Draft Revision 1/04

Scotland offers a wide variety of climbing styles and disciplines from extensive bouldering venues, low lying outcrops, mountain rock climbs, sea cliffs, winter climbing on ice, neve and mixed terrain, and dry-tooling.

Scottish climbers have acknowledged that there is a place for both sports style and the traditional style climbs in the future development of Scottish climbing, both in winter and summer. However, to ensure that the highly regarded ethos of, and future development of, traditional climbing is not diminished by the development of new sport climbing venues, the following criteria should be born in mind by climbers when deciding whether a crag is suitable for the production of sport routes in either summer or winter.

Definitions of Style:

Adventurous Style
The use of leader placed / second removed protection, also called 'natural protection'. It includes the use of hammer-placed pegs. The style is often referred to as 'traditional' climbing.

Sport Style
The use of in-situ protection from bolts. Bolts are used for the production of fully equipped climbs.

The “Character” of the crag or climb
The difficulty of the climb is not as important as the aesthetical 'feel' of the climb. A whole range of factors influence this and all of them should be taken into account before deciding whether the most appropriate development is sports style or it is best regarded as an adventurous venue. These include the following:

Overall Impression of the venue:

• The character of a venue is often typified as adventurous (and enhanced) by the wild nature of its surroundings, the imposing nature of the crag, the lack of protection, the seriousness of the approach or descent and the commitment needed from both members of the climbing team.
• The character that often typifies a venue as suitable for sport climbing is one where access is uncomplicated, the crags offer shorter (half-rope) routes where lowering at completion is the main option and where the majority of potential lines would be more suited to bolt protection

What makes an Adventurous venue?:

• If there is natural protection available then the route has clearly an adventurous nature and should remain bolt free.
• If the crag has strong natural lines, whether some are well protected and others are not, then the character of the crag can be said to be more adventurous and would be best remaining bolt free.

What makes a Sports venue?:

• If the potential quality of the route lies in the technical aspects of the climb rather than the stature or adventurous nature then they may give better quality as sport climbs.

The issue of protection:

• Very poorly protected sections of rock would give serious adventure routes at whatever grade. If the climb (or climbs) have a higher quality and inherent character to them in this form then they should remain bolt free.
• There should be no minimalist bolting. Where an otherwise reasonably naturally protected climb has serious sections these would normally be regarded as remaining as serious traditional routes. Conversely a poorly protected climb at a sport style venue may be better fully equipped
• The proximity of a sport climb to naturally protected climbs is important so as not to detract from the adventurous nature of the latter, whose quality of aesthetics relies on a purist 'natural' feel wider than the line of the route. This will determine whether currently unclimbed sections of a partially developed crag would be best left for future advances in on-sight climbing or whether a couple of lines on an otherwise sport style crag are best developed as sport style lines as well.
• The use of pegs in summer should be kept to a minimum as they corrode and over time become redundant, especially on sea cliffs.
• During the winter ascent of summer rock routes there should be a presumption against the use of pegs. All attempts to find protection on such routes should mimic the summer equivalent.

Other Issues concerning bolting for sports climbs:

• Retrospective bolting of established climbs on natural rock for protection or belays would be unacceptable.
• Under most circumstances the placing of bolts is inappropriate on mountain cliffs and sea cliffs where there is normally a spirit of adventure inherent in the location. This is as relevant in winter as it is in summer. This means that the most suitable venues will be low-lying inland crags but there may be exceptions based on the above criteria.
• Some areas may have a strong local or historical anti-bolt ethic and this should be respected.
• Most climbers in Scotland feel that anything goes in the development of quarried rock.
• Bolts are adding to an otherwise natural state of land owned by someone. The owner may have reservations about this development for a range of reasons. Hence every effort should be made to speak to the landowner before development.
• Finally it is felt that bolts should be located to ensure minimum visual impact and should be placed using current best practices.

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