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Needle
Sports is a specialist technical climbing
equipment shop based in Keswick in Cumbria in the
north of the English Lake District National Park,
close to the Scottish border. The shop was founded
in 1990 by Stephen and Jill Reid and
is now a Limited Liability Partnership (Needle Sports LLP OC309836).
Needle Sports has always had a policy of only employing
experienced climbers so that customers may be sure
of speaking to shop staff who understand and are sympathetic
to their needs. However the shop is not just about
climbing - all our staff are experienced hill-walkers
too and much of our stock is as relevant to hill-walking
as it is to climbing. In fact we stock just about
everything you need for climbing mountains, be it
Everest, El Cap or Cat Bells. Of great concern to
us is that the shop, whilst offering the best equipment
and the best advice available, should not appear
elitist, and should provide a welcoming environment
for all climbers whatever their experience and ability.
We were all beginners once and we never stop learning
about the mountains.
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Staff Members include: |
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Stephen Reid: Founder and Director of Needle Sports, rock climber, winter climber, alpinist and ski-tourer, Stephen has been on expeditions to the Karakorum, Greenland, Tibet and the Andes. He has established numerous new routes in Wales, the Lakes and Galloway (Southern Scotland), the Staunings Alps of Greenland, and Peru and has had articles and gear reviews published in many of the major UK climbing magazines and journals. He has also written (with Steve Ashton) a guide-book to Lake District Climbing and is currently the editor of the FRCC Climbing Guides to the Lake District and wrote the section on Pillar Rock and Ennerdale for the 2007 Gable & Pillar guide. He also wrote the Galloway Mountains and Dumfries Outcrops sections for the SMC Lowland Outcrops guide. |
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Trevor Suddaby: Trevor Suddaby, Needle Sport's Shop Manager, was born and brought up in Cumbria and has climbed in the Lake District since he was 12. He has also climbed in many other areas of the UK, Europe and the USA. If the Lakes crags are wet he will most likely be heading for Yorkshire limestone - usually Malham or Kilnsey crags. Memorable recent leads include Obsession (7b+ Malham), Song For Europe (7b+ Chapel Head), La Demande (Verdon) and Shaken Not Stirred (E6 6b Iving Crag). Trevor is also a keen boulderer and is pretty handy on a slack line. In his youth before he took up rock climbing he was a champion orienteer. Trevor has contributed many gear reviews to Climb Magazine.
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Jude Osborne: Jude looks far too young for someone who has been climbing for almost a decade. Definitely a rock-chick at heart she has climbed all over the UK and in Spain, France, Australia, Thailand and the USA, but until recently had stayed away from all that cold white stuff unless on her snowboard. However a three-day quick visit to Rjukan in Norway has left her keen to do more wintery things. Best recent leads include Aphasia, Sergeant Crag Slab (E2, 5b), and Triermain Eliminate, Castle Rock, (E2, 5b). Jude is our Office Assistant Manager. |
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Matt de Vaal: Matt started climbing in Yorkshire and soon became a keen boulderer. A quest for the world's best best bouldering took him as far afield as the amazing Hampi in India. More recently he got further off the ground with two visits to Yosemite in as many years: on the latest he climbed aid routes such as The Nose on El Cap (5.9 C2) and the South Face of Washington Column (5.8 C1+). Back in the Lakes he is busy working his way through the starred E3s such as Prana on Black Crag. Matt is our Shop Assistant Manager. |
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Roger Withers: Roger started his long career in the outdoor trade making Terrordactyl Ice Axes for McInnes Peck. He also worked for Ultimate, Wild Country, Vau de and Hugh Banner before joining Needle Sports. There are few rock-climbing areas of the world that Roger has not visited and he has an extensive alpine record. Recent trips abroad include Thailand and Kalymnos and Mexico. |
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Cal Reid : Cal has been climbing for nine years and has worked in outdoor ed for five of them. He has largely concentrated on trad climbing in the Lakes and Scotland, but also has new routes to his name in such far flung places as Namibia and Zimbabwe and was also involved in developing bouldering areas in the latter country. Other overseas areas he has visited with rockboots and chalkbag (etc) include the USA, France, Spain, Greece, Belgium and Italy. |
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Emily Brooks : Emily describes herself as an allrounder. That includes summer and winter climbing, mountaineering and ski-touring all over the world, including the Alps, New Zealand, Australia, America and the Himalayas. Leads up to VS on rock, but as she says says "there's enough VS in the world to last several lifetimes!" Recent highlights include sailing to Greenland as crew with the Rev Bob "in the footsteps of Tilman" Shepton, and making several first ascents in the far north-west.
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Kristian: Started sport climbing in New Zealand and progressed on to trad, with routes such as Temples of Stone (18) at Paynes Ford to his credit. Since moving to the Lakes he has built up a good knowledge of trad climbs both here and elsewhere in the UK. Recent leads in the Lakes include Dedication (E1, Falcon Crag), Conclusion (E1, Shepherd's Crag) and he has also been active on the local boulders. Apart from climbing he is also into paragliding and calling everyone "dude". |
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B: Barend Johannes Martinus Englebrecht is known to all of us as "B" simply because no-one in the shop can pronounce or spell his name correctly. He started climbing in South Africa when he was in his early teens and has climbed throughout South Africa both in summer and winter, including in the well known ranges of Drakensberg, and Magaliesberg, and on Mount Blouberg. Elsewhere he has summitted Kilimanjaro (5895m), Elbrus (5642m) and Mt Blanc (4810m) as well as making ascents of many other alpine and Caucasus summits. In the Lake District he has been working his way through the lower E Grades with routes such as Capella (E1) on Pavey Ark, Wild Side (E3) on Shepherd's and Prana (E3) on Black Crag as well as tackling such Lakeland winter classics as Central Gully (II) and South-East Gully (III) on Great End.
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Chris Dale: has probably got more experience in the mountains than the rest of us put together. He is a qualified British Mountain Guide of many years standing with a host of impressive first ascents to his name, both in the UK and the Alps.
Chris has his own website at: www.chrisdale-mountainguide.co.uk |
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Will Veitch: Will is an active climber on rock, ice and alpine peaks. Local leads include such classics as Holly Tree Crack (E1) on Sergeant Crag Slabs, Creeping Jesus (HVS) on Shepherd's Crag and South-East, Central and Window Gullies (III, II and II/III) on Great End. He has climbed in Scotland in winter and in the alps in Chamonix and the Saas-Grund area of Switzerland. When not bouldering at the Bowderstone or painting skirting boards in the old house he has bought, he can oftern be found fell-running, at which he is rather good (best race position to date, 8th out of 95 in the Helvellyn Race 2007!). |
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Mike Weeks: Mike is a born and bred Keswickian who has climbed on the Lakeland Crags since he was was in his teens. He has also climbed in many parts of the UK in summer and winter, as well as in the alps and numerous "hot rock" destinations. |
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Tim Mosedale: Tim has tremendous all
round knowledge of mountaineering and climbing and,
when not leading treks and youth courses in the Himalayas
and Greenland, is busy working at Needle Sports, ticking
off E2s & grade Vs throughout the UK and putting
time into gaining his MIC assessment. He has written
a series of articles on navigation and also gear reveiws
for OTE. Tim recently summitted on Everest which has made him something of a local celebrity.
Tim has his own website at: www.timmosedale.co.uk
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Bruce Gormley: Bruce is quite the all-round mountaineer - almost! Apart from rock climbing in all parts of England up to HVS/E1 standard, he has been icefall climbing in France, and trekking and climbing in the Himalayas. Virtually the only thing missing from this impressive CV are a few Scottish winter routes, though with summer ascents such as Tower Ridge and a full traverse of the Cuillin Ridge to his name, we have little doubt he will be heading over the border as soon as the first snowflake falls. |
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Steve Stout: has lived in Lakes for 10 years, and been climbing 15 years. Known locally as a bold (read scarey) climber, he confesses to E3 on a very good day. Favourite climbs include, Suicide Wall (E2) at Bosigran, Saxon (E2) on Scafell, Diabaig Pillar (E2) in Scotland, and just about anything on Grit! He is also into ice-climbing and alpinism, and his speciality is Corsica where he guides climbing, canyoning and trekking. Other interests include scuba diving and motorbikes. |
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Dave Jones: David is packing internet orders and selling rockshoes galore in between terms at university. He started climbing at the age of 14 and entered several of the local CABL comps. Bouldering still a keen interest but so now is deep water soloing and rock climbing both here and abroad. Highlights include The Diedre (E2) at Kilnsey, The Strangler (E4) at Stanage, Electric Warrior (F7b) at Chapel Head and Chiselling the Dragon (F7c) at Malham. |
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David Pattison: Our other David is also packing internet orders and selling rockshoes galore in between terms at university. He started climbing at the age of 14 and entered several of the local CABL comps but really started climbing seriously at the age of 18. Seriously means onsighting trad routes at E3 with his best redpoint to date being Penal Servitude (E5) at Reecastle. On bolts he has flashed La Pinnery (F7b) and redpointed Vagabond (F7c) both at Ceuse. |
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