In reply to tlm:
> (In reply to dustyrat)
>
> You have to look at each individual case on its own merits. Some climbs are perfectly protectable with modern gear, some aren't, so you can't just make a one rule fits all solution.
Absolutely, and it's not just about whether you can get some different gear instead, it's about how the route changes when the fixed gear goes and whether that's a change for better or worse, a highly subjective matter.
To give a couple of examples from Pembroke, where the Rockfax guide states as a matter of policy that fixed gear won't be replaced (presumably reflecting more than just the authors' views):
Zeppelin: having the peg to clip makes the route E3, it would be a bit of a different proposition without it. With the peg, it's an uber-classic route at an accessible grade, so removing the peg would have a considerable effect on who could climb it - it might lose its place as a 'must do' route. The peg has been replaced with a stainless steel one, and that seems good to me (it seemed really good when I clipped it, pumped out of my box).
Howling Gale: crappy old pegs which make a good route a friendly proposition if you trust them. There are probably other gear opportunities should they be removed and anyway, there's solid gear at your feet with plenty of distance between you and the ground. Seems to me like it would be a better, slightly harder route without the pegs and I think replacing them would be a bad thing.
These examples are popular routes at accessible grades. On top-grade routes, it's really just a matter for the few people who can and want to climb them. You'd get more kudos for an ascent without replacing pegs and more still if you assumed they were useless rather than inspecting them but if you wanted to replace them I don't see who, except winging keyboard warriors who will never be good enough to climb the route, would complain.
