In reply to john arran:
> Definitely worth going to Rum for either, but the two really don't make for easy bedfellows.
My thoughts exactly; there is a danger that the whole feel of the place from a climbing perspective will change and that every wall and Jebel will be dumbed down by a bolted descent. It would have been wonderful if Rum could have remained bolt free, but that has not happened. I just hope that a balance can be struck, but with people bolting stuff up with a stated purpose of attracting more climbers, I fear for the future.
"People are not travelling to Rum because they have heard there are not enough modern routes".
What a terribly sad statement and hijacking of the word "modern".
There are plenty of places around the world to climb with endless "modern" (ie bolted) routes.
I think it would be more accurate to say that people are not travelling to Rum because they don't realize that it is the ultimate climbing paradise for competent and adventurous V. Diff climbers - there are many more of these than there are people capable of climbing the sort of stuff shown in the film.
A beautiful film of the desert but it left me somewhat depressed and just a little bit angry. It brought to mind (I think Royal Robbins') phrase: "vandals in the cathedral".
Post edited at 10:52