Bacharach classic

[john]

"I was saddened to read the piece in the Mountain 127 Info section entitled 'Yosemite Brawl Over Euro-Ethics as Bachar Bashing Season Opens'. This report more appropriately belongs in the Opinion section rather than next to the factual reports which regularly appear in the Info column. Not only is the sensationalisation of violence demeaning to myself and other local traditional climbers, but the article does nothing constructive to help the involved parties solve their problems. Is Mountain magazine's sole purpose to make a profit, or do they also wish to Bachar Speaks Out help the climbing community? In such a heated issue the magazine should have contacted people involved on each side of the controversy.

As far as Mr Chapman's opinionated report goes there are many errors and outright lies. He states that the rappel-bolted route Punchline was ". . . accepted by nearly all locals as an instant classic . . ." . The fact is that nearly all locals were appalled by Mr Kauk's actions and he is without a doubt aware of it. Only a year ago he was telling younger climbers that ground up climbing was the only acceptable way to establish a route. Had anybody else rappel bolted a route it would have been removed. Apparently it is acceptable for Mr Kauk to break his own rules.

Chapman states that "During one particularly heated discussion . . . a punch was thrown and Bachar ended up in the dirt of the Camp 4 parking lot." The fact is that only Mr Chapman was "heated" and when he could not continue the discussion in a rational manner he punched me without warning in the neck. I had to go to the hospital to receive treatment for nerve damage to my neck and upper arm. Many would argue that the removal of rappel bolts is an offensive act, but it must be said that the placement of rappel bolts is just as offensive to the ground-up climber as the removal of rap placed bolts is to the rap-bolter. If a top-down climber has the right to place rap-bolts on a ground-up climber's future route, then the ground-up climber has just as much the right to remove those bolts. In everyday life many conflicts arise and are solved without resort to physical violence. The use of physical violence is a totally unacceptable approach to the solution of any problem and should not be condoned by anyone, the press included.

He further states that ". . . the majority of climbers couldn't care less about how routes are established". The fact is that the vast majority of locals do care about how routes are established and even if it were the case that the majority of climbers didn't care about how routes are established, it must be recognised that minorities have rights too. By looking back in history to a time when a majority of people were in favour of the enslavement of the negro minority or when a majority favoured the slaughter of the American Indian, we can learn that the tyranny of the majority is not always just. In fact it is often irrational and mob-like. The traditional ground-up climbers of Yosemite have rights that must be respected.

Mr Chapman also states that " . . . Yosemite seems to be awakening from the big sleep that has engulfed it for the past eight years . . .". The fact is that Yosemite produces some of the ha rdest ground-up routes in the world to date and the standards are increasing every year. Only because top-down routes are equated with traditional ground-up routes via the usage of the same numerical rating system do Yosemite-style ground-up first ascents appear inferior. After all what is harder, doing an on-sight, on-the-lead first ascent of a 5.13b or doing a top-down, rehearsed, preprotected 5.14a? They are two different games, born of opposite approaches and producing different results. Perhaps Mr Chapman could awaken from his own state of deep sleep by attempting to repeat some of the face climbs recently established by talented young climbers like Steve Schneider or Kurt Smith. The sad fact is that neither Mr Kauk nor Mr Chapman have even tried to repeat the hardest routes of today's gifted young Yosemite climbers.

Unfortunately the main questions in this controversial issue were not even alluded to in the report over the "Yosemite Brawl". How can the freedoms and rights of both parties be preserved and respected? Can top-down rappel-bolting methods co-exist with traditional ground-up methods within the same climbing area? The speed of rappel-bolting will allow rappel bolters to take away all of the best new routes before ground-up climbers even have a fair chance to attempt them. Within a short period of time the local ground-up climbers will have virtually no first ascent projects. This unfair imbalance will cause even greater friction within the climbing community and assure the continuance of more bolt chopping and violence. The speed of rap-bolters vs. the slowness of ground-up climbers causes a natural resource usage conflict that must be addressed if we are to see a viable solution to this matter,

People bashing and bolt removal are most certainly not the best solutions to this difficult issue. Neither does the insensitive exploitation of people's problems by the press help the situation. It is sad to see such biased and destructive reporting in a prestigious magazine like Mountain. Hopefully, in the near future Mountain can offer its readers a more enlightening and thorough analysis of this emotionally charged issue that is not only tearing apart Yosemite but other climbing communities as well." John Bachar

[*Chris*]

John,
I'm not sure if this story was posted to make a statement about something happening locally here in N.B., or if it was just an interesting read you're passing along. In any case, I read this related story today and thought I'd share it back:

http://www.rockandice.com/news/2296-cold-war-professional-climbers-rap-bolt-crimea

Cheers

[john]

just interesting reading telling who was in involved in the famous camp 4 fight written about in lynn hills book among others. this was bachars take on it. cashner also wrote his take but the thread was super long so i posted only part, but forgot the link.cool read thought other history buffs might like it

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum ... n-Magazine