An interview with Joe Brown

[@johnmarston9577]

A great bloke. A legend. Humble, hard as nails, and so full of self deprecating humour. Sorely missed already. RIP

[@lenroddis5933]

John Marston Only met him once - you summed him up perfectly.

[@pauljones5066]

well said John

[@chrish3030]

Just like his great climbs I wanted this interview to go on longer, I could have listened to him for hours.

[@cullyx2913]

Totally agree

[@fiction8909]

I find his sharpness and his memory as amazing as his climbing.

[@pauljones5066]

sharp as a tac nail! amazing

[@weedaviec]

I was shocked to see he was in his late 80's when this was filmed.

[@DeShark88]

That opening hits hard today: "Joe Brown is a living legend..."

[@peterpearson1675]

I've been climbing for over 50 years,but on my very first day on the crag (Stanage),I was just so lucky to see Joe doing the Dangler.What a start to a life climbing!

[@piersappleby5441]

Great interview. Such a humble amazing man. Salt of the earth. RIP Joe Brown thank you for everything you've given to Wales and the climbing community. Legend.

[@pauljones5066]

the meek shall inherit the earth

[@oootandaboot9431]

My father first took me climbing in the mid 70’s at that stage i just wanted to climb Brown and Whilans routes.I was fortunate enough to work for Joe and Val in Beris and Capel for a few years in the early 90’s. Even managed to go “ extreme” fishing with Joe near Gogarth on a few occasions ( and still look back at those days with wonder and thankfulness. Joe was a gent and to this day I feel blessed to have shared time with the man.

[@robinstevenson1098]

Nice! I remember seeing him taking a freezing fishing Smoo cave, when, because of limestone drought the local firemen simulated a waterfall in the wrong place, too near to Jo. He just sat there getting colder and colder catching nothing and not complaining! He was problably thinking “Not again”. Eventually the film crew realised what was going on and spared him after him croaking out a few hypothermic complaints. The best

[@andrewriley4204]

Like so many I got to become aware of Joe & Don through my Dad who is a similar age to Joe and & came from the same region, thus equally Northern. Growing up in the North-west of England you're not aware of how good it is for climbing and the outdoors until you leave. I don't envy my children today with their digital technology I'd happily go to the 50's, even 80's or 90's without it and get outside into the hills that my Dad, Joe & Don inspired me to do

[@pauljones5066]

people were materially poorer, but they were better days

[@johnbuckle3639]

Excellent interview with a great man. He's left an incredible legacy.

[@weedaviec]

Brilliant interview with the incredibly modest legend.

[@CS-zt9kr]

A wonderfully produced short film - A cracking tribute - well done to the interviewer for just knowing when to say nothing.......

[@valaudae1809]

I started climbing around 1970, inspired by 2 books above all others- Joe Brown’s “The Hard Years” and Don Whillan’s “Portrait of a Mountaineer”.

[@Alecross1]

Same here. And Chris Bonington's "Annapurna South Face". RIP, Joe!

[@Sierranite]

Same here. Many of those legends are completely unknown to the modern gym rats.

[@tomgreene2282]

@@Sierranite Was only a walker ...who could second a severe...but heard of these fellows....great folk...home from the hills now (74)!

[@georgesheffield1580]

Excellent books ,highly recommended

[@trikky2.2]

I was lucky enough to meet JB, and really did like his description of protection. Back in the 80's or early 90's his company sent out a press release to some shops inviting people to come along and get a pack of his equipment to test. We turned up to find no one else had bothered so no packs were made up. Instead we were taken into the big ' shed ' out the back where everything was packed up for distribution, a lot of big bins full of the equipment and we were told to help ourselves. We did not take the piss, we all had our own racks for the long weekend. So just took bits and pieces that would fill in the gaps in our rack or bits we know we would use. JB was not there at the time, however when we had got to the end we went back to say goodbye and thank you. He was there, and what a fantastic guy. I did take a fall on one of his ' friends ' can't remember the size but was a smaller one. He was interested in how well it worked. Although I was in my late teens or early 20's and not a extreme climber or mountaineer he was just a fascinating person to talk to. His enthusiasm and support was infectious. Just a shame it was just a short chat. Would have loved meeting JB and Don Whillans at The Heights for a few beers :)

[@scrs8531]

Great interview. Rest in peace with Mo and the rest of the gang. Condolences to Val, Zoe and family.

[@alastairreid1248]

Excellent, great to hear from the man himself about the early days. A modest gentleman.

[@ihbcsomerset6966]

Brilliant, but barely a mention of Don Whillans, his amazing climbing partner.

[@jeffmaher9704]

Yeah that upset me

[@andrelloyd4010]

One of the most pivotal British climbers in the history of climbing. RIP Joe !

[@pugilemoltobene3708]

‘one of the most pivotal’ …wtf does that even mean? Something is either pivotal or not, there is no ‘more or less pivotal’ 🙄 ppl who can’t write …hope your climbing’s not as bad or they’ll be picking up pieces soon….

[@ben-fe3zy]

Bit harsh. I understood what they meant.

[@Vbluevital]

Engrossing! Thank You Sir

[@richardbradley8535]

Just a complete inspiration

[@pauljones5066]

well said, man

[@insideoutface]

That was great, thanks!

[@crus1n]

I can relate to almost every thing Joe said, I was introduced to climbing in a Boys Club Adventure group and we used to take lads for Easter Breaks etc climbing in Wales and Stanage Edge, we were given an old cable laid nylon rope which you could almost do an Indian rope trick with they were so stiff, and, two slings with the precaution that you should remember that you would need one to tie on with at the top with. Later we heard that Joe and partners were using discarded nuts from the Snowdon railway to use on slings for protection. Straight down to the shed drilling out the threads of every brass and iron nut I could find, I also had a coil of copper wire for threading slings, made a prototype harness with a sit strap, found the greatest adventure in new routing, "look that looks like it might go", later accepted as a Rock and Ice member and had the privilege to meet Joe, Don, Morty, Ray and Pete Greenall, Denis Davis, Denis Gray, and many many others. Wonderful times.

[@mixolydian2010]

Brilliant, what a time of adventures.

[@michaelhart7569]

I didn't know he had passed away. R.I.P. As to his point at 18:00 forwards, I also recall Andy Pollitt saying that he too imagined things to be harder than they actually were, and this helped make it easier for him. I experienced similar thoughts in my much more limited climbing career. The mental side of climbing is at least half of the matter. And I've also only just learned that Andy Pollitt has left us, too young. R.I.P.

[@rocnoir4233]

Yes poor Andy that was such a shock to the community. I met him at our local bouldering gym and also grabbed a copy of his book which is superb.

[@gazzo12345]

I was up on Winberry today, walking. Took the 'moorland gritstone chew valley' book with me, some great stories in there.

[@PeterMurphyceltic]

Amazing. Just amazing!

[@pauljones5066]

one humble dude. The meek shall inherit the earth, and everything that is in it

[@brown-eyedman4040]

Morty Smith's son is a friend. The tales of the adventures of this gang are amazing.

[@crus1n]

Another of Morty's claim to fame was that he could do press ups with someone sitting on his back, and I witnessed this at a Rock and Ice meet way back and he was no spring chicken then, one tough cookie and lovely guy.

[@brown-eyedman4040]

@@crus1n I'll share this with his son.

[@waynerosiesharman6073]

I still treasure Don Whillans boots that Morty gave me some years back 😊

[@brown-eyedman4040]

@@waynerosiesharman6073 How very cool. I'll be sure to mention this to the son next time I see him.

[@stevehorner8302]

Great man along with Don Willans

[@martymartin5792]

That was awesome

[@peterquirk9737]

many thanks for this, beautifully done,climbs apart the pool table in the Vic will never be the same again

[@3vimages471]

What does that mean mate?

[@llywnogmawr5853]

RIP legend..

[@theondebray]

Wow!

[@flatbrokefrank6482]

Teeth like tombstones and hands like bunches of bananas what a character RIP

[@ericastier1646]

I like how he almost figuratively smacked the face of the interviewer for calling him a human fly. hahaha

[@3vimages471]

Good on ya Joe .... you don`t get more British than that fella. Rest in peace mate.

[@ericastier1646]

but he wasn't rosbeef he was Welsh.

[@georgesheffield1580]

Hemp and early nylon ropes., no sticky shoes , home made nuts and slings ,long x-rated runouts .

[@gwynjames2077]

Really sad news!

[@georgesheffield1580]

Joe may have had the best "ape index"

[@3vimages471]

RIP Joe The Great

[@KarelSeeuwen]

My first helmet was a 'Joe Brown' helmet. Next I had a Petzl which for some strange reason I left at camp 3 on G2. I now have a Simond, the same as my ice axes I have used for 30 years and still going strong. Looking back, the Joe Brown helmet was a piece of sh*t, heavy and always moving around. Yeh in those days we really had it tough, try telling that the young people of today and they won't believe ya.

[@frederickbowdler8169]

Made paper boats 60 years ago to sail down the yellow river. (brook)

[@adrinathegreat3095]

A living legend and a Rock.. Performer.. Wrong Joe brown

[@mansfieldfolkhouse]

Joe obviously a great legendary climber but trying to compare lesser ones with the great Don Willans,well.

[@MrJimtimslim]

I looked up some of this man's climbs as id never heard of him. The routes are super easy...i don't get it

[@pugilemoltobene3708]

The human fly…he was tiny!

[@tomgreene2282]

Was Joe Browne's shop his?

[@3vimages471]

The clue is in the name. He had 3 shops.

[@tomgreene2282]

@@3vimages471 Thanks for that.

[@peterpearson1675]

Of course,but it legally belonged to Joe's wife Val as far as I know.

[@eilianwilliams7219]

Hafn y Lliwedd not 'central gully direct"

[@eilianwilliams7219]

Clogwyn Du r Arddu not f""""* "Cloggy"

[@yukoheard4585]

The gamy grape apparently plug because bridge mechanistically strap a a spotless jeans. unknown, simple drum

[@eilianwilliams7219]

He was the first to start the English colonialist habit of putting foreign names everywhere in Eryri Climbers are no longer welcome because of this