Calm and Fearless – superb website alert!
Calm and Fearless is an excellent ‘online arts magazine for the great outdoors’. It was launched last year and is slowly building into a valuable resource.
“We don’t have a grand philosophy, we just want to provide space for reviews, comment and news about all the books, films and art appearing around the world about wild places and the wild things that happen there.”
Explained Ed Douglas, the man behind this venture.
Ed is a much respected author and journalist, and somebody who has worked extensively in both the climbing mags and the broadsheets over the last twenty years. These days he is a regular contributor to the Guardian, but back in the mid eighties he launched the popular On The Edge magazine, which subsequently morphed into Climb magazine. He then launched Mountain Review in 1993 and has also been an associate editor for Climber magazine and the Apline Journal.
He has also written several well received books (Chomolungma Sings the Blues, Regions of the Heart and Tenzing: Hero of Everest) and has most recently ghost written the Ron Fawcett – Rock Athlete biography.
Simon Panton recounts a day at the crag with Ed:
“I remember an amusing encounter with Ed at Burbage North in the Peak District a few years back. This was during the shooting of a Stone Circles feature, a series of bouldering articles that I used to do for Climber mag. This is what I wrote at the time:
On the day of the Stone Circle photo shoot, Ed Douglas, erstwhile assistant editor for Climber, turned out with the intention of once again battling with his ultimate nemesis, Banana Finger Direct. Ed confessed that he had been failing on this problem for the best part of twenty five years, yet he still clung to the notion that one day he would do it. As luck would have it, Peak bouldering guru, Al Williams had also come along to provide us with a guided tour. After Ed had mustered a few of the now-customary failed attempts, Al made a seemingly innocent suggestion that perhaps he should try putting his left hand at the top of the side pull where it is less positive. Ed had never tried it that way before, and he was sceptical; how could he possibly use such a poor hold?
Time was ticking so we moved on, leaving Ed to contemplate Al’s advice. Five minutes later we heard a loud and triumphant cheer. Looking back down the escarpment, Ed could be seen jumping up and down at the crag top, crying, “I did it, I did it!” like a man who’d just won the World Cup. There it was, a quarter of a century of pent up desire condensed into the sweetest of victories. A simple, precise shift of the hand, and all the elements coalesced into one perfect surge of upward movement.”
“How did it feel?” I asked, and Ed, still startled by the rush of success, gave a bemused reply, “Easy, it just felt easy.”
So, the next time you go to Burbage North and you see someone showboating on Banana Finger Direct with a big smile on their face, you’ll know why.
“So there it is, Ed Douglas, a great writer, but also a deeply passionate climber.”
Calm and Fearless provides a refreshingly honest celebration of outdoor related literature, films and art. Make sure you add it to your favourites.
