tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29070294.post115333702469689485..comments2024-03-22T07:20:37.601+00:00Comments on Dave MacLeod blog: Divided YearsDave MacLeodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442169589581067050noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29070294.post-1153588712603674482006-07-22T17:18:00.000+00:002006-07-22T17:18:00.000+00:00Hi Neil, got to be quick I'm off to the Ben. Yes I...Hi Neil, got to be quick I'm off to the Ben. Yes I bought a hammer from the corner shop in Attical and removed all the in-situ gear before my lead. <BR/><BR/>If I had been sure the route was only 8a and so safe I would have tried it ground up, but I was still looking at a potential E10 and 8b/+ which I could never onsight. If I was going to try an E8 onsight I'd pick one that had a good consensus, didnt rely on insitu gear (which might be corroded) and had had lots of quick ascents. I want to stay alive!Dave MacLeodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02442169589581067050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29070294.post-1153581818914424522006-07-22T15:23:00.000+00:002006-07-22T15:23:00.000+00:00Great effort Dave, on what looks to be one of the ...Great effort Dave, on what looks to be one of the best mountain pitches in the UK.<BR/><BR/>I'm interested in your approach to the route though, and pose the following questions not to criticise in any way, but merely to better understand your motivation!<BR/><BR/>You state that placing the gear on lead is important to you, and also that there were a lot of pieces in the route in various states of decay.<BR/><BR/>Did you remove all the situ nuts beforehand, and then place all the non-peg protection on lead? I assume that would be the only thing compatible with your (laudable) stance on leader-placed pro. I certainly don't like to see ugly situ wires on trad routes (though sometimes people do inadvertently get them stuck - which I suppose is something quite different to pre-placing wires for protection!).<BR/><BR/>Also, I wonder whether your approach in climbing DY really gave you the best experience of the route.<BR/><BR/>Your approach seemed to be to aim for a rehearsed headpoint, placing the gear on lead, and you achieved this remarkably quickly. I can't help wondering if you could have therefore actually climbed the route ground-up, and whether this could have been an experience more satisfying still?<BR/><BR/>The thing about headpointing (and sport climbing in general) is that as long the routes we choose aren't unrealistically adrift of our actual ability, then there becomes an inevitability that the outcome will be successful. I'm not sure this is the case with on sighting, and as such this may be a more satisfying style of climbing, particularly if you have the talent to pull it off on the hardest routes.<BR/><BR/>And reading how quickly you tamed DY, I suspect you probably have that potential...<BR/><BR/>Anyway, all the best with the rest of the hitlist!<BR/><BR/>Curious of Tideswell (aka Neil Foster).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29070294.post-1153465939580030042006-07-21T07:12:00.000+00:002006-07-21T07:12:00.000+00:00Thanks Toby, yeah I'd like to try that E10 in Corn...Thanks Toby, yeah I'd like to try that E10 in Cornwall, theres not very much info on it. Maybe I should look up Mark Edwards? The line certainly looked very good and steep - my favourite). I'm pretty crap in the heat though so I'm not sure how I'd get on.Dave MacLeodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02442169589581067050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29070294.post-1153390388331554072006-07-20T10:13:00.000+00:002006-07-20T10:13:00.000+00:00A fine effort Dave. Many congratulations. Good t...A fine effort Dave. Many congratulations. Good to see hard routes getting repeated. How about a road trip to Cornwall to investigate all those mysterious Mark Edwards hard routes from the mid-90s?<BR/><BR/>Well done!<BR/>Toby in Helsinki.Toby - Northern Light Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14342195033125549912noreply@blogger.com