The trundled Flake, the route is still HVS
Well, over the weekend the slate has been busy, in particular there was a couple fo spots of vandalism. The first was by someone on Friday afternoon in broad daylight, as someone has cut a hole through the two fences at Dali’s Hole. Despite the local climbers putting the feelers out as to ‘Who Dunnit’, there is current know idea as to who.
Many locals don’t suspect a climber, as doing such a thing in broad daylight is something that not even a local climber would do. Especially as 20 yards to the right you could walk round said fence! I am sure there will be fall out from that for climbers at some point!
The second bit of vandalism was by me, I climbed the HVS equinox or solitice, can’t remember what it is called. The one which used to have a really big tombstone flake, I say used to, because after climbing a few times this year the flake seemed to be getting looser, so rather than wait for it to be pull off as some poor bastard mantelshelved it I quick dispatched it with a easy push. I suspect it was loosen this winter by the extreme cold conditions.
I also saw this great advert for BA at the weekend. Seemed like a waste of paper under the current flying conditions. However interesting that they are using a climber to advertise BA!
Hey mark, I have climbed the hvs twice within the last 4 weeks and many times before. Must admit I am suprised to hear you say it was more loose than before as seemed to be roughly the same. But you should have enough experience to make a judgment like that.
However made me think slightly hypocritical? From a previous blog post of yours
“What actually seems to have happen is that one self appointed guardian of the quarries has come along and stripped out all the bolts in Dali’s Hole to protect us from ourselves. No discussion other than that on UKC, no coming along to the next BMC meeting, just an action that seems to have been taken without thinking a situation through.”
All the best
Ewan
Hi Ewan.
Glad to see that you have been paying attention! Hopefully even you can see the difference between, me turning up and seconding a popular route and hitting the flake in question with my palm and seeing the flake move and inch, and thinking for people safety I would remove it, compared to debolting an entire area simply because someone felt that it would improve access.
My concerns were simply that I would hate to have to turn up for a rescue to find a leader having pull the flake off as they mantelshelved, and taken themselves and there belayer out with the appadtly shaped ‘Tombstone’ Flake.
Whilst I appreciate that it may seem hypocritical, I do find it interesting that more rock was probably clean off one route in Dali’s hole to make a route, than this one flake that fell of very easily in Bus Stop.
Keep up the good work, looking for contradictions on the site, there are bou8nd to be many more!
Good on you Mark, I fully support you for doing this.
To Ewan: The difference is obvious. Stripping Dalis, wasn’t removing a potentially fatal risk. Removing this flake was. Good on Mark for taking the initiative, before it was too late.
Tom Ripley
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