Snort:
Yes indeed I am the ant you are thinking of, and your prose leaves no doubt in my mind that you are the one and only snort that we all know and love!
Conservative and dangerous? That’s quite an accusation, so let me reply:
The forum topic was “starting trad…’
The first post was “wanting to know what kit to buy and how to start”
In light of your accusation you must remember that not everyone
• Presently climbs grade 21
• Presently climbs grade 21 with enough spare effort, care and attention to make correct trad placements (especially experimentally!)
And it’s pretty off-sides of you to declare that anyone who cannot subscribe to Snort’s minimum standards should leave it well alone and take up knitting
Regarding danger: While quite a lot of people, and certainly most beginners cannot subscribe to snort’s 21+ standards, there are a LOT of people who can climb grade 14 on trad with more confidence than snort climbing 21, and equally as safely (IF they so choose.)
The potential problem that most of the above posts allude to, is that as people gain milage they get confident, they start leading easy, on-angle routes with more confidence, placing gear every 5-10 meters, (just as snort does on steep 21s) and this is where most of the above points apply
Snort, considering the question I think my comments are perfectly valid and appropriate. Then, as I say when people have got the milage and want to get ambitious and mix the mechanics of trad with gymnastic climbing, there will be another post entitled “how do I climb kak hard like Tinie Versveld and that other nerdy friend of his”
Your post would fit in beautifully there :-)
Thanks for the kick in the pants though, I’ll just have to go back to that Kevin Smith 22 that I backed off this weekend with your comments in mind…
