Remembering Mark Vallance, a prime mover in establishing Outside
Mark VallanceMark was one of the founders of Outside in 1987 and crucial in buying and converting our Hathersage premises into a specialist outdoor shop and Longland’s café/restaurant run by his climbing friend, Nick Longland.
Mark’s ambition was always to make Outside the ‘best climbing shop in the country’; something that we have worked hard to ensure over the years. Gradually Mark sold his holding in Outside to Dick and Sally Turnbull as he concentrated on developing Wild Country and bringing a stream of revolutionary new gear to the UK and wider climbing world.
His championing of ‘Friends’ (i.e. cams) was pivotal to the rapid rise in trad climbing standards in the 80’s and quickly followed by his own innovative nut designs - ‘Rocks’. Wild Country then imported the game-changing Simond ‘Chacal’ reverse curve ice tool and in 1983 he brought Boreal’s ‘sticky’ rock boots to the UK which boosted climbing standards dramatically all across the country.
Mark was a prime mover and enabler of getting Outside going. We will miss him enormously and remember his vital contribution to us and climbers all over the UK and beyond.
Dick and Sally Turnbull