Splinter

Posted on 05. Dec, 2008 by B3 in Bouldering Videos

One of my all time favourite climbing shorts is Splinter, which features one of the strongest and most legendary climbers of all time, Malcolm Smith. Malcolm is well known for his brutal training regimes and his unbelievable power. He came on the scene at age 18 when he made the second ascent of Ben Moon’s Hubble 5.14c. This film is a short documentary on perhaps one of the hardest sections of indoor climbing ever done. As the weather has turned poor, I have been climbing at CATS, Boulder’s version of the School trying to get as strong as possible.

Here is what Slackjaw films, the producers of the movie, have to say:

“To put into context how hard this problem is, Malcolm came to the School (Sheffield’s most hardcore training venue) and despatched a long-standing project in under an hour. This problem has remained unrepeated for over a year, despite the attentions of some of the world’s strongest boulderers. There are three problems on Malc’s board harder than this, and Hubble Problem with a Start and Finish is the hardest. This makes HPWASAF undoubtedly the hardest wood problem in the country. If you think you fancy your chances, go try the 8b at the School and then add a grade and weep.”

Check out their website, www.slackjaw.co.uk for more on them, and enjoy the film!

Update: As I previously reported, Dave Graham has climbed Boogalagga from a sit start. His new problem is called Big Paw (presumably in honor of Chad’s fallen cat) and he has graded it V15. Well done!

9 Responses to “Splinter”

  1. automated

    05. Dec, 2008

    one of the all time classic climbing shorts. makes a woody oddly exciting. i once translated the dialogue… it’s a bit hard to pick up if you’re not scottish.

  2. trad

    05. Dec, 2008

    don’t say it so a matter of fact.. just have some respect! BIG PAW…

  3. ktmt

    05. Dec, 2008

    Agreed! Classic, and so inspirational. Whenever I start making training excuses, how if only I had a new set of grips or the latest fingerboard I’d get stronger, I think of this video, or likewise, of Dave MacLeod in E11 cranking one-arm pullups off a single campus board rung, and I stop mincing about and get back after it with what I have. It’s passion, desire and drive that make us strong, and this video captures it so well. Glad you’re giving it its due.

  4. another boulderer

    06. Dec, 2008

    I think CATs has potential to have a few harder… especially if the holds don’t get cleaned or taken down for the next couple years…

  5. The Adventure Channel

    06. Dec, 2008

    Nice video! Thanks!

  6. peter

    06. Dec, 2008

    Fascinating video. Maybe someone should buy the woodie and move it to a more publicly accessible place or perhaps put in a climbing museum. It’s like a sculpture and performance art piece in one.

  7. mervo

    07. Dec, 2008

    Malcolm Smith is the man. Easily one of the most humble and supportive climbers i’ve ever had the pleasure of climbing with.

  8. peter b

    08. Dec, 2008

    Unfortunately for Boulder indoor enthusiasts, CATS is climbed out at this point. All the feasible sequences were mapped out using a proprietary algorithm and sent, including all variations and sub-variations. This was funded by a grant from the 8a.nu Foundation.

  9. elijah

    19. Dec, 2008

    Inspiring for sure. We used to watch this and a few others all the time before training on the woody here in Santa Barbara. It’s rad to see others, all over the globe, maintaining this turbulent relationship with powerful climbing, like a #$%#$y girlfriend who’s too hot to dump. And winter’s a great time to revisit Splinter. Another one I’d like to see – Klem on Fanatic Baby or All You Can Eat, or anything with Marcos Bock or Tony Lamprecht or Fred Nicole in any of the old Udo Neumann stuff. That’s getting my psyched now. I gotta go YouTube that @#$%#. Keep it up.

    elijah

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