Trad grades - they are inexact, hard to pin down and cause folk lots of confusion. In this video I discuss how I grade trad routes and how I insulate myself from the controversies that often accompany them. I also offer a grade for Echo Wall on Ben Nevis.
An evening on the Ben cycling from the hoose and soloing a fantastic long route (Left Hand Route, VS) on the north face.
Last March I had a great morning out on the Ben soloing Orion Face Direct in perfect conditions. Brodie Hood came a long to film and I made this video of it which I think shows the climb off at its best.
One of my last days in the mountains before lockdown. It was a great one! Soloing Moonwalk IV,4 on Ben Nevis on a perfect day.
I got injured. So what do I do now? Some ideas for how to manage the recovery.
Solo ascent of the classic Ben Nevis ice climb The Curtain IV,4. I shot this a few seasons ago but thought it would be nice to post it up now since the ice climbing season in Scotland is not far away. I shot this a few seasons ago with my old GoPro. I didn't actually intend to solo that day, just decided to go up and do it on on the way down from doing something else on the hill. Hence the image and audio are pretty bad. I'm hoping to do a few more solo missions like this over the coming winter. I'll see if I can make something a little better with my new cameras. Although shooting video and soloing without any help still has its challenges. Any suggestions for classic ice lines to shoot?
Nevis Faces is a 6 part series of short films we made for the Nevis Landscape Partnership, exploring various characters who work and live around the Nevis area. Dr Cathy Mayne is an ecologist who specialises in mountain and upland environments.
Nevis Faces is a 6 part series of short films we made for the Nevis Landscape Partnership which explores various characters who work and live around the Nevis area. Jamie Hageman is a self-taught mountain landscape painter and is suitably based in the West Highlands of Scotland where, surrounded by mountains, much of his painting inspiration comes from.
Nevis Faces is a 6 part series of short films we made for the Nevis Landscape Partnership which explores various characters who work and live around the Nevis area. Helen Rennard is an accomplished winter climber living in Fort William. We have made many first ascents together on Ben Nevis over the past ten years and Helen is one of the most solid climbing partners I know.
Nevis Faces is a 6 part series of short films we made for the Nevis Landscape Partnership, exploring various characters who work and live around the Nevis area. Dave 'Cubby' Cuthbertson is a mountaineer and landscape photographer. Watch his overnight stay on Tower Ridge to capture the sunrise over the North Face of Ben Nevis.
Nevis Faces is a 6 part series of short films that Claire and I made for the Nevis Landscape Partnership. It explores the characters of those who work and live around the Nevis area. Dr. Blair Fyffe is an accomplished climber and a scientist with a PHD in slab avalanche release. His keen interest in the mountains, snow, and avalanches has coined him the nickname Dr. Snow.