The other side of the shooting coin

[Fedaykin]

That statement works for climbing as well as shooting in respect of Switzerland, they do have a few more mountains then the UK. I agree that having put up the money and purchased the site that the club has a right to use it, that on the other hand doesn't abrogate them from their responsibilities in respect of access and proper planning. The site has public right of way access and a requirement to allow climbing. God forbid the Ramblers decide to jump in on the issue they can be an utter nightmare to deal with! The ramblers would want to walk across the firing points at all hours of the day.

There has clearly been a failure of communication but at this point the climbers who apparently have a legally binding right to access are willing to work it out amicably.

I know from bitter experience what can happen if you fall out with somebody close to range, restrictions for us!

[ovenpaa]

Climbers are for the most very easy going types and I am sure will do their utmost to sort things out, they also have the BMC (British Mountaineering Council) who can advise and negotiate on access issues. I climbed a lot in the Peak and on occasion the edges were closed due to fire risk, or nesting birds we would just move on to one of the more esoteric or arboreal locations reserved for just such occasions.

One issue with climbing is the rocks need to be climbed in order to keep them clean. Virtually every single climb in the UK is logged by location, name and grade along with access details, in fact even climbs that are no longer accessible or have even gone still exist in the guide books.

Climbing is not just a matter of finding a rock and clambering up it using whatever means available, in fact far from it. The guide book will often describe the climb with a line drawing and give two grades that go hand in hand so the climber can access the severity and technical aspects of the climb and two climbs under two metres apart can vary significantly in grade. To change the start of a climb by restricting access or adding a hazard can make things unpleasant at best and extremely dangerous, especially in the lower grades frequented by more modest climbers.

Looking at the grades for the Orange Wall, the area in question there are a good handful of starred climbs and some classic grades as well as some more technical:

http://www.rockfax.com/databases/result ... tml?id=490

Personally, as a shooter and ex-climber I would side with the climbers and see if the access issues could be resolved amicably, they are going to loose some classic Grit stone. (Gods own stone)

[Fedaykin]

This could even be a chance for outreach for the shooting club, organise an open shooting day to allow the climbers to have a go and understand our sport. Many people just don't realise how complex, restricted and expensive our sport is. Some outreach is an opportunity to clear the air and maybe entice some new paying members.

I am curious to know what the issue is with the other quarry in the area, their appears to be some bad blood about access and behaviour of the other clubs. Burning of rubbish etc came up a few times, it might well be this wasn't actually done by the club or maybe a club member being a bit naughty and burning stuff without the permission of the committee. A bit of communication can clear the air and clear up any simmering issues. It could well even be possible that small changes in the patterns of the clubs and climbers involved could improve access and the enjoyment of both sides involved.

Finally maybe it is worth engaging the NRA and the press office of the BASC, I think it is worth getting the NRA better engaged with the representative bodies of other sports and climbing being a rural sport by in large (but not always) this could be an opportunity for outreach by the BASC. All my recent conversations recently with the BASC has been about better engaging with shooters and the wider general public this is an opportunity. Is the BASC rep on this forum? I know he frequents the ShootForum.