Resurfacing Climbs

Just a thought... no I'm not chipping textures into greasy jugs. 

Climbing is getting very popular. Popular climbs have lines waiting, popular areas are starting to require permits. 

We have all seen greasy jugs and glass-smooth foot holds (even jugs), so I am wondering what climbing these routes will look like in 100 years. I'd wager some of the most popular routes in the world are a grade or more harder than the FA due to no friction, so what is the endgame? What do we do when climbs become increasingly difficult? Will the climbing community ever start to resurface these holds? 

I welcome your thoughts and other sustainability talking points.

Becoming more difficult isn’t an issue. If routes get so greasy that they aren’t fun any more and people stop climbing them, just let them weather for a few decades and they’ll have a new texture.

 I think that's a great point- I don't know much about geology but it feels like it would take more than a few decades, also this would assume people stop climbing it totally. I wonder what the rate of 'restoration' is compared to the rate of polishing.

John Luke Lusty wrote:

Hi Jon. I'm not aware of any resurfacing work that doesn't remove rock, which there is a finite amount of on any given climb.

Probably better to just change a single number (the grade) and climb harder than to make the rock fit that number.

That makes sense- if we resurfaced eventually the whole face would be featureless. 

I'm going to start carrying a quart of anti-slip decking enamel with me whenever I follow routes with polished holds.

If you look at the evolution of shoe rubber. I believe it has outpaced the polishing of stone. Not that I WANT... to put my faith in petroleum based solutions, I think that may be one of only options, currently.

We ARE altering the rock with each smear. Do we update the mantra to Remove No Trace? Compared to the trails hiking in, the rock damage is minimal. My guess is people will just adapt in their climbing skills. Look at Beaver Street Wall in SF. Talk about SLICK!

There are actually near 100yr-old routes and apparently the polish (limestones mostly) doesn't grow infinitely. Climbed a 6a in Freyr (Belgium) that was FA in 1938, very polished, but climbable. harder to say for harder grades maybe .... 

Jon Bestwrote:

Just a thought... no I'm not chipping textures into greasy jugs. 

Climbing is getting very popular. Popular climbs have lines waiting, popular areas are starting to require permits. 

We have all seen greasy jugs and glass-smooth foot holds (even jugs), so I am wondering what climbing these routes will look like in 100 years. I'd wager some of the most popular routes in the world are a grade or more harder than the FA due to no friction, so what is the endgame? What do we do when climbs become increasingly difficult? Will the climbing community ever start to resurface these holds? 

I welcome your thoughts and other sustainability talking points.

It’s called “scrubbing”.

My favorite little troll is to watch someone struggle on a boulder problem, then flash it and scrub the holds for them. They always send next go.

I know of experiments being done with this in belgium using concrete. Seems to work quite well and when done properly very hard to distinguish form the real thing. The big problem is that it is not very durable.

Raking Bucketswrote:

I know of experiments being done with this in belgium using concrete. Seems to work quite well and when done properly very hard to distinguish form the real thing. The big problem is that it is not very durable.

As in they are adding material to the climb?   I've seen people try to fix a dip or crack in a concrete slab by troweling on new concrete- only to have the paper thin edges start to break up within a year! I'd love more info on what you have seen 

Mingming Ywrote:

There are actually near 100yr-old routes and apparently the polish (limestones mostly) doesn't grow infinitely. Climbed a 6a in Freyr (Belgium) that was FA in 1938, very polished, but climbable. harder to say for harder grades maybe .... 

This makes sense, unless the grit on peoples fingers and shoes get finer, the rock should wear to a final max smoothness (not including wear from rubber alone or skin.. which I would assume would be a finer grit, like using a leather strap on a shaving blade