Despite the wonderful visual imagery, however, I have a concern. Before reading what I have to write about this, I recommend that viewers go back and watch the first video with the sound disabled.

Back now? Good.

You just had an experience that is closer to, but still quite a bit removed from, the actual experiences of climbing. There are moments of great intensity and fast motion, but there are far larger stretches of careful consideration and preparation and, on occasion, hanging around. There is a great feeling of connection to the rock itself and to the experience of being in and traveling across a very challenging natural space. And there are the sounds of clanking hardware and the voices of your partners.

The choice of music (and music is what I do for a living mostly these days) is surprising. It is very dramatic music, the sort that might go with the right combat video game. It creates a sense of great stress and, even more, of being on a mission of heroic or even religious value. None of which is remotely close to the actual experience of climbing.

Is this a bad thing? I’m not certain. But I am certain that in terms of telling us something real about the experiences that make climbing so compelling the music (and to some extent the imagery) take us to a very different and unrelated place.

Take care,

Dan

Agree with sjlarue. =|

I got the heebie-jeebies just watching him act like a spider on all the ropes and then he goes sometime I just push off…and then later on he’s changing lenses without any ground beneath him. :O Ugh!