Hopefully many of you out there caught the Dave MacLeod climbing special, 'To Hell and Back' on BBC2 on Wednesday night. It followed Dave, his support team and the TV production crew as he attempted to climb the ominous rock of Hell's Lum crag in the Cairngorms.

Dave MacLeod is one of the world's best climbers (and new Fort William resident), who achieved wider popular acclaim last year with the release of the E11 film, about his passion and struggle to achieve the world's hardest climb, Rhapsody, on Dumbarton Rock.

Dave's ascent of Hell's Lum was originally planned to be part of the BBC's live 'Big Climb' programme to go out in August. This live broadcast featuring some of the world's best climbers was unfortunately cancelled due to bad weather (see BBC news story about it here).

A select group stayed on to film Dave completing the climb. Though not the hardest technical route Dave has done, it was the most dangerous. There were sections in the climb where a fall would have meant near-certain death.

It was an amazing programme that really got inside the thought-processes and feelings of all involved - from Dave himself to his wife Claire, who belays him, to his producer and the camera guys who end up questioning whether they'd ever do this kind of work again. It asked the big questions of life - what do you want and how far are you prepared to go to get it?

You definitely don't have to be a climber to appreciate what Dave has to say, as well as what he does. He spends his working life thinking about, and acting on, the biggest decisions in life that the rest of us are busily ignoring - how far to push himself and others around him, how to manage risk and overcome obstacles. It's well worth looking at Dave's blog - you're guaranteed to be inspired, whatever your dreams.

p.s. That's Dave on the ice wall in the top corner of our Blog, at the launch of the Outdoor Capital of the UK brand in 2005.