UKC

Reading some of the comments about bolting routes, it comes across to me that those who are most vocal about retrobolting routes in Portland etc haven't done much trad climbing? I know that is a generalisation and that some people have done plenty, and those who have done a fair bit of trad and understand what the point of it is seem to be much more balanced in their views.

I guess that I feel that in order to understand the point of leading a trad climb, you need to have done it - if you have restricted your climbing to walls and bolts, then you will find it hard to appreciate why people defend trad climbing traditions in Britain so vigorously...

Anyway - I could have got hold of totally the wrong end of the stick - so what is your own experience?

love mich

In reply to mich:

Well I guess I am one of the people you are talking about, so FYI I have been climbing for about 12 years now, and for the first 5 or so did nothing but trad, leading up to E4 on a good day. For various reasons I got hooked on sport climbing, became a Dorset semi-local and voila, here I am talking about retrobolting. I therefore feel I am perfectly adequately qualified to understand why people defend trad climbing traditions.

In reply to mich:
I have only been on RT for 4 weeks, but the leading sport climbers who post mainly come from a top-end Trad background.

I think the main new talent direct their energy towards bouldering and have less sympathy for Trad 'fogey' ethics.

But the majority of those advocating retro-bolting have only limted experience of Trad climbing or they're just trying to wind up Ken Wilson & Horse.

In reply to mich:

I guess I was thinking that most people who climb trad will probably have had a holiday on spanish bolts, and also probably use the climbing wall, and so have some appreciation of not having to have a lot of gear, being able to concentrate on the physical aspect of climbing and being able to lead at harder grades!

However, I seem to meet an increasing number of (generally young) British climbers who have no trad experience - just walls, bolts and top ropes, and who really just don't 'get' what the point of trad climbing is...

If you climb with your mates, who have the same views, then your not likely to get any exposure to trad climbing or why it is so different either?

love mich

In reply to mich:

I think you have definitely got it wrong here mich.

I know for a fact that most of the people advocating retro bolting routes on portland have a long and varied trad background.

Take a look at the Gogarth FA list to see some of the stuff Al Evans has done. Neal Heanes has done loads of trad, mountaineering and ice. I have done loads of trad up to E5 onsight, i go mountaineering and even bag Munroes now and again! but i don't have a beard. Steve Taylor has trad first ascents under his belt. I could go on. There are a few of the 'Younger' lads who have probably done a lot more sport but even the likes of Kimber and Stokes have had some varied Trad experience in the SW and around the UK.

It is probably a the case that these people you accuse have done a lot more trad than most of the anti-bolt brigade.

Peace
James

In reply to mich:

Whoops! I wasn't meaning to sound accusatory at all! I have enjoyed a good few bolted routes myself!

I was looking to understand another perspective and to compare it to my own!

It just seems that the flavour of the debates seems to have changed over the years, but I guess it is hard to tell sometimes what people say here just to be inflamatory.

It seems from the replies so far that people come from a much more varied background than I had imagined...

Oh - by the way, I haven't got a beard either...

love mich

In reply to mich:

I'd love to see every crag in the country bolted.

I've done lots of trad climbing in the past.

In reply to mich: You mean Al Evans? no he hasn't done any trad ever as for amrtin crocker and pete oxley they never did anything hard at swanage..

In reply to Anonymous: I dont need to say it do I, you've done it for me

In reply to Al Evans:

I just had a look at your web pages you couldn't be more well rounded if you were a bubble! Just shows what a lop sided view there is to be had by reading the posts here.

Hey - by the way, how come there isn't the chance of putting a link to personal web pages in the profiles - that would be really good!

mich

In reply to mich:

Good idea. Maybe they could label the field "Your webpage" and put it just under the "About yourself" box, and above the profile photo section?

In reply to Simon Caldwell:
A bit of sarcasm there Simon?
BTW, yours appears in a slightly different place on ukclimbing, must be different to rockfax.

Mich, links are there if people put in their webpage.

In reply to sutty:

Surely not

It would be nice if we could specify more than one web page, some of us are greedy and have two.