Pinkpointed a bolted route on gear WTF?

[Dom]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=00cQB4_pagY#!

So the first part of this video (1min in), the climber pinkpoints China Doll. In other words she pre-placed her trad gear in the crack, went down and climbed it clean clipping the gear already in place. The weird thing is this route is BOLTED!! WTF why didn't she just clip the bolts?

So I'm not saying this route should or shouldn't be bolted. It's been climbed on gear already by a few guys including Bob Horan who has the FA. I'm just saying it seems hypocrite to boycott the bolts to clip pre-placed pro instead! Thoughts?

Line looks sick though and she's damn strong!

[chossmonkey]

Seems really strange.

[*Chris*]

I bet she towel-points when it's wet.

[*Chris*]

I should point out that I very briefly met Mayan at a belay on El Cap. She was passing our party while working on her ground up free ascent (2nd by a female) of Salathe. I'd say she's got nothing to prove to me as far as ethics go.

[Greg]

I don't know...maybe she is working her way toward leading it ground up. It does seem odd that the pinkpoint would be documented on film and uploaded to youtube. My question is why are the bolts still there if it has already been led on gear??

[Adam]

I don't know...maybe she is working her way toward leading it ground up. It does seem odd that the pinkpoint would be documented on film and uploaded to youtube. My question is why are the bolts still there if it has already been led on gear??

yeah i'd guess she's gonna place her gear on that eventually, or maybe she was redpointing it and just wasn't bothering to clean her gear on each attempt? and like Nofork said, i wouldn't question her ethics.

as far as why the bolts are there...

http://www.rockandice.com/articles/how- ... n-the-back

In the late 1980s, Bob Horan worked this section on trad gear, and thought that it might be 5.13c/d. The gear was cruxy, so Horan added bolts to the route and sent the second pitch in 1996.
“In the past,” said Horan, “I have sent some beautiful lines with marginal gear, and they went unrepeated because of this. I felt, ‘What a waste. A beautiful line that only a few people will ever want to get up the nerve to send.’ After putting all that time into it, I figured why not make it so you can do it safely?”'

Patz says he wouldn’t mind if someone removed Horan’s bolts, but because they were placed off to the side, he was never distracted by their presence. “I originally [used the bolts] and it was a nice route. But there are so many bolted climbs of all grades, while China Doll is a rare gem. A beautiful, sustained and protectable hard trad climb.”

[granite_grrl]

I don't know...maybe she is working her way toward leading it ground up. It does seem odd that the pinkpoint would be documented on film and uploaded to youtube. My question is why are the bolts still there if it has already been led on gear??

My best guess is that while the route is bolted that maybe the bolts were in bad condition? Having the gear preplaced like that is the equivalent of climbing it as a sport route, which is what it is.

As far as bolts being left when it could be led on gear....in most places in North America someone would have come along and chopped these bolts, but if it is an acceptable style there to have bolted cracks who are we to get our panties in a bunch about it.

[Dom]

It's in Colorado.

[Greg]

I don't know...maybe she is working her way toward leading it ground up. It does seem odd that the pinkpoint would be documented on film and uploaded to youtube. My question is why are the bolts still there if it has already been led on gear??

yeah i'd guess she's gonna place her gear on that eventually, or maybe she was redpointing it and just wasn't bothering to clean her gear on each attempt? and like Nofork said, i wouldn't question her ethics.

as far as why the bolts are there...

http://www.rockandice.com/articles/how- ... n-the-back

In the late 1980s, Bob Horan worked this section on trad gear, and thought that it might be 5.13c/d. The gear was cruxy, so Horan added bolts to the route and sent the second pitch in 1996.
“In the past,” said Horan, “I have sent some beautiful lines with marginal gear, and they went unrepeated because of this. I felt, ‘What a waste. A beautiful line that only a few people will ever want to get up the nerve to send.’ After putting all that time into it, I figured why not make it so you can do it safely?”'

Patz says he wouldn’t mind if someone removed Horan’s bolts, but because they were placed off to the side, he was never distracted by their presence. “I originally [used the bolts] and it was a nice route. But there are so many bolted climbs of all grades, while China Doll is a rare gem. A beautiful, sustained and protectable hard trad climb.”

Interesting history. The fa clearly states that the only reason the bolts are there is to increase traffic on the route by lowering the commitment level. I am a bit surprised that their community would permit them to stay. That shows a lot of respect for the fa but not so much for trad ethics.

[*Chris*]

I guess they believe in 'bros before pro(s)'?

Interesting history. The fa clearly states that the only reason the bolts are there is to increase traffic on the route by lowering the commitment level. I am a bit surprised that their community would permit them to stay. That shows a lot of respect for the fa but not so much for trad ethics.

[Greg]

I guess they believe in 'bros before pro(s)'?

Interesting history. The fa clearly states that the only reason the bolts are there is to increase traffic on the route by lowering the commitment level. I am a bit surprised that their community would permit them to stay. That shows a lot of respect for the fa but not so much for trad ethics.

[Greg]

No reason to keep those bolts. Chop em!
....and it sounds like it will happen sooner than later.

http://vimeo.com/3976756

[Shawn B]

Don't have enough info to make an educated decision on whether I feel they should stay/go...not that it matters what I think anyway. Shoud be up to FA and other members of their community to decide. I do have a question though...which is more impressive...to onsight this route clipping bolts or tr/pre-place gear/rehearse and lead it on gear. He certainly climbed it like he had it wired and seemed to know exactly what to place where for gear. Kinda makes his arguement a bit less valid imo.

[Adam]

We talking about Solstice? lol