Evie Interviews Gaz Parry

White Spider Masterclass 2016/7 Winter Series

 

Gaz Parry is one of the best and most accomplished climbers on the UK climbing scene. He redpoints F8c+ spots routes and boulders V13. He is involved in many aspects of the climbing world… he routesets, he coaches and he imports climbing holds to the UK, he is one of the founders of Blokfest. He has been manager of the British Bouldering Team and he is the only British climber to win the Arco rock masters international boulder comp.

Evie caught up with him after his coaching masterclass at White Spider on Monday 7^th Nov…

How long have you been climbing? I started when I was 12 so 31 years.   How did you start? My friend’s Dad took us out to a place called Cadshaw Rocks near where I lived. On my 1st outing I climbed an E1 5a!   Where are you from? Bury, Lancashire, UK   Where do you live now? Veliko Turnovo in Bulgaria

What do you love most about climbing?
1. The people, the scene
2. The moves – like the satisfaction of doing a hard move
3. Completion – the feeling of finishing something and getting closure. Achievement.

What is the best Route you’ve done?
Usually it’s always the last one I’ve just done. Which this time is an 8a+ called “1^st of Jan” in Bulgaria.

What is the best boulder problem you’ve done?
“Riverbed”  V13 in Magic Wood Switzerland. I loved the complexity of all the little movements coming together.

What is your favourite climbing discipline?
For comps it’s boulder. For climbing outside it’s [sport] routes. For setting it’s boulder or routes for comps.

How long have you been coaching?
Over 10 years. I started at The North West Youth Festival and now do coaching holidays mostly like in Kalymnos and Fontainebleau and occasionally the one off masterclass like with you guys.

 

What is your best bit of training advice? Have a goal [project] to train for. Too many people are training with no goal. If you don’t have a goal then just climb and save the training for when you have one.   Advice for someone climbing indoors for 2 years who wants to push through a plateau and get to the next level? Get some coaching. Regular coaching with good technique, otherwise you just do your beginners course and get you harness and repeat bad habits until they’re ingrained. Or climb with a motivated partner who is slightly better than you so you can learn from them.   You’ve won the coveted Arco title. How did you feel? Emotions? I felt normal. It didn’t feel real until after. I was doing a lot of comps then (9 years ago) and got on the podium for a few world cups too. The same year I also won the Norwegian Masters so it just felt normal.

 

What is in the future for Gaz Parry?
Go climbing 🙂

 

Gaz is sponsored by:
Scarpa UK
Grivel
Edelweiss
3^rd Rock