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The Irish Solution to The Ben Lomond Problem 13-Oct-2017 At 3:56:59 AM Karl Bromelow

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I wouldn't pull it Kieren (someone else might) and as I said I wasn't outraged but hugely surprised. There was an 8 year gap between my only 2 climbs of the route. That 8 years may well have been when many chains and anchors also proliferated around the mount. I am not necessarily arguing against the people who saw fit to install them. I also suggested it was the end of a slippery slope, not the start. It definitely changed the feel of the route for me. My own perspective. But neither am I a fan of carrots. My background was a strict ethic of no bolts on grit or mountain crags (or almost any rock other than blank limestone) in the UK. My point was more about the perception variation in what constitutes a slippery slope and where it bottoms out.

I should add that, since those early days for me, lower grade routes on more featured limestone in Yorkshire have seen enormous amounts of retro bolting and the scene has changed enormously. For better or worse? That depends on your personal view. For the majority, probably much better. For a few, it was most definitely a slippery slope and quite a dramatic one. There was quite a bit of vocal opposition. As far as one can get upset by the fringe goings on in the world of climbing.

I am not involved in the politics of it and won't be marching on parliament.

Cheers, Karl