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General Climbing Discussion

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Thorpey says top roping is fully sick. 4-Feb-2005 At 2:23:38 PM master of drung

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I thoroughly enjoyed the simon mentz interview, thankyou, but it reminded me of something i have been mulling over some time. Presuming access, safety and height aren't issues why not top rope a new climb rather than bolt what is after all is almost always public property and often actually protected rock faces.
I understand and personally differentiate between a trad lead and a top rope because the finding of gear in order to protect yourself is a gratifying end in itself and i don't believe the odd bolt on a route need diminish this. However whilst a climb that features exclusively bolt protection is hopefully a worthwhile exercise, is the clipping of bolts part of this experience. Obviously the act of clipping makes a climb more demanding but is this any more sensible as a handicap than stopping to thoroughly scratch your arse every three metres. What i am saying is that if clipping bolts isn't an end in itself and a sensible alternative exists then why engage in an activity that is at the very least ethically questionable (That is societal ethics not those wacky climbing ones that seem to change.). I guess that climbs with larger spaced bolts blur this line a bit but this becomes closer to a choice between top roping and soloing a whole different issue. I also think that severely run out sport routes are normally to long to top rope anyway. Maybe there are many people already practicsing this (Note: have read and appreciated trip reports containing top roping on this forum.) in which case great, but publicise it, write up new hard top rope climbs as such, present this as an option to the climbing world instead of it being widely relegated to the preserve of bumblies and as practice for hard grit death solos.
Additions, corrections, abuse, publicity (for the concept not me), donations (for me not the concept) all graciously accepted.