New in the shop - Hell and Back and the Scottish yearbook

A couple of new things in my shop this week. First off the BBC TV film To Hell and Back about my first ascent of the E10 on Cairngorm has finally been released on DVD by Triple Echo, after many requests. Some of you will have read about my preparation and eventual rather nerve wracking lead on this blog, but didn’t get a chance to see the film on Scottish TV. The climb is still the UK’s only E10 graded mountain rock climb and one of the most serious trad routes anywhere. In the film there’s a fair bit of me getting really quite scared, belayers reduced to tears and even the film crew saying on camera that they wouldn’t film something like it again. You can get a copy here. Enjoy.

Next up is Stone Country’s new annual book production the Scottish climbing yearbook. I’ve just read through it and feeling roundly inspired for next year’s climbing action. Congratulations to John Watson for a superb concept of a climbing book. The yearbook idea has been tried on a world scale, but doing it on home turf works much better - all the new crags in the book are places you can jump in the car and go to. All the climbers, crags and mountains pictured gloriously in full colour are ones you know, or soon might. This adds a new level of relevance, and hence inspiration. A great reminder of what we have in Scotland and what others are getting out and doing. Just what is needed as we start a new year of climbing. In it you’ll find news of highlight ascents sumer and winter, excellent large photos of places and climbing action and topos of new, established or rapidly developing crags that haven’t hit the guidebooks yet. It costs less that buying two issues of a climbing magazine but has more stuff that means something to you than a whole year of magazines. It’s here.