Hi,
I am a climber going into my fourth year of climbing at the age of 19. I
love going to Froggat Edge and Wharepapa South to climb in the weekends
with friends, to get out of Hamilton and have a good time on the rock.
After reading your newsletter posted on the changes at the Waikato
climbing crag areas, Wharepapa and Froggat edge by Mark Watson, it
mentions that Trevor Johnson is out there to cater for the beginner
climber. I want to know what he is going to do for the advanced climber.
It is all very well getting a lot of people involved with the sport but if
they do not have the harder routes to progress on to then they are only
going to go so far. People who do develop these harder climbs are less
inclined to do so if they have to pay to climb at the area. Do we really
want these areas turned into an effective outdoor gym?
Will this new breed of climber have the same respect for the environment
and etiquette while out on the rock? It is also all very well putting in
flush toilets and an off the road car park but we have been use to these
things for so long that it is part of the culture. Overseas there are
crags which you have to walk for a substantial amount of time to even get
to the cliff which makes these small treks a walk to the dairy. We do not
have to get any closer to the cliffs. These factors are also all part of
the outdoor experience which these changes will not encourage but only
destroy.
As for accommodation, Bryce Martin has already set up a place to stay and
there are camping facilities in the school. What is the Trevor Johnston
trying to improve by putting in a lodge, I think the facilities which are
already in place are more than adequate which is serving the area well.
A question I would like to ask is "Is Trevor Johnson a climber
himself, Does he understand where climbing is coming from". To me
climbing is about a recreational activity to get away from it all and to
just enjoy nature. I fear that with these changes, a trip out to Froggat
or Wharepapa will no longer mean a place to get away from things to enjoy
the outdoors, It will mean, to go out and climb in an overpopulated area
made worse by extremely easy access with a lot of traffic on and off the
rock. We should be trying to preserve such a natural asset such as this,
rather than exploit it.
As for paying to climb at the area, I would be very disappointed. I
respect that it is to help out with paying for the developments but I do
not agree with the developments. If it was to help preserve the area I
would find it easier to swallow but because it isn’t than I don’t
agree with having to pay for climbing at all.
It was said ""what we're charging is because of the money we're
spending on developing the climbs" The great climbs are hand crafted
by nature not manufactured. The quality of climbing would be seriously
reduced if bolts were just thrown up on the wall. So far bolting has been
looked after well to ensure the quality of the climbs.
I have enjoyed these places so far and I think that tourism brought to
this area will destroy this precious jewel we have to climb on. I think
efforts should go into looking after the areas rather than trying to turn
it into a travel destination. I also think that climbing has greater
potential to grow the way it is at the moment rather than through the
means of exploitation.
David Rogers
(Climbing Enthusiast)
