UKC

An area we developed in India near Hampi started to get serious attention from freelance rock blasters. The boulders were starting to vanish one by one. To anybody who cares about nature this is terrible to see but as climber it's probably even more sad and awful. It was for me anyway.
They knew and liked us already in the local village so we went there pleading and smiling and after discussions they actually agreed to not smash them anymore. They understood that those rocks were important for something other than building materials. I was so happy and quite surprised but just hope they will now stick to their word.
The more climbers that go there the less chance of them blasting again which is amazing as long as people keep going and they don't forget about us. So if you go to Hampi try and get over there at least once and also make the effort to go to the local village. Don't be critical but rather super friendly telling them how special and great the place is.
I prepared a topo with 250 problems and directions on how to get there which is better than the description in the guide (double the amount of problems also) It's one of the better places in the Hampi area with less loose flakes and very strong granite.
Check the pdf link at the end of the page if you want the topos or to see that place
http://pils-trips.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/hampi-bouldering-why-paraport.html

In reply to Pilo:

Just think about all those cheap flights to Kalymnos....

In reply to jsmcfarland:

Don't worry about those. They're ending next year when Ryanair and Easyjet stop their flights to Greece.

But in general agreed, the cheap flights do lure us further than we might normally travel. And I think that's, at least in part, down to governments refusing to put tax on aviation fuel.

In reply to jsmcfarland:
Flights are cheaper to Europe but we get more 'value for money' in India.
India has so much rock and deserves more climbers.

In reply to stp:


Perhaps, but if climbers really gave a sh1t about the planet, they would choose not to fly to far away climbing destinations on principal. In my expereience, everyone is an evironmentalist, until it comes to sacrificing their foreign holiday or their washing machine or their dishwasher or their car.

Foreign trips are nice. Putting tax on fuel will not reduce the amount of air travel. It will simply price out a few people.

In reply to ByEek:

Climbers might not be good for global warming because they travel a lot but at least as a collective group they can stop some special natural places getting trashed. That's what I was thinking about. All the boulders and crags getting destroyed now in South India would be safe in other countries because of groups like BMC and suchlike. If there were more climbers in India they could create some balance and understanding about preserving these rocks. If just a few of us could stop it on that one big hillside then of course it would work elsewhere. I'm just trying to do ANYTHING to slow down these blasters as it's just now spiraling out of control in the whole region just north of Hampi. If anybody has any other ideas do let me know.

In reply to Pilo:

One of the best proposals I've ever read to cut down on aviation pollution is an escalating tax based on the number of flights per year you have. It seems to tick all the right boxes and I can't really see any downsides.

E.g. first flight: 'normal' rate of tax
then subsequent flights are increasingly taxed, until say your 20th flight in a year is extremely expensive.

Poor people aren't 'punished' by being priced out of flying (though to be honest I find this quite a tedious argument, there's plenty of places to holiday in the UK!), businesses will encourage more tele-conferencing/skype/etc, and the super rich will simply be able to unafford to take 100 flights per year, and the money can be used for some kind of green investment bank / renewable project / whatever

In reply to jsmcfarland:


Apply that to having children instead of flying and you might actually change the world in a perceptible way...

In reply to Pilo:

Terrible!!

Comparatively rich western climbers wanting to stop the locals using their rock for their needs - building!!

BTW don't we climb in quarries in the UK?

In reply to ByEek:

Agreed. However, India will never be a popular choice for a week's holiday. Visited for a month or more as part of a world tour it could be more eco-freindly. While one climber is in India for a month - another could be out on several short trips, and NB. short hop flights are more energy intensive.

In reply to Pilo:

Should have let them carry on, it's only bouldering after all

In reply to Dave Perry:

This is self styled blasters going from hill to hill and taking all the boulders only. Not proper quarries at all and the forest department is currupt from top to bottom so turn a blind eye. They can get so much granite from one hill but they have to hide in forest areas and destroy 20 boulder plateau hills to get the same. You would hate what they are doing if you could see it. Even local poor non climbers here hate it as it's so unnecessary. Even the people who do it hate it!

In reply to ByEek:


See a recent thread Re: Fontainebleau where someone is flying to Orly from London rather than taking the (convenient and comfortable 2 hr) train journey because it's substantially cheaper!! WTF!

Apparently more than 50% of flights from London airports are like this. That Govt doesn't address this is incompetence of the highest order.

In reply to Removed UserArdverikie2:


You say incompetence, I say corruption

In reply to ByEek:


This is pretty common amongst most people, not just climbers, not just flying. The explanation I've heard is that no one wants to be the only one giving up something when others are clearly not. For one individual actions won't make much difference and secondly it seems a bit pointless and unfair to do so when no one else is. Action really needs to come from governments. There are various schemes suggested, like a personal carbon allowance, but politicians are pretty much in bed with the worst polluting industries so don't want to do anything that might upset them.



If it prices out some people then surely that amounts to fewer flights. The higher the tax the more people are priced out. Other forms of transport will then be more able to compete with aviation.

In reply to Dave Perry:



Perhaps if it were true, but the OP states that's the destruction is being done by freelance rock blasters, not local people building stuff for their needs.



And we also fight campaigns opposing new quarrying too. Pretty sure if some company wanted to quarry say, Stanage for stone for new homes there wouldn't be many climbers (or anyone else) supporting it.

In reply to stp:

Thanks for seeing sense.

Some facts for Dave Perry and others who think we were in the wrong.

If free standing boulders were used to build new houses in even just Karnataka state alone starting now all the boulders of the entire Deccan plateau would be gone in a few weeks.
These plateau's are unique and can never be replaced so please as climbers let's try and do what we can to preserve those places.
The little village (Yahadeli) could be one of the best bouldering points of the future. The granite they cut to is not for them or their own houses. They get payed measly amounts for labour by corrupt officials and business people. Apart the areas we have developed (Paraport etc.) there are boulder plateaus in every direction. If bouldering happened they or their children would never have to labour to cut stones ever again. Just a few guest houses and a website. Is that not better than blasting all those hills?
This becomes even more likely when they (UNESCO and Forest dept) finish the job of demolishing all the guest houses on Hampi island and people have nowhere to go or stay in normal down to earth village India. Which is exactly what that place is. Beautiful. That's why we want to help them.

In reply to Pilo:

Very interesting and a slightly new perspective. I've never heard of the place or that particular geological feature which will disappear. That I agree is unfortunate and sad.

Where are all the climbers going to come from though? And where are all the children & their families going to earn an income from if the removal of the boulders/stone stops?

In reply to stp:

Half the buildings in Sheffield are from quarried stone.

In reply to Dave Perry:

Climbing is getting more popular all the time in India. People arrive in Hampi from Delhi, Bangalore, all over. Add to that all the foreigners and it's a lot of climbers (compared to earlier times) and increasing all the time.
If the small stone cutting village (pop 500) got a look in at the tourist industry they would realize how much potential climbing tourism has. What THEY want now is one hill where they can use all the rock even when the boulders are gone. Obviously we want that also. That idea combined with a few climbers adding to the local economy could tip the scales and slow down the destruction.
BTW It's not just us climbers who are trying to save the rocks, check out this Indian organization (Deccan plateau extends into Andhra Pradesh) shame they are not in Karnataka: http://www.saverocks.org/Preservation.html