Vestibulum vitae elit nisi. In vitae nisi justo, bibendum faucibus sapien. Duis pellentesque cursus leo, eget malesuada neque posuere et.

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Imagine the power that was needed to carve this incredible lands

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When I climb I forget where I am in the world, and all the fears and concerns I have seem to disappear. If I am stressed or scared I go climbing, look at my surroundings and it helps me find a way to escape. Climbing to me is about the present, and the task in hand. This book explores the beauty of the Peak District, and aims to inspire and motivate climbers to get out and experience the tranquility and beauty of this incredible area. Take time to lose yourself there, and it will help you find yourself again.

When I climb I forget where I am in the world, and all the fears and concerns I have seem to disappear. If I am stressed or scared I go climbing, look at my surroundings and it helps me find a way to escape. Climbing to me is about the present, and the task in hand. This book explores the beauty of the Peak District, and aims to inspire and motivate climbers to get out and experience the tranquility and beauty of this incredible area. Take time to lose yourself there, and it will help you find yourself again.

The Peaks District is split into two areas of geological significance: white peak and the dark peak. The variety of climbing and geological features is due to the national park lying on the border between northern highlands and the lowlands of southern counties. It is perhaps this factor that gives the Peaks such breadth and variation, and makes it such an interesting place to explore. Take time to observe the variations in rock formations, whether it is the sharp edges of jagged limestone, or the heavy friction of grit stone edges.

Once a rock is found there is an almost theraputic routine that climbers often find themselves in. A lot of the process is about preperation. The rock has to be cleaned and any dead foilage or damage to the rock has to be removed. Brushing up the holds, and beginning to feel the rock’s texture seems to establish a personal connection, and this in a sense is where climbers often find themselves transfixed by a few square feet of the landscape. Any thoughts of money or work seem to disappear in the wind. It is this focus that really draws your concentration and allows you to in a sense truly escape.

I know of no other activity in which I can so easily lose all the hours of an afternoon without a trace. Or a regret. I have had storms creep up on me as if I had been asleep, yet I knew the whole time I was in the grip of an intense concentration, focused first on a few square feet of rock, and then on a few feet more. Sometimes in the lowlands when it is hard to work I am jealous of how easily concentration comes in climbing. This concentration may be intense, but it is not the same as the intensity of the visionary periods; it is a prerequisite intensity.

- Doug Robinson

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Many say that rock climbing is very much about conquering something that was never intended to be climbed. When climbing in an indoor centre you are left with an underlining feeling that the climbs you complete have been undertaken hundreds, if not thousands of times. The connection that climbers have with outdoor routes is impossible to replicate in any climbing wall or training gym. When climbing outdoors you know that by completing a route, you have in a sense conquered an area of nature that was never intended for that purpose.

In a curious way, maybe the climber stops living when he begins to climb. He steps out of the living world of anxiety into a world where there is no room, no time, for such distractions. All that concerns him is surviving the present. Any thoughts of gas bills and mortgages, loved ones and enemies, evaporate under the absolute necessity for concentration on the task at hand.

- Joe Simpson

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QuoteLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam massa felis, malesuada eu luctus ut, mattis at leo. Nullam eu orci quis nisi tincidunt varius. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Vestibulum laoreet elit ac lacus aliquam dapibus. Nulla mattis laoreet tincidunt. Nullam dapibus sodales cursus. Nulla nisi massa, consequat ut mollis at, ultricies non tortor. Vestibulum vitae elit nisi. In vitae nisi justo, bibendum faucibus sapien. Duis pellentesque cursus leo, eget malesuada neque posuere et.Donec aliquet nunc id erat consectetur faucibus.libero sed urna ultrices eu placerat velit volutpat.

It is easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of

It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it is still there. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this:

You will outlive the bastards.

- Edward Abbey

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QuoteLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam massa felis, malesuada eu luctus ut, mattis at leo. Nullam eu orci quis nisi tincidunt varius. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Vestibulum laoreet elit ac lacus aliquam dapibus. Nulla mattis laoreet tincidunt. Nullam dapibus sodales cursus. Nulla nisi massa, consequat ut mollis at, ultricies non tortor. Vestibulum vitae elit nisi. In vitae nisi justo, bibendum faucibus sapien. Duis pellentesque cursus leo, eget malesuada neque posuere et.

Donec aliquet nunc id erat consectetur faucibus.libero sed urna ultrices eu placerat velit volutpat.

References:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam massa felis, malesuada eu luctus ut, mattis at leo. Nullam eu orci quis nisi tincidunt varius. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Vestibulum laoreet elit ac lacus aliquam dapibus. Nulla mattis laoreet tincidunt. Nullam dapibus sodales cursus. Nulla nisi massa, consequat ut mollis at, ultricies non tortor. Vestibulum vitae elit nisi. In vitae nisi justo, bibendum faucibus sapien. Duis pellentesque cursus leo, eget malesuada neque posuere et.

QuoteLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nam massa felis, malesuada eu luctus ut, mattis at leo. Nullam eu orci quis nisi tincidunt varius. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Vestibulum laoreet elit ac lacus aliquam dapibus. Nulla mattis laoreet tincidunt. Nullam dapibus sodales cursus. Nulla nisi massa, consequat ut mollis at, ultricies non tortor. Vestibulum vitae elit