[Pantontino]

Does anybody know who's been wire brushing old problems in the Llanberis Pass?

I was pretty shocked yesterday to see the state of a number of classic problems including The Minimum, The Barrel Groove, The Witch and Wavelength.

Basically someone has brushed these so hard that they've actually made the holds smoother. The Barrel is now scarred bright orange on the main holds above the break on the right hand side, and the crux slopers on The Witch are now like glass, they even ragged the hell out of the massive jug at the top of Boysen's Groove for some reason.

I just don't get it, what is this person trying to achieve?

One idiot fucking things up for everyone. Some things never change.

Simon.

[dave]

One word: Fucking dickheads

[Doylo]

yeah thats fucked up. And the guides not even out yet, it only takes one twisted nutter with a grudge and a sledgehammer....

[mozzer]

What cuntfishes!

But why make the holds worse? I dont get it. Maybe they are just darn stupid, cletus...

[Bubba]

Very very annoying indeed - I wish people would just think a little more about this issue.

I guess folk think that coz it's a harder rock type, then you can brush the tits off it - this is the trouble with wire brushes, it's hard to use them sparingly.

Maybe a page in the guide regarding brush use would help educate people a bit more Pantontino?

[Pantontino]

It's already done. Here is the 10 commandments:

1. No chipping whatsoever.

2. No blow torching, even at coastal venues. If you come across a wet hold, dry it with a towel, or come back on a windy day when it will have dried out naturally.

3. No wire brushing. Use a nylon brush if you are cleaning a new line.

4. Use less chalk and brush/ wash away tick marks or excessive build up at the end of your session.

5. Do not drop litter at the crag, and take home any that you find.

6. Do not leave carpet patches at the crag. Not only are they an eyesore, but they quickly become sodden, and thus useless. They also kill off the vegetation that they cover.

7. No use of resin (pof).

8. No glueing or hold stabilisation. If a hold breaks off, then so be it.

9. Use a bouldering pad to decrease the impact on the vegetation at the base of popular problems.

10. No gardening of indigenous vegetation.


Some of these rules are quite harsh and I'm sure that most of us have bent (some of) them on occasion over the years, but I think it is time that we all agreed to adhere to a strict code of practice; that way the message might get home to the idiots.

I know in an ideal world this sort of heavy, dictatorial stuff would not be necessary, unfortunately this ain't Utopia, this is the UK circa 2003.

Cheers, Simon.

[mozzer]

Nice one Simon. One of the sternest "ethics" bits I've seen! Its called for though, good work.

[dave]

Problem is i don't think you'll find anyone who would disagree with all that, but then pleantly of people will say "but of course its ok for me to use a wirebrush, cos i (think i) do it in a responsible manner, but everyone else should not do it". There needs to be a shift in attitudes in climbing in general that the rules that apply to everyone else also apply to yourself, and even if you think you can flaunt them safeley you can't.

[Dave Flanagan]

Problem is i don't think you'll find anyone who would disagree with all that, but then pleantly of people will say "but of course its ok for me to use a wirebrush, cos i (think i) do it in a responsible manner, but everyone else should not do it". There needs to be a shift in attitudes in climbing in general that the rules that apply to everyone else also apply to yourself, and even if you think you can flaunt them safeley you can't.

I often use a wire brush to clean problems on the granite over here - I  think I use it responsibly - but there are people I know who make me shudder when they wield it, using it like a soft brush to remove chalk, brushing swathes of rock whether they come into play or not.
Heres a particulaly bad example


(sorry about the photos)
It makes me feel guilty for bringing along a WB at all.

Maybe as you say there is a need for a shift in attitudes, I shall try cleaning a problem with a nylon brush as an experiment to see how clean it gets it and if its anyway good enough I can ditch the WB.

[Bubba]

Talking of rock damage - did everyone catch these on yg.com?

Crampons being used at Earl - very clever.

[hongkongstuey]

by the look of that photo i'd say the guy who used those crampons has got a long way to go with his footwork technique!