Ed Hamer, a Year 10 Pocklington pupil is to represent England in an International Climbing Competition in France in April.
He will take part in the ‘Open de Mediterranean’ in Marseille on 19 and 20 April and hopes that this will be the first of many successful overseas competitions in which he will represent the UK.
From the age of five, Ed has been enthusiastically c
limbing mountains all over the world. And by the age of 13 he had already acquired an impressive portfolio by climbing many of the highest peaks in the UK and Eire as well as other peaks in Africa and Europe, culminating in a climbing trip to Ecuador in December 2005 when he climbed four of the major Ecuadorian peaks including the famous glaciated stratovolcano, Cotopaxi.
He started rock climbing in 2004 by top roping routes on artificial indoor walls. In 2006 he competed in the Yorkshire and Humberside events of the BRYCS (British Regional Youth Climbing Series) and qualified for the finals in Liverpool.
In November 2006 he was placed 14th overall in the British Indoor Climbing Championships. In 2007 he gained overall 4th place in the National Final of the BRYCS and was placed 2nd overall in the in the National Indoor Junior Trials and as a result was invited, like his older brother Sam in 2006, to become a member of the British Junior Indoor Climbing Team for 2008.
Together the brothers are a formidable team in a sport which requires an enormous amount of trust, knowledge and understanding of one’s climbing partner. Through commitment and training the boys hope to become some of the best all-round British climbers.
Sam, who is in the upper sixth form at Pocklington, has set his sights on Bangor University next September, where he hopes to study for a degree in Environmental Science whilst pursuing his love of rock climbing in the nearby Snowdonia mountains.
Meanwhile, Ed says: “I intend to make the most of my year training with the British Junior Team to improve my technical skills and hopefully progress to becoming a competent F8a leader.
“I would also like to climb more outdoor traditional routes including some bigger mountains.
“Ultimately I would like to tackle some 8,000m peaks and become an Expedition Leader.”
CLIMBING HIGH: Sam and Ed Hamer pictured above climbing on Orion and Kalymos and Ivi, Greece
The full article contains 406 words and appears in Pocklington Post newspaper.
