In reply to Mike Pescod:
> In the meantime, some comments on Jimmy Marshall, Robin Smith, Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner would be welcome.
Hi Mike, as I think I might already have told you (?), I was truly sorry not to be able to attend what looks in some ways to be the Mountain Festival event of the decade. The whole project was such an exciting conception and, quite apart from my huge respect for the three living members of that quartet, I'd have been fascinated (with two little Smith connections of my own) to hear some first-hand recollections of the man from Marshall...
Smith's elder brother Charlie was one of my dad's best friends and I also stayed for nearly a year in The Hague with his cousin. When I was studying there in 1986/7, I had digs with a Scottish family and got talking to my landlady Mary about climbing. So she told me that her cousin had been a great climber, thought even to have the edge on Haston (at this stage I was thinking 'what's she talking about?') and had been killed at only 23 (at which point I knew who he was!). So of course I told her about my dad and Charlie and rang my parents to tell them (small world!), but still can't recall doing a Smith route yet to this day. On which note I've been meaning to get on The Clean Sweep for years, have recently taken a fancy to Gob, hope to do The Needle one day and must do a Smith winter route too, so we'll see.
Still hoping to see the completed films from the project sometime (no substitute for missing the night, I know), and have enjoyed the clips I've seen on the web immensely (especially seeing Dave and Andy's clear respect for the routes and sense of, dare I say it, 'struggle' with them at times).
Regards
P