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Here we go, an ethics question for Monday. I climbed Bad Hybrid (5.6 sport) at Sunbeam in Muir. Someone bolted a piece of rock onto the climb to make it 5.6. I'm interested to see everyone's opinion. I think it's a poor, poor choice.

In my humble opinion (I don't bolt routes, I don't own the land), I think a climb should be left as is, as much as possible. Bolts are a necessary evil as they keep people from dying. If you can't do a route then leave it for someone who can. In the case of Bad Hybrid its goes clean. Stew, Jr. and I all did it yesterday; skipping the bolted hold the route probably goes 5.11a.

So, Stew, Jr. and I are renaming the clean version of the route: No strap-ons in my gorge.

It's been done without that hold before. I'm pretty sure I saw Weber did it.

I didn't use the hold either. It felt like a hard 5.10 move without the hold. Kind of a fingertip mantle/hand foot match to a long reach. (I heard that a woodrat bolted that route).

Isn't bolting a hold onto a route the same as chipping holds for a route. I thought the Red was a place where that wasn't done.
Wasn't this a big problem at City of Rocks in the 80's when Tony Yaniro and others manufactured routes by chipping and other travesties?
I think it has also been done at Jack's Canyon east of Flagstaff.
I have an opinion but it is not my land and I don't have enough facts.

Y, J-Rock that's the move. A fun, slabby, kinda of dicey maneuver off at little 2 finger pocket. Glad to see others have opted to not use the bolt on hold.

I have two particular problems with add on. Like I said earlier, leave the climb as is when possible. I don't think we want people chipping and drilling cool routes to make them all 5.6.

Second, bolting on a rock is only a temporary hold. The bolt will remain for years, but that rock is going to crack and then it's going to break on someone. If someone thinks its okay to add on hold, I don't agree, but at least come up with a permanent solution. A glue in rebar handle would be an eyesore, but would be there forever without needing to be replaced every 9 months.
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if Weber did it without the "strap-on" then why even put the "Strap-on" on. I just don't get it. That damn thing will eventually bust off and someone will take a nasty spill. I vote remove the damn thing and keep the route natural. But like Sco said, we do not own or bolt on the land in muir valley but I think it should be put up to vote on whether to remove it or keep it.

Personally, I am more of a gray area kinda guy. If it is a one move 5.11, with it being 5.6 the rest of the route, then adding a hold doesn't seem like all that big of a deal to me. Chipping/drilling are worse, but I can still see times when it wouldn't be totally evil. The number one sin, though, is altering the route after the FA.

REMOVE THAT GOSH DAMN STRAP ON YOU MONKEYS!!!!!

No need to vote on anything Stewy, this thing was scheduled to come down already anyway.

sweet karla, thanks for the clarification. Can we call it "No Strap-ons" as suggested by Sco, Junior and I?