UKC

Hard Rock - A Tribute to Ken WilsonFri Night Vid

© BMC/Hot Aches

Our Friday Night Video this week is from BMC TV and Hot Aches Productions, celebrating the life of Ken Wilson and his classic book; Hard Rock. It might have first hit the shelves in 1974, but this feast of climbing literature has weathered the following years as easily as a granite crag.

Over 40 years on, the routes lovingly described by the bold first ascentionists are often still the highlights of any trad climber's year: The Bat, Totalitarian, The Old Man of Hoy, A Dream of White Horses, Diagonal, Vector, Valkyrie, Sirplum to name but some. These 61 routes share 173 gleaming stars and all perfectly capture that unique feeling of British climbing adventure.

Hard Rock has now outlived Ken, who died last summer. His death left a hole in the climbing community, but his legacy will continue to shape British climbing.

Featuring never-seen-before interview footage with Ken describing just why he was so passionate about British trad climbing, reconstructions of his early climbing adventures and BMC ambassador Steve McClure, Calum Muskett and Michaela Tracey climbing three iconic routes, this film is a 20-minute trad treat.


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Steve McClure is one of the best rock climbers in the world, having climbed the hardest sport route in the UK at 9b, numerous new routes at the grade of 9a and onsighted many at 8b+. Despite being better known for his...

Steve's Athlete Page 43 posts 15 videos




13 Oct, 2017
What a crazy, narrow minded idiot
13 Oct, 2017
'Shine on you Crazy Diamond'
13 Oct, 2017
Totally and utterly brilliant film-making that puts the Red Bull Alex Megos thing in its miserable, flippant, place. Enthralling stuff that left you wanting more. So .... more please BMC and Hot Aches. Great use of drone photography for Cenotaph and Stanage. Brilliantly evocative climbing of Right Unconquerable. The narrator by the way, was excellent too. Who was it?
13 Oct, 2017
And yet two of the climbers in the film are accomplished competition/sport climbers. I don't think Ken would approve
13 Oct, 2017
And who was the young lad climbing? That wobbly rock on Tryfan didn't make him bat an eyelid - star.
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