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Re: [BradP] Dear Gunks climbers:
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funnelator
Oct 4, 2007, 1:42 AM
Views: 6707
Registered: Nov 30, 2005
Posts: 83
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The Preserve doesn't maintain gear anchors for liability issues but inexplicably they seem to think it's ok to install and maintain bolt anchors, despite liability issues. It doesn't make sense but that's the way it is.
First come first serve is Preserve policy. People should nonetheless play nice. Beyond Preserve policy, if climbers aren't certain what the appropriate local etiquette is, asking usually works. Placing gear while rapping down onto a leader just starting up, to claim a route, certainly isn't appropriate etiquette, but neither is getting in a fight over it. Better to simply remove their gear on the way up. 
As for manky anchors I'm all for removing them. Some will pop back up in less than a week and if they get removed again from time to time so be it.
Someone mentioned there are many well protected climbs here at grades up to 12. Wind that back down to 10 and it's right on. There are very few well protected 11s here at the Gunks if you exclude Skytop, which is closed. Even fewer 12s.
Suggesting everyone adhere to the style of the first ascenders is just silly. There are those of us who climb a lot and are insane enough to like scaring the crap out of ourselves by being on the sharp end at the limit of our ability and well above our gear. There are many others who climb less frequently, or less than they once did, or maybe they have less testosterone to begin with (or they are just generally emotionally better adjusted), and so they aren't so ready to dance with death. They have every right to climb beyond their 5.5 lead head abilities without worrying about offending someone else's ethical or stylistic sensibilities or those of the first ascentionists. Self aggrandizing climbing ethic evangelicals don't own the cliff. Neither do the FAs. The Preserve does. See paragraph 2.
Brad, about TR gangs. Guilty as charged. On weekends, some of us break off into pairs for most of the day and then convene back at the Mac Wall, or Workout Wall, or wherever, later in the afternoon to meet up with friends. And yes, in large groups, we sometimes then set up many adjacent TRs. We are also more than happy to defer to anyone who wants a ride or, even better, wants to lead. To overcome shyness on the parts of passers by we usually ask "do you want to get on this?" or "if you want to lead this we'll pull". If that's not enough for you then tough. We live here. In many regards we "write" the "rules", when they don't violate Preserve policy anyway. Get used to it.
The trick to having fun climbing on a crowded Gunks weekend is to work the crowd rather than letting the crowd work you. It's like a very large climbing party. And like all good parties there are lots of eye candy opportunities, fun people to meet, and new perspectives to be had. And most climbs are open. The hard men and women among you complaining about the crowds on super classics have all manner of poorly protected and open hard climbs to choose from. Damn interesting ones too.
Have fun all.
(This post was edited by funnelator on Oct 4, 2007, 1:46 AM)
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Edit Log:
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Post edited by funnelator
() on Oct 4, 2007, 1:45 AM
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Post edited by funnelator
() on Oct 4, 2007, 1:46 AM
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