Basically, on Sunday morning, Kodo the wonder-being died. This has been the most difficult time of my life and it is hard to feel it’s going to get better but intellectually I know it will.

To those of you who knew Kodo, you may have an inkling of understanding as to why I am grieving so. She had a genuine love for life that was infectious and couldn’t be ignored. She was a light in our life that burned so bright and brought such joy, that when the light is gone, the world feels a darker place. Her presence was beautiful and she didn’t just bring joy to our lives, she made friends wherever she went. She spread her Kodo-love around and that was what was special about her, as well as loving life she loved people and although she was part of our family, she wouldn’t hesitate to potter off and make friends along the crag- especially if there might have been a few titbits on offer or a tummy-tickle to be had.

Writing this is actually making me smile, I thought when I started I was going to have to waterproof my keyboard as Niagara Falls was welling up and about to descend but in fact I am feeling quite happy.

Remembering all the Kodo gorgeousness just can’t help but make me feel slightly more positive

To those of you who aren’t animal lovers, I make no apologies for the strong emotions I am feeling. This little being was the centre of our family and I don’t care whether it’s a horse, a person, a budgie, or a rat- if they are part of you and share your life, then you are going to feel incredible loss when they are gone.

Kodo was with us 24/7, we are lucky that we have a great lifestyle for owning dogs, she came everywhere with us and shared all our time. To suddenly have that taken away is shocking to say the least. She was a demanding little sausage and was always there whatever you were doing being nosy and inquisitive but what she asked for she gave back a hundred fold. The unconditional love, positivity and absolute commitment to living life to the full was Kodo’s gift to us and I will always thank her for that.

Bless you Kodo we loved you so much and you will always be in our hearts.

Tim's first picture of Kodo, we had only just got her from the RSPCA and she was a year and four months old, Jan 2004.

1. I’ve been away ice climbing in Italy and
2. I’ve broken my leg!!!!

Unfortunately, I’m not joking (I wish I was) and I am now facing up to the fact that I am housebound and non-weight bearing for 6 weeks. Housebound because of the snow and ice at the mo, where I live is a bit hilly and it would be typical of me to slip over and break my other leg! And non-weight bearing because when I returned from Italy, I went to the Northern General here in Sheffield (which fortunately has a very good orthopaedic department) and they put me straight in for an operation. There was me thinking that it was a simple break to the fibula- no such luck. Turns out the break wasn’t great and I’d ruptured ligaments too. So I’ve now got titanium plates and screws in my leg.

So how did it happen?

Well, v boring to be honest. Wish I could tell a story of high octane radical ice that I was scaling but no, I was on the walk home (rushing and messing about) caught my crampon and Bob’s your uncle, one broken leg. If only I could turn the clocks back but what’s done is done and that’s just the way it is. I confess that I am pissed off and annoyed with myself, especially so because Tim and I were meant to be off on a different trip about now. It was going to be my first, fun, sport climbing trip for about two years- hey ho!

So how was Cogne?

Up to when I broke my leg, it was great fun. Admittedly we could’ve had better conditions (IE. It was very warm and the ice was thin in places to say the least) but considering the Aosta valley was one of only a few places in the Alps that had reliable ice and low avalanche potential, we couldn’t complain. We got about four days done and were just about starting to  feel in the groove with ice climbing again. In the last ten years, I’d climbed about two ice routes and Tim similar, so it took a few days to gain confidence and work it all out again. With that in mind, I was getting there with the climbing bit but forgot to concentrate on the walking bit- always the way.

But I had always wanted to go to Cogne, so it was great to get there finally and we went with Adrian Berry and his mate Gabriel, which was handy as Adrian had been a couple of times before and could act as our local guide. We stayed in some nice self catering accommodation in Lillaz (about 3kms from Cogne) called Les Nigritelles, which was a short walk away from some of the best routes around and had friendly hosts Eliza and Carlo. Although the village is quiet, there was an Italian National Husky racing competition one weekend which Tim loved, as he’s always wanted to take pictures of dog-racing. So we had a rest day while he did that and I went for a walk into Cogne, which was pleasant. Anyway, it’s certainly a venue I would head back to and when I’m all healed up, next winter I hope and intend to get onto some of the bigger harder routes.

Oh I forgot to mention my Joe Simpson moment. After my tumble and Tim having to lower me onto the path as it was too steep for me to slide the whole way down on my bum, we still had a couple of hours daylight left, so I decided I didn’t want the ignominy of calling a helicopter (after all I wasn’t at risk of dying, although I did feel a bit queasy and light-headed!!), so I decided to try and crawl. It was about an hour and a half normal walk on an uneven snowy trail, which I can assure you was very painful to crawl on and wasn’t the most comfortable journey I’ve ever made. We tried with Tim holding me up and me hopping with a stick but my good leg got tired very quick and it was quite hard work for both of us due to the uneven terrain and also painful having the broken one hanging down and swinging about. So crawling seemed the best option and I tried to head for the softer snow to save my knees. It felt like I’d been going for ages and I asked Tim how far he reckoned I’d got and he said, “Erm, 200metres?”. Hmm, that wasn’t the answer I was hoping for. After I’d gone about three quarters of a mile, the whole ‘Touching The Void’ thing was losing it’s charm. We’d been going for about an hour and probably had another painful couple to go and the light was starting to drop. My will power was drifting off, so I sat and had a rest. Tim had gone back to retrieve something from the sacks and I was pondering my situation, when a couple of guys approached me. They asked if I needed help and said they’d seen me crawling from the distance and came over to lend a hand. It was very kind of John and Elved to come over, although I was slightly mortified when one of them said after seeing my face “You’re Lucy Creamer aren’t you?” Well yes I am but I would’ve preferred not to have been reminded of it at that precise moment, as I was feeling a little silly.

"My leg before the plaster went on."

Anyway, with three blokes now to help, things looked up as two of them tried to aid my upright hopping. But annoyingly, it was still very difficult for us due to the snow and pain factor, so again I resorted to crawling. So I now had three guys following me at a snails pace which must have been incredibly frustrating for all concerned.

But then there was a strange sound in the distance, a low rumbling or a humming. And then it got louder, until eventually a lovely gleaming stallion of a helicopter came swooping round the corner into our valley.

It was quite a relief I have to admit. And once I was packaged onto a stretcher, the journey to the hospital in Aosta was a swift and relaxing one. Tim and I spent a couple of hours in the hospital, surrounded by people with skiing injuries, they x-rayed me and plastered me up, then sent me off to buy drugs and crutches.

We had a couple of days left looking longingly at the ice before it was time to head home; the 12 hour drive back to Calais in Adrian’s van was a tad uncomfortable but went smoothly and had to be done. And then my trusty BMC insurance organised a taxi from London the next day, which was a lot more comfortable and got us back to Sheff safe and sound.

So, up to date, the next thing on the agenda is results of an MRI scan that I had on my shoulder, which was actually painfree when I was ice climbing and didn’t cause any problems at all.

Bye bye for now.

"Back in Sheffield, the bruising that indicated more problems than just the fibula IE. Ruptured ligaments and prompted the Doctors to operate"

The O2 Arena from our hotel

As well as being on the stand to chat with people, help out and sign posters, I was doing master classes. Both Libby Peter and myself were alternating these but they were so popular, that DMM got Ben Bransby and Liam Halsey to do some too. They had been pre-booked on the net and it was a shame that we had to keep turning people away. So if it happens next year, make sure you try to get in early. There was no national competition this year, so instead the Beacon Climbing guys had built lots of different walls for people to have a go at climbing and there was plenty to have a go at. And for our master classes we had a our own dedicated bouldering wall, which was pretty cool and worked well. It was nice to be doing some climbing over the days rather than hours of standing around. And also, everyone who came to the workshops were nice people and keen to learn- so give yourselves a pat on the back and thanks again for coming along- and hopefully you’ll all be climbing like technical wizards now too!!

Coaching a Master Class

Now back in Sheffield and finishing off a few bits and pieces before Tim and I go to Cogne, Italy tomorrow. Although up until last Thursday we were going to La Grave, France but the knowledge was ‘No ice’! So we were very lucky in that we managed to change our accommodation and are now hoping to find ice in Cogne, fingers crossed. But I’m taking my snow board just in case…

Medwen helping Tim assemble a Carabiner         

Climbing in Catalunya from Lucy Creamer on Vimeo.

Marmot Diego half-zip top from Lucy Creamer on Vimeo.

• DOB: 19/04/1971
• Home: Sheffield, UK.
• Occupation: Professional Climber.
• Other interests: Animal Welfare, Mountain Biking, Acting.
• Sponsors: Marmot, DMM, Scarpa, Grivel.

Having been introduced to climbing in 1988 at college in Bristol, my life took on a whole new direction. My thoughts of becoming a P.E. teacher were diverted to the world of outdoor activities and instructing. Consequently, I taught at various centres around the UK for a few years, living the life of a multi-activity instructor.

But it wasn’t until the Bristol Climbing Centre opened in 1992, that with their support, I really started to feel like a climber. This was the point that I made the brave/ unwise decision to dedicate my life to climbing. Fifteen years down the line, I am happy to say it is still my one true passion. Earning a living from climbing is a hard and rewarding career but I don’t look back with any regrets and wouldn’t change the path I have chosen.

I have enjoyed competitions for many years and love the competition arena. But equally relish the lonely feeling of being high up a route, with only a few dodgy wires between me and the ground.

The variety of disciplines in climbing has held my interest and kept me on my toes, there is always something new to try and master. I think this is one of the reasons I have stayed keen for so long.

Although climbing has been my main focus for a long time, I do have other interests. I love acting but rarely spend enough time in one place to pursue it. But when I do manage to partake, I really enjoy it.

I am very keen on animal welfare and have been a vegetarian for about 19 years. We have a gorgeous dog Kodo, who was rescued from an RSPCA shelter and she now has a very happy life being a crag dog.

Yoga has been something that I have done for years and I’m sure it has helped my body not get too trashed and obviously it’s very good for maintaining flexibility. I enjoy the relaxation side of it, as I am not very good at this normally, it gives me an opportunity to chill. When I neglect to do my yoga, I really miss it and start feeling like I’m going to fall apart, so I know it is something that I will always do.

I also seem to be doing a lot of mountain biking these days, which works well as a complement to climbing. It takes me to some great places and keeps my cardio-vascular system fit. If my motivation for climbing is a bit low, I can rely on mountain biking to give me my ‘outdoor’ buzz.

When people ask me what my favourite climb is, or even more broadly what style of climbing I like the best, I find it very difficult to answer. I have never specialised in one area. Partly because I get bored doing the same old thing (possibly why I have such itchy feet) but also I like the stimulation of doing something new. So if pushed, I would say my first love is trad onsighting. Basically I enjoy it all and as long as I’m doing some sort of climbing, I’m happy.

High points

Lucy is a true all-rounder; at home on the sea cliffs of pembroke, the ice of Colorado and the international competition arena.

Hardest trad on-sight: ‘Boss Hogg’ E7 6c- Pembrokeshire,UK.

Hardest sport on-sight: Several f8a's of which her favourite is 'Monocroma' f8a, Raco de Misa, Spain.

Hardest headpoint 'Slab and Crack' E8 6c, Curbar, The Peak District, UK.

Hardest redpoint: 'Kalea Borroka' f8b+, Siurana, Spain.

Hardest mountain route: ‘Hasse-Brandler’ UIAA VIII, 500m Cima Grande, Dolomites, Italy.

Expeditions: new route, ‘Venus Envy’ E4/5 6a, 600m The Baroness, Greenland. 2001.

Mixed new route: ‘Mighty Aphrodite’ M9x- Ouray, Colorado USA, 2002. Unrepeated.

New boulder problem: ‘Trente-six’ Font 7c+- Veaux, France.

Only British woman to onsight numerous f8a's
First ascent of ‘Mighty Aphrodite’ M9, a rock and ice route in Colorado that still hasn't seen a second ascent in its original unbolted state. It has now been bolted.

Competitions

British Leading Champion: 1997/98, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007.

British Bouldering Champion: 2001.

British Masters Champion: 1998.

Best International result: Qualified for two finals, gaining best result: 9th place 2003.

Best Ice competition result: 2nd place, Ouray International Ice Festival, Colorado.