Okay, I couldn't resist replying to this stream of nonsense. Clearly the wilderness is reserved for the people-- all people and one person has no right to claim his right over another. I cringe when I hear things like "leading takes precedence over TR-ing." Where is the logic in that statement? Just because one climber is better then another does that give him or her the right to claim the right to climb something? No, definitely not. If someone ever said that to me they'd better watch out for the sharp end of my ice tool. The fact remains that ice flows in the NW are limited and beginners can ruin a climb for others. I myself have done many climbs where I never sunk my picks into untouched ice-- all I could do was hook in other peoples holes.
A party TR-ing the first pitch of a multi-pitch ice climb should invite other climbers to climb through. If the TR-ers do not offer the invitation the leading party should state that they want to climb through and everyone nearby should check their helmets. We have to learn how to share our resources and self regulate our sport. If we don't, all climbers risk losing the right to climb. As more and more people venture out into the ice climbing world inevitably there will be more injuries and more public attention drawn to the sport. I fear this may lead to some government regulation as the case is in rock climbing today. The only way we as a climbing community can prevent the unwanted intervention of regulatory bodies is to police ourselves. This requires ice climbers of all levels to be curtious, respectful of others and most importantly, to climb safely at all times.
We are not alone. It is time climbers acted as such.
