North Wales Filming

Gear sorting in North Wales

We're back in the office for a few hours between filming trips. The last 8 days have been spent in The Peak District and North Wales. There’s a lot to write about and plenty of photos, so I’ve broken it down into two further blog posts below.

The trip started in The Peak where we had a few pick ups to shoot as well as a complex photo sequence for some special effects to go in the new movie. More of that later.

We don’t normally get time to climb when we are away filming. But the first few days were pretty relaxed and we headed to Stanage on a scorching afternoon.

Dave and Diff on The Pebble

Emma attempting Green Traverse

We then headed to Llanberis and had a spare day before the climbing talent arrived so we met up with some friends and spent a day working out how to climb on slate.

Slate Wierdness, a F7a+ at Bus Stop Quarry

With the focus back to filming the next 5 days were to be amongst the most complex and challenging that we have ever done. With 3 climbers lined up to be filmed on various hard routes all in different locations it was going to be a scheduling nightmare.

When climbers have objectives at their personal limits then they can’t hang around waiting for a camera crew. Everything needs to be right; weather and climbing conditions, skin, preparation. The next few days were to be a whirlwind of reconaissance and rigging, filming and de-rigging.

Many thanks to Emma Sutton who gave up a week's holiday to be camera assistant for us. Invaluable and good fun too.

So below is a report in two parts:

The Anvil

I headed west yesterday to The Anvil near Lochgoilhead in order to get some photos of the existing routes and also some of the hard projects still waiting to be claimed.

Hanging out at The Anvil, MacLeod and Sutton

Anvil regulars, Daves Redpath and MacLeod, were occupied on their latest projects and from Edinburgh Emma and Sarah had made the long drive to check out the crag for the first time.

The Anvil Bites Back

Redpath has been making steady progress on his current project, possible F8b+? Yesterday on lead at the crux he managed to hold the swing for the first time.

Dave Redpath setting up for the crux

Holding the swing

He kept going through more hard moves and then just before reaching easier ground... a hold landed not quite right...

end of play for the day.

MacLeod had climbed Metalcore F8c+ here a few days ago (see Dave MacLeod's Blog) and was now focussed on another line of similar difficulty but different character. This line has 'relatively' easy climbing that lead into two massively difficult moves.

Dave MacLeod during an attempt of Metalcore F8c+

I climbed Friendly Fire F7a which I reckon is the best line at that grade in Scotland.

Emma Sutton through the first crux on Friendly Fire F7a

Emma was also on the line climbing well and rapidly had to re-think her objectives for the climbing season. 'F7a by the end of the year' became 'F7a by the end of today', and she very nearly pulled it off reaching a tantilising high point of 2 moves from the top.

Emma at the top of Friendly Fire F7a

Sarah and I tried Spitfire F8a+ which we both thought was superb, if somewhat out of my league. (ok, way out of my league). Something to train for.

A good fun day and some good pictures collected for the photo library.
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Dave