[al]

my girlfriend is a primary teacher at an inner city school, still going in to help key workers kids in small badly ventilated rooms with no ppe and little social distancing, gavin williamson yesterday was positively encouraging more to attend if they didn't have wifi at home; does that mean i can go to burbage with his blessing if I don't have a board at home?

[Stuart Anderson]

The national context being that that rate is one of the lowest in the country, lower than it was here throughout October, and rising more slowly than it was in October, when we were put into Tier 3. I don't recall you popping up then to urge caution?

Didn't know you'd needed me to. Not sure what your point is with that question.

[mark s]

 A non climbing mate has told me he went there earlier and the police were there turning people away. He was from leek so they were happy walking ticked the exercise and local boxes.

[lagerstarfish]

I think a "print your own permit" system could work.

Submit your claim to be where you plan to go, tick the boxes that you think apply.

Print permit.

Submit report that you are on your way.

Go out.

Show your permit (pdf on your phone will suffice) if asked by any approved enforcement agent. They can check that you are doing only what the permit is for.

Applications will be publicly viewable. Citizen reviewed.

If your logged reason turns out to be based on lies or to be not appropriate, then you may be liable for prosecution and certainly be ridiculed on social media.

Can't see too many problems with this

Think I'll call the app WychHunt or something

[Andy W]

I think a "print your own permit" system could work.

Submit your claim to be where you plan to go, tick the boxes that you think apply.

Print permit.

Submit report that you are on your way.

Go out.

Show your permit (pdf on your phone will suffice) if asked by any approved enforcement agent. They can check that you are doing only what the permit is for.

Applications will be publicly viewable. Citizen reviewed.

If your logged reason turns out to be based on lies or to be not appropriate, then you may be liable for prosecution and certainly be ridiculed on social media.

Can't see too many problems with this

Think I'll call the app WychHunt or something

Thats more or less what we have had in France.

[webbo]

According to the other channel North Yorkshire police have been booking walkers in Horton in Ribblesdale.

[Will Hunt]

does that mean i can go to burbage with his blessing if I don't have a board at home?

Go in peace, my child.


I was walking in a park earlier and saw a family sitting on a bench eating some food. Two PCSOs walked past and each party gave the other a nod of greeting. Nothing was said to the picnicers. But once the two officers were five steps beyond the bench one of them screamed "NOW!". They both span round, simultaneously drawing a pair of Sig P226 sidearms which had been concealed at their hips. In a split second, they'd each got off a couple of rounds, and the heads of 4 members of the family exploded, spreading skull fragments, brains, and blood over the fresh-fallen snow. The only family member left was a young boy, silent, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief. "Go," said the first PCSO, "and tell the people what you saw here today. But wear a mask and do so from a distance of greater than 2 metres".

The first part of that actually happened.

[Oldmanmatt]

does that mean i can go to burbage with his blessing if I don't have a board at home?

Go in peace, my child.


I was walking in a park earlier and saw a family sitting on a bench eating some food. Two PCSOs walked past and each party gave the other a nod of greeting. Nothing was said to the picnicers. But once the two officers were five steps beyond the bench one of them screamed "NOW!". They both span round, simultaneously drawing a pair of Sig P226 sidearms which had been concealed at their hips. In a split second, they'd each got off a couple of rounds, and the heads of 4 members of the family exploded, spreading skull fragments, brains, and blood over the fresh-fallen snow. The only family member left was a young boy, silent, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief. "Go," said the first PCSO, "and tell the people what you saw here today. But wear a mask and do so from a distance of greater than 2 metres".

The first part of that actually happened.

First 50%?

Up to “they both got a couple of rounds off”...?

[petejh]

Weak.. Everyone knows PCSO's carry Glocks. 

[lagerstarfish]

According to the other channel North Yorkshire police have been booking walkers in Horton in Ribblesdale.

Excellent news!

Once the criminal justice system is clogged up with angry ramblers, we'll be safe to climb wherever and however we want.

[petejh]

I think a "print your own permit" system could work.

Submit your claim to be where you plan to go, tick the boxes that you think apply.

Print permit.

Submit report that you are on your way.

Go out.

Show your permit (pdf on your phone will suffice) if asked by any approved enforcement agent. They can check that you are doing only what the permit is for.

Applications will be publicly viewable. Citizen reviewed.

If your logged reason turns out to be based on lies or to be not appropriate, then you may be liable for prosecution and certainly be ridiculed on social media.

Can't see too many problems with this

Think I'll call the app WychHunt or something

Will there be a box to tick for 'five-thousandth attempt on Ben's Roof sans knee-pad'?

[lagerstarfish]

Shit

I've only allowed for three figure numbers

[tomtom]

Shit

I've only allowed for three figure numbers

Sounds like a nailed on job for Serco.

[tomtom]

Pete have you been up the pass again... :D

(Penypass ranger) "We've had people also from Liverpool and some locals turning up knowing full well what the rules are, but just trying it on.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55604382

[webbo]

According to the other channel North Yorkshire police have been booking walkers in Horton in Ribblesdale.

Excellent news!

Once the criminal justice system is clogged up with angry ramblers, we'll be safe to climb wherever and however we want.

There was a Facebook link which had some great posts from Mr and Mrs Angry of Horton/Settle.

[Bonjoy]

It’s zero if you’re on your own, which I’m guessing is how Jon normally does things.

That’s why I think the focus on “local” is misjudged regardless of what the guidelines say. Better to be alone and 10 miles from home than packed round remergence 5 miles from home.

Ok Stu, correct me if I’m wrong and view this as a question not a statement.

This is how it has been explained to me (or how I interpreted what was said).

The new variants (more than one) appear to be more infectious, by a significant factor, probably greater than 1.5.
This appears to follow from an improved affinity that reduces the viral load threshold for infection.
This significantly reduces the required exposure times to and (therefore) quantities of, virus required to achieve infection.

This change, brings Fomite transmission, once thought a low risk, back into play.

It’s not that the half life of the virus on a given surface has changed, it appears to decay at the same rate; it’s that the length of time it remains at viable transmission levels is extended in line with it’s reduced infectious load requirement. 
Still a lower risk than aerosol of droplet transmission, but no long negligible.

Going climbing, especially alone, is still a very low risk activity.

However, the total risk to be considered is not simply the act of climbing.

The total administrative burden and associated support activities factor into the equation, significantly.

If you drive, that is increasing the total risk. Not, specifically the act of driving, the ancillary activities that are required or become more probable, because you have increased the complexity of the activity.

Increased need for fuel, perhaps, being the obvious ancillary activity increased beyond your baseline, lockdown, requirement.
If (if) the Fomite transmission hypothesis is borne out, even using pay at pump, increases your risk of either catching or transmitting the virus, significantly.

That is, climbing is not a zero risk activity and potentially has a greater than negligible to a lower end of moderate, risk attached to it and significant caution and thought is needed to control that risk.

Somebody, earlier in the thread said something about people saying something so egregious that they felt compelled to counter it. For me, describing the risk as “zero” or “minimising” (failing to acknowledge) a low, but real, risk is to encourage (by omission) people (less thoughtful people) to ignore basic precautions.
Precautions that might well be shown to have been unnecessary in time, but cost little to indulge now and might be, actually, wholly necessary.

Like, seriously, do what you want. Just be careful. For all the various reasons people have mentioned.

What you're saying is correct Matt, but if you read the post Stu is replying to you'll see I didn't say the risk was zero. I said any number multiplied by zero is zero. My point being that an increase in transmissibilty does not automatically equal a meaningful increase in risk, and the size of the original risk is the determining factor.

[tomtom]

Risk has many definitions but a common one is

Risk = probability x impact

[petejh]

Pete have you been up the pass again... :D

(Penypass ranger) "We've had people also from Liverpool and some locals turning up knowing full well what the rules are, but just trying it on.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55604382

Ha, no not me.. I’m too busy cultivating a cheesy nachos and strong cider habit to be doing anything risky.

[cowboyhat]

So what was the result from the weekend then, after all that hand-wringing and preparation, did anyone find themselves in a peevish parle with the plod?

Was it possible to traverse the base of Burbage North using only bouldering mats?

[gme]

I was out, 8 miles from my house, didnt see a soul including the police.

[Johnny Brown]

Didn't get any further than Higgar. Never seen so many parked at Ringinglow and Lady Cannings, Burbage busy but not mental. However the road was heavily iced from the turning circle before the cattlegrid  so I suspect that was a big part of it; people failing to get round Cowperstone bend etc, although we did pass a Ferrari boldly heading across. Few boulderers out, I think I counted six at remergence, but snow on a lot of stuff. We went sledging at Higgar.

[SamT]

Yeah - was all relatively civilised out there.  Spaces left at surprise view car park.  Conditions a bit misty and claggy in places.  didn't climb so can't comment for sure.  Not a police car in sight.  Dad drove up to fairholmes and said the cafe was open, but there we're only few cars parked up there. 

Not like March Lockdown though.  Still pretty busy out there as JB says.

Guess Derbyshire Polices 'scare' tactics worked a treat.

[mark s]

I'm sure as long as people don't start taking the piss then the police will be OK.

[tomtom]

Rumours of more restrictions on exercise coming in:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jan/11/ban-on-exercising-with-others-likely-but-elite-sport-fears-played-down?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Whether that effects the lone Boulderer I don’t know - but would stop two people from diff households doing rope stuff together I expect...

[mrjonathanr]

Just cycle there in a peloton, you'll be fine.