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Removing someone elses anchors..

Original Post
jb86 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 0
Ian Stewart · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 155

Am I right to assume there was another bolt at the anchor that was fine? If so I would have just left it as is and posted somewhere on here (eg. condition update) that the bolt was loose. If it was that loose it would have been obvious to the next party, who could decide on their own if they want to trust the other single bolt. Meanwhile if you left the bolt, when somebody with the right tools decided to go out and fix it then the bolt would still be there to be reused/etc. instead of having to fetch it back from you.

The Call Of K2 Lou · · Squamish, BC · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 20

Someone else may not have checked it, so for safety's sake it's probably best that you pulled it. IMO.

Daniel Winder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 101

You pulled a bolt out with your fingers? Then that's booty.

rocknice2 · · Montreal, QC · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 3,847
josh backel wrote: but the sleeve inside the rock was still loose..
How did you manage to see or feel the sleeve inside the rock?
I think you mean, you tightened the bolt but it didn't clamp down on the hanger. Is this more accurate? If this is the case the hole was probably drilled too shallow and the bolt can't go deep enough.
Not the best anchor but not the worst either.

Where is it? On which rout
Bruce Hildenbrand · · Silicon Valley/Boulder · Joined Apr 2003 · Points: 3,615

Please post a picture of the bolt.

Sdm1568 · · Ca · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 80

Use a piece of white tape and write a note that says.........
........
........
........
Wait for it.....
.....
Yer Gonna Die!!!!!

Sdm1568 · · Ca · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 80

Then as mentioned.... Someone with the right tools can fix it because the pieces are already there.

M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090

I wish all climbers who aren't already familiar would study up on the various kinds of bolts and not go around blindly trusting them or believing that every spinning hanger is a death trap.

matt c. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 155

wait i'm confused. i think his post says that he can wiggle a bolt after it is tightened. he are not talking about a spinner. he is talking that the bolt moves, demonstrating a structural problem. am ai wrong? Isn't ok to pull an unsafe anchors with the intention of replacing them?

M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090

I wasn't saying what he did was wrong. It depends on the type of bolt and exactly what is going on with it, which isn't clear to me. I am all for people being proactive and removing dangerous fixed gear if it is warranted.

Ian Stewart · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 155

I wouldn't consider a loose anchor bolt to be dangerous at all if the other one is still solid. Even a loose bolt will hold in most cases as long as it's a downward pull, which is the typical situation for an anchor. Personally I'd still rather be clipped into a good bolt and a questionable bolt than to trust a single bolt. Heck, I'd prefer a loose bolt to no bolt in almost any situation...I've clipped a few questionable bolts on lead before, that's for sure.

josh backel wrote:haha yea daniel, a good solid 300 lbs of rock came with it
Wait...what?
Gunkiemike · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 3,492
josh backel wrote:haha yea daniel, a good solid 300 lbs of rock came with it
So... this is a troll?

If it's not, identify the cliff and specific route ASAP so the situation can be properly remedied.
Gunkiemike · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 3,492
M Sprague wrote:I wish all climbers who aren't already familiar would study up on the various kinds of bolts and not go around blindly trusting them or believing that every spinning hanger is a death trap.
If this whole thing isn't a troll, then I say the OP is definitely not too familiar with hardware. Consider - he says this was at the top of "a run", and he pulled the bolt and "the clip". Mega-noob or annoying troll?
highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35

If it's unsafe, I say yank.

It is unclear if it was unsafe though.

Food for thought, if one anchor bolt was put in so badly as to be unsafe, how good was the single one that you did use?

splitclimber · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 18

what route already?

if it in the MP database post up under the route entry

I would have left it in place

Kip Kasper · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 200

Really? if a bolt can be removed by hand it should be. it's one thing to have a loose nut that can be unthreaded, but if the whole fucking thing comes out in your hand it shouldn't stay there.

Tom Mulholland · · #1 Cheese Producing State! · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 50

Seems pretty clear he means that the actual bolt wiggles back in forth in the rock. He tightened down the nut, but the bolt still wiggled, so he took the nut and the hanger off.

Ian Stewart wrote:I wouldn't consider a loose anchor bolt to be dangerous at all if the other one is still solid. Even a loose bolt will hold in most cases as long as it's a downward pull, which is the typical situation for an anchor.
Well, this is only sort of true. If the anchors are at the top of a cliff, and someone lowers over the edge, there's quite a bit of outward force. Also, if the anchors are basically a hanging belay, it's pretty normal to push out from the cliff to manage the rope and set up the rappel - again, lots of outward force.

I probably would have removed it, too. I don't trust gumbies to not kill themselves.
Locker · · Yucca Valley, CA · Joined Oct 2002 · Points: 2,349

IMO if you're going to remove it, then you should replace it.

As already mentioned. It would be a downward pull. Even if totally loose, it's still not going to come out.

And also as mentioned, any party coming upon it could decide for themselves if they want to use it or not.

Now if someone goes up, there's only one anchor. Right? How is that safer?

Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,203

So there is now a single anchor - if a climbing party should have enough knowledge to inspect a bad anchor and not rap on it should they not also have enough knowledge to be able to get themselves down regardless?

In this case the issue came from it sounds like a poor install, what if it was from rock fall and was totally unusable? No real difference.

As for removing it. I removed a set of anchors some one did a poor job of installing - then walked off and use a different set of anchors. I dropped all the bits off at the local shop and they got back to the original person. I heard he was not happy about it. I was happy that someone did not trust the anchors and die.

M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911

dropped off all the bits....

maybe we should start requiring pro guides take people climbing from now on, its not something you can just trust people to do safely without proper training eh?

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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