…Personally, I think this could be handled by a little common sense and make everyone (?) happy…
…I think that “beta-ing” a few canyons and including clean canyoneering ethics into the description is a great way to promote clean canyoneering.
I being relatively new to this sport (just a couple of years now) have gained my own ethical standards in a large part to those who taught me and showed me. As I have experienced more and been exposed to more these ideas have evolved, and so it should be. My point is that we gain ethics by what we are taught and what we see. I must admit to these little thoughts that crept through my brain, ‘boy, using a G-pick sure would be easy.’ However, I would always stomp those fleeting little thoughts from my mind with the fact that I didn’t want to damage the rock any more than absolutely necessary in my own wilderness adventure, in hopes of leaving it ‘clean’ for the next guy/gal. Kind of a golden rule philosophy for the back-country.
So, as things develop so do techniques. Those who publish books and websites have a certain level of responsibility in the ethics/techniques that they promote and I would hope that those who have used G-picks, etc. in the past or present would give way to newer and perhaps less damaging methods, and to publicly state this in future publications would be a good thing in my opinion. Maybe, the easiest way isn’t always the best way … cause I don’t particularly enjoy farming rocks! However, it does keep things interesting. However, I’d rather hear ‘them’ bitch about the stupid bolt you placed than the body they recovered. I think I heard it said once, ‘rapping off a dead girth hitched gerbil buried under a pile of leaves.’ Use your brain, don’t impact more than you have to and go home safe to tell about it. On a side note, I might suggest that leaving the watercourse in many cases causes greater environmental impact than even rock damage. Consider trail and soil erosion … Impact starts way before you pull your G-pick out. If you haven’t thought about what it will look like after you’re gone, do.
Neil
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steve mestdagh
— beadysee beadysee@yahoo.com> wrote: > folks down yonder feel that their proud traditions > should be very respected.
reminds me of a story about the southern hard@sses. Was in New River Gorge once. I saw 3 guys setting up for a bolted 12c. Bolts were pretty runout. The leader was sketching by the time he got to the 2nd bolt. He clipped the draw but couldn’t clip the rope and grabbed the draw. It was close to a decker at this point. His friends were yelling at him “Go for the Fall. Go for the Fall!”. and he let go!! I couldn’t believe it. Barely stayed off the ground. -s
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beadysee
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, neil wilkinson wrote: > …I think that “beta-ing” a few canyons and including clean canyoneering ethics into the description is a great way to promote clean canyoneering.
> So, as things develop so do techniques. Those who publish books and websites have a certain level of responsibility in the ethics/techniques that they promote and I would hope that those who have used G-picks, etc. in the past or present would give way to newer and perhaps less damaging methods, and to publicly state this in future publications would be a good thing in my opinion.
Agreed.
Discussed this topic semi at length with a guidebook author today, Harrison Shull. We covered the importance of the history and ethics of an area and how that information can be conveyed in a guidebook. Harrison wrote a great book on climbing in North Carolina. Its a “select” guide with emphasis on the style and history of the ascents there, as folks down yonder feel that their proud traditions should be very respected. He also just published a nice picture book (available at BD in SLC) on the climbing in North Carolina.
One subject I really wanted his take on was a letter to the editor he wrote to Rock and Ice magazine a couple months back, concerning the “retrobolting” of a friend’s route at Castle Rock in Idaho. Anyhoo, was an interesting conversation, all about respecting the FA, assumption of risk, dumbing down the sport, etc etc (feller is hardcorp ground up, proud, trad).
Sort of applies to canyoneering, guidebooks, beta, etc. When I travel to an area, I look for beta. Sometimes I get beta off the net, but, I usually hope for a well written guidebook to point the way. What I also hope for is an understanding of the ethics of an area, who did what when, how, etc.
I wouldn’t underestimate the power of a guidebook to influence “style”. A few words, a few pictures, showing techniques and explaing why, how, when, where, really helps set the tone and also provides good reading as well.
Can be hard to put the genie back in the bottle…
Brian in SLC