E11 The Best Climbing Video Since Stone Monkey
Rock climbing makes bad TV. The huge popularity of televised climbing competitions proves it. Some skinny guy or girl in the latest cragging “fashions” clipping bolts or attempting some plastic boulder problem. It’s like juggling, doing it is fine but nobody should have to watch. So for me to be writing about a climbing video it has to be a bit different.
“E11” is just such a film. Not since “Stone Monkey” has it got this good…
The movie follows Dave MacLeod‘s attempts to climb ‘Rhapsody’ E11 7a (French 8c+) on Dumbarton Rock, a crag you’ve never heard of on the outskirts of Glasgow. An therein lies the movie’s unique take on climbing. It’s not all posing on sun drenched Euro crags. It’s about a relatively regular guy, who happens to climb very hard and his long suffering wife who has a real job. Dave’s obsession leads him to keep trying the route taking some monster falls in the process.
My only complaint is there’s tantalizing winter footage thrown in at one point which left we wanting more.
Susan:
Loved the review. Sold. Perhaps you’ve overlooked a career as a movie reviewer?
23 July 2009, 7:29 am