Mike Robertson
Mike Robertson’s roots are based in Dorset, where he began climbing back in 1990, on the wacky limestone of Swanage. Since then, he’s been responsible for some 220 new routes worldwide, first in his home county, and more latterly in places as far-flung as Mallorca, Brazil, Cuba, Mongolia and Australia. His preference is for the traditional side of climbing, although ground-up bolting in Cuba demanded a certain level of commitment..! These past few years, since organising a multitude of Deep Water Solo events in Dorset and Devon, he mainly gravitates to where the water lays beneath – what he sees as his true vocation in life!
Mike’s introduction to photography came about by way of writing; he then bought his first SLR and taught himself. Since 1999, his work has been seen in climbing and travel magazines such as Climber, Rock & Ice, Global Adventure and Beano, and he works for companies such as Mountain Hardwear, Five Ten, Black Diamond and Wild Country. He spends a great deal of time shooting film abroad on cameras ranging from 35mm Canon to 645 Mamiya, with the resulting material extending from the usual climbing angle, through to landscapes, ladies and llamas. He even once took a shot of a shark scoffing McDonald’s (true).
His Talks:
So his special subjects? Sea cliffs and Deep Water Soloing, of course; Dorset, Devon, Pembroke, Mallorca. And then there’s that crazy Mongolia trip, undertaken with Neil Gresham, Tim Emmett, Seb Grieve and Grant Farquhar, roaming the endless steppe in search of God’s own rock – gritstone… but if you prefer, you might like to hear the tale of questing about with a similar team on Cuba’s huge tufa crags (‘mogotes’) and insect-infested jungle… Take your pick.