In reply to Michael Hood:
> Went up
Broad Stand (D) yesterday; solo, dry, no rope or tat on it. Found it really quite tricky and no way D.
> If you were leading then there's good gear but I reckon it's worth VD 4a. The move is certainly harder than many other 4as I've done.
I've personally never understood what all the fuss is about - first time I did it both up and down I was 12, it was wet and I was wearing old Hawkins Fellmasters. I've since done it dozens of times in all conditions.
However, bearing in mind the average ability of the average person doing it most of the time, and the traffic it gets (and the accidents), I can actually see the logic of possibly looking at putting fixed chains and a cable on it - as opposed to a fixed rope, which will degrade and become dangerous unless it's replaced on a regular basis.
Considering the erosion surrounding it, I don't think there's necessarily a strong argument against it on aesthetic grounds?
It works well in the alps - the number of ascents of the Hornli on the Matterhorn would probably drop by 90% if they removed the fixed gear - so why not consider it for things like Broad Strand?
Just a though?