On 2/11/2012 JDB wrote:
>You make some good points, Dalai (I thought you were in exile)
>Seriously though - if Magetic Attraction, QoE and Mean Streak all had
>a well positioned first bolt the masses would be much appreciative, and
>to those with big bollocks or bravery, they can just skip the first bolt.
Christ Almighty! Now you have me taking the Lord's name in vain!
Looking up from the ground at a potential 4.5m fall and deciding to step off the ground is a very different experience to looking up at the same climb with the option of piking out.
That you can't see the difference or you won't accept that other people might see it differently suggests a lack of empathy and imagination on your part. I really like that some climbs require that spicy commitment. At the same time it is completely understandable that for most people those climbs are not at all attractive.
The problem is that there are never arguments here on chockstone about someone overbolting a route and some smart ass suggesting that a retro chopping will make the route more appealing to the masses. These discussions only go the other way.
f--- that! There is plenty of rock out there. There are plenty of happy safe routes to dog up. If the masses need another well bolted crumbly granite slab, go bolt a new route. There is plenty of crumbly granite to go around.