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Crag & Route Beta

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Topic Date User

Rings on 8-Aug-2012 At 12:30:34 PM davidn

Message

On 8/08/2012 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>On 8/08/2012 davidn wrote:
>>Simey - what if you have to rap it to clean it? That said, I pretty
>much
>>agree with your underlying sentiment, though I think even ground up
>bolting
>>done in a dangerous way is pretty lazy or egotistical.
>
>I'll bite, why do you think this?
>
>I don't doubt some of it could be regarded as dangerous in hindsight due
>maybe better locations could be found later, but that is one of the constraints
>of doing things ground up.
>In the twisted game that climbers play, ground up bolting is a more pure
>form of bolting! ;-)
>Heh, heh, heh.

Maybe, but it's bolting at the end of the day. Sure, on the one hand having the same poor bolting positions and lack of bolts will allow someone to 'recreate your experience' (climbers do get a bit overly misty eyed about that), but on the other hand, the whole purpose of bolts is safety.

Why add any at all if you don't want the route to be safe? Or to put it another way, don't start a job you don't want to finish! Sure, send it, but then go back and add the extra bolts or fix the positions or run the risk someone else may. Or don't bolt it at all. Another trad line or highball (or free solo or top-rope boulder problem) won't hurt the world, as I'm sure you'd agree.

I think that probably answers your second question as well. It may be a pain in the arse to fix and smack of 'adventure' to leave behind a bunch of shit quality bolts put in poor positions and too few to boot - no comment on any particular route - but it's really mostly just lazy or egotistical. It's just a view, we all have different ones, and bolting discussions never go anywhere ;)

* (yes, I know safe is a relative term, just to head off the inevitable ;)