She might have had a fear of heights which could have put an end to a promising climbing career, but for athlete Hannah Smith there is now no stopping her.
The University of Edinburgh student is among just few to have tackled a newly developed crag outside of Gairloch, near Loch Maree.
It contains the longest and some of the very hardest routes for sport climbing in Scotland, at 50m tall with a 15m overhang, and it is no surprise why climbers have named it the Super Crag.
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Ms Smith, from Muirhead, near Glasgow, got the chance along with three other climbers to take on the crag with their endeavours caught on camera for a BBC Scotland Adventure Show Special Super Crag.
“We were filming for four days at Super Crag,” Ms Smith said. “It took us all of one day just to get used to the outdoor climbing experience, and we had to wrap up well against the cold and the wind, which we are not used to indoors. “
Following in the footsteps of younger brother Daniel, who became the world’s youngest person to complete all 282 Scottish Munros in 2013, aged just nine-years-old, Ms Smith became interested in climbing when he saw him train and took up climbing at the age of 11.
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She soon overcame her fear of heights to take part in the sport, but by 2018 was the British “Lead” champion and by 2019, the British Bouldering champion. She secured a place in the GB Senior Climbing team and has aspirations of the Olympics 2028. At the University of Edinburgh, she is on the performance athletes programme which gives her academic flexibility which allows her to continue her sport and training.
Also joining Ms Smith on the Super Crag were Emma Davidson, from Livingston, West Lothian, who began climbing from the age of eight. She followed in her father’s footsteps, then built her a climbing wall in their garage for practice.
Rock climber Calum Cunningham, from Ullapool, also took part. He is a rising talent in the UK climbing scene. He has achieved some of the most challenging climbs in Voralpsee Switzerland and the Shallow Cave at Rocklands South Africa.
They were joined by Rhys Langlands, from Inverness, who started climbing with his dad at the age of three and a half. His elder sister and two younger brothers also climb, and their father Pete is a climbing instructor.
The show’s executive producer Richard Else said wanted to showcase the country’s young climbers.
“What sport climbing gives us is a different sort of climber – a rock athlete who will often have trained on indoor climbing walls,” said executive producer Richard Else, from Adventure Show Productions, Newtonmore.
He added: “Sport climbing was once very controversial in Scotland but in recent years it’s become an accepted part of the climbing scene. It often draws in a different set of people and now that it’s part of the forthcoming Olympics, I wanted to showcase the very best of our young climbers.”
“I was thrilled that all four wanted to be involved in our programme and I think they all did extraordinarily well while showing us why the Super Crag is one of the hardest sports climbing cliffs in the country and has the longest lines. Just standing underneath it is nerve racking.”
With the programme being filmed in September, the production crew had an NHS Covid expert on board to guide them through protocols for climbing in Covid.
Fronted by presenter Dougie Vipond, commentary is also from climbing expert Duncan McCallum, the motivating force behind a new climbing centre, The Ledge, planned for Inverness.
He said: “Super Crag is a very important cliff, in Scotland, because it has some of the hardest routes there are. It is unusual because of the long walk in to get to it, so it’s remote, and the midges make life difficult at certain times of the year.
"It’s north facing, and doesn’t get the sun. It’s very ‘long’ at 50metres. Most cliffs in the UK are maybe 30metres tall, and it has a very steep overhang. Because of where it sits, it’s very esoteric and you can only attempt it in the right conditions at certain times. September was a good time. And this programme demonstrates how hard it is to conquer.”
Paul Tattershall, from Gairloch, also features in the programme, and was one of the key people behind developing the crag. He has devoted his life to climbing and was the first person to do a complete round of all the Munros on a mountain bike.
BBC Scotland Adventure Show Special Super Crag will be screened at 8pm on Friday, November 13.
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