In reply to UKC Articles:
It seems to me that there several issues to be dealt with here, and perhaps this could form the basis for a constructive agenda at the meeting.
1. To what extent does the winter climbing community want to minimise damage to rock?
2. Which winter techniques damage rock the most?
3. Are we going to simply stop climbing summer rock routes in winter?
4. If not then can we minimise this damage and maximise high quality ethical winter climbing in Cumbria?
5. What are acceptable conditions for an ethical winter ascent of a Cumbrian summer rock climb?
6. Can we develop a unique winter ethic for Cumbrian winter rock routes that recognises the value of Cumbrian rock as a summer and winter venue and helps to preserve it?
1. Clearly the winter climbing community needs to be on board. I'm a Scottish expat Cumbrian died in the wool summer trad climber (!) and I value both aspects of Cumbrian climbing highly. Summer rock is a large part of why I moved here (that and the beer). I've recently got back into winter climbing too. As a winter climber I don't want to wreck rock routes, I want to climb them in style. I think rock routes that are quality lines in winter condition are fair game, and I'll be climbing them. I'm not going to set out to damage them, and I certainly won't be pegging. I have my eye on quite a few lines, and I agree that care needs to be taken to minimise damage. Some wear and tear on the rock is going to happen in both summer and winter aspects of our sport, but on an ascent by ascent basis, the potential for damage in winter is much greater.
2. I think that most people would agree that torquing axes, hammering gear and axes, and scarting about are probably the most damaging things we can do techniquewise whilst winter climbing. Perhaps equally (although of less concern to rock climbers), climbing unfrozen turf is bad too. Hooking leaves marks, but not on a par with torquing or bad footwork.
3. I personally believe that the rock doesn't belong to summer or winter climbers, but that an ethic needs to be found which minimises or excludes major damage. Minor damage and wear and tear is an inevitable part of summer and winter ascents. I do think that when in good winter condition, summer rock routes are totally fair game, and that it is inevitable that wear and tear will occur.
4. So how can we approach our ascents with a view to view to minimising the most damaging techniques? Perhaps we need to move towards an ethic that acknowledges that high quality ethical winter ascents of summer rock routes emphasises a different set of techniques than that which is appropriate in the Scottish corries? Certainly for me, pegging is out, and hammering gear looks like it should become unacceptable too. Are there any other techniques that we could rule in or rule out? A bit like on the soft sandstone in Germany where metal gear is out, can we develop a local ethic here to preserve classic lines from getting trashed in winter? Torquing and hammering axes and hammering axes are fairly high wear. Do we rule these out and move to a hooking based technique? Or do we just accept the damage and plough on?
5. How do we identify a clearer Cumbrian ethic for making judgements based upon conditions? Do we do this on a route by route basis? Crag by crag? Can we make a database that emphasises vulnerable routes or crags? Do we need to rewrite the conditions ethic so that Cumbrian classics don't get trashed like the Norries? If we go down this road how do we get it into the public domain?
6. So can we develop an ethic fro Cumbria that emphasises which techniques and conditions
are valid. I think we need this due to the unique and growing dual summer and winter use of Cumbria's crags. I want to climb in winter but not at the expense of trashed summer routes. I'm willing to restrict my winter activity to some degree but I also accept that wear will occur if winter climbing in Cumbria is to grow in the modern idiom.
So could this be the basis for an agenda?
Frith Wood