I came across this yesterday on iPlayer:
Our Lives - Series 9: Downhill Highs - BBC iPlayer
It's a documentary about Sean Green who has spent the last 8 years or so taking his bike to the top of all the Munros and now only has a couple to go. It shows him doing some of his most recent climbs in Fisherfield and the Cuilen to pretty spectacular scenery and he comes across as a really decent lad.
Sorry if it's been done before, I did search, but you know...
He's a nice enough guy but bloody hell he's taken some risks with the weather and conditions while doing this that blow my mind. Ice, snow, wind, travelling alone often without appropriate winter mountaineering gear or with an ice axe strapped to his back that'd kill him in a crash. I've not spoken to any mountaineers I respect who think he has gone about it in a safe way.
Impressive that he's so close to completing it, though. I'm at about 100, having been doing it for nearly 20 years, and realised a long time ago that doing them all with a bike wouldn't be much fun so his perseverance and determination is incredible.
I'd always assumed that @munrobiker was Sean Green (with absolutely no basis whatsoever other than the username).
Now I feel a bit lost and confused 🤣
He's a nice enough guy but bloody hell he's taken some risks with the weather and conditions while doing this that blow my mind. Ice, snow, wind, travelling alone often without appropriate winter mountaineering gear or with an ice axe strapped to his back that'd kill him in a crash. I've not spoken to any mountaineers I respect who think he has gone about it in a safe way.
Impressive that he's so close to completing it, though. I'm at about 100, having been doing it for nearly 20 years, and realised a long time ago that doing them all with a bike wouldn't be much fun so his perseverance and determination is incredible.
Absolutely.
I've been following him from the start as I randomly saw his original post on Facebook which was something like "I've just had a fantastic day riding some of the Munros around Glenshee and I've decided I'm going to ride them all before I'm 30".
He was around 26 at the time and I thought he was an idiot - no mountain knowledge, no respect for the hills, not enough experience to judge the conditions and realise that he was was going to carry his bike up a lot of mountains just to carry it back down again. His quirky look didn't endear him to me either being covered in tattoos including all over his head and face.
But over the years he's really grown on me. I heard him interviewed on radio Scotland a few years ago and most of what he said was about the respect he has for the hills and that he won't go out with other people or give out GPX etc to reduce the erosion. He is also heavily involved in the "it's up to us" project to repair hill paths. Whilst his threshold of safety is very different from mine he's certainly turned back enough times to show he doesn't just push on regardless. The footage in the film where he is riding with his son at Alyth bike park is lovely and he's probably changed his level of risk acceptance since becoming a dad.
In the film he comes across really well. It's not about the tick list aspect, it's about the love of being by yourself in beautiful and challenging places which is exactly why I spend most weekends in the Scottish hills.
Just watched this and searched to see if anyone had posted about it.
Apparently he has now completed them:
He needs to commit and go full leopard man:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/06/17/tom-leppard-tattooed-man--obituary/
Just discovered this as its on BBC1 at 7:30 tomorrow (fri).
Watching on iplayer now… The scenery really is amazing.
I watched this the other day too. I did enjoy it, and somewhat envious of that amount of time in mountain areas, with a bike. I'm probably not best placed to comment on his mountaineering skills, but there's certainly risks taken that I would not. Otherwise, an impressive feat and some amazing times in the hills.
What I don't get is the desire/need to do it all with a bike. I know the lure of absolute completionism is strong, especially with Munros, but I just don't see the point of carrying a bike up the In-Pinn and down again. Would you do it with a fridge? Would it be any more or less pointless than a bike? And all the others which must be a pleasantly challenging hike/scramble, but with an added burden. Is there anything wrong with saying "I rode all of the rideable Munros, and climbed/walked the rest"..? It's the whole following through on a singular idea just for the sake of it's singularity, that I just don't understand or appreciate as much as others.
What I don't get is the desire/need to do it all with a bike. I know the lure of absolute completionism is strong, especially with Munros, but I just don't see the point of carrying a bike up the In-Pinn and down again. Would you do it with a fridge? Would it be any more or less pointless than a bike? And all the others which must be a pleasantly challenging hike/scramble, but with an added burden. Is there anything wrong with saying "I rode all of the rideable Munros, and climbed/walked the rest"..? It's the whole following through on a singular idea just for the sake of it's singularity, that I just don't understand or appreciate as much as others.
Ultimately everything we do is irrelevant and pointless. In a long enough timeframe this all only ends up one way and it will be as if our existence never even happened.
Viewed through that lens, I wouldn't criticise how anyone finds meaning and fulfillment in their lives providing it doesn't harm others. In this case we also have the opportunity of finding new capabilities by doing things that are seemingly pointless. I've taken my bike on routes that I thought might be not much fun with a bike. Sometimes it turned out it really wasn't fun but other times it turned out OK.
Just don't leave the stuff you bring with you and I think it's absolutely a valid way to spend your time:
I watched it and really enjoyed it, I've been following him for a while on the socials and he does come across well. No chance I'd be doing some of the things he's doing but I don't feel like he's being irresponsible. I was wondering recently about influencers taking out groups and wondering how much risk assessment they are doing and what is their duty of care? If someone falls and has a sore one on a patreon ride who is going to fix things? If you pay for a guide the onus is on them to look after you.
What I don't get is the desire/need to do it all with a bike. I know the lure of absolute completionism is strong, especially with Munros, but I just don't see the point of carrying a bike up the In-Pinn and down again. Would you do it with a fridge? Would it be any more or less pointless than a bike? And all the others which must be a pleasantly challenging hike/scramble, but with an added burden. Is there anything wrong with saying "I rode all of the rideable Munros, and climbed/walked the rest"..? It's the whole following through on a singular idea just for the sake of it's singularity, that I just don't understand or appreciate as much as others.
It's a fair question, but the answer is that if he'd done this (which is pretty much what I did), then no-one would be talking about it or watching his films. I guess my bike went with me to the top of maybe 30? of the Munros and there were maybe another half dozen where I thought it would have been worthwhile, whilst of the 30 there were a few that I thought in hindsight it wasn't worth the carry. Sean is a far more skilled rider than me though, and some of the stuff he rides, I wouldn't dream of doing so. Sure there's no "point" to carrying your bike up the In Pinn, but the path back down to Genn Brittle could be fun!
In doing them all with a bike, he's had sponsorship and support without which he probably wouldn't have been able to do them at all - certainly not in the timeframe.
I used to work in kyle of lochalsh directly opposite where leopard mans cave was on skye, if nobody saw his boat coming across on pension day they would go over and check he was OK
The BBC thing was worth watching.
Seem to have 3 threads suddenly on this,so I'll assume this will be the main one.
Just seen this/him for the first time. Great programme, he came across as a genuine guy. He seemed to be pretty safety conscious in the film, but got the impression he'd learnt as he went along and maybe "matured".
Really enjoyed watching this. Cinema photography and scenery are superb, particularly for someone who rarely rides away from the south of England!
The piano was carried up by a circus strongman as a bet which didn't include carrying it back down. It was on local radio or The Oban Times can't remember which when I was living up there about 20 odd years ago.
Fair dinkum effort by Sean and all the time and pain hes gone through to do this , Cut Media made the program shine and like most raised a glass with him on the 19th when he finished the 8 year stretch. Where do you go from there .. the must be a massive void left now...
the must be a massive void left now
I dunno. He's got kids to bring up. That'll take him a few years 🙂
Where do you go from there .. the must be a massive void left now..
Doubt it, he’ll never be finished
There’s 222 Corbetts to accomplish
There’s 231 Graham’s to accomplish
😉
There’s 222 Corbetts to accomplish
There’s 231 Graham’s to accomplish
I wonder if that would be easier or harder? They're not as big, but while basically all the Munros have paths to the top a lot of the Corbetts will be pretty much trackless.
Doubt it, he’ll never be finished
There’s 222 Corbetts to accomplish
I asked him about this and he said "it has been considered. The downside to that is there are a lot of pathless grassy Corbetts"
He doesn't sound keen, but after I completed the Munros I said I wasn't doing any more tick lists, but it feels like I'm inevitably going down that route. There's lots of fabulous hills out there...
After compleating the Munros I somehow ended up ticking off all the Corbetts in Nov 2014 in Knoydart.
Broadly speaking, I'd say the Corbetts were superior hills in that they were quieter with less obvious trade routes up 'em. I've got different priorities these days and, as someone with an almost visceral dislike of social media I've avoided watching this. Maybe I should give it a go.
