I spent the afternoon wandering around looking for dry rocks in the sun. I found a couple. Was I the first to climb them? Probably not. Would my experience be different if there was more information about them? Probably. There would be better trails, less loose rock, more people, and I could chase numbers (or stars). Right now I have to make my own trails, clean rock, enjoy the solitude, and sift through the dross to find hard quality problems. I hope to provide a different experience for those who want it.
Part of my bias comes from my background as a scientist. Secret science is not respected. People discover things, publish them, and science progresses. There can be controversy, but science, as a whole, benefits from public records. The history of science is littered with examples of independent discovery, such as Calculus. History is the ultimate arbitrator.
I would rather focus my energy on new sport routes. That is not always possible so I pebblewrestle. I'm interested in development, which includes finding, cleaning, sending, and publishing climbs. The actual first ascent is just one part of the process, a part that doesn't hold too much interest for me. Anyone who has climbed with me knows that I freely giveaway first ascents and give credit where it is due. I'm not claiming any first ascents of boulder problems on this blog.
In the future, I will make a clearer distinction between "Exploring" and "New Routing". I will use the label "Exploring" for boulder problems and the label "New Routing" for climbs I'm bolting. I have climbed 75+ boulder problems in Northern Colorado that are not listed in any guidebook. I nicknamed them so I could uniquely identify the problems and facility remembering them. If I knew the established names, I would use them. I leave comments open and unmoderated for this purpose. In addition, everything I have published is on public land. No one person owns the public land. This is my blog and my opinions. To clarify this position, I have added the following disclaimer on the right-
Part of my bias comes from my background as a scientist. Secret science is not respected. People discover things, publish them, and science progresses. There can be controversy, but science, as a whole, benefits from public records. The history of science is littered with examples of independent discovery, such as Calculus. History is the ultimate arbitrator.
I would rather focus my energy on new sport routes. That is not always possible so I pebblewrestle. I'm interested in development, which includes finding, cleaning, sending, and publishing climbs. The actual first ascent is just one part of the process, a part that doesn't hold too much interest for me. Anyone who has climbed with me knows that I freely giveaway first ascents and give credit where it is due. I'm not claiming any first ascents of boulder problems on this blog.
In the future, I will make a clearer distinction between "Exploring" and "New Routing". I will use the label "Exploring" for boulder problems and the label "New Routing" for climbs I'm bolting. I have climbed 75+ boulder problems in Northern Colorado that are not listed in any guidebook. I nicknamed them so I could uniquely identify the problems and facility remembering them. If I knew the established names, I would use them. I leave comments open and unmoderated for this purpose. In addition, everything I have published is on public land. No one person owns the public land. This is my blog and my opinions. To clarify this position, I have added the following disclaimer on the right-
"I know there is a long history of climbing in Northern Colorado (most of which I don't know). I don't care (too much) about names, grades, or first ascents. I give climbs nicknames so I can uniquely identify areas and climbs. Grades are just part of the game I play. I'm not claiming any first ascents. I just love climbing. I want people to get excited and enjoy the great local climbing.
If I got something wrong or if I'm out of line, please contact me."
If I got something wrong or if I'm out of line, please contact me."
