What on earth is a Munro? Well, it’s the name for any mountain in Scotland that is over 3,000 ft (914.4m). Thanks to Scotland’s incredible open access laws, Sean Green aka Grizzly Munro, or anyone for that matter, is able to ride all 282 of them. And that is exactly what he has set out to do aboard his Deviate Guide high-pivot gearbox mountain bike.
Munros bagged: 145/282
Griz: Sean Green on his Munro Bagging Mission
A short film by Tommy Wilkinson of Descent World Agency. Photos courtesy of Andy Cole.
Words from Descent World
Sean Green is a well recognised face on the mountain’s of Scotland. With a eclectic mix of tattoos, his grizzly frame and often with a bike on his back, a shrinking violet he is not.
A childhood spent drawing patterns on himself while dreaming of the rugged peaks, whirling dervishes and esoteric endeavors that the Highlands provide left Sean with a drive to summit them all – “bagging” as it has now commonly become known as.
While he isn’t the first (Paul Tattersal can claim this feat) to make all 282 summits by bike, and being only just over half way through (145), Sean is a working guy with a young family – requiring a deft ability to juggle his own ambitions with the responsibilities of family life – that makes his project both long, arduous and at times, at risk of going unfulfilled.
In Sean’s own word’s the dream he is chasing goes beyond the physical experiences. “I often get asked about my favorite descent. And that’s a really hard one to answer. I reckon there are maybe 6 or 7 that would battle it out for the top spot. What makes it so hard is the romanticism of these mountains and the emotions they evoke.
Some of the best days on my bike haven’t necessarily been on the best trails that these mountains offer, but instead, a combination of sights and feelings which filled me with nothing but ‘euphoria’ for want of a better word.
Standing atop the summit of Binnien Mor at 10.15 PM on a summers night, watching the sunset over the mighty Ben Nevis. Not a breath of wind, clear skies for 100 miles in every direction, a feeling of true solitude and ultimately insignificance In this world. A clear mind to focus on nothing but your surroundings. All that matters is me, my bike, and making it off this mountain with the biggest smile on my face.
Those are the days I yearn for, the slithers of golden singletrack never before ridden, are just a bonus”.
Hit the link below to follow Sean on his mission to bag all 282 Munros.
