Blogs |
| Mad Autumn |
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Everything has been changing this week. For the last two years, everything has been geared towards ‘trying to climb Echo Wall’. Then, as of the end of July when I finally got to the top, everything has been about ‘trying to finish the Echo Wall film’. Claire and I both put some seriously unhealthy hours into this.
But now it’s a transition. Our film is off to get pressed into DVDs and the trailer is online. So, it’s finally time to start thinking of new things to do again. In between stints at the edit suite, I’ve been training pretty hard at the new wall in Fort William and feeling like I’ve made some progress. I have lots of bouldering project for the winter that really need a bit of a step up in strength for me. Thankfully, Fort William’s campus board is miles harder than any other I’ve been on so it’s a good kick up the backside for me to keep me working really hard.
Yesterday I had a first session on a futuristic boulder project up in the glen. After recently working on a stupidly long traverse, it nice that it’s a straight up pure line. Up for rather a long way! Its about 30 metres high. Only the first 12 metres are overhanging though, the slab above is an easy solo. But the bit after the hard climbing might still be an E7/8. The hard bit could be a V14 potentially. It’s hard to know right now before I have more days on it.
Yesterday I had to work on it in full down gear it was so cold with the snowline on the mountains already really far down. The first cold of the winter always gives the body a shock.
Anyway, enjoy the wee trailer for Echo Wall. if you would like to get your copy in, you can pre-order it from the shop now.
By Dave MacLeod - Posted on 6.10.08 01:12 50 |
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| Bouldering in Scotland Review |
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For bouldering in Scotland, 2008 will be a pivotal year. The pace of development of Scottish bouldering and discovery of new areas has accelerated more and more over the past ten years. Now, anywhere you live in Scotland, there is documented bouldering not far away from you. That’s fine if you are the ‘new routing type’ who doesn’t mind trawling the net to keep up with new developments and search out printable topos. But the bulk of climbers still want to just buy the book and get out on the crags in their precious spare time.
John Watson took the bull by the horns, left his job and jumped in his car for the best part of two years travelling repeatedly around the glens to make the first Scottish bouldering guide a reality. And here it is, in my lap! Wow!
Bouldering in Scotland details in full, inspiring colour 60 of the best bouldering venues with superb photos, topos and and a straightforward layout. The standard and payout of the guide is reminiscent of the recent Peak bouldering guide. Really, all there is to say about the standard of production of the book is that it competes with anything that is out there, and you’ll find it a pleasure and an inspiration to use.
The interesting thing to talk about is the content. John has opted for the selected approach for describing problems, which in many people’s opinion is the best way to go for many rock types in the sport of bouldering. In the 60 areas covered in the book, there are many problems not described. But here’s the problem – if you are a local, you know all the eliminates anyway. If you are a visitor, you just want to find the best pure lines. The nature of bouldering means a lot of climbs get squeezed into a small area. Over describing the climbing at a venue takes away from the classic lines. Bouldering, still young, seems to be still moving in a direction where it’s considered better to work on the best lines and overcome their barriers of difficulty, rather than potter on a thousand eliminates at the same level and never progress. So the book shows you the best bouldering lines that have been found in Scotland to date.
Some gorgeous photos lead off each area section, with more small shots, all in colour to help you quickly find your way around and spy the most appealing lines to try. It fulfils the important guidebook attribute of making you want to go out bouldering RIGHT NOW! As well as just passing on information. I particularly liked the ‘circuit’ approach John used to describe Scotland’s big daddy bouldering venue, Dumbarton Rock. We used to do circuits based on British tech grades, but these are so variable it made for an unbalanced session. A session trying to complete John’s ‘yellow’, ‘blue’ or ‘red’ circuits will be a blissful experience! Anyway, I’m wallowing a bit in memory lane there…
For sure this edition is the first in what will no doubt be a series. It’s as essential a part of Scottish bouldering kit as the mat, midgy spray and beanie. In the next one I’d love to see photographic contributions from a wider range of photographers. For instance, many a stunning shot resides in Cubby’s spare room that should be inspiring climbers in this book. But hopefully this edition will be a platform for John to keep celebrating Scottish bouldering in print. Us climbers owe you one John, thanks for this book!
If you want a copy, you can get it from my webshop. Posted straight to you and remember I’m giving away my ‘How to Climb Hard Trad’ E-book with purchases from my shop. So you are getting more for your cash than if you waste a potential bouldering session walking to the shops to get it!
By Dave MacLeod - Posted on 2.4.08 21:25 16
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| Don't Die of Ignorance sent! |
Joe French and myself advancing up the grooves on the inspiring Comb Buttress. Click on the pic for a bigger image. Photo: Claire MacLeod
Sunday was an amazing and memorable day on Ben Nevis with Joe French, John Sutherland and Claire. On Saturday afternoon I had that gut feeling that Sunday was ‘the day’ that I would have the best possible chance to finally free climb Don’t Die of Ignorance. The weather was doing all the right things (slight thaw with a fine but cold day forecast ahead), I was rested and the challenges of the route were fresh in my mind from Friday’s battles on it with Donald.
I called everyone, but noone could climb with me. Rope solo? Maybe. On a last ditch I texted Joe who by chance had a free day and came bouncing round to the house overflowing with enthusiasm at the prospect of a major adventure and the chance to get some awesome footage. Little did he know what he was letting himself in for.
Heading out to the crux roof. Photo: Joe French
At 6am the next morning we began our familiar pilgrimage into the north face. By 10am I was back once again, staring at that grim undercut crack disappearing round the prow into no man’s land. Just like Friday I desperately struggled to seat my axe in the crux tin opener. I screamed to Joe to expect a fall and released my left axe, cutting loose onto one arm. The axe slid and jerked a centimetre. My heart missed a beat and the jolt nearly made me fall, my hand sliding down the upside down axe to the head and rolling onto three fingers. I dynamic match and kung fu allowed one foot to swing onto the wall to the right and up to the peg I got in on Friday. The vertical wall above was climbed in an utterly ‘go for broke’ style, axes ripping , dropping onto one hand and gasping with pump and shrieking for slack. All a bit full on.
But finally, I made it into those upper grooves! Some VII led to a belay and I took in the ropes. It was Joe’s turn to have a gripper. The plan was for Joe to aid as far as he could into the crux and then jumar one rope to the belay. At the start of the traverse he hooked a cam on the lip of the roof but cut loose violently onto it, his wrist loop tightening leaving him completely stuffed – about to lose a hand and unable to do anything about it. On the belay, I could do nothing (too much stretch in the rope) but listen to him screaming in pain and fear. Quick thinking and one handed application of the jumar meant he could at least free the hand and drop into space. Totally gripped up, Joe struggled for nearly two hours to right himself, sort out the rope mess and jug to the belay. By the time he arrived, I was in a bit of a state myself. I had to half my rack and drop two clothing layers to lose enough weight to get me through the crux pitch. I knew it would mean suffering at the belay. But after three hours I was worried that I’d gone through feeling aweful and despite shivering uncontrollably, I no longer felt cold. The worst thing was seeing Joe’s face when he looked at me! “Dave, mate, your lips are blue!” Joe rubbed my legs furiously as I sorted the ropes and got motoring, We had a lot of climbing still to do in the short time before dark.
A tighter view of the upper grooves on Don’t Die of Ignorance. Photo: Claire MacLeod
But first I had to abseil back down the crux pitch to retrieve all the gear that Joe couldn’t get (he had to untie from the rope that had all the runners on because it went way off to one side and he was unable to swing to it). After another big amazing pitch of neve grooves, the pace got faster still and the next two pitches of V or VI mixed were led with continuous movement and one runner to back up the belay.
In the last of the dim evening light I popped out onto the broad shelf at the very apex of the pyramidal Comb Buttress. I dreamed of topping out here – it was amazing. But I worried about Joe seconding up. Then something brilliant happened. The clouds opened above me and a bright moon lit up the whole corrie and instantly made the final two pitches a foregone conclusion. What a moment! All that was left was to whoop our way up the neve encrusted crest of the Comb to the plateau taking in the unbelievable beauty of the moon, stars and gently lit white cliffs. Is it possible to have a more satisfying or exhilarating top out on a climb?
Last night we sat in Joe’s and watched the footage. I laughed at my footless sketching on the crux, but all of us sat up in silence watching the image of Joe dangling by one axe screaming and legs waving in the middle of a huge icy face. It had quite an impact and I must say It was an incredible effort from Joe to regain his composure so well to deal with the upper pitches. I was also in awe of Claire who was there, a tiny dot on the corrie floor filming in the cold for 7 hours. She told me later that she almost had to leave because she could bare to watch the situation as Joe hung in space and we screamed at each other trying to communicate. I feel strange having climbed it because although it was me who actually climbed the moves, the task was only possible because of several people who were up for holding the ropes and the prospect of having to try and second a complex and desperate piece of climbing with total commitment.
Anyway, I’m sure I’ll write a bit more about this elsewhere because we had such a big adventure. But right now I have to go out and make the most of the awesome conditions in Lochaber for bouldering, sport climbing, trad climbing and winter mountaineering. Dry, sunny, 9 degrees at sea level every day, and new routes to do everywhere. I’m glad I moved to Fort William!!!!!!!!!
Claire described her view of Joe's struggle and her experience of filming the climb on her blog. Some more 'eye witness' and a cool photo of Joe hanging in space on Highland Guides blog.
 Myself and Joe about to do battle. Photo: John Sutherland
Don’t Die of Ignorance XI, 11 275m Dave MacLeod, Joe French March 16th 2008
A free ascent based on the 1987 aid route by Andy Cave and Simon Yates, taking a more direct line at the crux. Climbed ground up, onsight, 6th attempt. Start on the left side of the Comb at the start of the huge diagonal shelf/crack system.
1. 30m Follow the easy snow and ice ramps to a belay before the ledge runs out.
2. 30m Step down into the wide undercut crack and tin opener tenuously to the arête (cams, bulldog). A foot off tin opener move gains access to the rib on the right (peg). The aid route continues along the crack. Quit the crack and climb leftwards on the tenuous wall above to gain a ledge. Go right beneath a steep groove and move round it’s base to gain a thin crack in an open slab. Climb this to a belay below a chimney.
3. 55m Step up and right from the belay to gain the huge open groove of Don’t Die and follow this with sustained interest to a hanging belay on the right at a large block.
4. 25m Step left and follow the crest, moving left again across a fault to a ledge and good belay at a flake.
5. 20m Mantel the flake and step right to regain the crest which is followed to the snow crest on the apex of the buttress (good spike belay).
6. 60m Climb the easy snow crest to a steepening.
7. 40m Climb snow grooves in the buttress crest to a flat knife edge leading to the plateau.
8. 15m The knife edge leads easily to the plateau.
By Dave MacLeod - Posted on 2.4.08 21:24 29 |
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| Darwin Dixit video |
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Here is a wee video of a roped ascent of Darwin Dixit 8c in Margalef a couple of days before the solo. Thanks to Michael Tweedley for this. For the video of the solo, you’ll have to wait till we save up for our computer to edit the footage!
By Dave MacLeod - Posted on 2.4.08 21:23 12 |
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