Here are a list of references that relate to a video I’m finishing off about my recent fun diet experiment, eating nothing but burger patties from McDonalds for 8 weeks. I’ll post up the video shortly. 1. Lane, M.M., et al., Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Nutrients, 2022. 14(13). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35807749/ 2. Godos, J., et al. Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Depressive Symptoms in a Mediterranean Cohort. Nutrients, 2023. 15,  DOI: 10.3390/nu15030504. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/367 ..read more

A video about adventures on hard projects over the dark months of the winter, with thoughts on why I’ve succeeded or failed on them ..read more

Moving onto the headwall of Banana Wall XII,12 Photo: Calum Muskett On Friday, Calum Muskett and myself made 2nd and 3rd ascents of Banana Wall XII,12 on Cairngorm. This route was put up by Greg Boswell and Masa Sakano in 2015. Greg had a few onsight attempts on the climb ending not that far into the difficulties. He returned and abseiled down the route, but because of its grossly overhanging nature, he didn’t gain much knowledge other than sight of enough cracks/features to commit to push on beyond the highpoint. Returning in 2015, he made a very impressive attempt, getting close to the bela ..read more

A music video made by myself, Claire and my daughter Freida recently. It comes from a new album by Aaron Jones and Rachel Walker called Despite the Wind and Rain, which celebrates influential women in Scottish history. Check out the album here https://rachelwalkerandaaronjones.bandcamp.com/album/despite-the-wind-and-rain This song is about Mary Somerville, a scientist who spent her youth exploring the outdoors in Scotland and cultivating a gift for observation that eventually led to the discovery of Neptune as well as many books and papers on mathematics, astronomy, geography, ecology and an ..read more

Doing this exercise really accelerated my confidence in judging whether my trad placements would be likely to hold a fall ..read more

A video on the logistics I use for top rope self belay climbing, which I have used for countless hours over the past twenty years to work on hard route projects. Note that I use the Petzl Shunt which is specifically not recommended for this purpose and I’m not recommending it either, merely showing how I use it since people ask me frequently ..read more

I made a follow along hang board workout, 30 minutes long and pitched for beginner/intermediate climbers (two handed hangs). In the rests in between the hangs I discuss various aspects of adjusting the hang board loading depending on your level and climbing goals. Enjoy the workout! This is very similar to the basic workout I used when I started fingerboarding and went from 8b+ to 9a in a couple of years ..read more

A guide to how to actually learn climbing technique, from hard practicalities to underlying principles ..read more

Coaches and sport scientists are often trying to quantify aspects of sport and there’s good reasons for this. But climbing technique is hopelessly complex with endless variation in movement. How could we go about quantifying it, or even thinking about it in any kind of structured manner? With difficulty. In this video I introduce some simple ideas for the way I think about technique that helps me to learn it and monitor my learning ..read more

Over the past few years I’ve been involved along with others in developing low-mid grade sport routes at the conglomerate crags just south Oban. The crags are only a couple of minutes drive from Oban town centre at Gallanach, near the ferry to Kerrera. They are roadside, quick to dry, don’t seep much at all and provide great friendly sport climbing. I’ve been really enjoying developing the crags. It’s also been a lot of work and expense. For all my routes, I’ve used Titanium glue-in bolts (from Titan Climbing in Sheffield) and pure epoxy resin so that they should last many decades if not hundr ..read more