The Flash: Rock+Run Blog

For some, the first flurries of snow make for a fun filled winter season ahead. However for others, initial excitement may give way to a feeling of trepidation. Here in the UK, the majority of us don’t get a lot of experience playing out in the white stuff - so it’s easy to get caught out if you aren’t prepared. 

Another Friday and another weekly video but, this one is particularly special. In 2019, Nirmal Purja, or more commonly known as Nimsdai, embarked on his ‘Project Possible’ – an insane mission to summit all fourteen 8000 metre peaks in a record breaking 7 months. Having only entered the world of big mountain climbing in 2012, Nimsdai made his first 8000 metre ascent two years later, summitting Dhaulagiri in a return trip of just 15 days. From high altitude novice to Project Possible in 7 years sounds ridiculous, but Nims is pretty unique.

A 55 mile trail running challenge, covering 13 limestone summits around the Kent Estuary feeding into Morecambe Bay.

The Bay Limestone Round was established in the summer of 2020 by local Tom Phillips, as a way to get some long distance routes in whilst the world was in lockdown. In addition it has proven to be a great way for people to raise funds for charitable causes, with £12,000 raised in 2020.

Dave MacLeod is back with another video of cutting-edge trad in the Scottish Highlands. This time Dave has company in the form of fellow Scotsman, professional climber and YouTuber, Robbie Phillips, who has been partnering Dave on the quest for Scotland’s next bold trad line. Well, that line came in the form of ‘What We Do in The Shadows’, E10 7a; first discovered by Phillips at Duntelchaig, the route features 8c level climbing on gear with a 7C+ boulder crux right at the death. 

Midtbo and Ondra are back with another fantastically insightful video. This latest episode in their continued collaboration comes from Ondra’s famed home crag, Moravsky Kras, in the North of Brno. If not for Ondra, this quaint, bizarre climbing location might have been known to committed locals only but, through Adam’s development, the crag has become one of most concentrated areas of hard climbing in the world.

EB were the original climbing shoe company, making the very first shoe specifically designed and created for climbing on rock. Officially founded in 1950 after French shoemaking extraordinaire, Edmond Bourdonneau, bought Pierre Alain’s fledgling rock shoe company, EB soon became climbing’s household name.

Will Bosi has been on another hard sport sending spree, this time at the mecca of British sport climbing – Raven Tor. Making the long-awaited second ascent of Steve McClure’s 1998 masterpiece, ‘Mutation’, on the 31st of October, Will clipped the chains on the long-standing open project, ‘Brandenburg Gate’, but a week later on the 7th of November. Bosi gave both routes a grade of 9a+, an upgrade for McClure’s Mutation which he originally graded 9a back in ’98. Brandenburg Gate was rumoured to be around the 9b mark having thwarted the likes of John Gaskins in the early 2000s, but Will managed to make the impressive ascent on his first ‘proper’ red point session.

Do you think your kid would love to start climbing? Well, we think they should too – climbing is the perfect sport for kids, it’s tonnes of fun, allows them to explore  and develop friendships whilst boosting their confidence and skill. Not sure how to get them started? Not to worry, here’s our guide to everything kids climbing including our suggestions for kit, classes and games.

This week’s video comes from one of the most famous and well-known climbing training spaces in the world – Adam Ondra’s old school spray wall at his Brno based gym, Kotelna Boulder Club. 

As the night’s draw in and the temperatures plummet, adventures in the mountains transform through autumn’s glorious colours to winter’s snowy dustings. With the inevitable thrill of a wintery mountain landscape comes the need for a few specialist bits of kit to keep you safe, warm and happy in the cold. Here are 5 bits of kit we think you should consider for a wonderful winter.

The second video this week comes to you from the wonderfully picturesque sea cliffs of Gogarth. Rising imperiously out of the swell, the Gogarth cliffs are home to a host of 3-star, ultra-classic, multi-pitch trad routes, non-more famous than the focus of this week’s video – ‘A Dream of White Horses’ (HVS 4c). This beautiful BMC video treats us to an historically accurate recreation of the climb’s first ascent which came courtesy of Ed Drummond and Dave Pearce in 1968. Climbed here by top climber, James McHaffie, and Alexis Pearce (son of first ascensionist, Dave), we’re given a fantastic insight into the route and what defines it as one of the most sought-after trad lines in the UK.

This weeks video looks at renowned climber and local Lakes legend, Rob Matheson, who has recently been repeating some of his first ascents. The video shows him repeating 'Holocaust' (E4 6a) on Dow Crag, 50 years to the day since he pioneered the route.