Andy Pollitt

Andy Pollitt was born in Prestatyn, North Wales on 26 October 1963.[3] His father was an actor who had small parts in Z-Cars, Coronation Street, and Doctor Who before eventually leaving the family.[1] Pollitt attended Prestatyn High School, which had an indoor climbing wall that Pollitt took to with enthusiasm, including school trips to nearby crags organized by his climbing teacher-mentor, Andy Boorman.[4]

Climber nearing the top of Punks in the Gym 32 8b+ (5.14a)

In the mid-1980s, Pollitt rose to prominence in Britain as a leading traditional climber, completing over 350 climbs, with important first ascents such as The Hollow Man (E8 6b, 1986), and Knockin' on Heaven's Door (E9 6c, 1988).[2] Pollitt also repeated some of the most feared routes of the time including onsighting the second ascent of John Redhead's chop route, The Bells The Bells!, Britain's first E7-climb, in 1986.[4][2]

In the early 1990s, Pollitt spent 44 days, spread over a two-year period,[5] working on the sport climbing route, Punks in the Gym, the first-ever 8b+ (5.14a) graded route, which had been freed by Wolfgang Gullich in 1985.[2][1] On 5 May 1992, Pollitt eventually succeeded and immediately decided to retire from climbing,[6][3][4]

Pollitt was renowned for the boldness of his routes and also for his distinctive fashion; he wore his hair long and sported bright, tight lycra, and often climbed bare-chested, giving him a "rockstar" status in climbing.[3][2][5]

Pollitt was part of the mid-1980s wave of semi-professional rock climbers in Britain that followed on from Ron Fawcett – an idol of Pollitt's[6] – who led the transition from traditional climbing to sport climbing in Britain and abroad; others included Jerry Moffatt, and Ben Moon.[7]

In 1993, Pollitt permanently moved to Australia where he worked as a successful and prominent rope access technician in Melbourne.[6] Though Pollitt was considered a notorious ladies-man,[6] he never married.[1]

In the years before his death, Pollitt returned to his climbing past, publishing an autobiography under the title Punk in the Gym in 2016.[8] In the book, Pollitt revealed that he suffered from bipolar disorder,[4][9] and also talked about his long-standing addiction to alcohol; something which had held him back throughout his climbing career.[6]

In November 2019, Pollitt suffered a cerebral aneurysm in a bar in Melbourne and never regained consciousness; he died on 13 November 2019.[4][6]

• Punk in the Gym, 2016, Vertebrate Publishing. ISBN 978-1910240694.

• Documentary on 1980s British sport climbing: Brown, Nick (director) (2019). Statement of Youth (Motion picture). UKC. Retrieved 23 March 2023.[7]

• 1984: Skinhead Moonstomp (E6 6b), Gogarth North Stack. First free ascent. One of the classics of Welsh climbing,[2][10] and Pollitt's favourite FFA.[11]
• 1986: The Bells, The Bells! (E7 6c), Gogarth North Stack. Second ascent, and first onsight ascent, of John Redhead's legendary chop route.[2][6]
• 1986: The Hollow Man (E8 6b), Gogarth North Stack. First free ascent and the first-ever E8 in Wales; seconded by Johnny Dawes.[2]
• 1987: Boot Boys (8a+), Raven Tor, Dovedale. First free ascent of a route that had only been aid climbed just two days earlier.[3]
• 1988: Knockin' on Heaven's Door (E9 6c), Curbar Edge. First free ascent and the first-ever E9 on gritstone; considered "a last great problem".[2][1][6]
• 1988: Thormen's Moth (8a), Thor's Cave, Peak District. First free ascent of an aid climbing roof route; Pollitt considered it one of his best lines.[3][11]
• 1992 (5 May): Punks in the Gym (8b+), Mount Arapiles. Sixth ascent of the world's first-ever 8b+ (5.14a); Pollitt retired from climbing that day.[2][6]

• Johnny Dawes
• Ron Fawcett
• Jerry Moffatt

• VIDEO: Interview with Andy Pollitt at Mount Arapiles, Nine Network (1992)