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Sonnie Trotter Goes Down on Tasmania 25-Feb-2016 At 3:51:51 PM Tastrad

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Doing new routes has got everything to do with it..
The first ascensionist has to have the vision to conceive the route, the faith in his/her ability to climb it, clean the route (sometimes for days), bolt the route if necessary (and the expense of bolts) and the filthy, strenuous work it is; project the route, sometimes in remote areas, until eventual success.
It is a continual quest for discovery and adventure...way more motivating for me than repeating existing climbs.

Why is it that a low percentage of climbers have ever done a new route? Is it because they lack vision, too much hard work, no unclimbed rock? One year I put up 80 new climbs in the South Esk.."but are they routes of quality" a cynic asked me. That question is nonsensical to a new router..every new route must have had some redeeming quality for the first ascensionist to rope up beneath it..even if the motive is as base as thoroughness of development of your local crag..every offwidth and line must be climbed in the name of thoroughness of discovery.

I go new routing every weekend..have done for over 30 years..and when it comes to claiming a FFA, it makes sense to have a lowest common denominator..not an ethical highpoint, otherwise half the climbs wouldn't exist..and its silly to have different rules for sport and trad..throw all ethics of style out the window for sport routes, but insist on purity for trad.
I think there's one rule..get the FFA by free climbing it with no hangs on gear in the best style you can manage..redpointed, pinkpointed, brown pointed, dick pointed whatever..and improve on the style later on if you want to.