Robin Smith

In one legendary week on Ben Nevis in 1960 Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith climbed six first winter ascents on consecutive days, including the mini Alpine-route Orion Face Direct. They also made the first one-day winter ascent of Point Five Gully, went for a walk, had a beer and got arrested over an incident with some dominoes! Exactly 50 years later Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner pay tribute by setting out to repeat all the routes that Smith and Marshall first climbed in that famous week. This film tells the story of the original events and follows MacLeod and Turner as they discover exactly what an achievement it was.

One of the great pioneers of Scottish mountaineering, Jimmy Marshall, reflects on a lifetime of climbing in Scotland. His soulful words accompany stunning footage of the routes which Marshall first climbed on Ben Nevis 50 years ago.

This award winning film tells the story of an epic first ascent by Robin Smith and Dougal Haston on Ben Nevis in 1959. The film is a re-enactment shot in a memorable week in 1978, when Rab Carrington played the part of Robin Smith and Brian Hall played Dougal Haston; Paul Nunn was safety officer. A cult classic based on Smith's famous tale 'The Bat & The Wicked' and interwoven with extracts from Hastons's autobiography 'In High Places', the narration gives a rare insight into the competitive world of extreme rock climbing. The Bat is an evocative tribute to two of Scotland's greatest climbers.