Name: Tim Clifford
DOB: 29/05/1967
Interview By: Ben Moon

We are very pleased to announce that Tim Clifford has just joined the Moon climbing team. Tim is without doubt one of the strongest boulders in the UK and has made early repeats of some of the hardest problems in just about all the major bouldering venues in the world. If you want to climb like Tim then read on…

BM - When and where did you start climbing?
TC - 1980 – On the gritstone crags around Leeds

BM - Do you have a favorite style of climbing (traditional, sport, bouldering etc)?
TC - Definitely bouldering.

BM - What would be your top route recommendations in the USA?
TC - Err..

BM - And abroad?
TC - Err…

BM - What would be your top boulder problem recommendations in the USA?
TC - That’s pretty difficult to say but my favorite area are in the States so far is probably Yosemite.

BM - And abroad?
TC - Again it’s really hard to single out individual problems, I think Fontainbleau is the most amazing area but I’m a real fan of granite and for that it has to be the areas of the Tessin in Switzerland. I visited New Zealand this year and the limestone bouldering at Castle Hill is amazing, totally unique and desperate.

BM - How often do you climb?
TC - When I’m on a long trip I normally try to climb day on day off to stay feeling fresh and motivated. When I’m at home and working I probably train more than I climb, so maybe climb once at the weekend.

BM - How often do you train and for how many hours per session?
TC -I normally train 4-5 times a week but some of those sessions are not too long, I’m a fan of quality rather than quantity.

BM - Where do you train?
TC - Board, climbing wall and at home

BM - What kind of training do you do?
TC - I try to vary my training as much as I can and focus on aspects that I want to improve on. I have to be quite focused in order to improve and I’m always trying to identify areas that I need to work on. At the moment I’m working on my shoulders and core strength, which I’m doing by training on gymnastic rings.

BM - Your top training tip or tips?
TC - All aspects of climbing and training for me has to be fun so I would say enjoy the process.

BM - Your best achievement?
TC - Spending the whole of 2004 climbing and really pushing myself all year and staying in one piece.

BM - Your goals for 2005?
TC - I’m working at the moment so to save as much money as possible I suppose but in terms of climbing, to stay healthy and improve in some areas of my climbing.