Bowden Blacks Portfolio

By Peter Walker

The Saturday before the Roaches meet was perfect for climbing, warm and sunny, so off to Windgather to climb with my son Andrew. I have never seen a crag so busy, a human ant heap! The middle buttress was particularly busy, taken over by a youth group, with Portfolio rigged with ropes like a climbing wall. I watched as one bare-chested youth swarmed up to touch a karabiner dangling from the top then dropped back down to the ground with a couple of two footed bounces to be greeted by his leader. ”Well done! Your first day on rock and you’ve done a HVS by the legendary Joe Brown.” Even if you ignore the climbing bit – he was definitely wrong.

PORTFOLIO, the true story, as told to me by Bowden Black. The KMC were camping in the area on a weekend meet and spent the Saturday evening in a pub, the New Inn near Chapel E.L Frith. The evening’s discussion centred on a notorious member of the government who was a MINISTER without PORTFOLIO----.

The next day Bowden made the first ascent of the well known Windgather problem. From the top he announced, “Well I am not without portfolio, this is my portfolio! Thus naming the route.

The next day at the Roaches I was very pleased to see the KMC on Rotunda Buttress - a Bowden route from 1945. As I watched Andy Stratford overcoming the awkward finish I imagined Bowden at this point, a hemp rope tied around waist with a bowline, maybe shod in nails but more likely in a pair of black gym shoes with a thin rubber sole, popularly known as ‘black adders’, no helmet, just his flat cap. After belaying round a boulder he would light a fag and bring up his second using a shoulder belay — he said it was the best for giving a second a tight rope (pull!).

Photo 1 is Andy on Rotunda Buttress.

Photo 2 is myself on a KMC meet (1959?) wearing the famous black adders. I think it is Stanage, Flying Buttress. By then we were using Viking nylon laid rope no.3 (medium) but still without harness or helmet. The other climber in basketball shoes, is Alan McGeary. Photo by Stan Roach, both KMC.