UKC

Hi folks,

Been at Tremadog today and the ab station at the top of Yogi is missing. This a locally approved ab station, it's been there for three years and seems accepted by the 100's of climbers using this site over those 3 yrs. Maybe someone has damaged it and will replace it?? Anyone know what's happened to it?

In reply to Mike Raine:

Perhaps it was taken by the Traditional Old Farts Alliance.

Motto 'Tree Rappers of the world Unite...you have nothing to lose but your chains'.

Expect a ransom note any day now.

In reply to Mike Raine:
i was reading the post and thinking "just walk off you lazy bunch of twonks" then noticed who wrote the post... do the BMC really condone in-situ abs from trees? if so, fair play... i guess.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

Just for info Dom I'm not 'the BMC'!!

In reply to Mike Raine:
oops, sorry Mike; thought you were the BMC area rep...

In reply to Jonno:

Or maybe even 'Walk down yer lazy sods' err unite!

In reply to Dom Whillans: So are you! Aren't we all?

In reply to Mike Raine:
sadly not... i know i should be though when they start taking standing order payments instead of direct debits i'll join (a long story involving credit cards, a major bank and my unwillingness to pay)

In reply to Mike Raine:
point taken though!

In reply to Mike Raine:

also, the ab station has been taken from wen zawn! all of the "walking off" people haven't got a reply to that one.

In reply to Mike Raine:hello mike ,mysef and partener abseiled off yogi (i think it was yogi anyway)yesterday sunday at about 3pm .not to familiar with tremadog but there was a rope and mallion wrapped around the base of a tree at the time.may be coincidence but a small guy with a beard turned up with a fancy camera taking a picture of the absail station.asked him wot he was doing but he wasnt very forthcoming ...anyway abbed down and that was that ...may help

From a young'ish fart...

I do have a problem with the ab stations at Trem, even if they are "approved". Twice now I've had people throw ropes down on me when I've been leading Grim Wall/Direct. On nice sunny days, no reason to get off the crag fast or even avoid muddy paths. It's not a fecking sports crag, what's the big deal with walking?!

In reply to Mike Raine:

The Grim Wall ab is not 'approved' for this reason. But inconsiderate abbing is a real pain. We're pushing a 'look before you chuck' campaign. There are posters on the board at the bottom of the crag and in eric's caff and on the wiki.

Basically the local climbers decided they couldn't stop people abbing at the crag and therefore the don't ab policy was a sham. The 'approved' ab stations at the right-hand end have been placed to encourage people to ab sensibly and mindful of others. The Yogi one is/was especially useful as it doesn't really interfere with any routes.

Glad to hear it was there on Sunday and still being used and appreciated, who's the chap with the beard? What has he got to say for himself.

The BMC can't really approve abseil anchors of this nature but a large meeting of local climbers can and did. Plus three years in situ would suggest most climbers like them.

In reply to Mike Raine: I think ab stations at Tremadoc are a sad thing, half the fun of the routes was the path /scramble down. It's just another example of the lack of adventure in the sport now days brought on by sport climbing and climbing walls being the introduction to the sport.

In reply to colina:


Was he Bashful?

In reply to Al Evans:

Move on Al, we all abbed off certain stuff in the past when there were only 20% of the climbers there are now. The abb stations are a pragmatic solution for those people who will ignore the request not to abb down popular routes.


Of course, if someone throws ropes down on you doing a route you tie them off tight so they cannot use them. JonC comments on the Grim wall episodes makes me wish to chop the ropes of people like that but tying off is the best solution so they have to walk down and round.

In reply to Al Evans: I wouldn't say that choosing to ab down a route is less adventurous than walking off at Tremadog. I do think it a royal faff though and causes more harm (to the environment and climbers at the bottom of the crag) than good.

In reply to Al Evans: yawn...

In reply to Mike Raine: Scrambling down knee-wrecking gullies repeatedly is not my idea of fun ,when there is a tree or a chain around a tree to ab off.More time in gullies is less time on routes.Ab points should be sited away from popular routes.
Mitch

In reply to paul mitchell: But then if you are like the average climber, you will spend an age faffing about setting up your abseil. If you are a safety first climber, you will tie a triple fishermans bend to knot your ropes together and then spend an age trying to retrieve your rope when the knot got stuck on an edge. Having got your rope, you will spend an age trying to undo the knot afterwards. You will then revert to faffing about at the bottom of the crag, getting ready for your next climb.

Ergo - you might as well walk down?

In reply to Jon Dittman:

Not forgetting laboriously fitting the shunt and putting another piece of tat round the tree, or untangling the ends that missed the other climbers and landed in the oak tree half way down.

In reply to Mike Raine:

I haven't been to Trem for ages but the last time I was there trying to do Oakover,Plas y Brenin had taken over this part of the crag and threaded the Oakover Slab area with ab ropes.
Stayed ages too which I thought was inconsiderate. Given the places to practice abseiling in N Wales, choosing one of the areas most popular crags seems daft !

In reply to Al Evans: "half the fun of the routes was the path /scramble down"

Not anymore with the fancy new steps and stuff.

In reply to napalm_life:
ah, but they stick a decomposing sheep in every now and again to make sure you tread carefully...

In reply to Mike Raine: Sounds like we need to speak to the small bearded chap with the flash camera. Intriguing stuff!

I don't mind people abbing at any of the Tremadog crags (after all, it'll probably save erosion on the descent path), but I would prefer it if people actually gave notice when they chuck their ropes off. I was at Bwlch y Moch on Sunday and some ropes came whipping down close to us without warning at one point. It doesn't take much effort to give a warning shout does it?

In reply to Jonno: Hi Jonno, I wouldn't say Oakover was popular, which was probably why they were there. I know for a fact though that they would have been more than happy for you climb through and they would have tried really hard to keep out of your way. Next time just let them know you're there and I'm sure they'll be more than helpful ( I know this 'cos I work there!)

Cheerss

Mike

In reply to Al Evans: well said al thank god you and i have memories of wild times on the crags

forgot to mention he was also carrying a pickaxe and muttering he had to get off to work.