Deep Water Soloing In Britain

Ever Thought about taking a 50-foot fall off a sea cliff into the chilly North Atlantic? Time for some British deep water soloing. When we think of deep water soloing, it usually involves warm-water paradises like Mallorca, Thailand, and Vietnam. However, contrary to popular opinion, there is far more to British climbing than scary ledge-shuffling on the gritstone escarpments of the Peak District. British climbing has a long, colorful history of sea-cliff climbing. The Pembroke, Swanage and the Devonshire coasts have long played host to some of the country’s finest traditional lines but in recent years, the development of the country’s sea cliffs has been revolutionized by the burgeoning deep water solo scene. The sea is no longer the enemy, to be avoided with rope and rack, but the safety net, cushioning failures and encouraging a try-hard attitude. This video is a tribute to that spirit: one of freedom and exploration that is seeing a new generation of pioneers drawing lines on the British coast.

Grit Ground Up

Three classic routes from my Peak Distritc's tour on march 2012: Braille Trail, Kaluza Klein and Master's Edge. All graded E7 6c and all climbed ground-up after watching friends trying the moves. I had a fall on the first two: quite safe on Braille Trail (slipped trying to reach the arete) and a bit more scary on Kaluza, but it's part of the fun of ground up climbing. Then I had the pleasure to flash Master's Edge on my last day on grit.

Tommy Caldwell Climbing Pitch 15 | The Dawn Wall

On January 14, 2015, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson made the first free ascent of The Dawn Wall on Yosemite s El Capitan. Watch Tommy climb pitch 15 (5.14c) in this first footage released by the film crew on the wall. “The crux holds of pitch 15 are some of the smallest and sharpest holds I have ever attempted to hold onto,” Tommy wrote on his Facebook page. Four unique camera angles reveal those minuscule holds and the 1,300 feet of exposure under Tommy’s precarious foot placements. While multiple pitches of extremely difficult climbing remained above, the completion of pitch 15 was considered the last major hurdle to the eventual success of this seven-year project. Note: Pitch 15 was originally rated 5.14d, but was downgraded slightly after the completion of the route.