I wanna know how do you know if you've got a First Ascent?
People have been climbing all over for a long time. I'm often driving along looking up at faces seeing awesome stuff - particularly around the Peninsula and wondering if I can put up something new. But chances are, someone else has seen the same line/face and could have been all over it already. This obviously applies to trad.
Any pearls of wisdom from the old timers on the forum?

Browse the MCSA library

Bolt it, send it, claim the FA!!!

*runs and hides from the hairy die-hards"

The purpose of a guide book is to show what still needs to be climbed.

If in doubt...climb it. Climb now - research later. Its an FA till a written record is found. Don't be afraid to claim the FA. If the FA didn't bother to record it, he/she shouldn't bother to claim it.

Lots of obvious stuff was not climbed till later.

"Bolt it, send it, claim the FA!!!"

er... In consideration with the relevant bolting rules...

Please, small transgressions can have large access implications for everyone else.

"If the FA didn't bother to record it, he/she shouldn't bother to claim it."
Spot on. I've opened two pitches, one pretty good even if I do say so myself. Of course some ol ballie always pipes up and says he did it with Noah back in 400AD - the above applies.

:-)

The sweeping claims irk me: "we climbed everything there in... er 1987". Verbal accounts are easy to embellish & should not be considered. Most of us can write.

Memories fade. I can't remember stuff I climbed at Christmas 2008. Lucky for me I wrote them down.

Lots of climbers frequent the same spot & repeat the same "classic".

Thanks guys. I think I keep seeing wonderful stuff to climb but don't see it in Western Cape Rock or the like...
Certainly makes the case for putting stuff on the Wiki routes section on this site.

M@,
I'm with you on this one!

This way the original trad ascent still stands, then the sport ascent...then when the die-hards chop the bolts and a few key holds, the bold soloist/high-baller gets his try and then the bird-beak aider drills a rivet ladder.

And suddenly there are 4 FA's, not to forget the now-popular FFA (not first free, but first female...apparently in and era of equality this is significant?). Then each ascent should also be siege’d, team-freed, single-pushed and then soloed onsight in a day.
Variants for sure, but hey...still 1st for each no?

I know that it is important to be involved in FA's to ensure street-cred (or is that crag-cred?) when debating / commenting / opining (it's a word I promise) local crag-specific ethics, but really...just go climb. If it's not written up, then write it up for the rest of us to enjoy...FA or not!

"but really...just go climb"....I would, but I'm waiting for my new cams

LOL
Hey Derek...I'm back from my travels next Thursday and i have a big bag full of toye - including the 2 new small link cams...