REVIEW BY TOM DALE

Sunday night saw the world-famous Reel Rock film tour grace the stage of Poole Lighthouse for the first time.

The cinematic showcase of four films of some of the top climbers on the planet pushing themselves to the limit in their individual disciplines was equal parts inspirational and mind-blowing.

The tour, now in its twelfth season, kicked off with a man who has been touted as the best climber in the world, Chris Sharma, and his annual pilgrimage to the island of Mallorca to enjoy rope-less climbing with only the sea to break falls of over 100 feet. As the man himself puts it: "There's nothing like dangling by your fingertips on a huge wall with just your climbing shoes and your chalk bag."

Chris has been pushing the limits of this unique style of climbing - known as deep water solo - for the last ten years and continues to do with his groundbreaking new route Alasha.

The next film took us from a now-ageing great to potentially the next boundary pushing climber, Margo Hayes, in Break on Through. Margo, at only 19-years-old, is the first woman to climb the grade 5.15 - achieved by only the most super-natural of climbers. The young and incredibly driven climber from the United States wasn't on anyone's radars to be the first female to reach these heights, but she has now set a new benchmark in the sport.

Brad Gobright, 'the greatest climber you've never heard of' featured in the film Safety Third, a true celebration of the underdog - driven purely by a desire for personal achievement, not the spotlight. His dangerous exploits climbing without safety gear rival those of the renowned soloist Alex Honnold, but Brad remains out of the spotlight.

"People have falsely deflated expectations of disabled athletes," says climber Maureen Beck in the night's final film, Stumped. Maureen was born without her left hand and is currently the best one-armed female climber in the world. The film confronts people who describe Maureen and her fellow adaptive climbers as "inspirational" and the patronising coverage she and "her clan" are given in the media. As Maureen puts it: "We don't climb to be special, we don't climb to win silly awards. We climb because we love climbing, just like everybody else."