Echo Wall
Glen and Ben Nevis

Format	DVD	Category	Non-Fiction
Title	Echo Wall	Mins	44
Starring	Dave MacLeod	RRP
Director		Reviews	1
Edition		Ave Rating	(5.00 of 5)

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rod 12/2/2008

A very thought provoking movie for this viewer: unlike every other climbing film I''''ve seen I did NOT feel inspired to go climbing after this film, I even felt a bit morbid. There''''s no "Fall Guy" stuff just one brilliant piece of climbing after another from possibly the best all round climber in the business and it left me feeling what a waste it would be if Dave kills or seriously maims himself...Dave & Claire have THAT much to offer society, not climbers or climbing, society at large. In front of the right audience, this couple could do things that the few can: demonstrate that risk limitation is all about the preparation. Then again, maybe it says none of that and I''''m just a rambling old, fat, idiot who thinks too much...so what''''s in the film? Preparative bouldering with some rage on display that I can certainly relate to, one traverse at Sky Pilot looks gnarly anaerobic; the Margalef Darwin Dixit 8c solo that brought out a few critics; a lounge room chat with Jimmy Marshall about Ben Nevis which adds to the legendary bad weather stories coupled with Don''''t Die XI (watch The Hurting in Dave''''s segment from Committed 2 which does the mixed stuff better justice to get a better understanding of what Don''t Die would have entailed); some preparative trad routes, and; Echo Wall preparation and the final send with a look at the camera which gave me the heeby jeebies and provoked all my morbid thinking. Clearly, Dave is now climbing at a standard well above where he was when he sent Rhapsody. Overall a testament to Ben Nevis and the Glen which offers some unusual insight into what it takes to climb at the peak level of our sport. Dave''''s resumé is one thing but its the intellect on display that sets this movie apart, gone is the ego of a young climber reaching beyond his previous grade and now we see an articulate man in touch with the higher self accompanied by a wife who loves him to bits. Interesting pacing styles are applied with silence and narrative particularly well utilised. I''''ve watched the film about 5 times now and its a real grower, a bit rustic at times but somehow that just helps set it apart. You can get this film direct from Dave and Claire at www.davemacleod.com combined with E11 and Committed 2 its a great insight to the high level trad climbing push going on world wide.