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General Climbing Discussion

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Chipping caught on film in the Gunks 21-Feb-2013 At 1:12:22 PM f_abe

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It’s funny how we’re happy to drive on roads that have obliterated the native landscape through which they’re made (and how we whinge when they’re bad and wish they’d be fixed), trudge along well worn walking tracks (that have often been highly manufactured to ease our passage) to get to the cliffs, plonk our packs on ground levelled by numerous trackcare workdays, whack in bolts to aid (pun intended) our way to the top (“there’s no way this could be climbed on natural gear!”), smear the ‘sacred’ rock with unsightly white stains (“it’s okay, it’ll wash off in the rain...”), wire brush living vegetation from where it’s been for eons, yet the thought of chipping a hold is somehow frowned upon?
Don’t get me wrong, personally I’m all against chipping, but if it’s okay to whack in a bolt in order to do a route, what’s the fundamental difference? Look at the bolt ladder on the 7th pillar. Is that really climbing? Wouldn’t it be more fun if there was a line of nice pockets up that bit of rock? Imagine that – a grade 15 jug haul up the guts of taipan? Why should only the elite (and I deliberately don’t include aid climbers) get to climb up that bit of rock? If it doesn’t infringe an existing route, what’s the problem?
And what about gluing flakes on? Sort of like anti-chipping. Shouldn’t we, as ethical puritans, decree that if climbs fall apart it’s the way it was meant to be? Does it matter if a route is suddenly no longer climbable? Or would that be too compromising for a certain scenic east coast destination...
I’m not advocating or denouncing anything, just pointing out how hypocritical our chosen pastime is...