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Mt York Accident 22-Jun-2010 At 3:07:28 AM td

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On 21/06/2010 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>On 21/06/2010 garbie wrote:
>>For what its worth, at the gym we put the first bolt at 3m, the 2nd at
>>4, the third at 5.2, the 4th at 6.6 (we then have subsequent ones at
>1.4m
>>intervals but you could have them further apart).
>
>Gyms also have a flat 'safe' flooring and a responsibility to paying customer
>safety.
>
>With respect, I suggest that the last thing I'd like to see in the outdoor
>arena is the murdering of adventure, by applying that indoor safety standard.
>
>I am not an avid sport climber, but would imagine that most of them would
>not want the sanitised gym experience to 'usurp' their sport experience,
>as they are two different genres of the game. I could easily be wrong about
>that, and no doubt will be told if I am. ;-)
>
>>This follows a formula in the Euro climbing wall standard and takes into
>account rope stretch etc. and supposedly minimises the possibility of decking.
> So if this is
>>the theory, should you follow it on the rock as much as possible,
>
>No.
>
>>while taking into account the terrain and holds to clip from? If there's
>an "easy"
>>section, should you run it out more than a metre to the second bolt,
>or
>>more than 1.2m to the third?
>
>Yes.

You talk about the "murdering of adventure" and "usurping of the sport experience" by bolting at closer intervals on outdoor sport climbs. I completely disagree with this. For me the outdoor experience is about being outside, climbing in the sun, feeling the real rock, looking for the next hold (without coloured plastic ones to guide you) and making the moves. Sure, its exciting when the fear kicks in due to the possibility of a fall/injury through a fall when climbing, but I think to call this part of the "adventure of climbing" is incorrect. Would you ask your belayer to keep an extra 2m of slack in the system to make it more adventurous? I think the adventure should come from the actual climbing/sense of achievement when sending a hard route; whilst the rope, quickdraws and bolts are simply a side product necessary for the sport to exist. I would personally spend more time climbing and enjoy it a whole lot more if routes were bolted in the fashion that garbie describes.

This of course is just my own opinion and as you say I'll no doubt be told if anyone disagrees with me on this.