Coming soon …

…

What’s that we hear? You’ll never get bored of seeing those two British Warriors slaying the American dragon?

Told you so.

Century Crack Trailer is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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James McHaffie climbing 'Dawes Rides a Shovel Head' onsight. Raven Crag, Langdale

When we saw the following film at the Kendal Film Festival in November, we were blown away by the excellent stories unified & produced by Land & Sky Media. It’s the first film to feature at the festival from Land & Sky Media and it was received with a very warm welcome. It’s been a long time coming, but we managed to get hold of Dom Bush, the main man behind the film and steal a few words from him.

Islands: Traditional Tales of Lakeland Climbing is a three part film which gives an insight into the world of hard traditional ascents in the birthplace of rock climbing, the English Lake District. Featuring fantastic footage of first ascents and hard repeats of routes from E6 (5.12c) to E9 (5.13c) by Wild Country and Red Chili climbers Adam Hocking and James McHaffie, as well Lakes stalwarts Mike Przygrodzki and Stuart Wood, it also includes interviews and commentaries from Lakes legend and Wild Country climber Dave Birkett and the indefatigable Leo Houlding. It’s a sensitive and cinematic documentary film, that represents the Lakes and it’s characters in a simple and poignant way. And with sport climbing and bouldering gaining popularity, this film provides a deep and sometimes comical perspective on the great British trad climbing tradition.

Adam Hocking working 'Return of the King' on East Buttress Scafell

“My hope was to explain, promote and maintain the heritage and tradition within the climbing community in the Lake District, of which I am now a part. To celebrate some of its modern pioneers and their very individual qualities, and to readdress the balance, by placing equal importance on the person, the landscape, and the activity.”

“I would like to thank all the individuals involved in this project, they shaped it just as I did, and I’m very grateful for their contribution. And of course, the sponsors, who have shown their support all the way through, as well as providing valuable bits of kit for this and future projects. Wild Country, Red Chilli, The Epicentre and Alpkit.”

Dom filming Stuart Wood on the first ascent of 'The Big Link', Hodge Close Quarry

There are exciting things afoot, so keep an eye on what’s going on with Land and Sky Media. You can follow on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/landandskymedia

Or keep up to date with content and inspiration on the Land & Sky Media blog – http://landandsky.wordpress.com/

All Photos from Dom Bush & Matt Pycroft

Islands: Traditional Tales of Lakeland Climbing is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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“The joy of climbing is a private thing between me and climbing…Our relationship is complicated” Andy Kirkpatrick

The US magazine Climbing once described Andy Kirkpatrick as a climber with a “strange penchant for the long, the cold and the difficult”, with a reputation “for seeking out routes where the danger is real, and the return is questionable, pushing himself on some of the hardest walls and faces in the Alps and beyond, sometimes with partners and sometimes alone.”

I think it’s fair to suggest that Andy Kirkpatrick is at the forefront of extreme alpinism and mountaineering as we know it. Not only this, Kirkpatrick  is a wonderfully talented speaker and author, touring around the world regaling his tales to crowds of people with his humour injected presentations.

As you will know from our recently featured Cold Wars review, Cold Wars is the second in a series of autobiographical style books from the man himself.

So far it has received widespread critical acclaim and is being hailed as one of the finest pieces of mountain literature to hit the shelves, ever.

One such review is that of John Horscroft. Below are a collection of his observations and evaluations:

“His prose may verge on the miserabalist at times but, for those who prefer a bit of meat on the bare bones of a climbing tale, this amounts to a feast.”

“…Kirkpatrick allows us to see into his troubled mind with punishing clarity in an almost unprecedented fashion. He illuminates the barely suppressed fury of the professional climber…”

Visual Collective, based in Manchester have worked with Andy to put together a short video about the book and some of the motives and feelings behind why Andy does the things he does.

I’ll say no more … enjoy:

About Andy Kirkpatrick:

Brought up on a council estate in one of Britain’s flattest cities, Hull-born Andy suffered from severe dyslexia which went undiagnosed until he was 19. One of his greatest strengths is his ability to talk about his life and his climbs in a way that is totally accessible to the non-climber and allows the audience to experience the risk and tension of big wall climbing. Andy is sponsored by Patagonia, Petzl, OR & La Sportiva. If you get minute, check out Andy’s excellent web site.

About Visual Collective:

Visual Collective is a multimedia production studio. They manage commercial and documentary video & photography projects that engage, enrich and inspire. Based close to Manchester city centre; right at the heart of the city’s creative industries they encompass over 10 years of experience in visual story telling and project management and are rated as a RAR+ Recommended Agency. The VC team has a wide range of talent and expertise; with roots in the video, photojournalism and design industries. They have come together under a single vision to create compelling content that harnesses the power of multi-platform media.

COLD WARS – Video Profile is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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It’s that time of year again when the climbing community of the world is getting ready to flock to Kendal for a weekend of the finest films, beer & banter.

We thought we’d get you in the mood with a trailer for a film premiering at the festival this year…

Islands: Traditional Tales of Lakeland Climbing from Land and Sky Media is a three part film, giving an insight into the world of hard traditional ascents in the birthplace of rock climbing, the English Lake District. With sport climbing and bouldering gaining popularity, this film provides a deep and sometimes comical perspective on the great British trad climbing tradition. A sensitive and cinematic documentary film, that represents the Lakes and it’s characters in a simple and poignant way. The film features first ascents and hard repeats from Mike Przygrodzki, Stuart Wood, Adam Hocking and James McHaffie and interviews from Dave Birkett and Leo Houlding.

Make sure you seek it out and watch it…and don’t forget, if you like it VOTE at the People’s Choice Award. It’s awards like this that can really thrust new film makers into the spotlight and Dom Bush at Land and Sky Media deserves the recognition.

From all at RCUK, good luck Dom!

Islands Trailer is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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Andy Kirkpatrick is a man who’s not afraid to look unflinchingly at himself in the mirror, and he’s not afraid to write about what he finds.

Covering Kirpatrick’s life from June 2001 to January 2005, the book takes in Sheffield, Wales and Hull alongside the more glamorous and predictable locations of the Alps, the USA and Patagonia. The testing climbs are described in minute and loving detail: the gear used, the bivvy spot, the food and drink remaining. Often, it seems, disaster strikes and so you chuckle along with Andy’s tales of leaving a crucial bag of karabiners and nuts in the back of a taxi on his way to Patagonia, or of dropping a haulbag and portaledge from the Dru. The dry humour and gift for self-deprecation that Kirkpatrick has long displayed are certainly present here, and he even directs a disparaging look at Ian Parnell on one occasion, as his frequent climbing partner has a series of mishaps with a range of expensive cameras.

Despite often undercutting the stories of his climbing with humour at his own expense, Kirkpatrick acknowledges that there is truth in Ian Parnell’s assessment of him as “the most ambitious climber he’d met”. Kirkpatrick has always been ready to look more deeply into his motivations, and Cold Wars provides the clearest insight yet into the mind of a world-class alpinist.  Reflecting on a trip to the Alps with Parnell in 2003, Kirkpatrick comments that “each route [is about] chasing that feeling of being on the edge between success and failure, life and death” and his drive to succeed, to prove himself to the mountaineering community and to justify the conflict he feels in leaving behind his family to go to the mountains, is evident throughout the book. In many ways, I found myself being reminded of the picture painted of Don Whillans by Jim Perrin in his biography The Villain; a strange mixture of insecurity covered by a shield of arrogance and a determination to prove himself, a chippy working-class Northerner uncomfortable when surrounded by ‘middle class public schoolboys’ on the ski slopes of the Alps

Throughout the book, Andy explores his own relationship with his (mostly) absent father, and his ability to summon up his childhood feelings casts an especially poignant light on his feelings about his own children when he finds himself in dangerous or unpleasantly hazardous positions. His self-imposed struggles are also compared to those endured by his brother Robin, one of the few non-climbers within the book’s pages, who served as a crew member on RAF Hercules planes. The final chapter of the book, in which Rob’s life seems to hang in the balance as Hercules is shot down over Iraq, is a moving testament to the enduring power of family ties, ties which Kirkpatrick had often resented when comparing his life to that of his peers.

Andy Kirkpatrick

In the preface, Kirkpatrick says that while Psychovertical answered the question “Why do you climb?”, Cold Wars asks the question “What is the price?”. Although the explicit question is about Kirkpatrick’s own choices and the impact on his family, throughout the book both he and the reader are left contemplating the choices of those climbers who pay the ultimate price. Scattered throughout the book are the names of climbers who died in earlier decades, and stories of those Kirkpatrick has known personally who have suffered injuries, accidents or not returned at all.  His final chapter suggests that Kirkpatrick has the will to try and resolve the conflicts he faces, to fulfil both family and climbing ambitions. A book that is moving, powerful and hugely entertaining, often within a single chapter, Cold Wars joins Psychovertical as one of the new classics of mountaineering literature.

If you would like a copy…

• Andy Kirkpatrick – Cold Wars from Andy’s web site
• Andy Kirkpatrick – Cold Wars from The Climbing Book Shop

Andy is touring the UK during November, giving a series of talks about Cold Wars. All the details can be found on the Speakers from the Edge website.

Cold Wars – Andy Kirkpatrick is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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Directed by Jon Glassberg & Carlo Traversi

In The Swiss Account we see three American climbers head over to Switzerland to test their mettle on some of the hardest problems on the continent and furthermore, the planet. The film follows Connor Griffith, Jon Glassberg & Carlo Traversi as they travel for two months around some of the most popular bouldering venues in Switzerland including Cresciano & Chironico. There are also guest appearances from a cast of stars including fellow Americans Alex Puccio and Paul Robinson, Frenchman Lucas Menegatti and Czech wonder-kid Adam Ondra.

The film starts off very… ‘American’ (you’ll see what I mean…) and when I watched the opening credits, not being one for gratuitous cheese, a very big part of me wanted to press the off button there and then. However, I persevered and I’m pleased that I did. The bouldering footage is excellent and showcases all of the climbers’ talents, particularly the likes of Traversi & Glassberg. There are superb classic hard-ticks in there such as Steppenwolf font8b, Boogalaga font 8b, The Dagger font 8b+and a personal favourite, The Never Ending Story font 8b+.

Alongside the climbing footage there is also a lot of ‘video diary’ style content. I’m pretty sure that some people will HATE this. I felt that it broke up the climbing nicely, and with the film being almost an hour long I believe this to be important. It is fair to say it kept me interested from start to finish. This material also gives an insight into the mentality, banter and spirit of a group of friends on a climbing trip; an experience that all boulderers know and love.

All of this is complemented by slick editing and an exciting soundtrack featuring various dubstep, electro and dance artists such as Flux Pavillion, DJ Fresh & Deadmau5.

One of the most important things that should be discussed in this review is the price of The Swiss Account. I think that climbing films can have a reputation as being a bit ‘pricey’ with some downloads being in excess of £15, and DVD’s generally costing around the £20 mark. this film breaks all those preconceptions with a pleasant surprise. It’s FREE. That’s correct, FREE. You can download a full, feature length climbing film, without parting with a single penny, by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page. Fabulous.

I’m going to leave the review there now, for two reasons: The first, I have said pretty much everything that needs to be said about the film. The second reason being that I suspect 99% of you will now be frantically searching for the link to download The Swiss Account immediately, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t blame you!

Enjoy!!!

The Swiss Account, Climbing Film is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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The viewer is treated to slick editing and for the most part high quality footage. The climbing is accompanied and complemented by a fantastic soundtrack of electro and contemporary hip-hop beats from artists such as Pyramid, Glitch Mob, & Gramatic to name three.

Paul gives a running commentary throughout the film of the problems he tries  (…and ultimately succeeds on) highlighting the difficulties and intricacies of the problem. Some may find it depressing to find out how hard the problems actually are, especially compared to the relative ease with which P-Rob dispatches them…pay particular attention to the close-up of his fingers when he successfully sends Angama, the word grim doesn’t even come close to describing that one.

At 20 minutes long this film is the perfect length to watch when you want to get psyched in your coffee break at work, ready for an evening session and is also a good one if you have a particularly short attention span.

The final bonus about the film is the price. Available from HDclimbingvideos.com the download is priced at $6.99 which works out at around £4.29. BARGAIN.

Awesome bouldering, inspiring soundtrack, superb commentary and a whole load of psyche, ALL for under a fiver?! What more can I say?
Do what I did…download it. Watch it. Watch it again … Go bouldering. Then watch it some more!

The Schengen Files – Film Review is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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Climbing Wall Essentials is a skills and techniques guide written by experts for climbers of all abilities. I’ll try to get hold of a review copy and give you some more information. Though if it’s like other BMC training videos it should be top drawer!

As far as I can see, it hasn’t appeared in the BMC Online shop yet, but I’ll keep an eye out and let you know when it does.

New Climbing Walls Essentials DVD from The BMC is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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I spotted Bamboo Chicken Productions a few weeks ago on Vimeo. I loved the style of their films and decided to send them a message asking if I could feature one of them on this site. Not only did they kindly agree, but they also sent me a copy of their full length DVD; Welsh Connections, a Film by Dave Brown.

I’m a huge fan of climbing in Wales. Snowdonia is probably my favourite climbing venue so it was huge thrill for me to watch a full length DVD featuring some fantastic Welsh routes.

The first thing I’ll say about the film is that you get a lot for your money. This DVD is packed! The second thing is that it looks beautiful. The camera work is stunning and makes a great job of showcasing the jaw dropping scenery and the atmosphere of the climbing.

The action starts at Lower Pen Trywn, with Pete Robins tackling Liquid Ambar, a sport climb which when it was first climbed by Jerry Moffatt in 1990 was deemed Britain’s hardest route. It had since only seen 2 further ascents by Ben Moon and Rich Simpson. Pete immediately struck me as being one the most ripped climbers I’ve ever seen! It’s hugely entertaining watching him fight this monster of a climb.

Next we head over to Scimitar Ridge for some trad. A first ascent attempt by Johhny Dawes. This film is super dramatic and really captures the utter desperation I’m sure every climber has felt at some point.

After some quality swearing from Johhny it’s over to Pembroke for some super hard trad with Tim Emmett. Prepare for some bum clenching moments, on super steep climbing with big fall potential. Tim’s composure is incredible! Watch out for a mega fall, after which Tim says to his belayer “That was like going base jumping mate!”.

The next section features Nick Bullock making a first trad ascent on some really suspect, loose rock. He names the climb, No Country for Old Men.

Next it’s up to Upper Pen Trwyn, Pill Box Wall for some bouldering with Chris Doyle. Chris has spent a huge amount of time at this wall and has put together a huge and painful looking traverse.

There’s more bouldering at Pen Trwyn at Parisella’s Cave. This looks like a great wet weather venue for the really strong and committed boulderer.

After this we’re over to some Llanberis Slate to watch Pete Whittaker take on a hard sport route, featuring belay and some strong encouragement from his mum. This is a real lesson in bridging technique!

Next it’s Tanygrisiau for a first ascent of what looks like a ridiculously hard boulder problem called New Noise, V12, climbed by Chris Davies.

Then it’s back to Pembroke for some super atmospheric deep water soloing with Gav Symonds and Tim Emmett on San Simeon.

After this it’s off to Gogarth for some desperate trad climbing with Nick Bullock and James McHaffie on-sighting Yellow shark, a really atmospheric and scary looking climb.

Feature presentation ‘To The Rainbow’

‘To the Rainbow’ features, Paul Pritchard making a return to climbing after a 13 year break following a head injury which left him with hemiplegia.

Paul joins his old climbing partner, Johhny Dawes on Rainbow Slab. Paul’s ascent is truly inspiring. He manages with one hand what many people would struggle to accomplish with the use of both hands.

As if all these films were not enough, the DVD includes extras too!

A great buy. Check it out!

Climbing DVD Review – Welsh Connections from Bamboo Chicken Productions is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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Part 2 deals with the different disciplines of sport and trad climbing, and seeks to provide you with strategies for both on-sight and red pointing.

This is the content of Part 2:

Falling

This section of the film deals with a subject that is an issue for many climbers – falling! Neil demonstrates a graded exposure approach, gradually taking bigger and bigger falls. This has since been named as the clip-drop technique. I completely buy into this approach, but in order to be comfortable with falling, you have to fall often. Neil suggests that you fall every time you visit the wall.

Clipping

This part provides tactics on finding best position to clip (ideally balanced and with a straight arm). And the correct way to clip forehand (gate facing away) and backhand, gate facing you.

On-sighting (sport)

There’s some really cool stuff here, from advanced warm up tactics to pre visualising the route and pace. When to remain cool and when to turn on the aggression.

The thing I love about this film is the case studies. It’s OK providing theoretical advice, but it really comes together when it’s provided in the context of an actual climb. This section features case studies, one one of them featuring Steve McClure climbing an 8a at Malham Cove.

Red-pointing (sport)

This part is all about working projects (climbs that are above your insight limit). Neil provides top tactics to on how to do it for best results.

There’s a really nice case study featuring Adam Wainwright climbing ‘Statement of Youth’ 8a, and Steve McClure climbing ‘Rainshadow’, Malham Cove 9a (one of hardest sport climbs in the world) – The latter provides an insight into Steve’s thoughts and tactics when tackling routes of this level.

Trad on-sighting

Here we start at ‘London Wall’ E5 at Millstone, with Neil first showing how not to do it, then how it should be done. The differences certainly gave me something to think about. In fact my whole approach to trad climbing on harder routes will be different this summer, after watching this film.

Neil moves onto the concept of mixing it up when climbing for multiple days in a row. He moves from steep to slabs and we join him and his mate Charlie on ‘Bell Dance’ E5 at Llanberis, Nt Wales. Charlie takes a massive lob but there’s more top advice.

Neil then climbs Right Wall E4 Llanberis. This is great, he provides a complete strategy for tackling this type of climb (without giving away the beta), and rather than providing a commentary after the even, in this case he chooses to commentate while actually on the climb. This provides a superb insight to his thought processes.

Head-pointing

This last section deals with the practice of head-pointing: Climbing really hard and poorly protected trad routes on a top rope before attempting to climb them as a lead.

Neil repeats his route ‘Equilibrium’ E10. I challenge anybody to watch this part of the film without their heart in their mouth! The route features 8 hard moves from the last (and only) piece of gear up rounded arete, with definite ground fall he he fell on any of the last 3 moves. Neil struggles like hell for ages on a top rope. He manages to make the crux move once then decides to go for it – terrifying! I would have wanted to make the move at least 3 times, just to be sure.

This part 2 film of Neil Gresham’s Masterclass is an absolute must for anyone wanting to take their climbing to the next level. Superb!

Improve your climbing – Masterclass with Neil Gresham (part 2) is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

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