[galpinos]

You're right Tom, that video is shocking - I don't think the BMC should be promoting heel hooking on the green traverse.

Christ its not of me is it?

As long as you were weaing your "ONLY PRACTISING" t-shirt and not claiming the tick, it's ok.

[Sloper]

You're right Tom, that video is shocking - I don't think the BMC should be promoting heel hooking on the green traverse.

Christ its not of me is it?

I think it's been a while since you've been in the junior section of anything.

[SA Chris]

Except the junior fiction section of your local library.

[Boredboy]

I don't think the BMC's promotion of bouldering is such a great thing really, and I'm not sure why they're doing it apart from increasing funds through membership. I'm not sure we need to make bouldering any more popular.
Although the upside of the bouldering boom seems to have been a decrease in the popularity of routes on peak grit, unless you count the highball type stuff. It would be good to see some more onsight / ground-up style climbing on grit though. Bouldering overall I think may be more popular because it's considered safer, I can't imagine stanage being so busy if they suddenly exchanged bouldering mats for beer towels.
The bouldering venues on the whole don't seem that much busier than 10 years ago, apart from stanage and burbage which seem to have been sacrificed at the expense of other quieter venues. This can't be such a bad thing if it keeps all the punters in one place  I'm not sure about the whole Woolpacks thing, to me it seems like a potentially sensitive piece of moorland that could do without further traffic but I'm not really in the know. I do know they seem to be trying to improve peat erosion on Kinder and also the rock is poor quality so I wonder why bother including them in a guide. As for heel hooks on the green traverse.......   

[scottygillery]

Having read this thread I clearly need to think about myself and my climbing. Would someone be so kind as to answer the following questions for me.

Who exactly is allowed to climb at woolpacks?

If I go there without the RF guide is that an ethical improvement?

I suspect I may be a punter, how can I be sure?

As a punter should I restrict my bouldering to just Stanage and Burbage?

I haven't been climbing for a long time but I crave for Utopia that Stanage used to be. Could some describe how good it was before it got "trashed" "damaged" and "completely ruined"?

As I only recently started bouldering, I'm a member of the BMC, wear moon pants and punt, I'm greatly concerned that I might  be responsible for the Stanage apocalypse. Should I stop climbing now?

[Boredboy]

  Haha

-Lovers of scrittle and peat bogs
-Definitely
-You've got a new RockFax bouldering guide tucked under your arm
-Probably
-Grassy, less people, better weather, no trashed holds
-Who knows, maybe

[Sloper]

Q1, Anyone wearing tweed, if you smoke a pipe (when bouldering) you're allowed to use chalk.

2. No, unless your gentleman's personal gentleman memorises it and gives you discrete advice.

3. Adam Lincoln isn't a ligger.

4. No, you're allowed to frequent the upper boulders at Cratcliffe (but not T crack or beyond).

5. Look at Alderson's teeth and imagine what they were like 30 years ago and fill in the blanks.

6. No but before you continue / set foot on rock again you need to drag a supermarket trolley up to the crag, just make sure it's from Waitrose / Booths.

 

[Jaspersharpe]

5. Is clearly incorrect as I first met Graeme about 24 years ago and I don't think his teeth have changed since then.

[Offwidth]

1 no one is stopping anyone climbing at the Woolpacks. For the sake of the rock and sane application of effort I'd prefer people climb at better wild venues. I checked last night with the access team and the local reps still prefer no guidebooks detail the place and the last communication to Alan was if they include it to ensure the soft rock is emphasised. Access reps advise they do not police. When rockfax publish we will know where legendary good rock is and we can assess that claim. If they are right there will still be better venues, if not, its best not to climb there with or without the guide.

3 virtually everyone is a punter. I'm so crap I don't even deserve all the letters of punter I suspect I'm a pun or maybe a  pu. Even so bouldering makes me happy and my ramblings will have informed all three sets of guides. Be a good ninja and don't worry about labels.

[Bonjoy]

I maintain that this is all utterly moot (excuse the American usage). Take a look at the number of UKC logged ascents on Derwent Edges, it has been in every generation of bouldering guide, it's a much less arduous walk in than Kinder and the climbing is unarguably better than the Woolpacks and still fuck all people go there. I speak as someone who has carted a pad up onto kinder at least ten times, it takes a special kind of madness. A tiny fraction of the guide buyers will go there once, probably in mid summer, have a sweaty scrittley nice day out with some mediocre climbing involved, they will then consider Kinder ticked and never return again.

[lagerstarfish]

I am quite confident that sweaty scrittle will not become "the new golf" any time soon

[Offwidth]

Part of the stated target audience by Alan is climbers (sans mats) on Crowden Towers and The Pagoda. They don't need a special kind of madness when eminently spotable lowball bouldering is next door. Dewent bouldering is usually a lot less convenient for chuffers up there and more in need of mats. Derwent also doesn't leave ugly scratch marks from a single ascent. Or chalked rock on a major footpath where some nutter might start bashing things like they did at RHS or writing letter to the NT about how climbers are ruining their favorite landmark. The other point remains that the access team preferred it didn't go in and finally said if they must include it at least mention the soft rock; Alan regards that as 'no objections' and states the rock is good.

[mrjonathanr]

Derwent also doesn't leave ugly scratch marks from a single ascent.  The other point remains that the access team preferred it didn't go in and finally said if they must include it at least mention the soft rock; Alan regards that as 'no objections' and states the rock is good.

Is that fully in context?

Taken just as presented (without any mitigating counter-view - is there one?), that's an absolute disgrace and serves only to convince me further that I'm right to have decided to have no further dealings with UKC and Rockfax. And that people who behave as Alan is presented as doing here are damaging to the interests of the sport as a whole.

[Offwidth]

Just to be clear, he states the rock is good on a post on UKC which presumably mitigates  in his view against the access team concerns (partly based on soft rock with a scritty surface). I'm sure the warning of soft rock will be in the guide. Still, 8 pages hardly indicates sensitive treatment; same number of pages for instance as West Nab gets in the BMC guide

[petejh]

Derwent also doesn't leave ugly scratch marks from a single ascent.  The other point remains that the access team preferred it didn't go in and finally said if they must include it at least mention the soft rock; Alan regards that as 'no objections' and states the rock is good.

Is that fully in context?

Taken just as presented (without any mitigating counter-view - is there one?), that's an absolute disgrace and serves only to convince me further that I'm right to have decided to have no further dealings with UKC and Rockfax. ...

And that people who behave as Alan is presented as doing here are damaging to the interests of the sport as a whole.

This.

But it's Alan, he's utterly convinced of his own righteousness, and we're all wrong.

[webbo]

 Having been to the wool packs today. I reckon 99% of people who actually get there will pull on, scrittle off then go somewhere else. Even if looks good and there isn't much that does, it's still mostly shit.

[Paul B]

Vaguely related to the OP, here is the BMC Stanage Festival:

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/stanage-festival-climbing-masterclass-places-available

maybe I'm missing something and this is all about 'the future of Stanage', but the busiest crag in the Peak on a Sat seems like an odd choice.

[Johnny Brown]

I guess the idea is to take the festival to the people rather than the other way round, but I've had very little to do with it so don't know any more.

[danm]

Vaguely related to the OP, here is the BMC Stanage Festival:

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/stanage-festival-climbing-masterclass-places-available

maybe I'm missing something and this is all about 'the future of Stanage', but the busiest crag in the Peak on a Sat seems like an odd choice.

You not see the posts earlier about the reasons for this Paul? It'll be a celebration of Stanage at an important time in the history of the estate. I don't think the numbers involved are going to make much difference to a normal busy day at the crag. I'm sure the aim will be to spread out across this vastest of crags and introduce people to some of the fantastic stuff away from the obvious spots.

[Paul B]

No I didn't. Sorry. Link?

Sent from my XT1032 using Forum Fiend v1.2.

[slackline]

No I didn't. Sorry. Link?

T'was me who first posted about it, responses follow from danm and Offwidth.

[lagerstarfish]

my sports nutrition masterclass will not be going ahead as planned due to me not being asked

[Johnny Brown]

Keep up P-Ben!

Sent from my XTC-E12 Squawkbox 032 using a proxy (Fiendatgunpoint v1.2.)

[Paul B]

I know... - Can you tell I've got a 9-5 job yet? I certainly can...

[danm]

Though you were still on your never ending holiday! I have mentioned these concerns to Will who is organising the event, hopefully he can persuade people to check out Stanage End, Secret Stanage and so on. If you really want to give people the tour of the obscure, get involved, I'm sure he could do with more volunteers