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The Irish Solution to The Ben Lomond Problem 12-Sep-2017 At 12:05:57 AM Tastrad

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Someone has tried to solve the tat problem by replacing it with chain looped around a bollard. It is not suitable as the ropes get caught, and it is quite difficult to find an appropriate natural anchor for a wired rope/chain. My fear is that the chain will proliferate, so that every classic climb and buttress will end up with chains..and then people will get sick of those and replace them with bolts.

The next step is to start bolting routes, which is why the old rap bolts were removed...people were talking about bolting climbs and the abseil bolts created an ambiguity/grey area/start of the slippery slope.

The trashing of the gully is not a big issue as most of the walk is on a scree slope.

Carrying a big static to rap down is purely a convenience issue, but worth it, in my opinion, to preserve a totally bolt free crag.

Interesting that Fairhead, Gogarth, Pembroke and several other places in the UK are fiercely preserved as bolt free crags by the climbing community, including the descents/access. Why can't the Australian/Tasmanian community adopt the same attitude? Seems we are obsessed with making it safe/convenient for everybody.

I scrambled up to Centotaph Corner in Wales and was terrified by the approach; steep, wet, slippery, one slip and you're dead. Then the abseils were dozens of old tat around a tree, or a thread. But they don't seem to care. In Australia we would bolt a handrail, fixed line up to the crag, and put double bolt anchors at the top of Centotaph Corner, Left Wall, Cemetry Gates, and be done with it.

I complained to Steve Findlay (Hazels Dad) at pembroke one day, about having to find a belay amongst loose rock, gravel and steep grass at the top of Rock Idol, talked up in the guide as the best E1 in Britain. His attitude was that if you lack the traditional skills to belay in that situation, then you shouldn't be climbing there.

I agree. Ben Lomond is a serious crag and one of the last places left in Australia where all your trad skills are required to access, climb and descend the cliff...self reliance in the mountains is a dying skill set. Something worth preserving.