[ferret]

Flames at 2:12.

its a lantern

[tomtom]

But - to add something to your points about lime, the peak lime (and other places like the Cave) have holds that are wobbly, loose and places where chunks/holds fall off. Maybe the more 'temporary' nature of some limestone (though not all - esp not the water crafted features) makes it seem 'less of a crime' to alter....

It's no 'less of a crime' to alter limestone than grit or any other type of rock. Holds fall off the grit, and change in more subtle ways, all the time. Likewise blowtorching. There is no need for double standards here and implying so just serves to further blur the fact that blowtorching should have no place in climbing today.

Oops, didnt mean that so sound like I was condoning it...

[rginns]

Take a look at the greasey middle section of Longridge for an example of what blow torching does to grit/sandstone!!
This is fucking shit, on the surface, looks like this dude knew he was in the wrong by swiftly hiding the torch!     

 

[Sam]

I've never seen a hold broken due to 'clumpy' shoes. I've seen plenty due broken to the force a modern down-toed shoe can apply to a small area.

really? is this true? 

[Johnny Brown]

Yes it is. Which bit are you doubting?

[yorkshireman]

johnny,just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.ive seen people climbing with big dirty boots on scratching the hell out of the rock and knocking pebbles off so it does happen.if someone blowtorches a hold and it eventually falls off and in a different incident people climb at a venue in the wet often and a hold errodes away there isn't much of a difference in the long run for the hold,its not there either way.

[Johnny Brown]

The only people I ever see in 'big dirty boots' are beginners. They tend to stick to the same areas which are mostly already polished. Sure, its worth trying to keep them away from delicate slabs but that's not going to happen via a bouldering forum.

Its pretty simple logic that a hold will break the more force you put on it. I've just got my first pair of down-toed boots and on the one hand its great to be able to stand on so little. On the other its quite worrying. I've broken plenty of pebbles in my time, in rock boots, and I've seen many more broken by others. I do a lot of climbing in approach shoes, (a blurred definition nowadays, I'd prefer Daescents to 80's rockboots for many routes) and you tend to spread the force much wider, making damage less likely. I keep them scrupulously clean as I do rock boots.

Anyway, the point of the thread is about blowtorching. Lets not dilute the issue. As I've said above, just because its possible to do accidental damage does not excuse deliberate damage. I would not class blowtorch damage as accidental.

[yorkshireman]

but that implies that someone using a blowtorch would be deliberately trying to damage the rock which im sure they wouldnt be.most people who do this probably aren't aware of what damage it can do.ive seen plenty of non beginners rock up at the crag and proceed to warm up on bits of rock in their approach shoes covered in mud and grit,it happens.most of the holds that you will break with downward pointing boots etc are holds that are ripe for breaking anyway due to either existing damage or just the passage of time and the patter of many tiny rubber covered feet.
im not trying to dilute the issue im trying to make a point that blowtorching,while totally unaceptable on ANY rock isnt the only problem we face and that the person climbing on the rock when its wet could cause as much damage as if he/she blowtorched it dry

[clm]

Hi all,

Not condoning the action in anyway possible but would just like to add in the 80's / 90's we used to blow torch the back of the calf in winter to dry out the holds.  I don't think those holds have suffered but I don't think it is a good idea going around using a blow torch in this day and age as technology has moved on and the flame is no doubt hoter and more aggressive.

I think a small chat with person involved would be better than a linching that someone implied..

Blowtorches are widely used in eastern Europe on the lime as I was witness to this in Poland

Cheers
Tony

Mullets were considered cool in the '80s.
I daresay they are still prevalent in parts of eastern Europe.
are they right?

No

[slackline]

 

[yorkshireman]

awwwww i got negative karma for having an oppinion,i best go and cry im so upset

[miso soup]

Flames at 2:12.

its a lantern

I realise it's not a blowtorch but he is still using fire to dry the holds, isn't he?

[fatdoc]

nope...

I'm in the JB camp on this, all the way..

[Jim]

awwwww i got negative karma for having an oppinion,i best go and cry im so upset

well why have you posted about it then?

[yorkshireman]

it was the only thing to stop the tears

[i.munro]

im not trying to dilute the issue im trying to make a point that blowtorching,while totally unaceptable on ANY rock isnt the only problem we face and that the person climbing on the rock when its wet could cause as much damage as if he/she blowtorched it dry

Well said. Chipping,  blowtorching, climbing on wet rock, climbing with filthy shoes - the amount of avoidable damage may vary but the attitude is the same. "I'm doing what I want & screw everyone else".

[Charlton Chestwig]

"Chipping,  blowtorching, climbing on wet rock, climbing with filthy shoes - the amount of avoidable damage may vary but the attitude is the same"

incorrect

[abarro81]

incorrect

Care to elaborate?
Obviously the attitude being the same relies on the knowledge of potential damage being at the same level in each scenario, but beyond that I don't see what you're getting at...

[robertostallioni]

shitpile

[yorkshireman]

you also have to look at frequency:only 1 or two people will be extreme enough to blowtorch the rock but hundreds will probable climb on it when its wet of in dirty shoes so damage will probably be far worse.look at the errosion at brimham,more of that is caused by climbing on wet/damp rock and in dirty shoes/boots than blowtorching.
regardless if one is worse than the other,they all can have the same outcome

[SA Chris]

shitpile

+1

[haz]

any ideas who it was for naming and shaming?
[/quote]

I'm afraid I have no idea what his name is. My friend seemed to know his girlfriend, and that she works at 'The Depot' climbing wall in Leeds. He sounded to be of eastern European descent to me, well built and over 6foot.
[/quote]

Ha ha what utter bollocks, I would be slightly more cautious in slagging someone on the internet in a rather thinly vailed manner because your mate thinks he knows who someone is based on the fact they come from somewhere east of Hull. 

The chap who goes out with the girl who works at the depot is a good few inches shorter than me (and I am a good couple of inches off 6 foot), slightly built and he isn't even trying zoo york.  Give you your due though, you did try and narrow down the list of possible suspects to men originating from one half of a continent.
[/quote]

"I have no idea what his name is", was my only point in the post. The rest, I think is clear (from the use of the words - seemed, sounded, and a rough estimate of height) is pure speculation and may or may not be true; but I believed to be helpful in reply to the initial question. I don't know the man, and wasn't 'slagging him off', only alerting the users of this forum about something I whitnessed.
Its hard not to sound xenophobic when describing someone by their accent on an online forum, but since thats the only information I had available I thought it was relevant. No offense was intended.

[ferret]

Flames at 2:12.

its a lantern

I realise it's not a blowtorch but he is still using fire to dry the holds, isn't he?

no that thing never gets wet, it was after 9pm when he did that thing so was pretty dark, climbed by lantewrn light, i'm thinking its just somebody lighting it in a showy fashion for the camera