UKC

I noticed this afternoon that a line of 3 new pegs have appeared in the route Scary Monsters on the Assagai Wall at Trowbarrow...the second is at the same level as the remaining original peg but the first is about a metre lower, and (even though it is on a faint seam) looks to have been drilled.
Assuming these pegs are all secure, the nature of the route has changed considerably. I would imagine it will now feel more like A Sense of Doubt than the very seroius E5 it used to be.

In reply to Mark Harding:

They definitely weren't there last Tuesday (the 16th). I too can't imagine the seam below the original peg was wide enough to accept a knifeblade.

George.

In reply to GPN:

I think it's very recent George. I spoke to three other local climbers this afternoon and none of them were aware of it.

In reply to Mark Harding:
I had a quick look at these last night. It looks as though the first peg at least has been glued in. Unless anybody's got any strong objections then I'll remove them at some point in the next few days.

George.

In reply to GPN:

I’ve personally got no objections to the pegs coming out. When I first saw them I wondered if it had been done with some sort of local consensus and the permission of first ascensionist Owain Jones ... The intention being to create another lead like A Sense of Doubt. I guess this is pretty unlikely as; a) the locals I’ve spoken to had no knowledge of the change and b) Trowbarrow has a very clear and well publicised no-bolting policy and there’s really no fundamental difference between a bolt and a drilled/glued peg.

In reply to Mark Harding:

I led it today on the 'new' pegs - it's certainly still not a 'clip up' but neither is it the same experience as pre the new pegs.

Unfortunately whoever put the new pegs in has had a go at several places where the third peg is, which has led to a lot of scarring of the rock. I've also got to say that I think removing them would inevitably damage the route further.

Don't know what the answer is.

In reply to Exile:


It’s difficult isn’t it?
At the bottom of another Trowbarrow thread Owain Jones says that he will compare the new pegs with the ones he had in place on the first ascent and adjust things accordingly. https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=599328
The thing that bothers me most is that the first peg looks drilled and glued (I’ve not abbed down to take a close look). If this is the case it might as well have been a bolt and that contravenes the well publicised agreements for Trowbarrow. Also, I bet you can clip this leaning out from the start of the Sleeping Sickness crack, which alters the seriousness of the first four or five metres considerably.
Like you say, I don’t know what the answer is but I do think the opinion of the first ascensonist is important.
As you have lead the route in its current form, could you tell me; is that first peg drilled and how has the overall grade changed?
Cheers, Mark

In reply to Mark Harding:

"Start at the lowest point of the wall and climb up to a faint seam at six metres (two pegs may not be in place). Move up (crux) and right, then go back leftwards to a shallow corner which meets the end of the Assagai traverse. Finish up that route"

Anything other than that and it should be removed... simple!

In reply to Mark Harding:
I thought it looked glued from below but when you take a closer look I think it has just been placed normally but chipped some rock below it which is lighter in colour, and looks like glue from below.

We climbed it from directly below the new pegs, up to them, (I couldn't stop to clip the lower peg so actually clipped both pegs from the same position,) and then up the groove to Assagai clipping the third peg on the way. It's hard to say what the grade is as we head pointed it, but my guess would be E4 6a the way we did it with the pegs and E6 6a the way we did it without pegs.