Sport climbing is dead but bolting is a Tsunami

47? Cool. You call yourself rocklooney. Well that's me too.

Trad is hard to get into, hard to do well and hard to justify doing. No glory really, nobody cares what route you have done. "'Nobody,'' as in the glam sponsored dudes wants to do them. I even conceived a movie about it. (Tea for three).

Recently sponsored glory seeker German dudes came to Yellowwood and claim to have drilled a mere 9 "essential'' bolts on a new route. I counted more than 40, some next to cracks and at least one on the first pitch of a new route that I have been developing. As far as I know they did not even climb the local classics. And if they did, it's not sexy enough so they ain't telling.

I heard today some Spanish dudes have also been there and placed a few less ''essential'' bolts. I wonder if they climbed Prime Time - a mere 23 grade pitch that has yet to receive an on-sight free ascent. But again, they probably will get kudos for a few nice pics and a big number on one or two pitches with comfy bolts in the ''essential'' places.

And guess why they came. Because of a bolted route called Newborn grade 29. Big no and very sexy. A route that probably less than a hand-ful of SA climbers are capable of climbing - but there are bolts, lots of them. Those same climbers would have a slim chance of on-sighting Prime Time (a mere 23, not sexy-yes?).

In no time, if this goes on YW will just be another bolted crag and it will face the same problems as that other un-mentionable place. (There is a meeting tonight in CT with interested climbers as to how to keep it safe from over-use and from the bolt gunners.)

It is easy to aggrandize one-self with a drill in hand and a big number on your route. Climbing mag will give you $100 for the pic and more for the article. And the equipment companies will throw money and gear at you so that they sell lots of stuff to wannabe's who see your pics and read your articles. (Remember I am in in the business so I know!).

At Blouberg (and elsewhere in SA) there are three routes that have no equal in SA or anywhere in the world. 25, 26 and 30+ (I could only free climb the first two) But the 3rd is still really worth doing at 25 A1. They all happen to have bolts on them and I drilled most of them. But they are still full-on trad routes and nobody is likely to go and on-sight them in the next 30 years which is probably the rest of my short life. Not one of those routes have ever been climbed without me present and the first one has been there for some 13 years now.

It's sad how few people will get out of there comfort zone. My 11 year old has walked up to Yellowwood, my 4, 7 and 11 year olds to Blouberg in a mere 4 hours 10min and we are all planning to go to Tower Kop in the next hols. I asked Ed February for the beta and he replied today:

1. Easter it can snow up there. This is a real mountain.
2. regardless it will be cold so take a wooly jumper.
3. There is a cave so accommodation not a problem.
4. The walk is +4 hours.
5. Start in the afternoon of day one and camp halfway at an old abandoned shepherd shed thing. May not still be there but its on a flat area with a stream and you can see the final steep bit.
6. To get to the summit is a rock climb of about grade 16. The route to do is Nefts route. This oke Neft was the first person to summit the mountain. He climbed the route on his own but nobody believed him so he went back again and left his socks on the top.

Great mountain. Real proper mountain.

ed

Check out: http://sites.google.com/site/towerkopin ... nformation

Hey, how can you resist....

The big problem with drill happy and esp. sponsored sport climbers is that they cannot leave anything alone. Give them half a chance and they will drill everything - even Yellowwood. Trad climbers don't go and ruin anything that I know of.......I will be removing the bolts placed by any dudes on my routes as long as I am able....

Bolting is a tsunami and it is gradually overtaking all the crags in the world and destroying our inherent commitment to adventure as human beings. Why don't the bolters go get their kicks like most people and fiddle their thumbs on playstation, smoke dope, take drugs, drink, drive quadbikes and motorbikes, gamble and get their kicks and kudos that way. It's not as if there aren't enough bolted climbs in the world. Leave some adventures for the next generation and the one after that and after that.

This is on Climb.co.za today UK climbing year end sport climbing article:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=2417

Very sexy.

Near the end it says: "'Dozens of guys have climbed 9a's, but we don't have space to mention them all.''

So it seems you don't get kudos even if you climb 30+ on sport now. You have to bolt something...

So, yes I do agree with Hector, sport climbing is certainly dead when it comes to adventure and commitment but bolting is only too alive.

I have no problem with sport climbing and sport climbers. It is the bolters that I have a problem with and the hundreds of thousands of routes will become millions and it will never be enough....