This picture is a screenshot showing a dangerous way of clipping your GriGri into your harness. It turns the belay device 90 degrees meaning the risk of dropping the climber is increased. Later (minute 13), the belayer actually feeds out the rope by letting go of it. A Grigri blocked at the side in a combination with a relatively thin rope will make the rope just slide.*

Some 15 years ago, we saw several GriGri accidents due to this usage which was popular back then. I have personally told many of the biggest celebrities including a world champion that they instead should clip in the screw carabiner only in the belay loop of the harness. Some ten years ago I also had Petzl delete a video that had been shown like 100' times. I have made sure that the belayer in the video will be informed about the situation.

*It should be mentioned that also a Grigri which is turned 90 degrees normally blocks also thin ropes, as the Grigri normally turns into its correct position in a fall, especially if you stand some few meters from the wall.

Back in the days when I was starting to bolt routes in Sweden some 25 years ago, most of the frequent bolters drilled pockets in the rock. I remember stopping one guy just about to create a pocket "in an impossible route", simply by finding a new sequence. In total, I have put up some 500 routes and I have never chipped, although some purists might define part of my cleaning as chipping. You never know when you start hammering out a loose stone if it could break just by climbing and ice blasting. Cleaning loose rock is a grey zone when it comes to chipping.

In Sweden, we normally have gneiss or granite and I have never come into a situation where I have ever thought about using glue. Instead, I have always hammered down the potential loose rock. Very rarely, I have seen or heard about glue been used in Sweden, but in a few cases where a hold has broken after the FA glue has been used to restore the route to its original shape.

At the beginning of the 8a era, you could mark routes as "Chipped" and we had this feature in order to put pressure on the bolters and FAs not to chip. On the other hand, we came to recognize that for hard limestone routes, many cases fall in the grey zone and it is often very subjective to call a route "chipped".

My take on the chipping controversy is that a totally natural route without glue, artificial pockets or hammer cleaning is of higher quality compared to the opposite. Furthermore, where the grey line for cleaning loose rock goes is something that actually mainly should be discussed by bolters. It takes years of establishing new routes until you fully understand the complexity of loose rock, especially when it comes to safety.

I have bolted many routes which turned out to be too hard for me to ascend. I have actually bolted an 8c+ which Adam Ondra later did the FA of. In a few cases, I have put on handmade hangers with a good crimper so it could be used as a hold in order to get traffic on the route. First, the FAs were done with the hangers and then some super strong climbers got motivated to do it clean and the hangers were removed.

I think it is important that role models like Adam Ondra and Alex Huber discuss this subject so that we do not get back to the situation of the 90's. It takes guts to express such opinions but they are very important in order to not have a new generation of gym climbers starting to create gyms also outdoors.

Dylan Barks, who previously has not done 8C, has repeated Daniel Woods' Creature from the black lagoon 8C+ in RMNP. (c) Pablo Hammack

”I believe it took me 8 sessions. There were a few things, but understanding the friction on the crux grip was a big one. I had trouble finding the right balance of how wet or dry my skin should be to stick reliably to a fairly glassy hold in the always dry Colorado air. Letting my body adapt to the superphysical style was necessary too. And, trying real hard on my last day of the trip!”



How can you explain your amazing progress?
I think there were two main factors. I’ve had a lot more time on the rock this year, being fortunate enough to have the availability and support. Additionally, every trip I have taken this year has been longer, giving me more time to really dial into things. I also think I just haven’t had the confidence to try things in the v14+ range, but I was able to do boulders in that range quite quickly this trip, so it inspired me to try!

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Bertrand Martenet has sent us an interview with Alex Huber, in regards to chipping. Huber is one of the true climbing icons that put up some of the hardest routes in the world in the mid 90'ies. He was also an active spokesman questioning the first 9b and 9b+, for which we now know he was totally right. In 1994, he put up Weisse Rose as an 8c+ which now he considers being the first 9a+ in the world.

You have climbed and bolted some of the hardest routes of the 90's, including Om (2nd 9a), Open Air (1st 9a+) or Weiße Rose (9a/9a+). When you have opened new routes, have you ever chipped holds or used Sika to improve the route or change the difficulty?
All my first ascents are completely natural and in this I followed my conviction that this is essential for our sport. If a piece of rock is changed in any way, where would be the challenge? Manipulations of natural rock eliminate any sportive challenge! On the other side, I see the point that in certain cases reinforcement of holds in existing routes could make sense. In my route “Resistance” two crucial holds got re-inforced as they were endangered to brake off.

Many hard routes are often manufactured, with some chipped holds and/or glued. Sometimes holds are even created from scratch using Sika. Here are some famous manufactured routes: Dura Dura, First Round First Minute, La Capella, Move, La rage d’Adam and many others. What do you think of this trend?
I do not know all these modern high-end-areas, but I am convinced that it depends a lot on the nature of these areas. As I see areas like Margalef, Santa Linya and Oliana have generally superb rock, but not on the very overhanging zones where you find the super hard routes. The surface seems to have many loose flakes which would make these un-climbable without Sika. For me, these routes have no sportive value compared to all-natural routes.

Today it seems taboo to talk about chipped holds. If you ask an athlete if a route is natural or not, they often won’t answer. Why the silence?
I guess that nobody wants to confront the judgement of the climbing society. Silence is always a good way to bypass a crisis and with the next upcoming news, the crisis is surmounted…

Some route setters will reinforce existing holds with Sika. Do you agree with this practice?
To some certain extent, I agree with the reinforcement of holds in existent routes. An example is the above mentioned route “Resistance”. It seems that some of the world's top climbers create their own projects at the crags, like one would at an indoor climbing wall. For example, routes like Dura Dura or Hugh are almost entirely chipped, in almost blank walls, which would otherwise probably not have been climbable. What’s your take on this?
For me, these routes have no value as the first ascenionists didn´t take the challenge which offers the natural rock.

Today the hardest grade is 9c. Do you think this is in part due to manufacturing routes at a high level?
As I know “Silence” is full natural and therefor the development of high-end-routes does not depend on manipulation. It´s just very poor that some individuals do not practice the fair-play and leave the potential to coming generations.

Traditional climbing seems to be governed by fairly clear rules. For example, we don't put bolts in cracks and chipping seems totally forbidden. Why are the ethics in sport climbing not more precise?
The rules in sport climbing are simple and clear, but as there is no official control, some individuals make their own rules. But for me it is very clear: the personal freedom ends where it interferes the interest of others.

Do you think sponsors have any responsibility in this debate? Are sponsors pushing athletes for results (new routes or difficult routes) and indirectly at the expense of ethics?
It is wrong to search others who might be guilty of the creation of manipulated routes – it is always the invidiual climbers who decide not to follow the fair-play.

Roxane Durand has done her hardest yet, Spanish Caravane, a 50-meter test-piece in Verdon, giving it a personal 8b+ grade. Interestingly, the 36-year-old did her first 8b less than two years ago and now she has done 12 routes 8b and harder. Her grade pyramid is very wide and solid including also almost 400 onsights 7a to 7c+.

"My friends told me to go in this route cause it's a to-do route. It's soooo long, a real marathon, but it's my style, long and physical. The beginning I did quite quickly but I needed more time to find my betas in the crux in traverse. Finally, it took me only 6/7 days and 13 goes to get the route, and I didn't find any moves really hard, that's why I think it's not 8c but more 8b+. On the 12th go, I fell after all cruxes cause i didn't remember what to do! But the route is so funny and enjoyable that it wasn't a problem to make another try. Thanks a lot to Leo my belayer and support!"

How come you have done almost all your hardest routes 35+?
I never stop to progress. I moved to Nice 3 years ago and because of that, I climb much more outside than before. I had many injuries when I was climbing indoors but since I climb much outdoor it's way better.

Adam Ondra has presented some interesting thoughts in regards chipping. Here is part of what he says.

"Myself, I have changed from a purist to more pragmatist over the years. Having climbed in many areas and seeing the evolution of those crags, putting up quite a few routes myself, I care more about leaving nice and safe routes and using more “aggressive” ways of cleaning. Without this practice, some areas would not exist or they would simply be not nice to climb. Take for example Margalef, one of the most famous climbing areas. All the pockets are extremely sharp there and without filing down the edges of the pockets, most routes would be just incredibly painful. With the use of glue, it is very difficult to draw the line between reinforcing holds (avoiding existing holds to break) and creating hold. My rule is to use as little glue as possible. Rather just try to get rid of all possible loose holds and reinforce something only when it is necessary, especially when I do not manage to “hammer down” or “crowbar out” certain loose blocks, yet it still feels loose and dangerous. “Reinforcing” a flake that barely holds its own weight is already creating an artificial hold for me. Nevertheless, putting up new routes is a lot of work and we should embrace all the guys and girls working hard at the crags, putting up routes that we all can be entertained by. On the other hand, it is a very difficult ethical question to set clear guidelines on what is OK and what isn’t OK when you put up a route."