more Bear Grylls lies

[deagol]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKlYTn_m2cY&feature=player_embedded

notice the crypto busting approach (0:18 & 0:36) and hidden black top-rope.

[Don]

My favorite was the slow-mo leap-frog jump at 54 seconds. :haha:

[Deathcricket]

Well, I was really curious about that but there is something wrong with video?
Has it been deleted? If not, why isn't working? Please share it again and tell me how
to download it. I'm a big fan of him. I've made a digital library for him. :)

He's not really climbing the rock. He has someone pulling him via toprope. The bright rope you see him pretending to lead climb with is just for show. The clamps you see him putting in the rock are not needed. Look for the black rope hidden in the crack, it's obvious he's a fake. :)

Oh and look up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptobiotic_soil it's very delicate and you aren't supposed to step on it, let alone jog through it. Very bad example to everyone else. We must respect nature and not destroy it.

[IntrepidXJ]

I could care less about Bear, but in this case I wouldn't necessarily call him a liar. I'm sure he can probably climb on his own, but climbing on your own for fun without a camera crew and climbing for a commercial production are two separate things. There is insurance and liability which probably requires the use of these safety devices...plus there may be multiple takes involved in the filming...etc... The company investing needs to make sure they get the shots they are looking for.

[deagol]

Bear can be a wanker all he wants, but it was the crypto busting that pissed me off.

The other threads here on Bogley regarding his expedition through "the Moab" combined with this do paint him as a liar. In any case, the commercial does qualify as a "lie" if you ask me..

No one who knew what they were doing would climb that rock in those shoes, for one thing (cameras or not). Also, getting any shot does not justify the crypto busting.

[Deathcricket]

You don't feel it's deceitful to be pretending to lead climb when on top rope? Putting anchors in cracks when you really don't need them? Using a black rope disguised in a crack and a bright neon green rope hanging from your harness? Come on dude, it's just like a hollywood movie, the actors look like they are driving the car, but they really are just focusing on their lines and turning the steering wheel. The car is really being towed with a big huge camera in front of it. :lol8:

I've seen plenty of climbers be filmed when climbing and it can be done, if in fact you are a "real" climber. All we are saying is this guy isn't the real deal in most things he preaches. Plus this is just a link in a chain of other areas he has been completely false about. There are a horde of videos to back this up, my favorite is the one where he is pretending to be in the middle of no where crossing a lava flow, yet he is 500 feet from the road. I bet he even drank "stunt piss" from his canteen. :lol8:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UpSlpvb1is

But you are right, if it was a normal guy advertisement for Addidas or something, they would get a pass. But its just that you have a guy pretending to be a survivalist and he sleeps in hotels, and has a crew with him at all times to ensure his complete safety. And he's out jumping down glaciers, building rafts to get off islands, and giving survival tips he has no business giving. it's a complete facade. :2thumbs:

[jwurst]

But its just that you have a guy pretending to be a survivalist and he sleeps in hotels, and has a crew with him at all times to ensure his complete safety. And he's out jumping down glaciers, building rafts to get off islands, and giving survival tips he has no business giving. it's a complete facade. :2thumbs:
I wish I had his job.

[ghawk]

My favorite was the slow-mo leap-frog jump at 54 seconds. :haha:

Mine too :haha: it was a really good leap frog!

[Brian in SLC]

You gotta go to the home country to get some good spray on this:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=502549&v=1#x6843273

As a point of interest, for the SLC'ers, if you are in IME (by REI), and, Andy is working, his dad Paul put up the route that Bear is climbing. Neat-o!

"For me it's those sort of times that I go off on my own and I climb."

53629

[restrac2000]

Definitely contrived and the commercial sucks balls but...

He seemed to be actually climbing in most sections of the video. The top rope isn't exactly hidden as it is shown in closeup several times. I am sure they require him to top-rope during these video-bits. I am also sure they must require multiple takes to get the commercial done so resting a bit on a top-rope seems no problem to me.

Crypto-----the first segment looks like it but the second not so much. Not all desert soil is crypto. And the area around the Tombstone is heavily used and abused (its right next to a major backcountry road).

I don't see the guy as a fraud and I could care less about his commercial success. He has a strong enough climbing background that I don't need to judge him on this one. Then again, I don't have cable and never got into the hero worship of these shows. They always seem lame compared to the real experience. He's selling a product to laymen who have no idea about the real details.

On a side note, always dangerous flying those helicopters around those rock formations. We lost a ESPN helicopter in 2005 while I was mountain director for PrimalQuest: Utah. The tail rotor hit the debris fan on one side as they were curving around the Nunnery (if I remember right) or maybe Castleton (they ran a hipline between the two). The pilot was awesome and managed to land the whirlybird with no fatalities. Talk about a clusterF, the AR race team used me to drive out Professor Creek wash (most of the team weren't locals) to access the crash as first responders. They were in such a rush they forgot c-collars. Will never forget the radio call coming in about the accident. Brought in a Huey a few days later to lift the beast out of the sand.

Always looked at lines out in that basin and wished I was a better climber (then and even more so now). Haven't been to IME in a while but those guys always seemed to be all over the desert putting up lines and being low-key about it.

[restrac2000]

No one who knew what they were doing would climb that rock in those shoes, for one thing (cameras or not)

I couldn't climb in those shoes or even the best climbing shoe for that matter. But I know plenty of people who climb upwards of 5.9 (evidently that is moderate for them) in approach shoes if the they know the route. Think about the routes people climb in alpine boots.

Bryan, is that 'Family Plot" or a different route? If so, isn't that a 5.8 C1

Hard to know on this one....but I would probably wear approach shoes if i was gonna be dangling from a rope for photo ops more than climbing ;^)