In reply to Jack Geldard - Editor - UKC:
> (In reply to johncoxmysteriously)Hi John,
>
> With a fairly well travelled accessible route like this - the grade is likely to be fair.
>
Chris Sharma recently on-sighted this route and gave it 8b.
from Kairn.com...
Mais en fouillant un peu plus dans l'historique de la voie "Darwin Dixit",
il s'avère que l'année passée celle-ci fût réalisée à vue par un
certain Chris Sharma, la décôtant à ... 8b!!
"Le pas dur se trouve au raz du sol, et la voie ne monte pas haut" nous précise également un local de Margalef."
Many here have maintained that regardless of where the crux is on this route the concequences of a fall would be dire, which I'll not argue. This is a great achievemnet for anyone and should not be diminished.
However, up to this point I have still heard nothing as to where the exact location of the crux is on this route and how sustained the climbing is after the crux. This is important information and should be included in the reporting by the ascentionist. It is my opinion that Dave should have reported the nature of the climbing and also the history of the route in terms of the consensus grade. This information should not be left to the gallery. Let me also add that I am a big fan of Dave.
My main concern is the perceived ("perceived" being the operative word here) lack of trasparency in the reporting, and I don't mean that in a accusatory manner. Where the crux comes on a potentially dangerous route or solo IS important because it lets us understand how much risk is associated with this act. Even a 10 metre fall may not kill a particularly gifted athlete, but falls of less height certainly have killed many.
If we are to accept for a moment that our heros and roll models have characters worthy of imitation, then it is also important that we see that their decision making process is available for scrutiny, because people will naturally seek to learn from such acts. Anyone who is genuinely passionate about learning should question the quality of the information they are meant to digest. Conversely, anyone passionate about teaching should try and be upfront regarding the information they choose to impart.
This subject obviously delves into various shades of gray.
In the end, the quality of a person's character will shine through. There will always be those wishing to add fine print to others achievements in our sport, but this can certainly be diminished by brutal honesty in the way you choose to report your activities.