A Sheffield climber has ‘developed’ multiple new climbing sites in the Peak District.
Carlos Montero, 30, spends most of his time climbing but when he’s not – he’s clearing up overgrown or unexplored boulders. So far, through his efforts, he has added a number of safe climbable boulders to Stanage Plantation and Frogatt, as well as to a circuit at Yarncliffe.
Boulder before development.
Boulder after development.
Carlos Montero said: “Sometimes developing can be done solo, which I do a lot of. It’s very cathartic for me.
“Essentially what it means is finding boulders, usually overgrown with moss and lichen and cleaning them to make them climbable.”
“Development can also happen in well established crags and can sometimes lead to the exciting discovery of new hard boulders.”
Developing a climbing site means making an area interesting and accessible for enthusiast climbers. Safety is also important, as some crags have pits and holes that must be covered. While at times it’s as simple as clearing a path for better access, sometimes it can lead to exciting new discoveries.
The development of some smaller boulders can take as little as 10 minutes, some bigger ones could take hours or even days.
Carlos Montero added: “There’s an excitement in the discovery of something new that you can share with people. I enjoy being in wild, beautiful venues like Yarncliffe, sharing space with the local stags.
“It’s also nice because all boulders are logged on a website and sometimes, if good enough, they end up in guidebooks, forever immortalising you! “
Those exploring new climbing areas must also be conscious about the local flora as some of it is part of nature reserves. Furthermore, some sites are privately owned and arrangements must be made with the British Mountaineering Council before development.
Carlos said: “Even in areas where it’s ok to develop you should still take care not to remove excess vegetation and only move what is necessary.
“Environmentally I think as long as you follow the ‘leave no trace’ mantra it’s fine to develop areas.”