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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Go repeat that route and get back to me.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
san jose, ca
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Definitely hard and impressive, but if we are "categorizing" things I agree, that's not a trad climb.
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j-tree
Big Wall climber
Classroom to crag to summer camp
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Why do we care about categories again?
Is it so that we can elevate one style of climbing over another?
Seems like a douchy intent.
Is it so that we can .... that's all I have.
Douchy.
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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fixed and/or preplaced gear that aren't bolts as a traditional way to climb
see Separate Reality et al
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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I don't see a pic on that page. How the hell does anyone know whether this is well protected and just merely difficult, or sparsely protected with questionable gear and still difficult?
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
SLO, Ca
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It seems if one must categorize between sport and trad then that route is certainly trad.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Over the last 10 years the term trad has morphed. The transitional term was: "gear routes". Basically anything with gear is trad and anything goes prior to red point. (Yes, the term red point and related tactics would have divided sport from trad in the past). Thus: "hard trad" … and the on-site ground up bit seems to have been tossed out of the definition, yet that mode is still valued as a subset of trad. Essentially the definition of "trad" has softened/broadened quite a lot.
I don't have an opinion, it's just an observation.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Yes, it sort of has devolved into whether or not bolts are present, leaving out most style issues except for the final ascent. This of course doesn't account for traditional bolted slab climbs put up from the ground with natural runouts. Lots of modern climbers don't even know what to do with those types of climbs as a distinction, or a category. But to you and I, they are obviously trad climbs.
And specifically to your point, fixed pitons are now almost vestigial functions and typically relate to trad climbing for that reason. A piton still uses a natural weakness, so, for the sake of argument they lean toward either aid or trad. To see that argument get even further drawnout see: Pin Bolt.
If a hole is drilled and filled with a piton it's essentially a bolt.
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gonzo chemist
climber
Fort Collins, CO
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This is actually an interesting discussion. When I started climbing (about 10 years ago--so I guess I'm still a youngster around here), I learned that "trad" routes were routes that were climbed and protected from the ground up. Bolts placed on lead, etc. This was the tradtional way to climb. However pre-inspection or pre-placing any gear negated the definition of "traditional."
You could have "trad" routes that were climbed in a "non-trad" style. This seems to be the case I think for much of the UK climbing. The pro is generally terrible or sparse and the consequences for failure were so great that pre-inspection, top-roping and pre-placing gear is generally considered OK. And hence falls into the category of traditional (according to British history).
Tarbuster is definitely right though about newer climbers occasionally being confused. I've had many discussions with people where I explained that just because a route has bolts, doesn't mean its a "sport route." Its all dependent on the manner in which it was climbed.
Another interesting thing to think about with respect to this 5.13c route is the nature of pins that rapidly deteriorate. Hazel Findlay reported that some of the pins broke upon removal, necessitating the placement of pins in new spots. Well this begs the question, what about in another couple years when someone else decides they want to do this route? Will they have to place MORE pins b/c Findlay's are now garbage? At what point is a stainless steel bolt the best choice?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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You could have "trad" routes that were climbed in a "non-trad" style. This seems to be the case I think for much of the UK climbing. The pro is generally terrible or sparse and the consequences for failure were so great that pre-inspection, top-roping and pre-placing gear is generally considered OK. And hence falls into the category of traditional (according to British history).
And by my observation much the same has happened here: witness a majority of the hard climbing on El Capitan, whether by first free ascent or repeat, lots of pre-inspection and working from the top. Also in Eldorado Canyon, lots of "hard trad" is pre-rehearsed and inspected. I first heard this about 10 years ago from a 20 something climber in Boulder: "I'm getting into hard trad in Eldo". He didn't mean on-site performance. They consider head pointing trad.
Gear has simply been conflated with trad. Think about it: trad isn't even the norm anymore in many places. Young people often graduate from gyms to sport climbing and then into "hard trad" and they simply take their tactics with them. I think that's why the definition, or at the least usage, of the term trad has changed.
It's not an absolute; usage changes over time and this seems to be the trend, albeit probably at the higher levels.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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I like the term gear climbing.
Pegs placed on rappel before TRing a route to death & head pointing with pre hung draws? Bad ass climb for sure too bad it has to be labeled as a certain style.
I could care less what its called really, I mean a "tagger" just died & North Korea is about to attack Texas, lets get our priorities straight people.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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As far as I am concerned Traditional climbing involves hammers, pitons,bolts, shoulder stands, direct aid, iceaxes, crampons,sausage, bread, cheese and anything that enables upward progress in a ground up ascent. Naturaly The white spider was my first climbing book;) That hippy crunchy version of trad with all the stupid rules and folks with inflated opinions of their STYLE of climbing being better than anyone elses to the point of bolt wars and endless bla bla bla about how we did it in the seventys. That ain't trad climbing. It's just annoying.
I got to do a few real trad climbs this winter:) Fun stuff!
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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As far as I am concerned Traditional climbing involves hammers, pitons,bolts, shoulder stands, direct aid, iceaxes, crampons
Then says:
folks with inflated opinions of their STYLE of climbing being better than anyone elses to the point of bolt wars and endless bla bla bla about how we did it in the seventys. That ain't trad climbing. It's just annoying.
Hahaha you did exactly what annoys you tradman, good one! Lol
Cool pic tho!
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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My style is not better I have no style. just saying that some wanker who throws a hissy fit over someone not climbing by his list of stupid 1970 and 1980s rules and calls themself a trad climber should be aware that folks were climbing some pretty rad stuff in the 1930s and did not have to worry about pulling the rope every time they weighted it.... So who is more traditional? The climber grabbing gear, pounding pins and doing whatever it takes to get from the bottom to the top or the climbers that have a bunch of strict rules and would rather pull the rope and go home than get to the top?
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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That's an interesting point tradman, it seems golden era trad climbers do have a stricter ethical code that is still valued today & preserved by many, but does that make them more traditional than those that were there before them?? In the climbers sense of the word it appears the definition has shifted over time.
tradition[ truh-dish-uhn ]
noun
1. the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice: a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.
2. something that is handed down: the traditions of the Eskimos.
3. a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting: The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Damn straight MadTrad!
Now pass them sausage, breads, & cheeses!
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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By that definition the clean climbing, no hangdogging or aid of any kind climbers Broke with tradition and are in fact the upstarts and Not the traditional climbers that they seem to think they are;)
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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but I thought free climbing meant no rope?
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Sorry Kevin!
Always dig your posts bro.
I think we can all agree, at least, that the route in the OP was not a sport climb.
Big props to the gal for the repeat!
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