Dave MacLeod - Practice of the Wild 8C

FRI NIGHT VID + INTERVIEW: Dave MacLeod - Practice of the Wild 8C
by Natalie Berry - UKC 27/May/2016

We recently reported on Dave MacLeod's ascent of his first 8C boulder - Practice of the Wild in Magic Wood, Switzerland. A new film in which Dave talks about the process of training for and working the problem has been released by Dark Sky Media and Mountain Equipment. Dave claims he is climbing harder at the age of 37 than he was 10 or 20 years ago - but what has allowed for this improvement? As is typical of Dave, steely dedication and a meticulous approach to training proved essential.

Watch the film and read our interview to find out more...

Had you tried many other 8Cs previously?

No I don’t think I’d tried any. Most of my bouldering is on unclimbed stuff in Scotland. I’ve only had a couple of trips to Chironico around ten years ago and then a few trips to Magic Wood in the last three years.

What made you choose to try Pratice of the Wild as your first 8C, and when did you first try it?

I tried it in 2012 on my first trip in Magic Wood. I couldn’t do any of the hard moves but I just thought it looked like a really inspiring line.

Would you say it was of a particular style that suited or did not suit you?

Well you have some opportunities to use your feet on it, so in that sense it would suit me because I’m pretty weak and need to use my feet. I also did some okay links on In Search of Time Lost (8C) while I was there and that is definitely my anti-style: pure power and fewer chances to make the moves easier with footwork. I’d love to go back and try it someday. If I could do that, I’d definitely have made some real progress in my strength.

For more informations and pictures: ukclimbing.com