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Slab vs. Slab: MacAskill and Bolton take on rock climbing routes

Who rode it better: the Canuck or the Scot?

Danny MacAskill Matt Bolton Photo by: Danny MacAskill / Clint Trahan

Today Danny MacAskill released his latest video segment, The Slabs. It sees the Scottish trials rider dipping his toes into the world of rock climbing routes, riding down the Duhb Slabs on the Isle of Skye.

While MacAskill is just getting into rock climbing on bikes, near-vertical lines are an everyday ride for Squamish’s Matt Bolton. The Canadian freerider made headlines this spring after posting a photo of him sharing an over-vertical rock slab with an ascending rock climber.

Of course, MacAskill’s otherworldly skills on a bike mean his leap into the world of steep rock faces is stunning, and edge-of-chair gripping in its own right.

But who rode it better? Are Bolton’s rock face routes – in that photo and in his Big Wild film  – more impressive than MacAskill’s ride down Duhb Slab? Let’s dive into the details and find out.

Matt Bolton Big Wild Squamish
Matt Bolton in Squamish. Photo: AJ Barlas / OneUp Components

Slab vs. Slab: Matt Bolton and Danny MacAskill

One small disclamer: B.C. riders are wild

First, let’s be clear. Matt Bolton isn’t the only Canadian, or B.C.-based rider hitting really impressive slab lines. Narrow ribbons of grippy granite are a common feature for Squamish trails, from blue trails like Leave of Absence to the many hidden pro lines around the small Sea-to-Sky town. Rémy Metailler, Seth Sherlock, Yoann Barelli and others all have crazy footage of them riding, or jumping the most intense lines around. Not far south, Steve Vanderhoek builds and rides more intimidating features in North Vancouver.

RELATED: Rémy Métailler’s Squamish shredding is even scarier without music

But Matt Bolton is the rider who found an actual climbing route to ride on his bike. Then did that, while a climber was on it, with Clint Trahan and Travis Bothner to capture it all on film. So he gets the honour of going head-to-head with the legendary Danny MacAskill.

That said, let’s get at it.

Location: Squamish vs. Skye

Starting with location, MacAskill’s Slabs is set on the idyllic Isle of Sky. An exposed rock face towers out in the open against a back drop of hills and a distant lake. Not bad. At this point, I think the idea of travelling anywhere is appealing to most of us and Skye just moved up the list. But it’s also not B.C. Fog, moss, every colour of green and the sharp coastal mountains that plummet directly down into Howe Sound. We may be biased, slightly, but Bolton gets the point here for being in Canada.

RELATED: Behind the Shot: Matt Bolton’s wild line past a rock climber

Speed: Trials vs. Sending It

In Slabs, MacAskill picks his way down Duhb slowly, and with precision. For good reason.  He is, at points, on the edge of a towering cliff. Bolton, on the other hand, appears to have his wheels off the ground as much as they’re on it in Big Wild. When a feature does require a slow entry

Technical difficulty

Comparing MacAskill’s riding to Bolton is kind of like comparing apples to oranges, even when they’re both riding slabs. Bolton has a more high speed attacking approach, which suits the shorter features surrounding Squamish. MacAskill, faced with finding a route down a wide-open slope, is forced to draw on his trials background to jump and hop up cliff-edge-ledges and over gaps – all while still on steep rock. MacAskill takes this one, for the precision skill in a harrowing setting.

Steepness: 69-degrees

Matt Bolton’s entry to the slab is so steep he had to get airborne just to avoid getting his BB hung up on the rock. Measured out, it’s was a perfect 69-degrees. MacAskill’s looked steep, but not quite so neat a number. Bolton takes it.

RELATED: How does Matt Bolton actually ride those huge slabs in “Big Wild”?

Height

MacAskill descends nearly 500-metres of rock in one continuous line. From near the peak of Duhb Slab to the water’s edge below. Bolton pieces together a number of shorter slabs. But, while MacAskill’s continuous height is taller, no individual feature looks as long as some of Bolton’s. That is, admittedly, really just hard to judge from watching a video, though, so MacAskill’s continuous line takes this one.

One slab to rule them all?

So, who takes it? Bolton has three points, for location, speed and steepness. MacAskill has two, for height and technical riding. But, since we really just gave Bolton the location point because he filmed in Canada, this comes out as a draw. Disappointing? Hardly! We all get to watch these two incredibly talented riders do things none of us would even consider trying. Everyone on this side of the screen wins.