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Dave MacLeod
Personal information
Nationality	Scottish
Born	17 July 1978 (age 46)
Education	BSc in Physiology & Sports Science (Glasgow University), MSc in Medicine and Science in Sport & Exercise (Glasgow University), MSc in Human Nutrition (Glasgow University)
Website	www.davemacleod.com
Climbing career
Type of climber	Traditional climbing; Free solo climbing; Bouldering,; Mixed climbing;
Highest grade	Redpoint: E11 7a traditional; 8b+ (5.14a) free solo; 9a (5.14d) sport; ; Bouldering: 8C (V15);
Known for	Second-ever person to free solo at 8b+ (5.14a)
First ascents	Rhapsody (2006, E11 7a); Echo Wall (2008, E10 7a);
	Updated on 6 November 2017

Dave MacLeod (born 17 July 1978) is a Scottish rock climber, ice climber, mixed climber, and climbing author. MacLeod is known for being the second-ever person to free solo a 8b+ (5.14a) graded route (Darwin Dixit in Margalef, in 2008),^[1]^[2] and for climbing one of the hardest traditional climbing routes in the world (Rhapsody on Dumbarton Rock, graded E11 7a, in 2006).^[3]^[4]

Climbing career

Rock climbing

In April 2006, MacLeod established the climb Rhapsody on Dumbarton Rock which, at a grade of E11 7a, was the hardest traditional climbing route in the world at the time.^[3]^[4] The ascent of Rhapsody is the subject of the movie E11 (2006) directed by Paul Diffley and produced by Hot Aches Productions.^[5]

In 2008, MacLeod became the second-ever person free solo an 8b+ (5.14a) graded route (Darwin Dixit in Margalef).^[1]^[2]

In 2008, MacLeod completed the traditional rock climb Echo Wall, an extreme and as-yet ungraded rock climb on Ben Nevis, which took two years of preparation.^[6] MacLeod left the route ungraded but in 2024, suggested a grade of E10 7a for the route.^[7]

In addition to his achievements in traditional rock climbing, MacLeod has also successfully created and completed sport climbing routes and projects up to the grade of 9a (5.14d) (A Muerte at Siurana, in 2007)^[8] and has established bouldering problems up to the grade of 8B+ (V14) (Natural Method on the Skeleton Boulder at Glen Nevis in 2012).^[9]

On 28 August 2010, MacLeod and Tim Emmett established the route The Usual Suspects on Sron Uladail on Harris, provisionally graded E9 7a, in an ascent broadcast live on BBC Two Scotland.^[10] As part of their preparation, MacLeod and Emmett successfully established five new routes on five Hebridean islands (counting Lewis with Harris as two separate islands) in five days, an achievement documented in the BBC Scotland series 5 Climbs, 5 Islands (later released on DVD as Triple 5).^[11] MacLeod has continued his association with BBC Scotland, filming The First Great Climb (broadcast on 22 November 2011), in which he replicated a successful 1876 attempt on the Stack of Handa using the type of equipment that would have been available at the time, and Climbing – No Limits! (broadcast on 12 April 2012), establishing new routes in the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District.

Mixed climbing

MacLeod has also established hard routes in mixed climbing with ice axes and crampons, climbing Good Training for Something with Canadian climber Will Gadd at a grade of M12. In 2005, he established the hardest traditional mixed climbing route in the world at the time, The Hurting in Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms.^[12] The route has been repeated a few times^[13]^[14]^[15] and has a Scottish winter grade of XI,11 (M9+/M10)^[16] with hard, technical climbing over very poor protection.

Writing

In December 2009, Macleod's book 9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes: Navigation Through the Maze of Advice for the Self-coached Climber was published. In 2015, Macleod's book Make or Break: Don't Let Climbing Injuries Dictate Your Success was published.

Bibliography

MacLeod, Dave (2009). 9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes. Rare Breed Productions. ISBN 978-0956428103.
MacLeod, Dave (2015). Make or Break: Don't Let Climbing Injuries Dictate Your Success. Rare Breed Productions. ISBN 978-0956428134.

References

^ ^a ^b Jack Geldard (March 2008). "Dave Macleod – 8b+ Solo – Interview". ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Dave Macleod 8c solo at Margalef, Don't Die of Ignorance XI,11 first ascent on Ben Nevis". planetmountain.com. 21 March 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b Mick Ryan (April 2006). "Dave MacLeod, The Modern Traditionalist – E11". ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Natural Highs". scotsman.com. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ Mick Ryan (October 2006). "E11 – The Movie". ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ "MacLeod's Boldest: Echo Wall". Alpinist.com. Retrieved 22 February 2006.
^ "How I grade the hardest trad routes".
^ Mick Ryan (November 2007). "Dave MacLeod – A Muerte F9a". ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ "Dave MacLeod, The Natural Method". ukclimbing.com. May 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
^ Mick Ryan (August 2010). "MacLeod and Emmett's Great Climb on BBC iPlayer". ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ "5 Climbs, 5 Islands". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ "MacLeod climbs Scottish XI 11". planetmountain.com. 9 March 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ Jack Geldard (February 2011). "Andy Turner on The Hurting". ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ Jack Geldard (February 2011). "Greg Boswell Repeats The Hurting XI,11". ukclimbing.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ "Dani Arnold repeats The Hurting in Scotland". planetmountain.com. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
^ Dougald MacDonald. "Trad M10 in Scotland". climbing.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.