UKC

WTF has changed on this problem, i remember the starting bucket steps, but the small edge to start the crux seems recent, thats pretty rapid erosion? any thoughts

In reply to Dru:

Last time i did it was about four years ago, there was defo no edge then. perhaps that is why the new guide book gives it english 6a now.

In reply to Dru:

Did it for the first time a couple of years ago, and again last summer, and didn't notice any differences between the two visits.

Seem to remember the new guide referencing the bigger/more eroded footholds as the reason for the decrease in grade (though I think it also suggests the chicken head hand holds are also shrinking?)

In reply to Stuart S:

Does it not also say now chipped and eroded into submission, i was dismissive of this untill an ascent at the weekend, thinking it must be erosion before i eyeballed it.

The modified or eroded foothold/smear is the highest on the right,looks like a small edge now, makes the crux way easy, there must be a way of filling in all these large sandy steps, they are an eyesore and quite often not needed, the two problems on the scooped wall, i often do with out the bucket steps and are not really much harder.

Is it not time something was done about this!

In reply to Dru:
Yes, ban climbing at that end of the crag. Or omit the crag from selective guidebooks (ducks). Or just accept that it's stuffed permanently, which it is. Sad, but Childs Play in it's original form is gone. There is now a new, easier, highball.

In reply to JDal:

Maybe i should get up there with my bucket of cement or whatever!

In reply to Dru:
Yeah, you could do like Bob Hitchinson did on Northumberland Wall - mix cement with sand made by crushing the local rock. But of course it won't work will it? It'll just drop off after a couple of frosts. No matter what you do on these worn bucket types of things, you can't restore them to the same problem. And anyway, the rock round there is hopelessly soft.

You could make a giant rubber mould of the whole thing and make a new one in your garden.

In reply to JDal:

Quite negative feed back, other sandstone venues have had hardner painted onto the holds, perhaps if the so called guardians(County Mafia) of this finite resource were a little less complacent and a little more pro active, something would have been done years ago before the problem became so acute.

In reply to JDal:

Oh Yeah and the next time you are back slapping Steve Crowe, please queery as to whether a star rating will be used for Bowden problems in the forth coming Bouldering guide, this would be a calamity and very bad news indeed!!??

In reply to Dru: FFS, what are you on about? Back slapping? Mafia? Jeez.

As to repairs, resin hardener has been used successfully at a lot of places in the county over the last 10/15 years, and chipped holds have been concreted over. I just don't think the kind of worn buckets at that end of Bowden would be repairable. Hardener would certainly help stop further wear, as would more people deciding to go somewhere else for a change.

In reply to JDal:

and a PS, Bowden wasn't treated because the long term effects of the hardener was unknown and Bowden was seen as too important to experiment on. Stonemasons reckoned it would make things worse by causing the rock to flake away as the frost gets behind the resin. Well, as it's turned out it lasts at least 15 years without any problems. Sadly it's too late for some places. Wrong decision for the right reasons.

And as a pps the resin was paid for out of peoples own pockets, Mafia?

In reply to Dru:

There will be no stars in the new bouldering.

Everything is good anyway!

Steve Crowe

In reply to Anonymous:

Ahaa the Godfather speaks!, glad to hear that Steve, the way forward for sure.