Something's eroding the spirit of climbing.

If you go down to the boulders today, you might be in for a shock. Gritstone is under attack, and the weapons of choice? Wire brushes and chisels. Whether it’s intentional demeaning of the rock to suit a person’s standard, or over zealous brushing, the result is the same. Permanent, disfiguring scarring - offensive to all who see it. Dave Bishop, BMC Access rep for Staffordshire, surveys the damage in his area, but it doesn’t stop there, Yorkshire Grit has fallen prey too. Read on to find out more, and what people really think about it.

Staffordshire
Thanks to co-operation on simple guidelines and precautions drawn up between climbers, represented by the BMC, and the Peak Park as owners, Ramshaw was the first grit crag to open-up in the Staffordshire area during the current foot and mouth epidemic. This was good news as conditions were nigh on perfect, every route got repeated, and Clippety Clop (big numbers) had its first and second ascents. You could say that the place took a ‘hammering’. You would be right, but unfortunately not just in the metaphorical sense intended. This is what I discovered when I paid an early visit: On ‘Cracked Arete’, VD, in the ‘Magic Roundabout’ area a hold has been sculpted at the start for no apparent reason. On the boulders behind ‘Dangerous Crocodile Snogging’ there has traditionally been a test-piece 5b mantelshelf problem almost straight off the footpath. Not any more there ain’t. Some budding Epstein has chiselled out finger holds on the starting move and permanently altered, downgraded, and disfigured the problem.

“It took me several goes to do this, it was a climb at the top of my ability and I was really pleased when I finally did it. Now it’s been ruined. Why can’t some people accept that there are problems you have to keep going back to in order to succeed and lots that you’ll probably never be able to do?“ - Mike Battye, local climber.

‘Louie Groove’ (who was Louie?), an El 5b for 36 years, with an ‘intimidating move’ up into the groove and above your last runner, now sports a freshly gouged-out wire placement in the groove just where you always wanted one but couldn’t have it.

“The irony is, of course, if you really want to climb this route as an HVS technical problem then all you have to do is step left at the bottom of the groove and place a wire high up in a crack on The Arete (Severe). Bingo! A nice safe tick and the route stays unaltered and in its original character for those who can accept its challenge.“- Dave Garnett, Staffordshire Guidebook Editor.

That’s not the end of the saga however. Down the road a little, Newstones had to wait a few weeks longer to open. When eventually it did, what greeted climbers was a mosaic of heavily wire-brushed and freshly sculpted holds. The popularity of Newstones as a bouldering area has increased enormously since the publication of the Rockfax guide, and as an inevitable consequence accidental damage to some of the fragile rock flakes has taken place. But what has happened here recently is something else. Between Charlie’s Overhang and Sly Buttress we counted 17 sculpted holds and we didn’t even bother to count the heavily wire-brushed ones where the rock surface had been attacked. The worst affected area is on Scratch Buttress where a low-down horizontal line of holds has been developed and this particular example is one of that line underneath ‘Itchy Fingers’ a B4 problem.

“It’s nothing short of vandalism, and I’m deeply saddened that climbers and boulderers can be capable of such wanton destruction.“ - Frank Connell. A very local climber, Corner House, Newstones.

Yet another ‘improvement’ has been done on Rockfax problem 30, B4. Another example of heavy wire-brushing for you to see is taken from problem 19, a B2 or B6 , make your choice. (But don’t take your pick!) There are many more examples, but you probably get the picture by now.

“Most of the damage and altered holds seem to be low-down. I think it’s been done to develop sit-down starts to some of the problems. But it’s still unacceptable and unsustainable. Look, if you rub the surface now with your finger the grit comes off in your hand.“ - Clare Bond, BMC Access and Conservation Officer.

What is difficult to establish is exactly when this damage was done, but it all looks pretty fresh, it wasn’t noticed until this Spring, so sometime in the last twelve months would be a reasonable assumption. It has proved impossible, so far, to establish exactly who has done this. Unless whoever it was is reading this now and cares to own up and justify their actions (worth E10 at least!), then we shall probably never know.

Do you remember the furore caused when The Peak Park sanctioned the placing of bolts in Hen Cloud in 1999 to facilitate the making of a transient episode of ‘Peak Practice’ for Carlton TV? Overwhelmingly the feeling among climbers then was one of disgust and dismay at the thought of ‘our’ precious gritstone being altered and damaged by what we considered to be outside interests, when we, the true guardians of the rock, had spent years safeguarding its purity. That protest was loud, public, and largely successful, and the Peak Park, to their credit, changed their policy so that such actions are unlikely ever to be approved again.

Consider the irony for a moment or two. Is alteration to the rock acceptable by climbers because it makes possible new routes, but unacceptable by ‘outsiders’ filming for public entertainment and commercial benefit, who wish to safeguard their workers? Surely not. It’s either both or neither. For most climbers, it’s the second option, neither. Clearly, as evidenced by the above examples and photos, there are ‘climbers’ out there, members of the Wire-brush and Chisel Branch of the Outdoor Climbing Wall Constructors Guild, who act differently, even if they don’t think. Their actions affect us all and undermine currently acceptable standards of behaviour.

So that these few individuals can be identified and persuaded to desist, we all need to be vigilant. Therefore if you see anyone with a wire brush anywhere near grit, question their motives closely -very closely:

Explain that rock should be climbed as it is and not as you would like it to be. Altering and designing the rock to make routes is an unacceptable form of self-indulgence and vainglorious behaviour, and it is a crime against climbing and the environment.

Point out that if cleaning is necessary to remove loose material then a stiff bristle brush can be used (with care) and the rock left undamaged.

Above all, tell them that if they cannot do the problem as it stands then they should keep trying; train harder; or admit they ain’t good enough and leave it for better climbers.

That’s the challenge; that’s the adventure; that’s the learning curve. I’m told that to get a serious point over a bit of humour helps. Well, tell them a joke if you have to, but make sure they get the point.

The future of climbing and the environment in which we enjoy it is down to you. Are you up to it?


 

« Back