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Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
All NSW	(General)	(General)	(General)

Topic Date User

Rings on 10-Aug-2012 At 11:39:43 AM Nick Clow

Message

> Here's a challenge Nick. Go and find a ringbolted sport route in the Blueys, apply your rational analysis, and chop some bolts out of it. Either change it from 'clip and lower' to top belay, or make it into a mixed route, or just make it a bit more run out. One route! Surely a balanced, rational guy like you can find one route amongst the thousands of sport climbs which would be "ethically better" with less bolts.............you don't have any trouble finding climbs which apparently need to go in the other direction.

As you have managed to put your acute personality disorder aside for one brief second and ask a question relevant to the discussion, I will answer that, in my view, there are innumerable climbs in the mountains which would be 'better' with fewer bolts and/or with carrots instead of rings. Very quickly off the top of my head:

* Building a Better Mousetrap is a classic example. 11 bolts in 15 metres. What a piece of cr@p. Ironic that it shares the same start and is right next to Comfortably Numb - a fine climb.

* Language of Desire was a better climb before it was retroed, the little bit of commitment at the start added to the route.

* Let's Nail God used to be great, but now has about 5 bolts too many.

* Same with Shakes and Flakes.

* Cheap Dive was a great climb on its original bolts

* On Edge was a better climb on carrots and gear. I am amazed that Macciza’s ‘pride’ allows him to climb this without chopping it

* Barbarossa at Cosmic

* Junction City at Cosmic

* Exhibition Wall has about 6 bolts too many.... etc, etc, etc, etc, etc