So, does anyone know if Dave Macleod ticked / backed off / fell off his Binnein Shuas project...?
been waiting to see as well!
> So, does anyone know if Dave Macleod ticked / backed off / fell off his Binnein Shuas project...?
A few people know, but I'm sure he'll post something himself when he's ready to put something out there.
>"I'm sure he'll post something himself when he's ready"
Hopefully not via a spiritualist medium.
Hopefully if he did, the footage will be good!!!
Indeed, checking his instagram, facbook and youtube page every minute now. Hope nothing bad happened.
Is this up the middle of the fortress? I saw a fixed line around there last autumn and it made me scared just looking the line it was on, huge blank sections between good looking features and wildly steep throughout...
> Indeed, checking his instagram, facbook and youtube page every minute now. Hope nothing bad happened.
I hopefully the melodramatic prelude video was just hyperbole and he knew that really it was a done deal...
I've no idea where it goes but expect it doesn't lack neither difficulty nor scariness...
There’s a great vid of him rigging the line to practice on a shunt on his YouTube. Even that looks terrifying!
Wouldn't be surprised if he was on it today, probs last window for the season.
> I hopefully the melodramatic prelude video was just hyperbole and he knew that really it was a done deal...
I think the point he was making in that video was that regarding it as a 'done deal' wouldn't be giving enough respect to a serious route and would perhaps make him more likely to fall of it. Got to say, it looked desperate on the wee bit of footage of him linking it on the shunt!
> I hopefully the melodramatic prelude video was just hyperbole and he knew that really it was a done deal...
I find the honesty in Dave’s vids interesting and refreshing. It’s rare that you get such an insight into the thought process behind these things from someone who has the vocabulary to accurately describe it.
I noticed Dave commented on Neil Gresham’s most recent Instagram post 2 hours ago. So it’s great to see he’s still alive at least!
Don’t get me wrong, I think Dave is great. His list of achievements is endless and speaks for itself. That said, my perception is, he can be prone to sometimes, “laying it on a bit thick”. By that I don’t mean overstating the dangers involved, but rather, understating his preparedness. Like I say, it’s only one opinion.
Really? The man is a training guru and his preparation on hard routes comes across as meticulous to me.
That's a relieve that he is still alive. Maybe not kicking....
He posted this message on YouTube about an hour ago:
"Hey everyone, thanks for all your messages over the past couple of days. It has been a bit of a crazy week but I live to post another YouTube video! New video coming Saturday afternoon."
>"He posted this message on YouTube about an hour ago:"
For the moment I'll assume all is well and the message wasn't typed with a keyboard activated by blowing into a straw.
14 Dislikes and counting.
Seems Mr MacLeod is held in such esteem as to be beyond any criticism.
I think your criticism might stand up to more scrutiny if Dave hadn’t crocked himself so many times falling off things!
> I think your criticism might stand up to more scrutiny if Dave hadn’t crocked himself so many times falling off things!
Once you set aside falling off skateboards and once being dropped, has he really “crocked” himself all that much?
I think maybe Dave is trying to avoid falling into complacency (and the risks that come from that) and the "it only happens to other people" trap that we all too easily fall into. I think he appreciates that yes, it could actually happen to him, even after he's done everything he can to reduce the risk and to exactly know where the risky area (on the route) is.
And with that in mind, even though to us he appears to have done a massive amount of preparation, maybe he always feels underprepared. Maybe that's just his character. Just imagine what a blog by Jerry about a similar scenario would have been like
Yes, he badly smashed his ankle when taking Nat out on one of her first trad climbing days I think? He fell off something hard and bold.
> Yes, he badly smashed his ankle when taking Nat out on one of her first trad climbing days I think? He fell off something hard and bold.
Hold fast hold true I think.
> Once you set aside falling off skateboards and once being dropped, has he really “crocked” himself all that much?
I’ve not read his accident book, but there’s Hold Fast Hold True and didn’t he also break his ankle at this very crag?
I guess it’s hard to have any evidence to the counter (he’s obviously understating his confidence as he’s not killed himself yet for example), but I really don’t get any inkling that he is being anything but honest. I’m not going to go back through the vlogs but it seemed like he’d only linked the route a couple of times, and the potential outcome of not getting through the crux section didn’t sound great!
Yeah, looks like I'm not going to win this one. I might as well accept that Dave has never succumb to the temptation to spice up social media output.
> Yeah, looks like I'm not going to win this one. I might as well accept that Dave has never succumbed to the temptation to spice up social media output.
I think he's happy to play some of the 'bait' game with titles, etc. But not so much in the real content. I can forgive the first (it's part of the game) but glad he doesn't do the second.
Video up: youtube.com/watch?v=Ox7iU5DjQ9U&
Thanks for posting that. Dave’s films are really good. The route, the climbing and his thoughts and emotions all feature.
Just so inspiring. I hope and expect a huge number of young climbers will be fired up by this.
I liked his chat about having all the negative thoughts, letting them pass and giving it full effort anyway.
Also liked Masa's practice belay jumps!
Looks like there's a carabiner hanging by the lower crux but he doesn't clip it, wonder what that's for? Is it just a carabiner shaped bit of lichen?
I assume the unused crab was part of the top-rope practice setup he talked about. If you were falling off the crux while practicing you’d need some thing to hold the rope into the crag otherwise you’d swing out into space and not be able to work the moves. I assume its position means it’s too hard to place/clip on the actual lead.
Really enjoyed that. Sounded like a load of geese were flying past while he was on the top bit!
> Just so inspiring. I hope and expect a huge number of young climbers will be fired up by this.
There's an old climber fired up by this as well!!
Cracking. Would love to have seen even more of the route/climbing. But, it was good video and looks like a fantastic achievement!
Seriously impressive stuff from DM.
Loved the geese !
Excellent news that he has done it, really enjoyed watching the vid. I've got more into watching Dave's stuff in the last few months despite the fact that I only lead VS (on a good day).
Impressive that he still went climbing on what looked (weather wise) that it was going to be a pretty shit day. I suppose he's doing stuff that's so steep that it stays dry
> Sounded like a load of geese were flying past while he was on the top bit!
It also sounded like there was a wee bird tweeting throughout the film, right beside the camera. Unless it was the camera making the noise.
That was the shutter, I think.
Focus confirmation actually -- bloody annoying, and I speak as a photographer; it's the sort of thing I would definitely be turning off if taking pictures of a hard headpoint.
> Don’t get me wrong, I think Dave is great. His list of achievements is endless and speaks for itself. That said, my perception is, he can be prone to sometimes, “laying it on a bit thick”. By that I don’t mean overstating the dangers involved, but rather, understating his preparedness. Like I say, it’s only one opinion.
I feel like leading E10 is the definition of laying it on thick. It is for me anyway. Focusing on the worst case scenarios is preparing. It's essential.
> I hopefully the melodramatic prelude video was just hyperbole and he knew that really it was a done deal...
That is a bit harsh.
> Once you set aside falling off skateboards and once being dropped, has he really “crocked” himself all that much?
Well I suppose its all relative. What would qualify as a suitable injury in your book?
> Looks like there's a carabiner hanging by the lower crux but he doesn't clip it, wonder what that's for? Is it just a carabiner shaped bit of lichen?
That just held the rope in for working the crux (quite overhanging). It would never hold body weight so no point clipping. I didn't get time to remove it before leading since the rain was coming so I set up a top rope but just pulled it before I got the chance to actually use it.
That's interesting - I watch the video on my phone (so small screen) and kept thinking "is that a krab or just a trick of the light making a bit of rock look like a krab?" So I know my eyes were not deceiving me!
Well done. Looks an amazing climb! Binnein Shuas seems to keep giving with quality hard routes!
> "That is a bit harsh."
I thought it was more of a backhanded compliment myself.
> That is a bit harsh.
I concur. Now, go chop his bolts from Blantyre Towers, that'll show him
> That is a bit harsh.
Are you new around here Dave? We don't actually do any climbing. We just criticise people we're jealous of and buy things.
Good effort like. Also, I'm enjoying your youtubes and I loved your Ramsay round film with Alicia.