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Chockstone Forum - Trip Reports

Tells Us About Your Latest Trip!

Author
Good & bad days happen. Morphed to what is sport?

IdratherbeclimbingM9
15-Jun-2005
1:06:31 PM
gfdonc said 10/06/05;
>('Specially not since I managed to up my leading grade by a notch last weekend .. around 22 years after sending a 22 I finally managed a 23 (with rests, one fall, no redpoint).
>Am I happy about that? you bet.)
>-Steve

Funny how the mind works, as Steve’s post triggers an antidote reminiscence on my part!

Peroxide Blonde at Buffalo was calling me to lead it.
Have not led this grade (free) for years now.
Come to think of it, I am not even sure of the grade.
Twenty or 21 if I recall correctly, but it doesn’t matter as long as I get up it cleanly.
Been psyching up to it for ages now; … at least a fortnight since the thought emerged in my mind!
Got a weather opportunity and time off from family commitments last weekend, so decided to ‘send’ this mental project that I’d set myself.

Irony develops …

1st time in MANY years that I decided to have a ‘sport climbing day’, so I rummaged around the gear box and found my (buried under aid and trad gear) wire-gated quickdraws and bolt brackets.
Ahh lighhhtt, I thought to myself feeling the lack of weight as I shed my usual pro off the harness for these different tools of trade. A bloke ought to do this more often sometimes, … just to keep in touch.

Managed to inveigle climbau into the task of belay slave even though his arm is playing up for the moment as a result of cranking at Nowra.
Yep, having a sportclimbing type for a belay slave is fitting for this adventure.

He arrives early on a cold Queens Birthday Monday morning after recent heavy rain at Buffalo and we head off on what we hope will be a classic day, as we figure this climb should dry out soonest due to there being no seepage points above it!
After that I have my mind set on an exposed grade 16 to relax / celebrate, … but this one will probably be wet.

Irony develops further …

Pass through Myrtleford and see the sign outside a shop ‘Got your chains yet?’.
No alarm bells ring though we have none, 'cos we will risk beating the gate-man.
Arrive at the Park entrance and note the fees have gone up about 50% accompanied by a sign ‘No chains, - no entry’.
Now the alarm bells start ringing.
Ask the nice Parks Vic. man about road closures and he informs us that the Horn Rd from Tatra is now closed (locked gate) for the season although there is no snow.
Quick mental calculation of 6km walk in + return to Myrtleford to hire chains + time lost + cost/s + weather window + dicky arm = lets go to Mt Pilot instead.

Irony arrives …

It is weird that the day (of all days) on which I should actually decide to SPORTclimb (very rare thing for me), turns out to be so badly anticipated on my part regarding all the other factors involved.
Ah well, it was an opportunistic impulse anyway.
Fate has decreed that I remain true to being an aid/trad climber for a while longer …

My reputation remains intact ?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post edit;
We enjoyed a coffee then an easy sport/trad climb at Pilot and watched with interest as the weather clagged in on Buffalo, ... then did some reconnaisance for new routes on some tall boulders nearby.


climbau
15-Jun-2005
4:37:07 PM
The God's certainly sent a strong message that day M8!
It's not a bad life, that of a "baddie traddie"/"mechanical animal". If the weather craps out, then there is no sense of lost time as I have found in sport climbing. Dare I say it that Trad/Aid allows you to get "lost in time", and therefore there are no "Bad" days in my opinion.
---------------------------------------------
POST EDIT
Don't fall off your chair M8, I realise that I am bordering on philosophical here!!!!

Climbau "baddie traddie, occasional sporto, and aspiring mechanical animal"
WM
15-Jun-2005
5:34:34 PM
On 15/06/2005 M8iswhereitsat wrote:
> did some reconnaisance for new routes on some tall boulders nearby.

Grid bolt the suckers and you'll be rid of that pesky trad/aid reputation forever.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
15-Jun-2005
5:46:00 PM
On 15/06/2005 WM wrote:
>>On 15/06/2005 M8iswhereitsat wrote:
>>did some reconnaisance for new routes on some tall boulders nearby.

>Grid bolt the suckers and you'll be rid of that pesky trad/aid reputation forever.

Laugh Out Loud (like the humour).
Might be a short 'forever' though, if the Trads &/or Boulderers get a hold on any grid bolters !

cheesehead
16-Jun-2005
9:02:02 AM
Fantastic story, M

A few technical points to clarify though:
If something needs bolt plates, it is NOT sport.
Your decided lack of forethought and preparation were completely normal for a sport climbing daytrip.
That's why the biggest epic you'll ever have sport climbing is trying to find a vegan meal in Krabi

IdratherbeclimbingM9
16-Jun-2005
11:52:52 AM
cheesehead said;
>If something needs bolt plates, it is NOT sport.

?

I must be old fashioned more than I thought. When did a bolt protected only climb, turn from Sport to 'NOT sport' ?

Granted its not ringbolts, but then again it is not in Europe either!
dalai
16-Jun-2005
11:54:51 AM
Agree with Cheesehead. Wiggly plates = non sport route.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
16-Jun-2005
12:00:28 PM
So if I place the plates (and draws?) on the bolts during the abseil in, does it become sport then?

You blokes are blowing me away with this 'wiggly plates' concept. I thought all the early sportclimbs were boltfests, and this is what differentiated them from 'trad'.

Generation/al thing happening here or what?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post edit.
Dictionary on this site says ...
>Sport Climb. Climbs (usually a single pitch) on cliffs which have been vandalized with bolts, chalk, and lycra-clad trendites. Widely perceived as being safer and thus adored by land managers as an excuse to close climbing areas.

cheesehead
16-Jun-2005
12:33:19 PM
As opposed to
Bolted (full or partially) trad climbs. Personified by:
Fiddling piddly wiggly hangers off a biner or out of chalk bag;
Having wire-gate bines allowing them to fall off;
Being a tight-wad kiwi and using noosed wires instead of hangers;
Not wearing lycra;
Not being particullarly safe or sporty
gfdonc
16-Jun-2005
12:45:50 PM
Oohh, ooh, it seems perhaps we're getting closer to someone providing me with a definition of 'sports climbing' ..

IdratherbeclimbingM9
16-Jun-2005
1:01:48 PM
You been/stayed in pommie-land too long cheese!
:)
~~~~~~~
Edit
Hypothetical ...
So if a bolt was placed on gritstone* would that become sport (with or without the wiggly bracket)?

(*It would never happen I know, so I am not suggesting being sacrilegious).

cheesehead
16-Jun-2005
2:10:26 PM
I think you'd be sport for the pitchfork crew....
Most of the grit is highballing anyway. You may headpoint (top rope something to death to avoid your death), then solo it with a rope tied to you, and a mate with a camera and beanie standing nearby for your potential obituary shot. Not sure what bolts would do for it, actually...

PS, I formed such views long before leaving our sea-girt nation.
Dave C
16-Jun-2005
5:56:55 PM
On 16/06/2005 M8iswhereitsat wrote:
>You been/stayed in pommie-land too long cheese!

He stayed to long? How do you think I feel (after 16 years!)

>Hypothetical ...
>So if a bolt was placed on gritstone* would that become sport (with or
>without the wiggly bracket)?
>
>(*It would never happen I know, so I am not suggesting being sacrilegious).

I am glad you stuck that caveat on the end M8, it's the kind of thing that causes anally retentive gritstoners to turn apoplectic!

Cheesehead's summary of grit climbing is pretty good but I wouldn't describe stuff like London Wall, B4XS or Partheon Shot as being 'highball.'

IdratherbeclimbingM9
16-Jun-2005
8:10:05 PM
>our sea-girt nation
I have heard some youngsters unfamiliar with the words of our anthem sing ...
"Our land is dirt by sea" !
:-O

>How do you think I feel (after 16 years!)
Stuck in UK I'd say !!

mousey
16-Jun-2005
8:51:02 PM
M8- north of the border anything thatis fully/mostly bolted is called 'sport', no matter whatyou have to fiddle around with to clip into them...

IdratherbeclimbingM9
16-Jun-2005
8:59:29 PM
On 16/06/2005 JCP wrote:
>M8- north of the border anything thatis fully/mostly bolted is called 'sport',
>no matter whatyou have to fiddle around with to clip into them...

I agree.
My origin (pun?) is North of the border.
Maybe thats where I got the notion from that bolts mostly = sport !

IdratherbeclimbingM9
16-Jun-2005
9:38:42 PM
On 16/06/2005 gfdonc wrote:
>Oohh, ooh, it seems perhaps we're getting closer to someone providing me
>with a definition of 'sports climbing' ..

Link to another thread seems appropriate here (gfdoncs)
http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=1&MessageID=19041

This one is the start of the thread
http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?ForumID=1&Action=Display&MessageID=19024&PagePos=&Sort=

... then go 'view messages'

There are 17 messages in this topic.

 

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