The namesake compressor. Photo: Kelly Cordes

In January a duo of climbers made their way up Cerro Torre’s iconic Compressor Route and on their way down chopped all the bolts laid down by the Cesare Maestri in the 70s. Their move caused a bit of a tempest in a teapot, with a handful of people arguing they had no right to tear down the bolts. I suspect most people consider Hayden Kennedy and Jason Kruk’s decision to fall well within the realm of acceptable. Yesterday Yvon Chouinard weighed in on their move:

The siege tactic used on Cerro Torre’s Compressor Route is perhaps the most egregious example of alpinism’s egoistic “manifest destiny” philosophy, one that calls for conquering the mountain by any means, then leaving in place the pitons, bolts, ropes and cables. This debases a route, leaving it accessible to those without the skill or nerve to climb in good style. It is the alpinist’s equivalent of hunting with headlights.

You have to love Yvon Chouinard, if not for his belligerence on environmental issues, then for his unwavering stance on alpinist purism.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 16th, 2012 at 6:02 am and is filed under Climbing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.