UKC

Bravo Bear Grylls, climbing 'the hardest climb in the UK, up Mount Snowdon'

He climbed Indian Face with no rope!

In reply to RedFive:

And abbed off some moss.

However I found the programming entertaining, which I'm sure was the object.

Wonder how much he got from GoPro for using their kit?

In reply to The Lemming:
Haven't watched it yet but they're usually entertaining.

On a serious note if he can get the outdoors away from the wool clad ramblers image it'll only help conservation in the future. Bottom line if following generations don't continue to use the national parks they're on the way out.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:
" Bottom line if following generations don't continue to use the national parks they're on the way out."

Totally, because Snowdonia is so empty on a summer weekend you could possibly swing your arms about yourself without hitting someone. And the lakes, sometimes you can get a pitch in the langdale NT campsite. And last week I even managed to find a parking space at storey arms in the Brecon Beacons (the brecons as some idiots like to call it).

They're knackered we may as well sell the land while we have a chance.

In reply to The Lemming:


Not *another* example of a dangerous ab that was no doubt rigged properly off-camera. Someone is going to watch those and get themselves splatted.

In reply to gethin_allen:




I think you are better than this.

We need to increase participation in the outdoors.

You need to reach out to the inner cities, to the minority groups.

We need more people in the outdoors.

There are two huge threats in the developed world.
1. Obesity.
2. Our use of the environment.

Encouraging people to be outside, even if Snowdon, helps combat these 2 issues.

Snowdon can cope.

In reply to Roadrunner5:
I'm not how much Grylls adventure as entertainment/consumer culture helps though. There was a distinct contrast last weekend between the people camping in Langdale with all the gear and the relatively few people actually on the hills.

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:


Surely that is a good thing? Like all those climbers sweating olives at the indoor climbing centre on a hot sunny summer's day. Fine by me!

In reply to gethin_allen:

I'm not sure I understand you. My point was the parks are well used now but if people don't continue this in the future at some point they'll be radically reduced or got rid of.

In reply to ByEek:


I would agree, like boulderers, the more that stand around a few pebbles in a field, the less climbers in the mountains.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

The way you put it is as if the palace are derelict. There are plenty of people using these places and I see no reason why this would suddenly stop.

I think we should be encouraging people to go to the other parts of the country to relieve pressure on the honey pot spots.

In reply to gethin_allen:

No way! I go to 'the other parts of the country'. I don't want them where I am (that's selfishness not hypocrisy, by the way, as I've seen this position so labelled previously).

In reply to gethin_allen:

To clarify that's not the way I meant it to come across and I definitely didn't mean there is going to come a point when people stop using the parks overnight.

All I meant is someone providing a role model that encourages future continued use of the parks and the outdoors in general is a good thing.

As for whether BG is encouraging honey pot sites well I reckon there's a whole threads worth of debate in that

In reply to RedFive:

I've said it before ... Bear Grylls is to outdoor activities what Top Gear is to motoring.

It's a magazine programme about as real as the TG "challenges" were (i.e. they weren't).

In reply to Roadrunner5:


The f*ck we do, everywhere is getting trashed and is about as wild as my backyard these days!

In reply to RedFive:

If my making the great outdoors look so tough and extreme. Does it encourage more people to hire instructors? deter people? or cause more accidents?

In reply to Lusk:


people like you are the problem..

It is not getting trashed at all. Have you been to Snowdonia?

Hysterical nonsense,

Excessive sheep grazing was far more impacting. It is in a fine state despie you idiotic comments.

In reply to RedFive:

I can't imagine it has much impact at all on the numbers in the outdoors. I think most viewers would be terrified by his macho buffoonery and decide they are never going near a mountain while the wannabe Rambos who are taken in by this nonsense will quickly be bored by the reality of walking up the PyG Track in the clag.

In reply to RedFive:

Isn't Indian Face an E9 and only been climbed by about 4 people before? How do you know it was that route? Do you think he just solo'd the last bit for the cameras?

In reply to RedFive:

I watched it, it was entertaining, most of the sofa conversation was about him climbing without ropes on Snowden. something like...

her: "Is he climbing without ropes"
me: "Yes looks like it but its easy not hard at all well within his ability so its fine"
her: " what if he falls"
me: " then he will die, but he wont as its on the telly and the Daily Mail didn't run a Reckless BG dies on snowden article"
her: "Thats just irresponsible, I hope you never do anything that stupid"
Me: " errrr.....yes all the time"

Next hour explaining .....

In reply to Steve-J-E:

It was his reference to the 'hardest rock climb in the UK' and the fact he said he said he was on Clogwyn Du'r that implied he was free climbing Indian Face.

Of course, he wasn't as you are right it is a crazy E9 - and anyway you could see the rope if you looked carefully. Plus the jugs were bigger than Sam Fox's, though it was that area it was the top of a VDiff at best. Don't know the route though. He may have been helicoptered down given the rest of the production.

It was the implication of climbing 'the hardest route' rowlocks 'free/solo' that got my goat. I actually think BG is ok, it was the misdirection in the production that let it down.

Did nobody in Welsh Wales watch it?

In reply to RedFive:
Does anyone else think that he must have had a couple of ciders in the café at the top?......it's obligatory in my opinion!

In reply to joccy987:

I've never been in the cafe at the top. I've bivvied in the doorway on a rough night but never been in the cafe. Not sure i really agree with it being there. That said if they sell cider i guess they must sell beer so i'm tempted for the future! How much is a beer anyone know?

In reply to Steve-J-E:

About £3.50 i think. Pretty refreshing on a hot sunny day....if you're lucky enough to catch one of those.

In reply to RedFive:

TBH I'm not sure that he does give a good impression of outdoor activities. "Look at this it's really dangerous, look at me, I could die doing this" - hardly the way to get parents to encourage their kids to have a go.

Also has he ever heard about PPE? OK perhaps his over inflated ego is protection enough but how many cavers do you know who don't use a helmet, or canoeists who don't bother with a bouyancy aid? Personally I think that as chief scout he should be an advocate for safe participation in activities and flouting the basic "rules" of safety should get him kicked out.

Not to mention coming to the edge of a sea cliff and tomb stoning off - yes I know it's only drama and will have been fully safety checked, but given that people get killed/injured jumping off cliffs every year I feel that he is sending out very much the wrong message with his apparent lack of respect for basic safety procedures.