Improve your climbing – Masterclass with Neil Gresham (part 2)

Last time I covered Neil Gresham’s Masterclass, volume 1. This time I’ll cover part 2: Skills and tactics

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!