In reply to timjones:
> (In reply to Dave Cumberland)
> [...]
>
> The flip side to that has to be. Does anyone have the right to set guidelines on ethics?
Yes, anyone can. You can, I can, the BMC can, the FRCC can. Whether these guidelines are followed or not is up to the individual climber.
> unenforcable guidelines
Yes they are unenforceable and they should be guidelines that outline good practice that ensure that winter climbing in the the Lake District is:
Sustainable: meaning that climbers of the future will have the opportunity to practice and enjoy winter climbing in the Lakes, and that our impact as climbers on the crag environment is minimised (both ecological and aesthetically).
If a free for all results and anything goes will have to pay the consequences with our
freedom to climb.
I think winter climbers should avoid going round in circles trying to define what is acceptable and what is not and really think about sustainability and freedom, and have a set of general principles or guidelines that recommended good practice: and climbers can either follow these or not.
Lastly:
Media: if you do stuff on the crag that could be viewed as destructive or damaging do not put videos or images on social networking sites or send to the outdoor media. Doing so justifies that kind of practice and encourages others to do similar things. Importanly it gives us a bad rap with land managers and owners.