New film on professional Lochaber climber Dave MacLeod
A new short film about Lochaber-based climber Dave MacLeod is being produced with an aim of showing it at mountain festivals around the world.
Video production team Wojtek Kozakiewicz and Lukasz Warzecha shot Mr MacLeod bouldering in Switzerland. A heat wave made difficult climbs even tougher in an area called Magic Wood, before temperatures dropped and Mr MacLeod completed the challenges. A 10-12 minute long film is being made for screening at festivals. For 2013, a full length film will be released and made available as a free online viral video. Mr MacLeod was filmed as part the production team's Polished Project, which features other professional climbers and international ice climbers. Mr Warzecha, a photographer and visual artist, said: "Our upcoming film, Dave, will be telling a story of Dave's climbing career. "The film centres around Dave's exploits in the Magic Wood - climbing New Base Line, Mystic Stylez and others - and at the same time it touches strongly through interviews on Dave's career and life. "The final piece would be Dave's portrait as a professional climber." Last year, a climbing route on the UK's largest sea cliff, previously deemed too difficult to free climb, was completed by Mr MacLeod. He ascended Longhope Direct on St John's Head, on Orkney. The cliff rises to more than 343m (1,128ft). In free climbing, ropes and equipment are only there as protection against a fall and cannot be used as an aid. The route had only been tackled twice before in 40 years. With fellow climber Tim Emmett, Mr MacLeod completed one of the hardest rock climbs in the UK in August 2010. The pair struck a new route up the Sron Ulladale cliff face on Harris live on television.