In reply to Robbiobaby: Mats don't always save your legs.
people have had severe injuries falling off and totally missing mats.Even E9 climbers falling off E6.
Using mats is perfectly understandable.On each solo you can choose whether or not to use them.Long term injuries to knees ankles and hip joints will probably accrue if you jump off a lot.
If a route is graded because it has deck out potential,then mats will soften the grade.So what.When new highballs are put up,maybe ascensionists could make it clear if mats were used and to what depth,so repeaters have some idea.You will often get hordes of climbers doing 70's highballs with a huge stack of mats provided by a chance accumulation of boulderers.Those routes are rarely,if ever climbed matless nowadays.Seventies new routers would most likely have used mats if available.Point is,climbing is about challenges.Matless provides one kind of challenge and matted another kind.
Fortunately there is no rule book.
I used to solo routes,matless, that were done before my day as practical solos,as they had such poor gear.That is a mark of respect to previous generations.Allan Austin hit the deck off Western Front at Almscliff,and got mashed.Then went back and did it.Amazing.
Yes,mats are just another piece of kit that climbers protect themselves with.Personally,I am more impressed by climbers who use the minimum kit.Once you get about 40 feet off the deck,mats will make little difference.
Now we have a serious recesssion,and high youth unemployment,few youngsters can afford ropes and multiple cams and nuts.Mats are a simple way to get on the crag with the least cost.
It does mean,however,that a lot of climbers are denied the pleasures of roped climbs.One can often solo a route one has just led or top roped,as one has the sequence memorised;that one would not get from using mats on longer stuff.Thank the previous and current generation of capitalists for that.The young are sacrificed again...
Mitch