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Fully sick bolt wars at Araps 11-May-2016 At 12:29:47 PM Macciza

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On 11/05/2016 The good Dr wrote:
>On 10/05/2016 Macciza wrote:
>>Yawn, more ascents doth butter no parsnips ...
>>I'd rather it had less ascents, but by a better class of climber ...
>>It's got some bolts that you don't need to clip, it certainly doesn't
>>need any more...
>>
>>And if it's all so easy and 'sport climbing'ish then come on - step up
>>or shut up - just don't clip up ...
>>
>
>There is no class in spraying about a new dodgy headpoint. Describing
>a climber as being of a better class just because they climb a sketchfest
>is quite yawn inducing, particularly considering some of the folks who
>could do it are regular a-holes in real life.
>
>I saw a climber with real class the other day. Still climbs very hard,
>has put up some of the most sought after routes in the country over a long
>time and is still having fun. Some climbers rapped off the Bluffs at Araps.
>he asked them what they had just done. they sheepishly replied 'Blockbuster'.
>He enthusiastically congratulated them and excitedly gave them his memories
>of when he did the route the first time. That is a better class of climber.

dr, it's neither dodgy nor a sketch fest ....
The climb is a 2 star classic mixed route, bolts where they couldn't find gear, that is now a pure trad route climbable on modern gear. I think that is the natural progression for such routes, that the artificial aids for protection be eliminated. To go the other way and retro bolt it with dozen rings would truely be yawn-inducing!
Perhaps 'grade' would have been a better word, to avoid your confusion. A climber who could climb this route on natural protection is more skilled and competent (a better grade/class) then those who would require that it first be retro bolted so they could fall up it easily. I reckon there's more a-holes in the latter group ...

Nice anecdote, pity it really missed the point in question ...