In reply to UKC News:
I met Marc on the Ben Nevis day captured in the news item video 'Sioux Wall in a storm'. The weather really was as terrible as it looked (my partner's sack for instance was swept away in an avalanche) but Marc was in his element - after he'd finished Sioux Wall he went on a mini soloing quest nipping up and down different bits of the number three gully area. Even though he had no knowledge of what routes he might be on, he seemed completely at home just free-form climbing over grade V and VI ground... in a raging blizzard! It was at once remarkable and terrifying to witness - a real glimpse into his stratospheric levels of skill. When reports over the years had come through of his solos of Cerro Torre or the Emperor Face on Mount Robson - I was like everyone impressed, but it was difficult to comprehend what was really involved. Watching him soloing on the Ben was a real insight into just how good someone had to be to pull off all the amazing climbs he did.
As well as his climbing mastery, the way Marc approached that day left a real impression. Conditions were so horrible that I was really questioning why I'd bothered heading out. Marc's un-showy desire to make the most of the challenge, when most locals were tucked up inside, together with his light heartedness - an almost childlike sense of play - lifted the tone amongst all of us there. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and found myself joking and laughing along with him at the preposterous reality that you could be out making fun out of such terrible conditions. Thank you Marc for the lesson.
