"Big Dumb Animals" lurking at The Monolith

[mynameismud]

ruined it for me to.  No more trash talking, had to go read a book.
 

[k-man]

Kelly-
  ...   I know a few guys WAY older than anyone here, they did early repeats of BB, and other "Not cutting edge bolt ladder at pinns".  Their recollection is the exact opposite of yours.  Bolt ladders at pinnacles were FEARED.  

Ha, LOL.

Indeed, I remember following my buddy up the 2nd pitch of the RR at the Balconies, when I shouted up to him "Hey, one of your pieces fell out!"  When I got up to the dislodged piece, I found it to be a bolt hanger clipped to the draw. Ha, Eric had that hanger on his key chain for many years. So yeah, I guess I stand corrected. Bolt ladders could be fearful.

As for the Great Spectacular, I remember Belizzi chortling me to go check out his new route. We got over there and promptly nicknamed it "The Silver Streak," it had so many bolts! But man, I was happy to clip each and every one, we RAINED rock trying to make progress on that thing. But it's really pretty darn cool. Great adventure, Joe Bob sez check it out.

[kylequeener]

well you ruined it for me dood - I was looking forward to Mud opening up a can of whoop-ass at the rendezvous.
so now end the suspense...is the KY in your handle for the state or the jelly?

My full name is Kyle. But back in 3rd grade I went by Ky, pronounced in one syllable. It was cute.

No relations to any type of jelly or the state of Kentucky. But the KY Jelly comment is a regular thing. It usually means that person watches to many commercials or frequents that isle at the super market much too frequently.

[mynameismud]

Ok, so this is getting good again.

[cobbledik]

Not going to lie, both jabs were pedestrian at best. Put up or shut up boys, the old timers want a show.

[JC w KC redux]

Not going to lie, both jabs were pedestrian at best. Put up or shut up boys, the old timers want a show.

ouch!
sorry professor i didn't know we were being graded. i'm just an aging ex damn yankee who enjoys toilet humor and having fun. my best zingers are reserved for people i've known a long time.

[Bruce Hildenbrand]

As an example, look to the  Elbsandstein, near Dresden, Germany.  They have been doing first ascents ground up for over 100 years and the tradition is still being respected by the young guns like 19-year old Adam Ondra, arguably the best climber in the world these days and he's not even German, he's Czech.

[cobbledik]

Same with Czech sandstone that Ondra put up a 9a recently. Even at that level, ground up, runouts the whole deal, and this is after a German climber rap bolted and chipped the route causing it to be chopped by the local climbing commission.
link to article

These safer routes and the tolerance to using chalk might make some people believe they are at a sport crag where bolting by abseil is allowed, but this is not the case.

In fact, "To tu jeste nebylo" was first bolted by abseil about five years ago by a German climber who ignored the sandstone ethics. In addition, two holds were chipped. The local climbing committee decided to chop the bolts as a result and, last spring, Ondra Benes started to equip the route ground-up. After a huge effort he managed to place three bolts, but he got stuck in the terrain above. Last autumn I managed to place the fourth bolt after many falls and climbed the run-out to the top of the cliff.