UKC

hi all.

just thought i'd start a topic, just as a thought realy, i'm sure it will turn in to a debate. ok, here goes.

whats your thoughts on drytooling on a rock route that gets no stars is loose and chossy and never sees any traffic. there are many around on loose chossy cliffs allover, if they're hardly ever being climbed in trad. style then is it ok to 'tool them?

again this is just a topic to see what peoples general views and ehtics are on this taboo issue.

cheers. r.s.

In reply to mulletcocktail2000:

Go for it. Ignore the miserable buggers on here.

In reply to mulletcocktail2000:

13.40............... and yet the anti drytooling police still haven't replied. Perhaps they must all be roaming the countryside tutting at people who dare to do such a thing!

Heres my 2p. Personally I see no reason why some rock that sees no little or no action can't be used as a drytooling route. Obviously I am not suggesting that every bit of naff rock is suddenly attacked with ices and crampons, but why not let people tool as few of these.

In reply to mulletcocktail2000:

Not much chance of dry tooling this weather

In reply to mulletcocktail2000:

It's difficult one. I'd say that if the chossy cliff has potential for new routes, the new routes could be tooled. But the established ones, out of respect I'd leave them alone. it could get people well p*ss off.

In reply to mulletcocktail2000: Well firstly if I was going to do this I wouldn't post it on an internet forum, I'd just do it... and I have done on choss pile quarries in the past, you feel an idiot walking in with axes and crampons, and it also gets pretty stale after a while.

Why do you want to dry tool? To get better at Scottish winter stuff? I honestly don't think someone operating below Scottish V benefits from dry tooling as a way to improve their grade.

I spent two months in Canada this year and dry tooling out there could be quite possible in summer, but locals just don't bother, they'd prefer to go rock climbing.

In reply to mulletcocktail2000:

Dry tooling seems so contrived to me.

My tuppeny worth is if it is choss then go for it, at what point does choss stop and say St Margaret's Cliff or similar start.

If you do like shitty choss, then I can recommend any number of the skanky chalk quarries around Bluewater and the environs.

In reply to Nevis-the-cat:


Yep. Love ice climbing. Love mixed climbing. But its summer guys - go an enjoy some rock routes whilst you can.

In reply to mulletcocktail2000: Think you would have to be specific as to which crag and routes you are thinking off so that loal climbers can give their opinion. just cause you are unaware of someone climbing it does not mean that no-one does so.

In reply to Nevis-the-cat:
I'd avoid Bluewater, apparently you have to be bloody quick to get off before the local constabulary turn up.

In reply to mulletcocktail2000:

I think the ethical issues are very similar to those surrounding retro-bolting (which may also be needed to create a tooling venue?). You're basically re-assigning the crag as something else, so you'd better make sure you have the FA's permission and the support of local climbers.

In reply to TobyA:


Dry tooling = sport chipping

In reply to Reach>Talent: speaking from experience you do indeed have to be fairly quick. They saw the funny side when i got caught though!!

In reply to mulletcocktail2000:

Not all good routes get stars...


But you're probably on firmer ground there!


Think *where* they are might be the vital issue here.

In reply to Jamie Bankhead:

There are dry tooling scratches (assuming no-one's been making genuine winter ascents!) on good routes (not loose, but not all starred, Ryan) on Scimitar Buttress at Polldubh. Dunno how long they've been there (maybe ages, because I don't climb on Scimitar very often), but Al noticed them last night and I don't recall registering them before. Quite shocking, really!

In reply to mulletcocktail2000: i would go for it. theres a quarry next to me in cove that im putting in belay stakes for pre winter training. come and try it out.

In reply to Jamie Bankhead:

Agree and interesting. Does this apply to the "names" of crags too?