Very few people can claim to have done as much climbing and mountaineering as Andy Cave. From hard gritstone first ascents to cutting edge mixed climbs in the Alps and bold new routes alpine style in the Himalayas, he really has done it all.
After starting his working life as a Yorkshire coal miner, a strike provided an unusual opportunity to spend more time climbing. From there he went from strength to strength, building up a wealth of experience and eventually ending up with a Piolet d’Or nomination for an ascent of the north face of Changabang.
Somewhere along the way he found time to become an IFMGA mountain guide, write two award-winning books (Learning to Breathe and Thin White Line) and complete a PhD in Linguistics at the University of Sheffield.
Andy is a friend of Rab Carrington and over the years has used Rab products extensively in the Alps (Croz Spur, Divine Providence) and Himalayas (Shishapangma). He is still extremely passionate about climbing, skiing, Barnsley FC and real ale.
Notable Ascents
- Powerband (7C), Raven Tor
- Genesis (VII, 7 305m), Beinn Bhan - first ascent
- Diedre of Sorrows (VIII, 8 150m), Lochnagar - first free ascent
- Bats in the Belfry (E7 6b), Gogarth South Stack - first ascent
- Austrian Oak (8b), Malham Cove
- Ecstasy (7c+/8a 250m), Simelistock
- North Face, Changabang (6864m) - first ascent
- North Buttress, Mount Kennedy (4250m), Alaska - first alpine style ascent
- Laila Peak (6096m), Karakoram - first ascent