OK to leave the other thread and start a new one. I'm also bored at work :-)
What is the general view on such tactics as ground marking by paint and the use of ladders on technical sections?
I've been called 'elitist' for my opposition to this, but the more I think about it the more I think it's just not cricket.
The rounds are an incredible achievement, I've been training for the PBR so been doing the sections and pacing for others and ran 24 hr ultras so have an idea of what is involved.
But reducing the technical sections to ladders, removing the navigating, why be out in the hills at all. Why not just set a tread mill and run 65 miles and 30,000 ft of ascent?
Anyway just interested.
I personally wouldn't be involved in a round which used ladders to say get to the top of Glyder Fach or laid sand down on the bogs of the boundary ridge or burnt the heather of Y Gyrn. The challenge is to cover the ground, that unfortunately means waist high heather on Y Gryn, bogs on Carnedd Cribau, scree on Glyder Fawr.
If the National Park decide to lay an A1 path along the boundary ridge then fair enough, I'll certainly run it and it would reduce a good 30 minutes off a round.
GPS was also mentioned, personaly I view the use of a GPS differently, I have one, but find a map and compass far faster and also more accurate and reliable. The MLTB's will no doubt shortly bring them into the ML syllabus so they are now very much considered a standard piece of kit.