Here’s the full version of my movie about one of my Asturian climbing colleagues…

This is a film about a ‘local’.

Now as often as not the word local has negative connotations – in the world of surfing the local is insular, protective and can be aggressive towards people who dare to tread in their territory.

While in the world of climbing this can also be true, with people claiming ‘ownership’ of crags and some territoriality, in my experience there is another class of local; those who are proud of their area, the routes they have done and are more than happy to share with anyone interested enough to visit. These people have heritage, bring history and colour and are wedded to new routing not as an act of claiming territory but more as an act of creation. Adding a new brushstroke to a bigger canvas

Gali Ares is one of these people. A local who, after 30 years, still finds joy in their ‘local’ crag, in this case, Teverga, Asturias and after 30 years is still creating and adding lines to this multi-sector marvel. In the movie, we get Gali’s take on Teverga, new routing, his inspirations and how his twin passions of music and climbing intertwine to form his character.

This is not a 9b movie shouting loudly about grades. It is not a movie about cutting edge climbing. It is not a movie about heroes. It is about a quiet passion, a lasting love affair and the hard work and inspiration behind a creative act that leaves a legacy for everyone. The shame of most art is that it ends up in a museum and old masters works are to be viewed at a distance, from behind a line.

However, in climbing, an artist’s work, their legacy, can be in your hands, their ‘brushstrokes’ can be traced and their vision followed. The lines that litter the crags are our gallery. So maybe, in the end it is about heroes, the quiet ones, the ones who leave something behind but charge nothing for their work. The locals.