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General Climbing Discussion

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Docs rant thread 11-Jul-2006 At 12:01:40 PM drdeviousii

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>So let's keep the to the issue of attracting
>more people, and keep the undertones out of it.

agreed

>I hear a lot of bitching about overcrowding, environmental damage etc.,
>but are you blaming Burnley as the root cause of it all?

no. burnley is brand new. the impact will be felt later. we have the opportunity to direct the future path
of climbing through projects such as burnley.

>What do you propose we do with Burnley? Tear it down again? Pick it up
>and move it out of the public's eye? Tear down anything that's too easy
>for you so only people who crank harder than you can climb there?

no. nothing so radical has been proposed. we meerly wish that the "recruiting drive" mentality of the
management of burnley needs to be toned down. we don't "need" a massive influx of new climbers to
our sport. there is enough already emerging from schools, uni clubs and commercial gyms. our gyms
are crowded and our campsites are full. we have nothing against beginner climbers or easy routes. not
everyone in melbourne needs to discover what we all love. we are afraid that with more climbers the
whole attraction of the activity we all enjoy will evaporate due to additional strain on resources [plastic
and real]. we also don't agree with sending people off to buy new gear from the "sponsors". if people
really had beginners at heart we would be collecting old shoes and leaving a bin of them at the wall for
all to use.

we all put our own energy, holds and time into this project. call us elitist if you will. what we say here is
the voice of at least three local climbers who feel very strongly about this subject.