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Fully sick bolt wars at Araps 8-Jun-2016 At 9:16:26 AM Wendy

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On 7/06/2016 ben wiessner wrote:

>
>I think it's a great route, really fun. I'm glad that Wendy rediscovered
>it (because otherwise I probably wouldn't have played on it. And how about
>that: Wendy discovered a route that isn't sh*t!!). I'm glad Duncan took
>the bolts out of it (because I think the route doesn't need them, and is
>better without them). And I'm also glad that I got to see how Doug responded
>when he wandered up to the route and was told that the bolts had been removed
>(because he was so understanding and accepting that I wouldn't have been
>surprised if he had broken out some tibetan prayer flags. Respect!).

I would have been understanding and accepting of difference of opinion if Duncan had actually talked to me about it. Just taking the bolts out without talking to me about his concerns send the message to me that he views his opinion as more valid than mine, that he doesn't respect that I put thought and consultation into the route. It also made me aware of how bolting wars can just go on, because my first urge was to just go and put the bolts back in again. Reactive responses feed reactive responses. When I said that I thought it was rude to not just talk to me about it first and I would have been happy for us both to go and discuss it with Glenn if he had just approached me about it, I received multiple emails full of personal abuse and derision. That was way over the top and really nasty. I was almost in tears they were that bad.

I don't really see how it is a better route without the bolts. Sure the first ascent would have had a bold bouldery start (or preclipped some gear, these things weren't unheard of in the 80s) but the experience of clipping the bolt after the crux is the same as clipping the piton would have been. They don't get in the way of the climbing at all. Is the route made by having a bouldery start? Glenn's intentions were to make the route more friendly. There was some discussion by other people about placing a bolt nest to the crack at the crux. I would have called that overkill. My intention was to turn an obscure, virtually unclimbed route into a feasible onsight lead. When it gets some onsights rather than head points, I'll be happy to hear the opinion of those people.

On another point of differing opinion, I don't feel like climbing up those layaways is really climbing the route. The route is the crack and the challenge of holding and moving up on slippery flared thin hands and finger locks with no footholds. The layaways are way off right and probably closer to Morphyne than Master Blaster. But it's no skin of my nose. It's like all those people doing Hyperlink via the down low move and or escaping to the side on Ergonomics. It's a contrived sport we participate in.