Since then, Patagonia has taken many such stands in favor of the environment and the purity of sport. And we continue to grow. The 1960s marked an awakening in American climbing characterized by a vast increase in climbing activity closely paralleled by a corresponding improvement in technique and equipment. Significant climbing advances have resulted. The deterioration is two-fold, involving the physical aspect of the mountains and the moral integrity of the climbers.
Mountains are finite, and despite their massive appearance, they are fragile.
Although alpine tundra, meadows, trees, lakes and streams are all endangered, our primary concern here is with deterioration of the rock itself. On popular routes in Yosemite and elsewhere, the cracks are degenerating into series of piton holes. Flakes and slabs are being pried loose and broken off as a result of repeated placement and removal of hard pitons. We can offer a few immediate solutions. Stay off climbs you do not intend to finish.