Some wrote books. Others baked. For Robbie Phillips, it was ‘buildering’, as lockdown led the globetrotting climber to seek new thrills in his own backyard
Touring the globe and tackling treacherous peaks was all in a day’s work for professional climber Robbie Phillips. But when the pandemic brought his adventures to an abrupt halt, it forced the 32-year-old to adopt a new perspective.
Far from bemoaning his bad luck, he realised different was good – and set about searching his hometown of Edinburgh for the challenges he craved. In the process, he sparked a whole urban climbing movement.
Robbie says: “For the first three weeks, lockdown was a novelty. Myself and my girlfriend Marie would wake up, I would get croissants and we’d have breakfast in bed.”
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CAROLINES story
I’ve travelled the world climbing but it
was so uplifting to find challenges
in my own backyard
“
Off the wall
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But being cooped up in a flat soon began to take its toll, leaving Robbie feeling trapped and bored. It’s no surprise: climbing from the age of 15, Robbie has scaled some of the toughest routes on demanding peaks like the Eiger.
He says: “I love training for a project to achieve a goal. In lockdown there was no end in sight. I found it a jarring experience.”
Then one day in summer 2020 he had the lightbulb moment that would change his life and thousands of other lives.
Crossing the Meggetland Footbridge in Edinburgh, he spotted a gap between the concrete panels underneath its arch across the Union Canal. The average passerby wouldn’t have given it a second glance.
But Robbie’s heart skipped a beat.
“I can’t help looking at anything and seeing it as a potential climb,” he explains. “Even at school, sitting in the assembly hall, I’d be looking up at a big column, imagining what it would be like to go up it. Climbing never gets dull. But you take familiar surroundings for granted sometimes.”
That was until he noticed the bridge…
“There was this crack in the middle that was perfect for getting your hand in.
“I got down, ran my hand along it and realised it was possible. Here was this amazing climbing potential right on my doorstep.”
Days later, Robbie was back at the bridge, armed with all of his usual climbing safety equipment, clinging on with just his hands and toes as he traversed his way across. “It was thrilling. No one had done crack climbing on bridges like this before!”
He was soon looking for other sites to do this type of good but different climbing – or “buildering” – and discovered an even better bridge near Murrayfield Stadium.
“It had 11 parallel cracks and no water underneath. It was the perfect crack climbing training facility. I’d go down and climb all day long. My hands would be bleeding, but I couldn’t wait to heal so that I could do it all again.”
Only way is up
Robbie sparked an urban climbing movement
Robbie began posting photos of his feats on Instagram. Before long, scores of other climbers were trying it out too.
He says: “I was getting pictures from all over the world of bridges that people were finding to climb, and we built a community. One family came up and thanked me later, explaining how it was their escape when everything else was closed.
“I’ve travelled the world climbing – from Yosemite to Patagonia – but it was so uplifting to find challenges in my own backyard. I felt the same sense of exploration and adventure that I’d been lacking. Better still, there was a whole movement of people sharing that feeling.”
Today he’s back to climbing around the globe – but is still scaling bridges at home. He’s delighted by how embracing something good but different changed his life for the better.
“Thinking outside the box can help you enjoy what you do even more, or in a different way, and perhaps learn something completely new,” he says. “It’s worked for me and it’s great.”
Photography by Nadir Khan
Packs a punch
Robbie can fit all his climbing gear in the back of his S-Cross
Onwards and upwards
Robbie says: “The S-Cross was great for a day’s urban climbing. My bouldering mat fitted snugly in the back and there was plenty of room for all my climbing gear – that’s a real bonus. Plus, I always listen to music to get psyched up for a climb, so the fact that the S-Cross has a good sound system with Bluetooth enabled is very handy.
“I really like that it’s easy on fuel consumption for city life but still has the feel of an off-roader that could handle more rugged terrain when out climbing.”
Your adventure starts now
To learn more about the S-Cross, go to cars.suzuki.co.uk
The S-Cross Verdict
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