Yosemite bolt replacement and Death Block removal (2012)(planetmountain.com)
planetmountain.com
Yosemite bolt replacement and Death Block removal (2012)
http://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/yosemite-bolt-replacement-and-death-block-removal.html
20 comments
I don't do much climbing anymore, but I figured it'd be nice to send them a few bucks. So, that's done.
If anyone else wants to help keep people safe while they climb, even if you're not a climber, here is the donation link:
http://www.safeclimbing.org/help.htm
They even give you stuff, if you donate more than $25. Somehow, donations sometimes 'feel' more meaningful when you know you're not really going to benefit from it.
If anyone else wants to help keep people safe while they climb, even if you're not a climber, here is the donation link:
http://www.safeclimbing.org/help.htm
They even give you stuff, if you donate more than $25. Somehow, donations sometimes 'feel' more meaningful when you know you're not really going to benefit from it.
Once, when climbing a 7-pitch route in Switzerland, the party below us involuntarily removed a loose block (mostly held in place by vegetation), maybe 30x30x50cm. We had noticed that it was loose and it had a sling fixed next to it as a replacement hold but apparently they didn’t realise. Thankfully nobody was standing below. Super scary though.
The ASCA is doing great work on a shoestring budget replacing timebombs.
Thank you.
That is all
That is all
"The problem with society is, everyone wants to build things, but no one wants to do maintenance." - Kurt Vonnegut
I remember when Chris McNamara founded the American Safe Climbing Association to fund bolt replacements. It was such an obvious idea in retrospect--something the American Alpine Club should have thought of years before. I think they're affiliated now somehow. But it seems almost certain that they have saved the lives of some climbers by doing maintenance.
I remember when Chris McNamara founded the American Safe Climbing Association to fund bolt replacements. It was such an obvious idea in retrospect--something the American Alpine Club should have thought of years before. I think they're affiliated now somehow. But it seems almost certain that they have saved the lives of some climbers by doing maintenance.
> "The problem with society is, everyone wants to build things, but no one wants to do maintenance."
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15526878
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15526878
I think the more accurate term is nobody wants to pay for maintenance, they just want new crap.
Roger Brown is a solid human. Replacing old fixed gear is mostly a thankless task, but Roger just keeps fixing things.
https://web.stanford.edu/~clint/rep/08614.htm
https://web.stanford.edu/~clint/rep/08614.htm
Curious question: Why are electric drills not allowed but manual drills are ?
The idea is that the sound of an impact drill adds to the noise pollution of a supposedly "natural" area, and that they're "too easy" so they result in a proliferation of bolts in the rock. There's a lot of argument back and forth on the subject in places like Yosemite, where it sees so much traffic that it could hardly be called natural anymore. Personally, I'd rather hear 12 seconds of a Li-ion rotohammer than 30 minutes of some dude whacking a hand drill with a hammer, and since they make better holes, a rotohammer drills more symmetrical holes and is going to let the bolt seat better and it won't result in a proliferation of cratered out rock where old bolts pull out and have to be replaced by drilling new holes next to it. It's a touchy subject for a lot of folks. Some don't like "permanent" protection at all, but in places they don't allow bolts you end up with "temporary permanent" nylon slings tied around rocks all over the place. Doesn't really seem better.
On El Cap specifically, its face is designated as wilderness so no powered machines of any kind can be used there.
Was going to say that this was a joke about MacOS bugs, but then I opened the article. :P
I’m relieved to see I am not the only one!
One block I rapped in on to remove was only being held in place by a stone about half the size of my hand. All I did was push that stone away and then lightly pull with a pry-bar and the entire block plummeted and destroyed the trail I had just performed maintenance on 2 months prior. Better the trail than a belayer or hiker. The block had chalk all over it, so people used it as part of the route. It had to go immediately.
If you are a climber and climb outside often, I highly encourage you to donate some money to the ASCA because they send people who do maintenance new bolts and equipment to make sure routes are safely climbable.