Rope Boy

<p><em><strong>Rope Boy</strong></em> is the story of <strong>Dennis Gray</strong> a young lad from Leeds who gets his first taste of rock at age eleven and goes on to become a prominent figure in the UK climbing scene for decades to come.</p><p>Gray’s climbing career began with the ‘Bradford Lads’ climbing in Yorkshire Scotland and Wales exploring classic crags such as <strong>Clogwyn Du’r Arddu</strong> tentatively venturing into an exciting new game and inspired by the pioneering <strong>Arthur Dolphin</strong>. Just as the scene was rapidly developing in the 1950s so was Gray’s desire to climb and he was soon climbing with the <strong>Rock and Ice</strong> legends <strong>Joe Brown Don Whillans</strong> and <strong>Nat Allen</strong> among others making first ascents such as <em>North Crag Eliminate</em> on Castle Rock in the Lake District and <em>Grond</em> on Dinas Cromlech in Wales.</p><p>Larger objectives beckoned and Gray embarked upon multiple expeditions to the <strong>Alps</strong> as well as to the <strong>Himalaya</strong> the <strong>Andes</strong> and America making numerous first ascents along the way including the north ridge of <strong>Alpamayo</strong> in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca and <strong>Mukar Beh</strong> in the Kulu valley of India.</p><p><em><strong>Rope Boy</strong></em> relays times of frustration adventure and success and the hilarious and dauntless friends with whom Gray shared his experiences. <strong>Dennis Gray</strong>’s transformation from rope boy to expedition leader is an inspiring and encouraging tale of one boy’s journey into adulthood via a world of rock snow and ice.</p>