Crag Care Northumberland Sandstone

Anyone visiting the sandstone outcrops of Northumberland this winter will have been shocked by the amount of recent rock damage.

It is important not to climb on wet sandstone. It is a porous rock which is dramatically weakened when wet and even if the surface is dry the rock behind may still be saturated.
The next issues are chalk tick marks and the excessive use of chalk. If you must use tick marks please brush them and any excess chalk off the holds, with a soft bristle brush, when you have finished on a problem.

Finally dirty rock shoes. It is unbelievable that climbers still turn up at the crag without a shoe rag. Dirty shoes damage the rock much more than clean shoes they also reduce the chances of the climber wearing the dirty shoes from succeeding on that problem. (A no brainer really)

There has been a massive increase in the number of climbers using our crags and it is therefore even more important that we all adopt best practice when it comes to crag care. If you see someone abusing the rock it is important that you point out to them the error of their ways. They may not understand how fragile is our environment.

Regards

John Earl - Guidebook Team

April 2009