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Joe Brown - 1965 1970
A new departure for T.V. was the live televised climb. Joe was firtst invited to take part in a Eurovision broadcast from the South Face of the Midi. It was an interesting experience, with the broadcast commencing in a snowstorm. Because of the tightly worked schedule and the live transmission the climbers had to be in particular places at set times. To do this climbing normally would be difficult if not impossible, given the variability of weather conditions. So the whole thing was a cheat, with the climbers traversing on and off the face between slots, and using the cable car to get higher for later transmissions. Even so, the climbing that was shown was genuinely difficult in the prevailing weather. Back home the BBC approached Joe about a similar broadcast for the following year. He suggested Cloggy, with cameras on Llithrig, Piggot’s and Pinnacle Flake. Unfortunately, the weather was poor, with thick mist, and technical problems dogged some of the best positioned cameras. However, the broadcast was deemed a success, and the BBC began looking for a follow-up to be broadcast at Easter 1966. South Stack on Holy Island off Anglesey was chosen because of the accessibility of the awesome and unclimbed Red Wall. Many climbers had looked at this, but none had touched it. Although the route climbed for the programme was almost entirely artificial (Television Route, A1) it gave Joe a view of the face which seemed to have a continuous crack line. This was good enough to tempt him and Pete Crew to make an attempt later in the year which resulted in the first ascent of Red Wall (E2 4b,5c,4b), followed 4 days later by the ascent of the line he had seen initially, which gave Wendigo (E3 4c,5a,5b,4b). Joe found out about the much better rock and the possibilities which existed slightly further along the cliffs towards North Stack. After a period when climbing had become less important in his life this provided the impetus he needed to encourage him to further exploration, and he returned frequently climbing a number of now classic routes. The outside T.V broadcast became a feature of the period, with two others in Glencoe and on the sea stack known as the Old Man of Hoy in the Orkneys. Joe, Chris Bonninton and Tom Patey had made the first ascent in 1966, and Joe proposed it as a suitable, indeed stunning location for an outside broadcast climb. o it was, albeit a logistical nightmare for the programme makers because of its remoteness! However, the programme gave what is probably the best remembered T.V. spectacular, with an all star cast of Joe, Ian McNaught Davies, Pete Crew, Dougal Haston and Tom Patey on the climbing team and Hamish McInnes, John Cleare, Rusty Baille and Ian Clough on filming. The climb repeated for TV some 15 years later with Joe then teaming up with his daughter Zoe. She was an instant hit with the viewers through her outspoken but cheery manner and immediately was snapped up as a presenter for the children's magazine programme Tiswas.
1966 was also a year of change at home. Val had never been entirely happy living at White Hall, and they had considered opening a climbing shop for some time. Joe had already started making fibreglass climbing helmets, which he thought he could expand into more of a full time business. A suitable property was found in Llanberis High Street (the some one as is the shop today), and helped with a loan from Chris Briggs of the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, they moved in to a building in need of major repair and complete refurbishment, done by Joe and climbing acquaintances. They opened for business at Easter while Joe was climbing on South Stack for the BBC live outside broadcast. So things came full circle with the scene of many of Joe’s happiest climbing days now on his doorstep.

Joe’s second daughter, Zoe, was also born this year, so with money tight he offered private guiding, made helmets in the back room of the shop and (with extensive help from Pete Crew and Robin Collomb) to publish his autobiography, “The Hard Years” (now available in paperback) which appeared in August 1967.
The helmets were an immediate success. At that time few designs were available. Most were imported and designed to protect from stonefall in the alps rather than giving the wearer protection if they fell off and swung into the rock. The one British helmet, the Compton, which did give protection in the event of a fall, was heavy and cumbersome, and few chose to wear it. Remarkably, although Joe later sold the business, and it has gone through several hands since, but the helmets have continued to be made until 2005!
Although Joe wanted to contribute to business he did not enjoy the adulation that was inevitable if he worked in the shop itself. He therefore remained in the background, doing refurbishment and making the helmets, and later climbing “software” harnesses, tape slings and the like.
As the helmet business grew he took on Mo Anthoine to help him. The story goes that testing was done by one of them wearing the helmet while the other him them over the head! As it expanded so new premises were needed and an old stable across the road was bought and converted. Still it grew. At this point it was becoming a fully fledged commercial undertaking, needing constant supervision to ensure the quality standards were maintained. Although Joe was happy working for himself he never wanted the problems of running such a business, and he decided to give it to Mo.
Shortage of funds, a young family, and the demands that setting up the business made on him and Val meant that for the next few years Joe did not go on any expeditions.
 
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