In reply to Mick Ryan - UKC and UKH:
> Michael
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> This assumption..
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> "With usage rising from 14% to 22% in a decade the limited number of sport climbing venues may see increasing levels of environmental impact."
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> Can you explain those figures? I mean how you got them.
If you use the data under "show graphs" and then take the number of climbs of each type conducted each year as a percentage of the overall climbs conducted that year it gives the trends shown.
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> There has been a significant rise in logbook users, I think it stands at 17,000 climbers at the moment, that rise over time has followed internet useage more than anything.
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> Do sport climbers use the internet more that trad climbers?
From the pilot and the data gathered so far, it appears that sport climbers climb more regularly than trad climbers and when they climb they do more routes per day.
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> Also why do you start to correlate sport climbing popularity with a inferred increase in environmental damage....all those damn quotes....
Research in Canada and America has illustrated that erosion at the base of sport climbs where three times greater at the base of sport climbs than similiar trad climbs in the same area. This is where the environmental quotes come from...
Camp R & Knight R 1998. Effects of Rock Climbing on Cliff Plant Communities in Joshua Tree Park, California, Conservation Biology, Volume 12 Issue 6, December 1998, Pages 1302 – 1306.
Carr C, 2007. Variation in Environmental Impact at Rock Climbing areas in the Red River Gorge Geological Area and the Adjacent Clifty Wilderness, Daniel Boone National Forest Kentucky. University of Cincinnati
Kuntz K L & Larson D W, 2005. The Relative Influence of Microhabitat Constraints and Rock Climbing Disturbance to Vegetation on Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment. Cliff Ecology Research Group, Dept of Integrative Biology , University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
> What about bouldering and its rise in popularity?
Bouldering isn't being looked at as I am specifically looking at the mountain environment, European wide and not just UK. Although some bouldering does occur in mountainous areas, Cromlech Boluders comes to mind, they tend to be more roadside.
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> Seems like you are pointing the finger at certain types of climbing? Is that justified?
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> What are the most popular crags in the UK....trad, sport, bouldering... climbers are climbers after all, we all have a similar effect on the environmentwhatever type of climbing we do at a certain time.
That's the very question that I am looking, do we all have the same impact? I don't have the answer!
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> Do you have an agenda here?
No I don't have an agenda - I like most climbers enjoy both sport and trad climbing, and like most climbers value the environment and would like to be able to make educated decisions concerning my actions. The research is a way of me improving my knowledge which feeds into my work as an instructor and part of an MSc in Sustainable Mountain Development.
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> Climbers undoubtedly have an impact on the environment; but what is the carrying capacity of particular crags (it differs), what is the usage that has no effect, usage that has an effect, and usage at such a level that no more damage is done.
Not sure if there is to many variables in this to be able to produce a generic formula to apply to all crags.
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> Just some random thoughts...
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> Mick
Well placed questions Mick and as predicted anything that mentions Trad and Sport in the same sentence generates strong opinions, as does survey's.
Thanks Again
M