Nic Sellers

Name: Nic Sellers
DOB: 1970
Interview: Moon Climbing / January 2013

Moon Climbing – When and where did you start climbing?
Nic -  I started climbing in 1989 when the youth group leader at my parents church took a group of us climbing. I soon became totally hooked and ironically had no time to attend church anymore. I lived in Leeds and began climbing on the local grit outcrops such as Almscliffe and Caley. I also traversed most lunchtimes at Henry Price Wall, a supporting wall at the university. So keen!

Moon Climbing – Do you have a favourite style of climbing (traditional, sport, bouldering etc)? 
Nic -  My favourite type of climbing is traditional sea cliff climbing. Getting scared above the sea is just great. When you see a seal with all it’s whiskers, you know you’re having a good day.

Moon Climbing – You are stuck on a desert island with just one route and one boulder. Which ones would you choose and why? 
Nic -  Assuming there would be plenty of time to do the route it may as well be one I haven’t done. Perhaps one of those desperate, runout Kammerlander 8b+’s in the Ratikon. The boulder problem would be Careless Torque @ the Stanage Plantation. Do boulder problems get better than this? I have only tried the start a few times and am miles off it so far but I hope to get there in the end.

Moon Climbing – Who is your climbing hero or inspiration and why? 
Nic -  I don’t really have a climbing hero. Folk who can climb well on all sorts of terrain impress me the most Pete Robbins, Tommy Caldwell, Beat Kammerlander. Those sorts.

Moon Climbing - How often do you climb?
Nic -  Of late not nearly as much as I’d like since the arrival of our delightful daughter. Currently about 3 times a week, all largely indoors due to the weather and to be time efficient but ideally 4 times a week with at least 2 full days out on the real thing.

Moon Climbing – Where and how often do you train and for how many hours per week? 
Nic -  Since the closure of the school I climb at the Climbing Works in Sheffield and also do routes at the Foundry but the best training of course is outside. I usually boulder for about an hour or 2, whilst routes takes about 3 hours. Outdoors you can at least double that time.

Moon Climbing – What kind of training do you do? 
Nic -  I used to be really structured doing campus, on the minutes, circuits, dead hanging etc but as I’ve got older with less time and more propensity to injury I generally boulder but think about varying the difficulty, do circuits if i’m trying to get fit and do bags of routes to get proper route fit. All fairly common sense and a lot less techy than I used to be. That said I aint pulling as hard these days so maybe I need to get back to my old habits.

Moon Climbing - Your top training tip or tips?
Nic -  My top training tip would be to have plenty of variety. For example if I want to get strong, to start with lots of routes before bouldering tends to give better results than just slogging away at hard problems for months. Also trying not to be on peak performance for too long. Don’t get greedy.

Moon Climbing – The climbing achievement you are most proud of and why? 
Nic -  Probably on-sighting Sepentine (8a) at Taipan in Oz. Strictly speaking it wasn’t a total on-sight as I had seen a friend do the lower crux but   these moves are 30m up on a 50m long pitch and so I kind of give myself the tick. It’s a gob smacking route with amazing rock and moves in an audacious position.

Moon Climbing - What is your opinion on competitions? Good, bad or indifferent?
Nic -  Comps are great fun, the bouldering ones anyway. I used to enjoy them but found that I tended to get injured. Leading comps aren’t my thing really as I get too nervous and I’m not keen on hours in isolation.

Moon Climbing – Your goals for 2013? 
Nic -  Goals! For 2013. Well, trying to climb as well as I can whilst doing my fair share of looking after little Vanessa. Long term ambitions are more E7 on-sights, The Fish on the Marmalade  in the Dolomites and Careless Torque.