Hello, my name is Prudence Morgan-Wood and this is also my first blog post! Penny told me about this blog that she had decided to create and asked me whether I would like to contribute with something. I initially thought, very much like her, that I wouldn’t have much to say but then I thought about my climbing experiences and decided to have a go!
I have been climbing pretty much since before I could walk, my parents were never climbers nor did I have any climbers in the family but for my 7th birthday, my parents, tired of me climbing ANYTHING and EVERYTHING decided to take me to a climbing gym (The Warehouse in Gloucester) and I have been hooked or roped in (!) ever since.
Now I live in Catalunya with my boyfriend and everything that is not work is climbing! Whether it’s training, planning the next climbing adventure or getting out on the rock at the weekends. We live for the weekends…!
I am an eco conscious person, I recycle and use eco-friendly disposable items whenever possible at home and at the crag. Climbing is growing in popularity and with it I have seen more and more crags in an awful state. And we all need to learn to keep our crags cleaner to ensure that we can be kind to the environment and keep our access to these wonderful places. So here is a few simple etiquettes to help us to be greener at the crag.
1. Leave with everything you came with
The big one has to be to take your rubbish with you and to not leave anything at the crag. Always carry a rubbish bag (with your foodstuff for example) to easily take away all your crap. And all you smokers don’t leave your cigarette ends at the crag, those things can take up to two years to decompose. If you brought it, leave with it!
Fruit peels: now this is a controversial one because many people just say well it’s organic! What better than to throw it into nature, I’m doing it for the animals! Do you know how long a banana skin takes to decompose? Two years! It’s made to protect the fruit, animals don’t even touch it! (Well maybe ants but that’s a lot of peel for such tiny little guys). If you have to throw it away because you didn’t bring a bag with you, break it up first.
2. Nature calls, do right by nature (and for the dogs!)
Number two (and number one): everyone has had a moment at the crag where they have to disappear off, hide themselves a bit and do their business and I am sure everyone has seen the horror of toilet paper, wet wipes and…. other things I don’t care to mention scattered about like they’re confetti… If you need to go, please dig a hole, cover it up and TAKE YOU PAPER WITH YOU - toilet paper left on the ground can take up to one to three years to decompose and wet wipes even longer! No-one will ever know you were there, and it keeps certain dogs from rolling in it (or eating it)….
3. Leave no trace - carry a brush 👌
Tick marks and chalk… Now I’m not a purist that says that we shouldn’t even use chalk but if you put a tick mark on a hold or see an unnecessary tick mark you can brush it off and clean the holds when you lower back down, it only takes a second.
There is nothing more frustrating than doing an onsight attempt only to find all of the holds are ticked, we’re not in a gym guys, if the hold is hidden then that’s part of the fun!
I understand that when you are working on a route the tendency is to tick particular holds or footholds but when you finish clean up the route so that other people can enjoy it. Carry a brush on your chalk bag or like I do attach one to your harness with a little clip.
These are just a few tips that can help you to be greener at the crag and ultimately make the entire environment a better place. There have been stories recently about certain crags closing or at the risk of being closed due to people not doing these simple things. We need to all chip in to continue to climb in the places we love.
To learn more about the 'climbing prohibited', check out this video by Sustainable Climbing. Share the message, and let's keep sending strong!
Thanks, @prudenceemw
When we last went to Margalef, I took a walk to the sector of Finestra extension. A few meters from where the crag was there was this patch of forest, full of toilet papers hungin on the lowest branches of the trees and the bushes. I think this sort of posts are quite needed in nowadays society, where we think that we humans have the right to do as we please with anything we step out foot on.
Even the tiniest action such as using the plastic bag of your bananas bought in Mercadona, as a trash bag for the day can really make a difference. We want to be able to go and enjoy nature in the future, without…
No problem! It was a pleasure!
And precisely, teaching eco etiquette is just as important as teaching someone to belay or climb. We all need to respect the places we have the privilege to climb in 🥰
@prudenceemw I would like to thank you for sharing this post with me. As a fellow climber, I too have noticed the huge increase in popularity in climbing. We need to ensure everyone who joins the sport is reminded of how to keep the crag a place of future enjoyment of other climbers and without disturbing the wildlife or nature! ❤️