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Film review: 'Distilled'

Andy Cave mixed climbing in the Cairngorms

Written by Tom Briggs, December 2013

'Distilled' is a new film by Paul Diffley of Hot Aches productions. It�s both a celebration of Scottish winter climbing and a profile of the mountaineer, Guide and author, Andy Cave. Those familiar with Andy�s autobiography �Learning to Breathe� will enjoy re-visiting some of the stories from the book, told by Andy in the narrative to the film.

Stylistically, the film cuts between Andy and his climbing partner climbing a selection of classic Scottish winter routes, mainly on Ben Nevis and in Glencoe, with imagery from inside the Glenfiddich whiskey distillery overlaid with poetry. From his first trip to Scotland through to tragic events on Changabang in the Indian Himalaya, the Scottish footage is interspersed with historical photos, as Andy tells the story of how mountaineering set the direction of his life. Growing up in the small mining town of Royston, near Barnsley, he�d followed his father down the pit at the age of 16. The miners� strike of the mid-eighties brought with it uncertainty about the future and meant there was little money around, but it gave Andy the opportunity to immerse himself in what was to become a lifelong passion.

Andy describes his first trip up to Scotland with poor-quality equipment and scant experience beyond local rock climbs, climbing Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis "wearing school trousers and a Peter Storm jacket". He was totally out of his depth and later he and a friend saved up Mars Bar vouchers for the bus ride up to Glencoe, so that they could join a week-long mountaineering course run by the late Mal Duff. This had a huge impact on Andy and from there he headed to the Alps and, deciding to quit mining, was invited on various Himalayan expeditions. Rather than going back underground, he spent his £1,500 miner�s pension to fund five months away and then decided to become a Mountain Guide.

The filming on Ben Nevis is a real treat. Diffley undoubtedly gets lucky with an incredible period of weather in winter 2013, meaning the viewer can watch Cave dance up some of the classic ice routes in as good condition as they ever get. If you want to see The Curtain in its full glory, then here it is. The many years Cave has spent moving over this type of terrain is obvious, with him making most of the climbing look pretty effortless. It�s a shame that the editing is such that we rarely see him place any gear, clearly this is intentional with Diffley wanting to maintain the �flow� of the climbing. On the steeper mixed climb, Sidewinder, you can almost sense the cameraman smiling as Cave is engulfed in spindrift and struggles for once to make upward progress. This is what we want - the �full Scottish experience�; hood up, eyelids coated in powder, scratching around for a secure axe placement. But even these challenging conditions look beautiful and enticing from the comfort of the viewers� armchair. The reality might feel somewhat different!

Distilled won the �People�s Choice� award at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival and it�s easy to understand why, as it combines the beauty of the Scottish wilderness with Cave�s interesting life story and likeable, understated personality. It reminds us how unique the Scottish mountains are and how they remain relatively pristine, without the cable cars and ironmongery we might associate with the Alpine regions. If you�re looking for some inspiration to get away from the desk and out into the mountains, then watch this film. Distilled; like a good single malt drunk by the fireside, leaves the viewer with a warm glow inside. Adventure is out there � you just need to be bold enough to go and immerse yourself in it!

On the evening of Friday 7 March 2014 there will be a talk by Andy Cave at the Royal Geographical Society in London, followed by a screening of Distilled. Sponsors of this event include Jagged Globe, Lowe Alpine, Ellis Brigham and Glenfiddich Look out for more details soon.

If you can't wait to see the film, you can buy a copy of the DVD here.

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