Saturday 25 August 2007

To Hell and Back


Yesterday was the scariest day of my life, and the end of the scariest ten days of my life. The impending lead of my ‘Great Climb’ project on Hell’s Lum crag was hanging over me like a guillotine. It’s the most dangerous lead I’ve ever done, and right now, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about it.

Falling off from the crux or above would have meant death. 80 feet to the gully bed. In the moment of the lead, I screamed at myself twice at the top of my voice because the reality hit me of where I was and what I was doing. I think it achieved little more than spreading my fear across everyone who was there filming, Tony who was on the skyhook rope and especially Claire on the gully sprint rope running through the only good gear, 40 feet below me.

An outcome was needed to free everyone from the sentence, so I screamed away all my thoughts and uncaringly hydraulicked like a robot through the slopers and on to the belay.

When I got there I just felt guilty for engaging with this undertaking in the first place. On a personal level it’s OK – I’m up for this type of experience, full on as it is. But it’s not fair on everyone else for me to be walking around for ten days consumed in my own ugly world of fear, and blind to other people’s needs. I’m massively in their debt, especially Claire’s.

Being with Cubby last week was very helpful – having a history of this type of situation, he knew the score, and was great counsel.




This route overstepped the red line for me, but not in terms of personal danger, just in terms of the cost of dealing with the danger. I want to be a climber pushing my limits. But I don’t want to be a climber pushing everyone else’s limits as well, even temporarily. I’ve learned, and my next challenge is to climb something like this or harder, without my personal hell spilling beyond my own head.


A brief moment of top out relief. Meanwhile Richard Else swoops out of the mist for the interview

Anyway, now it’s over, I’m happy that I could do something positive for the guys behind The Great Climb programme. By the sounds of it the footage will be used soon by the BBC. Everyone is still recovering from the day, it was a long one! A very tired Claire and me (with 4 ropes and 2 racks on my back) left Hells Lum last and eventually found the top of Coire an t’ Sneachdha in the dark and rain and picked our way carefully down the Coire and back to the ski car park after midnight.

Claire took the pictures of pitch 2, a superb forty five metre pitch of E5. Description for the route at the bottom too.



Was it worth it?



Stripping pitch 2 in the gathering mist

To Hell and Back E10 6c *** 80m
The route climbs the big smooth vertical wall right of the waterfall in Hell’s Lum, crossing Chariots of Fire higher up to finish up the smooth overhanging headwall. A fall from anywhere on the second half of pitch one is unlikely to be survivable.
1. 35m Start just left of the open groove. Move up the wall on positive holds to a dyno. Follow a sloping rail rightwards to a stopping place (good cams). Climb the wall on crimps to a fragile and hollow flake (dubious skyhook and cam). Dyno left to a quartz edge, then crimp desperately to a good edge. Move up, then left along slopers to a flat and often wet hold in the hanging groove. Climb the groove (poor RP2 on right) then move left around the arête and up to easy ground in the groove, leading to the belay on Chariots of Fire.
2. 45m Follow Chariots of Fire through it’s crux then break left across an overhanging wall on flakes, to eventually gain a groove with some detached blocks. Climb it to a small ledge. Step left and climb the faint crack in the headwall past a thin move to an exhilarating finish.


Starting up pitch 1. Photo: Steven Gordon

98 comments:

  1. A fascinating and clear account as usual. Well done on the route, it is an inspiring bit of rock!!

    Do you think you can keep climbing "something like this or harder" without it affecting others around you, though??

    Cheers,
    Fiend

    ReplyDelete
  2. Why do hard and dangerous climbs?

    Why not do harder but less dangerous climbs?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice to read about what goes on inside your head. You're a brave man, Mr MacLeod.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well done Dave, looking forward to watching it on bbc soon

    Steven Addison

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dave,

    I've posted it here:
    http://blog.teamgearedup.com/2007/08/dave-macleod-the-great-climb-to-hell-and-back.html

    Congratulations.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well done Dave, fantastic looking route in a stunning setting.

    Now do your wife a favour and take her out for a nice meal!

    Cheers,

    Toby

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congrats and nice post.

    For a fun and provocative assessment of "dangerous" passions, check out the tightrope walking section of Tom Robbins' Villa Incognito. You might have already read this. . .

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well done Dave from The Hard Rock Challenge Team, we did pray for good weather for you but guess it did not work.

    We met Rupert at Glenmore Lodge while we visited the area for our routes, nice guy and what a shame it never happened for the film crew etc

    All the best Sam

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice one.

    I'm well impressed.

    Be careful out there Davie boy...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dave, congratulations! sounds like a stressful couple of weeks, you deserve a break.

    I saw on 8a.nu they called To Hell and Back F8c as a sport grade. Is this something they have quoted you on, or did they just make up this grade? Congrats again on the route, sorry to bring it back to grades.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  12. p.s.: be careful !!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. That's a pretty selfless account of the climb. Good for you and well done.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey Dave why not go and put up a few 9a sports routes....give us all a breather. These Chop routes are too much to take!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Well done Dave. I live the outdoors, climbing and skiing but about to go into hospital for a couple of months to undergo treatment for a kidney transplant. Strangely your adventure has put me in a more optimistic mood. Thanks and keep pushing..

    ReplyDelete
  16. Superb blog .. the mental analysis of what your doing and why is awesome to read about.

    As ever, I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us all .. doing the stuff we only dream about. Sure we all have our own challenges, successes and failures whilst climbing but your taking it to a level we can only guess at.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Well done Dave, spectacular route and as ever your account is very frank.

    However, take a moment to consider that there will only be one inevitable outcome on these types of routes and that will be death. Whether it's the next route or the one after that is anyone's guess. It depends on the value you place on your own life but it'd be a sad and pointless loss to relatives, friends and the climbing community at large.
    Still, you'd make a good stuntman with brass one's as big as those.

    Dr O

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great, simply wonderful!!
    Many many compliments from Italy
    Regards..

    ReplyDelete
  19. I watched "To Hell and Back" the other night, on the edge of my seat all the way through. Quite possibly the most enthalling TV I've seen in a long time. Now as Toby says, make sure you take Claire out for a nice Chineese in Fort Wiliam, she deserves it too!!!!
    Well done and congratulations.
    Anthony Angus

    ReplyDelete
  20. HHWici You have a talant! Write more!

    ReplyDelete
  21. cYRYV2 Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  22. n8H2RK The best blog you have!

    ReplyDelete
  23. 9Uqk70 Please write anything else!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hello all!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks to author.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thanks to author.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wonderful blog.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wonderful blog.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Nice Article.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Nice Article.

    ReplyDelete
  31. yMPbU6 write more, thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Please write anything else!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Thanks to author.

    ReplyDelete
  34. actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Nice Article.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thanks to author.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Nice Article.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hello all!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Please write anything else!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thanks to author.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Thanks to author.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.

    ReplyDelete
  43. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Give me ambiguity or give me something else.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Save the whales, collect the whole set

    ReplyDelete
  46. When there's a will, I want to be in it.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Save the whales, collect the whole set

    ReplyDelete
  48. Please write anything else!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.

    ReplyDelete
  50. What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?

    ReplyDelete
  51. Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies

    ReplyDelete
  52. Give me ambiguity or give me something else.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Clap on! , Clap off! clap@#&$NO CARRIER

    ReplyDelete
  55. Energizer Bunny Arrested! Charged with battery.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Thanks to author.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Clap on! , Clap off! clap@#&$NO CARRIER

    ReplyDelete
  58. What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?

    ReplyDelete
  59. Hello all!

    ReplyDelete
  60. When there's a will, I want to be in it.

    ReplyDelete
  61. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

    ReplyDelete
  62. 640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81

    ReplyDelete
  63. Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!

    ReplyDelete
  64. actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

    ReplyDelete
  65. actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

    ReplyDelete
  66. What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?

    ReplyDelete
  67. I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!

    ReplyDelete
  68. Thanks to author.

    ReplyDelete
  69. C++ should have been called B

    ReplyDelete
  70. Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!

    ReplyDelete
  71. Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Ever notice how fast Windows runs? Neither did I.

    ReplyDelete
  73. actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

    ReplyDelete
  74. Clap on! , Clap off! clap@#&$NO CARRIER

    ReplyDelete
  75. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

    ReplyDelete
  76. 640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81

    ReplyDelete
  77. Give me ambiguity or give me something else.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Ever notice how fast Windows runs? Neither did I.

    ReplyDelete
  79. Energizer Bunny Arrested! Charged with battery.

    ReplyDelete
  80. What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?

    ReplyDelete
  81. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

    ReplyDelete
  82. I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!

    ReplyDelete
  83. Calvin, we will not have an anatomically correct snowman!

    ReplyDelete
  84. A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.

    ReplyDelete
  85. A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Wonderful blog.

    ReplyDelete
  87. Wonderful blog.

    ReplyDelete
  88. What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?

    ReplyDelete
  89. When there's a will, I want to be in it.

    ReplyDelete
  90. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

    ReplyDelete
  91. Beam me aboard, Scotty..... Sure. Will a 2x10 do?

    ReplyDelete
  92. Immense mate pity a guy such as yourself is so poorly funded given that footballers get silly money.

    ReplyDelete