Cubby Images review E11

The raw footage of E11 - thats a lot of hours behind the camera! (Hot Aches Images)

Jo has written a review of the E11 film on Cubby Images site along with an interview with Dave and Diff from Hotaches about the film. You can see it here. Glad the film made an impression on you Jo! Jo finished off her review by saying "I wonder if there will be a sequel?". Oh my god what a thought. I think I know what the sequel would be though...

Its just about a week now until the film comes out. Thanks to everyone who's already pre-ordered it from me. If you want to order it I hope you will from my shop! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival next weekend. At my last count there were a couple of spaces left on our coaching sessions on Sat and Sun and I see this morning that there are still some tickets for the showing of E11 and Tim Emmett's lecture on the Saturday night.

Video of Bodyswerve 8c

Hot Aches have produced an ad for Scarpa with footage of me doing Bodyswerve at the Anvil. You can see it here. I've been getting more and more into gear testing work for my sponsors and getting involved in design - its pretty good fun. I guess I have the good job out of the whole process in that I get to go climbing and then come back with ideas for how to make the kit help you get up even harder routes. I pass my knowledge on to the rest of the team and some time later, hey presto! you see your ideas turn into products. It's easy to take for granted the work that goes on in between.

Anyhow, here are some more shots from the Anvil from Tuesday. The one of me on Bodyswerve is by Hot Aches.

Tom Charles Edwards enjoying the transition part of Spitfire 8a (transition from 'crimpy-balancy' to 'just plain burly' on the second half). The arete to the left is Anvilfire which is 7c+. to the right are two brick projects, and then some more amenable things... There is a full guide for the place here.

Diff starting Amateur Hacker 6b. Great rock architecture on a 6b!

Diff adding yet another hi tech repair to his Duvet. Good as new?!

Hopefully I can back there soon to keep having fun on some more brilliant projects, but no climbing for me in the short term since I need to fit my kitchen. I feel Ikea rage coming on...

Bodyswerve 8c, and new shoes!

The successful redpoint on my Anvil roof project, Bodyswerve 8c (Hot Aches Images)

Well happy to finally hit that monster finishing jug (Hot Aches Images)

Things have been steadily coming together on my second roof project in the Anvil's massive cave. This one is the left hand exit to what Alan anc Robin called "project McF**K" after they had a look at it. Its about 8a up to a decent edge, then hard moves one after the other all the way to the ledge. A superb new foot sequence was the final straw that got me through those last few moves, although I broke a couple of PBs on the fingerboard the night before and got a bit excited that it could go the next day. After one failure, going flying sideways after a violent slip on the last move, next time I hit the jug and screamed! I reckon it's about 8c and I'm certain its the hardest sport route in Scotland now. I've put up some more pics of it in my gallery here. I think Hot Aches video of it should be making an appearance on UK climbing sometime shortly. I'll let you know when I hear its up.

Another big development for me this week was a change to wearing some new shoes from Scarpa. It's obviously extremely important to love your rockshoes as they affect your climbing standard so much. Even more so for me as I'm comparatively weak and need to squeeze every last drop of advantage out of my feet. With Heinz Mariacher designing at Scarpa now their new shoes are somewhat inevitably rather brill, so it was time to move. I've been wearing the same shoes for nearly ten years and it's amazing how used to a certain shape and feel. As I'm now starting to realise trying new ones out on my new route, designs have come on a bit in that time!

Sheffield E11 and Set in Stone showing

Just thinking things through before setting off on the successful ascent of Rhapsody E11. (Hot Aches Images)

Heason Events have organised a pretty cool event in Sheffield on November 8th - a showing of E11 and Set in Stone. Set in Stone is the new film about Dave Birkett and his living end trad routes in the Lake District. The trailer for this looks amazing, I'm pretty excited to see footage of his routes. Its also great to see a film about Dave as he's been such a prolific climber for so long. Talking of trailers, the interest in the E11 film continues to overwhelm me - 21,000 downloads of the trailer. I only hope folk decide to get the DVD from my site!

The film night on Nov 8th is in the Showroom cinema in Paternoster Row and starts at 8.30pm. Tickets are £7/5 and you can get them from the Showroom Cinema box office - 0114 275 7727. I will be there along with the Hotaches boys as will Dave Birkett to talk and answer you guys questions about the films, the routes and climbing in general. We'll bring some copies of the DVDs along too if you want to get a copy.

My favourite quote about E11 so far was "makes hard grit look a bit girly"! that made me laugh. I suppose I've seen the footage of my own falls so many times I don't flinch, although remembering the feeling of the rope wrapping round my leg is a bit eye watering. But I certainly remember watching hard grit for the first time and feeling a mix of inspiration and dread that I might try some of those in the near future. Gritstone is still the only rock type to land me in a hosptial ward touchwood. Bloody snapping pebbles...

Taking requests for indoor climbing issues

I'm shortly going to be doing an article over on UK climbing about getting the most out of indoor walls now that the sutumn deluge has probably reached all corners of the UK (except my project on the Anvil) and we might be thinking about heading indoors for a stint.

Mick Ryan has started a thread on the forums there to gather folks 'frequently asked questions' on the matter. I'll focus my article on the questions that come from this, so if you feel like theres something in particular you always wanted to know about using walls to get better at climbing, go to the thread and log your question here.

... of course if you want some more in depth and peronalised help, you could always book some coaching ; )

Being weak has its temporary uses

Niall sticks the crux on Spitfire, 8a

Niall powerdressing for the next attempt

It's been a mad week of working at different ends of the country but I squeezed in a session with Niall at the Anvil. Lack of sleep mean't the walk-in felt hard enough, but there's something to be said for going on your projects when you are feeling knackered and weak. Your feebleness forces you to think again about the foot sequence and I found a brilliant way to do the crux that misses out all the cutting loose on crap slopey edges. It also misses out a hand move so I've gone down to being 5 moves away from success by the back door!

It was good to watch Niall get the 3rd ascent of Spitfire which is back down to 8a after Niall found a good method at the top. There are more pics of this on Tweedley's new blog (which is excellent - looking forward to reading more of this Michael). Other climbing blogs spotted this week included Phil's blog "I must try harder".

I've been frantically doing work that might allow more time to climb in the coming winter season, which is pretty cool. I'll be glad when I can start to train at full tilt again thats for sure, I miss feeling fit.

Climbing on the internet#2 - one to make you jealous!

Iain on a brilliant 7b+ at Montsant, Spain

Here is another good climbing blog by Iain and Gill charting their world tour of climbing after taking a career break.

Iain and Gill world tour

You guys will make a lot of people either jealous with that blog... or leave their jobs! Nice pictures, lets have more of the same. I scrolled down both inspired and depressed as the rain batters off my window right now. But at least I've done the last route on the bottom of the page! Above is another picture of Iain on it.

Climbing on the internet

It's been a week of being quite overwhelmed by the response so far to Hotaches film E11. 13,ooo downloads of the trailer in a week or so!! I cant really get my head round that number. Anyway thanks to everyone who has ordered it so far from my webshop, and to the folks who have reviewed it so far. This is what Joe Simpson had to say!

"Sixty five foot falls, wires exploding, screams of agony, howls of frustration, blood in the shower, and the ecstasy of triumph - this is what it takes to lead 'Rhapsody' on Dumbarton Rock, probably the hardest traditionally protected rock route in the world. E11, the video of Dave Macleod's eventual ascent of this groundbreaking climb is an alarming insight into the utterly obsessive psyche of world class climbers. They appear quite demented. Yet, Dave Macleod, like Cubby Cuthbertson who made the groundbreaking ascent of Requiem on Dunbarton Rock in the early eighties is self deprecating, modest and possessed of a fierce determination to make the impossible possible. Compulsive viewing. I particularly liked the screams - didn't know whether to wince or laugh!!"

Its a bit strange to hear someone famous talking about my route.

Anvil diary

Overlapping halves on the groove project. 6 x hard moves higher to get (photo: Stone Country)

Niall McNair grunting on Spitfire 8a which was seeing queues the other day!

Power screams were not enough this time...

Some serious progress has been made on my Anvil roof project It's perma dry and its just as well as the Scottish autumn deluge is in full swing. This project has been causing my muscles serious aches and pains. It's really the perfect angle for a workout - 45 degrees and 8c so most of the holds are first joint but still positive. Except for the pinky pocket that is. I needed some serious sleep to recover from my efforts, but I had to get up early and go to a job interview - I know! - me? job? working for myself has meant 19 hour days at times during summer so I thought some regular work might help things out and allow more time to climb. I'm such a rubbish blagger though, so left the interview feeling depressed.

Some more stuff on the Anvil and our Argyll adventures in general on Michael's blog.

climbing 8a for breakfast

Micheal finally makes it across the roof to the jugs at the end of his project at Tighnabruaich - Elysium 8a
The fixed grin that completing a big project gives you

After the rain came (and breakfast!) we headed for the big roofs at Carrick Castle

Futuristic

It was a great pleasure to hold Michael Tweedley's rope when he completed his long term project in the Tighnabruaich roof. The line was pretty well known even before Mike had completed it, even starring in a film about Scottish sport climbing. The roof is totally horizontal the whole way and the crux has an amazing kneebar move, hanging upside down from this and crap slopers for hands. Mike had been out to this move even back in 2004 but kept sliding out of the kneebar despite trying everything from tape to strapping his knee up with marigolds! In the end I developed a new kneepad technology that did the trick; a car footmat and some knee supports under stretch jeans. This comibined with extra training and weekends in the west, and the deed was done. The bad forecast necessitated an alpine start, which left just enough time to fit in Mike's send, and my quick second ascent just as the rain started to fall on the finishing holds at 9am.

So with both our projects here in the bag we headed for pastures new - yes, yet another mega steep chunk of Mica shist hidden in Cowal's glens. This time a collection of boulders up to 20m high in the lovely wee glen behind Carrick Castle. There are already some completed lines here and many more will be done over the next year I'm sure by myself, Mike, Dave and anyone else who's keen. But the main event for me is really the super futuristic bouldering roof. You can see in the picture above the angle is less than friendly and the holds are no different. This is a crag that will make just about anyone feel weak and in need of stepping up their training.