Dave MacLeod worked his way past the crux of ‘Rhapsody’, the first ascent he had been battling for years on Dumbarton Rock in Scotland, knowing that a final stretch and a formidable grip would soon be all that stood between him and completing the most challenging route in the world at the time – the first to be graded E11 (with ‘E’ standing for ‘Extremely Severe’, the toughest grading category in rock climbing).

He had been in that position before, but had slipped and fallen 20 metres below before his belayer could catch him, crashing hard against the rock face in the process. It takes more than determination to get back up and keep trying again. It takes obsession.

After two years of training, trials and frustrating errors, MacLeod would complete the route in April 2006. The applause and cheers of the crew around the Scot were drowned out by the roar of the man himself as he reached the top of the rock.

Completing a line established as one of the most difficult on the planet is one thing. Doing what Dave had done; rejecting the recognised and taking on something completely unprecedented, is another entirely.

Unbeknown to him at the time, the route Dave was watching others battle in Dumbarton was ‘Requiem’, the E8-graded climb which for many years was the toughest in Scotland. It would be a long time before he was able to defeat it himself, and even longer before he would acquire the skill to build ‘Rhapsody’ on top of it.

MacLeod insists that mind over body is the mentality needed when approaching a climb of such vigour, though his approach to new challenges will come as a surprise to many, opting to expect failure in certain circumstances rather than gearing up for success.

The climber continued: “You need to work on the route itself when you’re preparing but I also train by going to other routes, as much to build up confidence. [The mental side] is something that in general I’ve been good at.

“I’ve found that since those accidents my appetite for being bold and pushing myself into risky zones hasn’t really diminished. I have to put in more work to keep my confidence, but my desire to do it hasn’t diminished.”

Words to expect, perhaps, from a man who has been knocked down many times in his bid to achieve the anomalous, and then gotten back up again to finish off the job.

Doing it Yourself

Andy Kirkpatrick has been climbing since he was five years old. He shares the drive and the fixation of MacLeod for the mountains; the pursuit of the unknown and unmatched challenged.

The Stafford-born adventurer has made numerous first ascents, notably in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica in 2014, where amongst other outings he climbed Ulvertanna, on “one of the world’s hardest mountains” – before BASE jumping from the top.

Kirkpatrick has been on numerous winter expeditions, across Greenland, into Patagonia, taken on a 15 day winter ascent of the West face of the Dru, one of the hardest climbs in Europe, and constantly drawn comparisons to the likes of Ranulph Fiennes and the British greats as a consequence.

“Soloing is not healthy though. Having all that weight on your shoulders can be a blessing and a curse. For me climbing is a very personal thing, but chasing after records is not healthy.”

It’s interesting to hear someone who has completed so many acclaimed solo climbs speak so tellingly, but it’s the widespread view in the climbing community, for good reason.

For his part, Dave MacLeod notes that he’s “only done a handful of solo climbs because they’re so dangerous,” so why does Kirkpatrick engage on the gruelling solo climbs that he does?

“I think that climbing is all about getting in touch and being true to your animal self – moving, playing, surviving,” he says.

“When you’re soloing you don’t have to deal with other people’s drama and you can just deal with the climbing, which can be easier too, but climbing with people is much more fun.”

Andy is well documented for talking about how his motivations come from the will to push beyond expectation and be the best you can be, rather than chasing measurable firsts or records.

There are few things more personal than being alone on the wall, and Kirkpatrick knows this better than most.

The climber continued: “when you solo a big climb everything belongs to you, the high and the lows, the failure and the success.”

“Often starting just feels like a relief! It’s all psychological, especially just starting.  There’s just so much doubt and worry and juggling before you begin. It’s far from fun.

“I hung on for a week in pretty terrible weather and got buried alive twice in my tent”

“Trying to solo the Eiger last year was pretty bad. I hung on for a week in pretty terrible weather and got buried alive twice in my tent. I told myself I couldn’t go down unless I took one more step up, so I hung on a little too long!

“When you’re defeated by the weather or conditions, it’s actually not so hard though. It’s much easier than when you’re defeated by bad judgement or a simple lack of will.”

For both MacLeod and Kirkpatrick of course, it’s unlikely that a lack of will or bad judgement will ever pose too much of a problem.

It takes a particular kind of drive to put down the guide books and set your own course of action, and a very particular skill set to be able to follow through on those plans.

These are men not content with sitting back and doing what many have done before, no matter how challenging; who find themselves fixated on individual goals that are as much personal as they are physical, and struggle to rest until that challenge is complete.

These are men who thrive on self-sufficient battles and refuse to rule out what has been ruled out by others; who do it themselves, and lay the way for the rest to follow.

To read the rest of Mpora’s D.I.Y Issue head here

You May Also Like

Climbing El Capitan: The story of America’s most famous mountain

Climbing Grades | A Guide to Difficulty Ratings and What They Mean