No Great Climb

Hideous weather forced the cancellation of the BBC's "Great Climb" live broadcast in Scotland, and untold thousands of pounds washed away down Cairngorm's sodden hillsides. I pity the producer who proposes the next "Great Climb" to the BBC. "So, here's the pitch: We want to do a live broadcast of a team of climbers doing a new route on Ben Nevis! Wind? It's never windy in Scotland...."

It's too bad: A lot of talented people put a lot of effort into this program. But that's the nature of live outdoor adventure, which is why such programs are so rare.

One good thing that may still come out of the "Great Climb" is a great new climb. Dave MacLeod seemed awfully psyched about the potential new routes he'd discovered at Hell's Lum crag in the Cairngorm. After scrubbing and top-roping the overhanging lines, he felt like one would be E8 or E9 (poorly protected 5.13) and the other might be E10 (unprotected hard 5.13). If he can get some decent weather, it wouldn't surprise me at all if MacLeod is back in Cairngorm before the end of the summer, with or without a camera crew.