Simon Madden

At the start of the 80’s sport climbing was in its embryonic stages. Bolted routes were beginning to make a regular appearance, indoor climbing walls as we know them nowadays had not yet been invented and there was no such thing as being a pro athlete. During that period standards rose exponentially, from 7b+ as the cutting edge to 9a becoming the new world standard at the end of the ’80’s. In such a short period the sport changed beyond recognition and, in Britain, was fuelled by a small group of climbers who would do anything to climb full-time: sleeping in sheds underneath crags, shoplifting for food and clothes, and living off unemployment benefits. As illustrated in this film directed by Nick Brown, these climbers were living outside the rest of society and went on to become the most influential figures in the history of British sport climbing.

Two clubs that hated yet respected each other, the Hawthorn and Essendon rivalry of the 1980's is the stuff of footy legend. The last teams to clash in three consecutive Grand Finals ('83-'85), the Bombers were desperate to avenge a humiliating record loss in the 1983 flag decider when they came up against the Hawks a year later.