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The Costa Blanca really is the “perfect” place to come and learn this great sport due to the quality of the limestone.
The foundation of this ethic is “that the rock is not damaged in anyway”, no holes are drilled and no hammers are used.
Who Is Rich Mayfield?
Rich Mayfield S.A.C Dip (exercise physiology) & Mountain Instructor Award Rich was born in North Wales in the late 60’s and spent much of his youth climbing and walking in the Welsh hills. Relocating to Spain more than 15 years ago, was the ‘best move I ever made’ he says. Rich joined the services shortly after leaving school in 1986, and lived in West Germany for six years, before passing the All Arms Commando Course and moving to Plymouth to serve with 3 Commando. He attended as an incremental member of staff The Army Mountain Training Centre in the Harz Mountains of West Germany, and was an instructor on many expeditions and adventurous training programs.
In 1994 he was invited to participant in the infamous British Army Expedition to Borneo, to descend the North side of Mt Kinabalu via an area known as “Low’s Gully”. The expedition was a spectacular debacle, no communications, poor weather, inappropriate planning, training and equipment, lead to the disintegration of the expedition. Rich was one of the few to have facilitated his own escape, but only after an eight day period with no food. His escape initiated the largest ever peacetime mountain rescue operation which involved over one thousand British and Malayan military personnel in a race against time to find the remaining members of the expedition.
Hard Rock Challenged Ticked 2007
The aftermath of this expedition was acrimonious and Rich received a formal commendation for bravery. So, with a successful book under this belt Rich moved to Spain and bought the Orange House in 2003. During the summer of 2007 with his good friend Mark Stevenson, they took on and won the battle to climb all the routes in the famous book “Hard Rock” by Ken Wilson. It was considered impossible by most, yet during the wettest summer in many years they did it! Rich now splits his time between Spain in the winter and Bulgaria in the summer. He has been working professionally as a climbing instructor since 1987 and his personal climbing experience is vast which takes in his early beginnings in Wales, then to Germany and the South West of England. Rich enjoys all types of climbing and is equally happy on large Trad routes or short Sport routes, from the sea cliffs of Gogarth or The Old Man of Hoy to the steep overhanging crags like “The Wildside” in Sella. Rich is MIA qualified which backs up his former Army experience. (ps he is a Grandad 4 times over! but don’t tell him I told you!)