UKC

PRODUCT NEWS: South West Sport Climbing updates for Rockfax Digital

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 UKC Gear 19 May 2021

As part of our monthly updates to Rockfax Digital we're pleased to announce two whole new sport climbing crags: New Quarry at New Quarry - Avon Gorge (Sea Walls Area) and Churston Quarries. In addition, we have a major update to Brean Down and Uphill Quarry.

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 Adam_42 20 May 2021
In reply to UKC Gear:

Went to Churston a couple of years ago and had a good, if greasy, time. Glad it's on the app as finding it just using the website was a little tricky.

 RustyBramble 21 May 2021
In reply to UKC Gear:

Descriptions are right but the lines are the wrong way round for Skulking agent Bulking agent at New Quarry. 

In reply to RustyBramble:

Thanks. I have alerted Mark G who will look into it.

Alan

In reply to RustyBramble:

Thanks, it is a numbering error on the Topo. 2 and 3 are the wrong way round. Will be sorted asap

 tomrainbow 22 May 2021
In reply to Mark Glaister - Assistant Editor:

Alan/Mark,

I'm a bit confused about this. As crag moderator I seem to have lost the ability to make changes to route grades etc. There have been a couple of inexplicable grade revisions at Churston, one of which is on a route that I don't think has ever had a clean second ascent. When I did the first ascent I worked it with a number of other people and consensus was it is mid 7b, yet for some reason it has been upgraded to 7b+ on the UKC page. I have reported this as incorrect but have not has a reply and the grade hasn't changed.

This in itself is not a big problem but is symptomatic of a bigger issue - if the point of running UKC is to have a consensus view, surely the crag moderator should have the autonomy to be reactive once that consensus has become overwhelming, otherwise what's the point of the system? Both grade revisions that have been made for routes at Churston I have put up I disagree with...and, more importantly, had no clear cut consensus in the grade voting box (one had a 3,3 split between 7b and 7b+...and the other had no votes ar all). Krushmi Chedda on the other hand has been strongly voted to be 7c (which I would go with even though I thought it 7c+ when I did the first ascent) yet that has stayed as 7c+? I'm really interested to know what the thinking is on this.

In reply to tomrainbow:

Hi Tom

I received your email about the routes but was waiting until Mark got back to me and he has been away. We have now discussed it.

For the route Whizz Bang Kissy Kissy (7b+) my understanding is that 7b+ is the grade given in the latest guidebook and by yourself when you contributed it to UKC Logbook. It doesn't appear to have ever had a different grade that I can see. Maybe we should wait for a few more ascents before changing it.

For the route Gene Parmesan (7b) - it could be a simple typo since it does appear that it was 7b+ when uploaded, and in the local guide. I will get this changed back and do a minor update (which we need to do for the route line mistake mentioned elsewhere).

As regards why we lock the grades when the route is added to Rockfax Digital - this is for data management. Rockfax Digital is a second database to UKC Logbook and it needs to be the 'source of truth' once a route is documented there.

That doesn't mean that we can't change grades, which is why the report discrepancy system is there. Where a consensus is overwhelming, we can alter the UKC Logbook version and the master Rockfax version without directly updating the public version on Rockfax Digital, however we do need to be able to keep track of the changes so that they eventually make it through to the public version.

Our general rule though for 'overwhelming consensus' is that a route needs at least 10 votes, preferably 20 or more, and it needs to be 2/3 for an upgrade but probably only just above 1/2 for a downgrade. This is due to people being more likely to vote for upgrades. It isn't an exact science though and we try to avoid making unnecessary grade changes.

Alan

 The Pylon King 26 May 2021
In reply to UKC Gear:

Its very worrying and seemingly unfair that you are putting all the routes in for crags like Brean, Uphill and New Quarry as you have not contributed to any of the work that has been done there AND there is a locally produced definitive guide in preparation due out this year. I thought Rockfax SW was supposed to be a select guide?

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