Mediax5 , I think that is a crap attitude to put out there, so if someone slips or makes a mistake or falls it’s not for them, what rubbish, sometimes it takes hard knocks to learn the hard way , learn from it not quit because some asshole like you sais it’s not for you. Wanker.🖕
Start with "climbing" and understand the confusion of the poor fuckers (as "experienced" as they might be) who have no way to not conceptualise it as "free solo"
What a great guy. So many 'serious' climbers lose touch with their punter roots. All the more noble that Dave's trying to get into the heads of beginners and help them over those first hurdles.
Aidan Loeser ...absolutely mate, everyone started as a beginner, sadly once some get experience they think there better than everyone else and think there superior with swollen fat heats and ignorant to helping others if they can. just like the assholes who laughed at him. What assholes, there guys I wouldn’t want to associate with.
Fascinating - I grew up in Appalachia (SW Virginia) - poor kids scrambling around on all manner of rock formations - I wish there was some earlier exposure to seeing folks using climbing gear and I got to do it - I would have loved it cause as is I rambled around on most things - now at 38 I’m climbing outdoors “formally” for the first time
It was a true pleasure watching this Dave! I had a similar experience in Boulder, CO on the Flatirons, which I've been staring at and dreaming about climbing for as long as I can remember. I had hiked up and around them countless times but never even thought about just going for it, until Covid hit and my climbing gym closed... I had been reading about some local guys that could freesolo each of the Flatirons, and were setting insane speed records doing it... It sounded so fun and just the fact they were doing it hundreds of times told me they must really be confident up there. The speed thing was totally out of my league, but I was feeling strong and mentally solid one day while hiking up there, so I just decided to get on the bottom and see how it felt.... I knew I could down climb if necessary, and the process felt just like yours Dave. Before I knew it I was 50, then 100, then 200 feet up the "freeway" and couldn't believe I was actually doing it! Within a short time, I had completed my first freesolo of the 2nd Flatiron and carried my momentum with an even more vertical route up the backside of the 1st flatiron. I was absolutely ecstatic and elated to sit on peaks I had been stared at since I was baby. This skyline is forever etched in my mind, as I'm a photographer and have taken countless photos with these mountains as the main subject. Now I can point to the prints on my wall and say "I climbed up right there!".... in multiple places! I hope more people (with sufficient skills of course) get after it outdoors! It's truly what climbing is about! I do have to admit though, I'm still mostly a gym rat, for convenience, but I'm obviously motivated and working up to bigger things! I appreciate the "get off youtube" advice too... I obviously need that in this moment! Cheers! Great video!
I really love this video, Dave. I had a similar experience my first time climbing outdoors (just this year). It's too easy to get comfortable climbing in a gym and stress about the theoretical logistics of climbing outdoors... "I don't have a crash pad"... "I don't have my own rope or quick draws"... "how can I be confident in my own anchors"... and etc. I got out of that negative mental loop when I was on a hike and came across a boulder. It looked well within the limit I could climb without putting myself in much danger, so I gave it a go. Even though it was easy for me, I was ecstatic after reaching the top. I realized then how silly it was to worry about climbing outdoors. I didn't need to climb something difficult to feel the joy of climbing out in nature. I just had to do something simple to start to get a feel for it. Since then, I've found some more experienced climbers to do top-rope, and I have applied the same philosophy. Keep it simple and easy at first until it's more comfortable. It's more fun that way.
Great to see you spend time doing this Dave. Really looking forward to following these advice type blogs alongside your own personal climbing adventures. Thanks
Great advice dave, your videos got me back of my backside and into the hills again after about 20 years away from it, picked up some basic gear and went to loudon hill and just had a go. 8 months later I'm at the indoor wall at least once a week. can't wait for the weather to get back outside. Thanks
I love scrambling grade 2 with the odd bit of grade 3 climbing included. Not used any ropes or done anything indoors yet. Would like to start learning the ropes though and start getting into rock climbing territory.
Right across the street from where I live, there's a trail. On it, down a little, just past where I enter the trail, is a man-made boulder. Not great holds, but good enough to start practicing on, and getting used to using my crash pad. Nothing but sun hits it too, so I can get some color on this pale body of mine as a bonus lol
mr macleod, i dont know if you will read this. anyways, while you were talking while facing the wall i felt like you were becoming the bob ross of climbing. i felt so soaked in by your smooth, scottish description of how you just feel the for the next step. pure magic. and i dont even understand every single word. lovely, just lovely. keep up the terrific work of yours! a great fan from germany, looking forward to start on the rock
You are such an inspiration Dave! Listening to you talk about climbing stokes the fire within me to continue to climb, through doubts I was having in my mind.
Thank you for this! I'm trying to overcome a fear of heights and plan to hike a wash with some drops. I was looking for something with more step by step instructions but this is absolutely perfect.
Thank you Dave for putting these thoughts and tips out there. The way you express your ideas is very grand. It seems to me like you do not shy away from what you believe in, what you see as true. You are very strong and an impressive character. Someone to look up to. I would like to add that I´ve read 2 of your books. I recommend them both ("9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistake" and "Make or Break") and I recognise the same language in them. I particularly enjoy your thoughts on the psychological aspects of climbing. I would also like to confess that I have copied the design of your fingerboard. I hope you won´t think its rude, it was just such a genius design and fairly easy for me to do as I live in a farm with all the tools and wood for it. Anyway Thank you
Thanks and nice one making your own fingerboard. My first one was just a single campus rung that cost £4 and it got me to my first E11. Surely if you are on a farm you have a barn where you could follow it up with a whole training board?!
@@climbermacleod There are some obstacles to overcome before that can be done :). But yes you are right, there is no real excuse for me not having fixed that yet. Also I am thinking that I might as well saw a tree in half and make a crack climbing gym. You can have that genius idea in exchange for the hangboard. Earlier this year I was on Kuglhornet trying to aid a new line on the north face. Our original plan was to go aid on Blåmann, which is when I read about your first free ascents there. Massive. Hope to see you back there soon, lots of stuff to be done! (We tried 3 different lines on Kuglhornet north face, the last line might have worked but we ran out of time, the others needed drilling and we purposely left the drill behind)
Great video Dave - so much great advice, not just for climbing but for life as well! Loved the beautiful Scottish scenery - takes me back to my own childhood. Look forward to watching more of your videos. Many thanks :)
Dave... thank you. You are amazing. Thank you for your insights and for passing on this essential knowledge. I'm attempting my first small mountain this weekend, well within my limits and following on trad, and this couldn't have been more perfectly timed.
Great video! I just went outdoor climbing for the first time in Joshua Tree after climbing indoors for a couple of years. I can do V4s inside and my gym grades relatively harder than other gyms I’ve seen, but I was still getting destroyed by V0 and could only complete V0- climbs. A lot of this was because I was afraid of falling off those 18 foot boulders which definitely impacted my climbing. After this I decided the only way to move forward was to dedicate more time to climbing outdoors in order to gain confidence again. This video was helpful in affirming that there’s no substitute to just going out there and doing it
Even though I don't always really care about the subject Dave talks about I'll just put on the video for his background Scottish accent talking about climbing and the bird chirps. Niiiiiiiiiiice
I so admire your mental approach to climbing. Any time I find myself in a motivation rut, there’s bound to be some point in some video that you have made that turns my perspective on its head. This was a refreshing take on a conversation that has been rehashed numerous times. Thanks so much.
that's how I started out! It all began with a hike that had a rock scramble section as well as a spot to solo an easy dihedral. I would watch kids and adults fly up the route and that was my first ever experience to climbing
I just started climbing indoors a couple of weeks ago, my goal is to be able to climb outdoors, I watched you a couple of weeks back at ratho climbing the competition wall and I was absolutely amazed at how easy you made it look, so to hear you speak so humbly about your beginnings gives me some hope, and Dumbarton is just up the road from me so I will definitely give it a look 😊
Love this video Dave, so far I've only climbed indoors as I live in chalky southeast UK but this inspires me to get on the train and go somewhere! This video is shot so beautifully and the story told so well, it really makes this place look amazing
Portland in Dorset is great for beginners. Nicely bolted sport area. Don't be tricked into going to The Cuttings, it's polished like mad and you'll be falling off 4's.. It's basically the only decent sport area in the south east, unfortunately.
I think one additional problem in the UK potentially prohibiting people from starting outside is the amount of trad climbs. Sports climbing is a much easier discipline to get into and requires less gear. Many people I know are willing to do some inside bouldering but are not willing to go up a sports climbing pitch. After bouldering for a while this changes for some people but I wouldn't see this happening if from bouldering the only way up is trad climbing.
Very pragmatic advice Dave. Iain's experience of Lothian's outdoor centres struck a chord with me. I was lucky enough to have many weeks away at Ogwen Cottage in the 80s. Stan Lowe taught me to climb properly at Idwal and Tremadog. As kids though we had been allowed to roam far and wide which included ascents of any tree we could reach a branch, scaffolding, derelict factories, building sites etc. Is that behaviour as widespread now? I think the loss of council run outdoor education will be seen as a cost rather than a saving to society by future generations.
@@UkSapyy funding has gone forever, but with it a ready made answer to Dave's title too. A lot of parents still needed persuading to allow kids to go on outdoor courses. DIY climbing is even less likely to get the nod, it will only be the seriously comitted individuals who follow Dave's pathway. The rest are probably unaware any climbing exists, never mind rock climbing, because they rarely go out. And the cycle will continue. "Build it and they will come".
Great video, hearing you suggest climb at height at lower grades is reassuring. I'm put off by coming across the one dangerous move at my limit outdoors, indoors i trust my partner and equipment and i'll jump if needed, same with outdoor bouldering but at height outdoors the mindset is much harder to over come.
"How to start climbing outdoors" Not a long time ago this question would have seem quite strange, but nowadays it must be alnowledge that a good amount of people that got into climbing did it without touching rock a single time. It really got me thinking how the sport will look like in a couple of years.
Another thing I think is odd to people coming to climbing without expectations is how much climbers talk about things that have gone wrong. There's a culture in climbing where people tell stories of people dying doing this, being injured doing that. And it can be a bit intimidating until you realise that these things aren't common. And climbers just like to learn from other people's mistakes.
Very broad goal there are many routes up el Cap of various difficulties el cap is also a big multi pitch wall some routes will take entire days or more youll need to poo in a bag, carry up any food you need and bring all rubbish back down. Im not saying pick a different goal but picking a bouldering goal then a sports route goal and working your way up may be a better approach
Migguls611 yeah I know you have to poop in bags and carry food and all that. I have short term goals as well. For 2020 it’s Climb the 50+ foot crack in my gym Climb 5.12 consistently Boulder v 6 consistently There’s a handful of out door projects in my state that I’ve been working on that I figure will take me a long time. The over arching goal is to climb many routes on el cap including multi day routes.
The man is the Bob Ross of climbing. Thank you!
MacLeods approach to climbing is really unique in the scene. I have so much respect for his sincerity and humility. Thanks
Start with free soloing. If you fall, then it wasn't for you
Mediax5 , I think that is a crap attitude to put out there, so if someone slips or makes a mistake or falls it’s not for them, what rubbish, sometimes it takes hard knocks to learn the hard way , learn from it not quit because some asshole like you sais it’s not for you. Wanker.🖕
@@fishmut But did you fall?
@@fishmut do you know what a joke is?
@@fishmut Lol I don’t think you understand
Start with "climbing" and understand the confusion of the poor fuckers (as "experienced" as they might be) who have no way to not conceptualise it as "free solo"
What a great guy. So many 'serious' climbers lose touch with their punter roots. All the more noble that Dave's trying to get into the heads of beginners and help them over those first hurdles.
These interviews are some of the best I've seen in climbing footage. Now I want to hear about everyone's first day climbing.
Aidan Loeser ...absolutely mate, everyone started as a beginner, sadly once some get experience they think there better than everyone else and think there superior with swollen fat heats and ignorant to helping others if they can. just like the assholes who laughed at him. What assholes, there guys I wouldn’t want to associate with.
We started outdoors and had to do the reverse - transition to indoors.
Plastic screwed onto cement-coated plywood is weird. Totally different feel.
To think the person those two guys were laughing at is Dave MacLeod, hope they see this video :D
Fascinating - I grew up in Appalachia (SW Virginia) - poor kids scrambling around on all manner of rock formations - I wish there was some earlier exposure to seeing folks using climbing gear and I got to do it - I would have loved it cause as is I rambled around on most things - now at 38 I’m climbing outdoors “formally” for the first time
It was a true pleasure watching this Dave!
I had a similar experience in Boulder, CO on the Flatirons, which I've been staring at and dreaming about climbing for as long as I can remember. I had hiked up and around them countless times but never even thought about just going for it, until Covid hit and my climbing gym closed...
I had been reading about some local guys that could freesolo each of the Flatirons, and were setting insane speed records doing it... It sounded so fun and just the fact they were doing it hundreds of times told me they must really be confident up there.
The speed thing was totally out of my league, but I was feeling strong and mentally solid one day while hiking up there, so I just decided to get on the bottom and see how it felt.... I knew I could down climb if necessary, and the process felt just like yours Dave.
Before I knew it I was 50, then 100, then 200 feet up the "freeway" and couldn't believe I was actually doing it!
Within a short time, I had completed my first freesolo of the 2nd Flatiron and carried my momentum with an even more vertical route up the backside of the 1st flatiron. I was absolutely ecstatic and elated to sit on peaks I had been stared at since I was baby.
This skyline is forever etched in my mind, as I'm a photographer and have taken countless photos with these mountains as the main subject. Now I can point to the prints on my wall and say "I climbed up right there!".... in multiple places!
I hope more people (with sufficient skills of course) get after it outdoors! It's truly what climbing is about!
I do have to admit though, I'm still mostly a gym rat, for convenience, but I'm obviously motivated and working up to bigger things!
I appreciate the "get off youtube" advice too... I obviously need that in this moment!
Cheers! Great video!
Your story, your climbing, your advice and your mindfulness. It's all so great! I really can't get enough!
I really love this video, Dave. I had a similar experience my first time climbing outdoors (just this year). It's too easy to get comfortable climbing in a gym and stress about the theoretical logistics of climbing outdoors... "I don't have a crash pad"... "I don't have my own rope or quick draws"... "how can I be confident in my own anchors"... and etc. I got out of that negative mental loop when I was on a hike and came across a boulder. It looked well within the limit I could climb without putting myself in much danger, so I gave it a go. Even though it was easy for me, I was ecstatic after reaching the top. I realized then how silly it was to worry about climbing outdoors. I didn't need to climb something difficult to feel the joy of climbing out in nature. I just had to do something simple to start to get a feel for it. Since then, I've found some more experienced climbers to do top-rope, and I have applied the same philosophy. Keep it simple and easy at first until it's more comfortable. It's more fun that way.
Such a helpful and thoughtful video. Thank you
Great to see you spend time doing this Dave. Really looking forward to following these advice type blogs alongside your own personal climbing adventures. Thanks
Great point about them also failing on Requiem.
Great advice dave, your videos got me back of my backside and into the hills again after about 20 years away from it, picked up some basic gear and went to loudon hill and just had a go. 8 months later I'm at the indoor wall at least once a week. can't wait for the weather to get back outside. Thanks
A video version of "9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistakes" would amazing!!!
Thanks for your work, cheers
I love scrambling grade 2 with the odd bit of grade 3 climbing included. Not used any ropes or done anything indoors yet. Would like to start learning the ropes though and start getting into rock climbing territory.
Love, Love, Love this viewpoint. Enjoy the adventure of it. Dave puts into words exactly what he has learned.
Right across the street from where I live, there's a trail. On it, down a little, just past where I enter the trail, is a man-made boulder. Not great holds, but good enough to start practicing on, and getting used to using my crash pad. Nothing but sun hits it too, so I can get some color on this pale body of mine as a bonus lol
mr macleod,
i dont know if you will read this. anyways, while you were talking while facing the wall i felt like you were becoming the bob ross of climbing.
i felt so soaked in by your smooth, scottish description of how you just feel the for the next step. pure magic.
and i dont even understand every single word. lovely, just lovely.
keep up the terrific work of yours!
a great fan from germany, looking forward to start on the rock
Fantastic! A great vid. Thank you.
You are such an inspiration Dave!
Listening to you talk about climbing stokes the fire within me to continue to climb, through doubts I was having in my mind.
Thank you for this! I'm trying to overcome a fear of heights and plan to hike a wash with some drops. I was looking for something with more step by step instructions but this is absolutely perfect.
Great video! Should make one climbing Requiem (if there isnt one. Couldnt find it)!
Thank you Dave for putting these thoughts and tips out there. The way you express your ideas is very grand. It seems to me like you do not shy away from what you believe in, what you see as true. You are very strong and an impressive character. Someone to look up to.
I would like to add that I´ve read 2 of your books. I recommend them both ("9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistake" and "Make or Break") and I recognise the same language in them. I particularly enjoy your thoughts on the psychological aspects of climbing.
I would also like to confess that I have copied the design of your fingerboard. I hope you won´t think its rude, it was just such a genius design and fairly easy for me to do as I live in a farm with all the tools and wood for it.
Anyway
Thank you
Thanks and nice one making your own fingerboard. My first one was just a single campus rung that cost £4 and it got me to my first E11. Surely if you are on a farm you have a barn where you could follow it up with a whole training board?!
@@climbermacleod There are some obstacles to overcome before that can be done :). But yes you are right, there is no real excuse for me not having fixed that yet.
Also I am thinking that I might as well saw a tree in half and make a crack climbing gym. You can have that genius idea in exchange for the hangboard.
Earlier this year I was on Kuglhornet trying to aid a new line on the north face. Our original plan was to go aid on Blåmann, which is when I read about your first free ascents there. Massive. Hope to see you back there soon, lots of stuff to be done!
(We tried 3 different lines on Kuglhornet north face, the last line might have worked but we ran out of time, the others needed drilling and we purposely left the drill behind)
Such a great video. The first third can be applied to life, not just climbing. Very awesome.
Great video Dave - so much great advice, not just for climbing but for life as well! Loved the beautiful Scottish scenery - takes me back to my own childhood. Look forward to watching more of your videos. Many thanks :)
Dave... thank you. You are amazing. Thank you for your insights and for passing on this essential knowledge. I'm attempting my first small mountain this weekend, well within my limits and following on trad, and this couldn't have been more perfectly timed.
Great video! I just went outdoor climbing for the first time in Joshua Tree after climbing indoors for a couple of years. I can do V4s inside and my gym grades relatively harder than other gyms I’ve seen, but I was still getting destroyed by V0 and could only complete V0- climbs. A lot of this was because I was afraid of falling off those 18 foot boulders which definitely impacted my climbing. After this I decided the only way to move forward was to dedicate more time to climbing outdoors in order to gain confidence again. This video was helpful in affirming that there’s no substitute to just going out there and doing it
I agree with your last statement so much in life. Just get out there and do it! Hope a year later you are still doing it!
you are one of climbings all time greatest, your expertise extends far beyond though. thank your for sharing!
Absolutely the best video on the subject. Thanks a lot for the positive vibe, Dave!
Even though I don't always really care about the subject Dave talks about I'll just put on the video for his background Scottish accent talking about climbing and the bird chirps. Niiiiiiiiiiice
I so admire your mental approach to climbing. Any time I find myself in a motivation rut, there’s bound to be some point in some video that you have made that turns my perspective on its head. This was a refreshing take on a conversation that has been rehashed numerous times. Thanks so much.
that's how I started out! It all began with a hike that had a rock scramble section as well as a spot to solo an easy dihedral. I would watch kids and adults fly up the route and that was my first ever experience to climbing
Dave made me do it
Great vid Dave, with some great advice mate.
I just started climbing indoors a couple of weeks ago, my goal is to be able to climb outdoors, I watched you a couple of weeks back at ratho climbing the competition wall and I was absolutely amazed at how easy you made it look, so to hear you speak so humbly about your beginnings gives me some hope, and Dumbarton is just up the road from me so I will definitely give it a look 😊
Love this video Dave, so far I've only climbed indoors as I live in chalky southeast UK but this inspires me to get on the train and go somewhere! This video is shot so beautifully and the story told so well, it really makes this place look amazing
Portland in Dorset is great for beginners. Nicely bolted sport area.
Don't be tricked into going to The Cuttings, it's polished like mad and you'll be falling off 4's..
It's basically the only decent sport area in the south east, unfortunately.
Thanks Dave, great video
step 1: learn how to not die or kill someone else
step 2: get punished by the rock until you get better
step 3: try harder climbs-> go back to step 2
I think one additional problem in the UK potentially prohibiting people from starting outside is the amount of trad climbs. Sports climbing is a much easier discipline to get into and requires less gear. Many people I know are willing to do some inside bouldering but are not willing to go up a sports climbing pitch. After bouldering for a while this changes for some people but I wouldn't see this happening if from bouldering the only way up is trad climbing.
Very pragmatic advice Dave. Iain's experience of Lothian's outdoor centres struck a chord with me. I was lucky enough to have many weeks away at Ogwen Cottage in the 80s. Stan Lowe taught me to climb properly at Idwal and Tremadog. As kids though we had been allowed to roam far and wide which included ascents of any tree we could reach a branch, scaffolding, derelict factories, building sites etc. Is that behaviour as widespread now? I think the loss of council run outdoor education will be seen as a cost rather than a saving to society by future generations.
Make a difference with Cadets, Scouts or some other youth club. Why do you have to wait for council funding? Do it yourself!
@@UkSapyy funding has gone forever, but with it a ready made answer to Dave's title too. A lot of parents still needed persuading to allow kids to go on outdoor courses. DIY climbing is even less likely to get the nod, it will only be the seriously comitted individuals who follow Dave's pathway. The rest are probably unaware any climbing exists, never mind rock climbing, because they rarely go out. And the cycle will continue. "Build it and they will come".
Great video, hearing you suggest climb at height at lower grades is reassuring. I'm put off by coming across the one dangerous move at my limit outdoors, indoors i trust my partner and equipment and i'll jump if needed, same with outdoor bouldering but at height outdoors the mindset is much harder to over come.
"How to start climbing outdoors" Not a long time ago this question would have seem quite strange, but nowadays it must be alnowledge that a good amount of people that got into climbing did it without touching rock a single time. It really got me thinking how the sport will look like in a couple of years.
Just go to any city gym, or look at the Olympics, and you'll have a part of the answer...
most people start on tiny boulders as kids and indoor gym just safe way to reconnect to that. And let's face it, indoor climbing gyms are convenient.
Thanks for this wonderful video, Dave. Top notch stuff
Awesome video, thank you!
Flipping heck. Does Cubby have a portrait in the attic?
Some amazing drone shots :)
You don't have clubs in the UK anymore?
Please tell me I've not understood...
Thanks for the advice!
Sage advice.
What is the route you climb in the video? Does it have a name or just a random wall at dumby?
Easiest way? Join your local mountaineering club and sign up for the next trip or turn up to the local crag meet.
Another thing I think is odd to people coming to climbing without expectations is how much climbers talk about things that have gone wrong. There's a culture in climbing where people tell stories of people dying doing this, being injured doing that. And it can be a bit intimidating until you realise that these things aren't common. And climbers just like to learn from other people's mistakes.
Super intimate.
He is basically the Bob Ross of rock climbing
❤❤❤
Dave, being that you're a god on trad: have you ever pondered climbing "Prinzip Hoffnung"?
then he would be the mad bad trad lad
Doesn't mention Rhapsody even once.
I started off trad climbing......I’m now a boulderer 😂 I should probably get on the ropes again 🙄
👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍
It's easy to start climbing, stop thinking and get out scrambling, oh yeah! Where a helmet.
My first climbing goal is El Capitan.
I figure it will take me five years to get that good.
Very broad goal there are many routes up el Cap of various difficulties el cap is also a big multi pitch wall some routes will take entire days or more youll need to poo in a bag, carry up any food you need and bring all rubbish back down. Im not saying pick a different goal but picking a bouldering goal then a sports route goal and working your way up may be a better approach
Migguls611 yeah I know you have to poop in bags and carry food and all that. I have short term goals as well. For 2020 it’s
Climb the 50+ foot crack in my gym
Climb 5.12 consistently
Boulder v 6 consistently
There’s a handful of out door projects in my state that I’ve been working on that I figure will take me a long time. The over arching goal is to climb many routes on el cap including multi day routes.