> Can you clear up a couple of things for me?

Sure.

>Is Durham the one in North Carolina or is there >another one in England or somewhere?

Durham, in the north of England (Near Newcastle). The north of England is home to some of the finest sandstone climbing in the world.


>What kind of rock is that?

All of the crags you see are sandstone - the crags tend to vary in quality, though. Causey and Hounds Gill quarries are amamzingly friable (given to flaking off and powdering to the touch) and are more dangerous to climb. Scugdale has some very tough rock, with lovely little egdes and smears. A beautiful climbing surface if ever I saw one.

>Do snakes live in those cracks?

No, the only common snakes you'll find in the UK are adders and grass snakes, and they tend not to populate the crags (I've always found adders basking in the roads when I've been cycling in the summer, never anywhere else).

You do find the odd crow's nest, though. And you have to be very careful as to climb near a nesting site is considering an offence. Recently two climbers were charged for climbing at Glen Afton in scotland for climbing near a falcon's nest. They were let off with a warning when it transpired that they had no knowledge of the nesting site, there were no signs warning of it, and the birdwatcher who reported them had watched them park, walk up the crag and start climbing without telling them about the nest.

> Do you guys have plenty of life insurance?

Actually you've reminded me I need to renew mine soon. I do usually have personal climbing insurance that insures me against injury and covers the people that I climb with/supervise on a climb. That said, climbing is a highly dangerous sport and to climb without insurance is a stupid, stupid, stupid thing as it is to deny the risks involved.

Thanks for the questions. And just to let you know, heights scare the bejeezus out of me, too. You'd be surprised how quickly it passes after the first climb of the day (this is why the first climb is always an easy one!).

Bourne

P.S. The US has some fantastic climbing, BTW - if you find a site on "big wall" climbing in Yosemite Valley, you'll see what is generally considered to by the "ultimate" in climbing. Thousand foot walls, anyone?