MAD in Madagascar - Climbing with Sean Villanueva & Siebe Vanhee

Mad in Madagascar follows Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll and Siebe Vanhee on an exploratory push on the blank granite of Tsaranoro Atsimo in the Tsaranoro massif, Madagascar. Shot during an August 2015 trip, the pair identify a large unclimbed line on the face and work it ground up. Because the rock is largely devoid of cracks they carry a power drill, place bolts on lead and use skyhooks to bridge blank sections — techniques the film shows in practical detail. The film is useful for climbers interested in route‑finding and on‑lead bolting on remote big walls rather than for grade‑focused footage: it documents the decision making and headspace of a first‑ascent style exploration in a place where traditional protection is scarce. It also records how Villanueva and Vanhee adapt their usual light‑and‑clean approach when a blank massif forces the use of power tools and fixed protection.