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| Name: |
Kevin Howett |
| Age: |
42 |
| Occupation: |
National Officer, The Mountaineering Council of Scotland |
| Base: |
Crieff, Perthshire |
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| Description: |
Kev is probably best known for his exploits in Scotland during the `80's, although even nowadays he continues to be a prominent figure in the development of Scottish climbing.
Over the last ten years, his climbing has taken on a more explorative slant and - often with Graham Little - he has been responsible for little developed or previously unknown areas including Arran, Ardnamurchan, Dirc Mor, Cara, Colonsay, Eigg and Kintyre as well as the increasingly popular Outer Isles of Pabbay, Mingulay and Bernaray.
Kev believes strongly in the onsight ethic, having climbed a high percentage of his new routes in this style up to E6 and he is currently still onsighting up to E5. He condemns the pre-practising of routes and holds the opinion that headpointing and bolts "distort ones true holistic climbing ability".
His hardest new route to date is Chiaroscuro (E7 6b) in Glen Nevis which he climbed back in 1988 with Andy Nelson.
His best effort was Achilles free (E5 6c) on Arran, climbed in 1995 with Graham Little.
His most outstanding route to date is the first ascent of the 650 foot, Alien Slayer (E5 6a) on Creag na Beiste on Berneray, climbed in 1998 with Hugh Harris. |
| Finest Moment: |
Rory Rum the Story Man (E5), Mingulay, with George Ridge - what a giggle we had in fantastic weather, all alone on a new piece of serious rock with few options for escape above a big sea, after a massive storm! We had no idea what was coming ahead - it all looked too hard for us. |
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