James Pearson is something of a veteran in rock climbing
film circles these days. Having featured in several productions over the years,
but usually as part of an ensemble alongside people like Hazel Findlay. In
Redemption however, James gets the stage to himself in a production which sets out to record an
extraordinarily difficult period in his career. A period within which his
reputation as one of our leading trad climbers was called into question and his
achievements were dissected and undermined by that most viperous of climbing
constituencies..the UKC forum!
Redemption begins with James setting out his stall on his
local Peak crags. A section which uses footage of the young tyro repeating, and
then very quickly establishing his own top end routes on the short, unforgiving
edges within his local orbit. Setting himself the task of repeating Neil
Bentley’s 2000 test piece- Equilibrium:(E10-7a)- footage taken at the time shows
the bold James setting out above a blanket of snow and a hushed expectant audience. The brooding menace of his perilous
situation is brought home by the contemporary commentary which reveals just how
‘outside the zone’ he was as he set off, and just how close to potential
disaster he came as he hovered between the rock and a hard place. We watch with
bated breath while James describes the dream like sequence where he watched as
his thumb and finger began to peel from the tiny hold just as he psyched
himself up to make the crucial crux move.
With Equilibrium in the bag, he sets out to establish his
own hard test pieces in the area and within a short space of time, has routes like
Burbage South’s The Promise (E10-7a) and Cratcliffe’s oft eyed but never led
The Groove (E10-7b) on his CV. However, it is a difficult and dangerous ascent
on a friable Culm sea cliffs on the Devon coast that acts as the spark which
eventually ignites controversy. After
eventually bagging what becomes Walk of Life, James, believing it to surpass routes like The Promise and Equilibrium in difficulty, grades it E12-7a. A unique
grading which would bracket it amongst the hardest climbs in the world. Footage
taken at the time show him taking some big falls onto dubious gear. Most of
which appears to rip out!
Within a short period, James’s state of the art routes begin
to attract the attention of fellow top end activists. Notably, a team of visiting
American rock jocks who repeat his Peak routes quickly and without fuss before
proffering their own opinion that routes like The Promise are actually no more
than E8. To make matters worse, the venerable Dave Macleod arrives in the
south-west whilst recovering from injury, repeats Walk of Life and gently
suggests that the route is more like a straight E9-6c. Enter the Trolls!
Actually, Dave Mac does admit in the film that he knew that his comments would
unleash the forum hounds upon James and it’s something he felt uncomfortable
about, but he felt he just had to put the record
straight. Adding that James had nothing to feel bad about as he is ‘an amazing
climber’ who has done some incredible things.
James on Culm's Walk of Life
Not that that JP’s achievements would dissipate the
outpouring of scorn from the more vituperative ethics Nazis who patrol the climbing
forums. A variation of ‘Yes...but what's he done on grit?’ very quickly
became ‘Yes..but what’s he done on Rhapsody!’. (Rhapsody is Dave Macleod’s
awesome Scottish E11 on Dumbarton Rock). Not surprisingly in the circumstances,
James took this tidal wave of criticism to heart and took off to pastures new;
living in Austria for a while and just taking in new locations and getting into
sport climbing. A style which he felt brought on and complimented his solidly trad
background.
It was while cruising around the continent that he met a
mademoiselle who would become very much part of his life. In fact he liked her
so much he married her! In this case, the beautiful and talented Caroline
Ciavaldini. No slouch she on the rock face. Rare talent which can be seen in
the Hot Aches 2012 film Odyssey.
Back in the UK and imbued with a new steely resolve and
confidence, James seeks redemption on Rhapsody. A route which appears to have
surpassed The Indian Face as the holy grail of rock routes for all budding rock
Gods. Not surprisingly, the film
climaxes with James strung out on Dumbarton rock with the master himself,
turning up to see if the pretender from the south can gravitate from apprentice
to sorcerer!
Redemption-The James Pearson Story is everything you would
expect from a Hot Aches movie by now. From the filming to the creative editing.
Its sharp, focused and absorbing throughout.
Rating on the Krabometer
John Appleby:2014
