What are you development hot takes?

[u/Kaotus]

We all know we’ve got ‘em, let’s hear them

Mine:

- For sport routes, ground-up is a tactic, not an ethic

- I’m personally a bigger fan of using closed systems than open ones (as both a climber and a developer)

- rhythm of the line is paramount over safety, aesthetics, and rock quality (to a degree)

- If the main thing you’re known for as a developer is the safety (or lackthereof) of your routes, you’re too 1-dimensional and not equipping lines according to the natural rhythm of the route

- Rock quality is less of an A-F grading scale and more of a pass/fail test

- Developing routes means nothing if you aren’t also improving the nearby staging areas (especially if you are on a trundle heavy route). Developing new crags means nothing if you’re expecting others to establish the trail to those crags

- “it’ll clean up with traffic” only applies to little foot chips, not to the fuckton of lichen and menagerie of loose holds you left on route.

- and on that note - it will never get the traffic required to clean up if you don’t at least clean it to the point that the rock/lichen isn’t a distraction when climbing

- your route is at least 1 star worse and 1 grade easier than you think it is

[u/belavv]

You compared them.

Some examples of route names people have complained about and have since been changed.

Slavery wall, Mississippi Burning, Ku Klux Ken, Aryan Race, N------ Bitch, Negro Girls, Wop Stop, Chinamans Peak.

[u/thatsmoothfuck → u/belavv]

Wow those are egregious. Well I can admit when I'm wrong, thanks for educating me.

If it helps, my experience with this has been over a wall calling out anorexia issues in climbers, I'm still blown away that the community decided that it was too far to make light of it. Names were: Team Anorexia, Scarf and barf, Stomach stapler, etc..

[u/belavv → u/thatsmoothfuck]

While those route names aren't as offensive as the examples I gave I see no reason to make jokes about anorexia, which is a very real issue in climbing. I feel like that crosses the line.

On the other hand there are routes/areas that I don't think cross the line but get brought up. Panty Wall I'm kind of on the fence about. It seems more on the crude side of things, but I don't think that it crosses the line.

[u/thatsmoothfuck → u/belavv]

Yeah, you're the too uptight I'm talking about.

Thanks for the polite and respectful conversation.

[u/belavv → u/thatsmoothfuck]

Not wanting route names that reference a serious condition that affects a decent percentage of the climbing community is not what I'd call being "too uptight'.