Bayamon 2, PR - Bolts question

Hello! My girlfriend and I are planning out a trip to climb at Bayamon for 5 or so days in late Jan. We'd like this trip to be more of a redpoint trip than volume and curious if anyone can tell us the integrity of the bolts at bayamons sectors. Should we tread lightly on the "x" year old bolts in the humid enviroment or can we whip! Any additional information is welcome. Thanks!!!

In Bayamon, there is plenty of good climbs with great rock quality. I have been going there every December for the past two years, and I must say that some,not all, bolts look pretty sketchy, but I have taken whippers on it. There is a decent group of climber in the area that I know maintain the routes as much as they can. I do recommend the area and the locals are friendly and willing to show you the routes. Enjoy!!

If you want to find more info there is a climbing store in Puerto Rico call Aventura Tierra Adentro and it has some information about the climbings and the areas. here is the webpage for their mini guidebook aventuraspr.com/?page_id=81

Cool. Thank you for your info! We're planning on stopping at Aventura Tierra Adentro when we are down there to support their store. We'll scope out which routes look fun and safe before we give it hell.

We were just climbing out there last December and everything we got on looked and felt solid - bolt wise.

Some of the thinner sections of limestone are just that, thin. They will break if you pull hard enough. So, careful what you crimp on. My buddy broke a crimp just as he finished clipping the first bolt on a route. It would have been a pretty gnarly landing, but I managed to get enough slack out to keep him off the rocks.

Mind/avoid any routes that have a red/pink tag on the first bolt. We found that they were hung on a couple of routes that had some horrifically large bees nests that were almost completely hidden/camouflaged.

Take A LOT of water. You will sweat.

Have an awesome time!

Woah! Epic tips right there!!! We're still trying to find a guidebook for the place... Looks like the bayamon guidebook was removed as they are updating it. Hopefully the new book is ready by Jan :(

Just climbed a bunch of easier routes at Bayamon 2 a few weeks ago, and some bolts and anchors are starting to show their age. Tropical island air = rust. It's hard to tell how deep the corrosion goes, but climb prudently.

The harder routes might have newer, better hardware.

There should be some re-bolting efforts in January, around the island.

You'll probably find plenty to have fun on at Bayamon 2, but if not, Bayamon 1 is super close, and has a more open, exposed feeling. Plus it faces the E, where rain comes from, so you can keep an eye out. We're in the midst of some squalls right now, like the rest of the country. It's just waaaay warmer.

Enjoy!

Thanks Jedeye! We'll certainly tread lightly as it sounds from other responses that some (most?) of the bolts do need to be replaced, which is a shame but understandable. I have really ever come across a rusted bolt maybe only once. I would hate to misjudge a routes integrity and be stuck 4+ bolts up clipped into a devious looking piece of metal.

So my next hope and question is are these visible from the ground? If the first bolt (first few) appears rusted can the rest be assumed to be in the same shape? Or do instances happens where the first few bolts appear fine and suddenly you're up 40ft on suspect metal? And vice versa? Any experienced insight is welcome!!

Ben,
I'd say most of the bolts are fine.
It didn't seem to be too predictable what the upper bolts would be like based on the lower bolts. Exposure to water is probably a big factor, and on rock as featured as this, wet spots can be anywhere.
On the flip side, a shiny new first bolt or two is a good indication of 'redpoint ready'.
What Aventuras might help you with is an 'age-coded' route list. That would also be valuable info for those wanting to re-bolt the old stuff...

Very helpful Jed and thank you for your responses! We will for sure stop, chat and buy at the local climbing shop when we arrive. Just want to know what we're getting into :)

Ben Weigner wrote:Woah! Epic tips right there!!! We're still trying to find a guidebook for the place... Looks like the bayamon guidebook was removed as they are updating it. Hopefully the new book is ready by Jan :(

http://sdrv.ms/1hOkpjx

This is the Bayamon guide (the old one) if you still need it.

Hello.
I will be in Puerto Rico in January as well and may spend there a month or two.
I wanted to know, can any of the Bayamon routes be set up as top rope as well or all sports climbs?
I may be there by myself only, so any good (and safe) bouldering in that area as well?

Thanks.

It's 99% sport. Not toprope. You can boulder around the base of the crags, or there's a bouldering area down a trail to the right at the last switchback of the road, before it straightens up to the observation tower.

For what it's worth. Our trip to Puerto Rico to climb was 100% amazing. Edda and Rossano (local legends and climbing shop owners) are the greatest people. We climbed with them for one day at Cerras las tetas, did one day at Bayamon and the rest of the time at Caliche.

Bayamons bolts are really looking iffy but it appears the rebolting is about to commence. Ground Zero (sector 0) is already complete.

Caliche was recently rebolted/maintenanced and is an out of this world crag. Solid rock quality and bomber hanger/bolts. Amazing limestone!!! Some of the bolts are the size of my thumb! One hour from San Juan and you are AT the rock.

We will certainly be back to PR and I recommend the climbing destination to everyone.

Also want to add I have Sprint for my android phone and I had coverage 99% of the time and navigation worked flawlessly.

Thanks Ben for allowing me to climb with you guys. Especially the climbing at Caliche was a blast.
Let me know if you guys make it back to Puerto Rico, I will stil be there until end of February. After that it might get to hot and humid anyway!?

Glad more peeps are finding out how fun PR climbing is.

I'm not sure about camping at Bayamon 2, but the San Miguel Plaza hotel is very close, and is very functional. Food options around there are a grocery store in the nearby mall and neighborhood markets near the mall. Bayamon 1 is directly behind/above the mall.

For a fun guesthouse in a beachside residential area near the San Juan airport, look up Dreamcatcher. Ask Stephan where the pull-up bar is if you can't find it.

Ben,
You're doing the right thing by trying to find out how reliable the bolts are. I've posted a boatload of information on this topic but here's a summary.

All limestone climbing in the Caribbean has the same environment as Cayman Brac, where we've been analyzing bolt corrosion since 1998. High quality stainless steel bolts in the Brac have broken in as little as 18 months. Since 2000, all climbing routes on the Brac have titanium bolts.

climbcaymanbrac.com/safety/

Stainless steel does not rust in the classic sense. When you see rust on a stainless bolt, it means it's cracked, and cannot be trusted to hold a fall. Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) causes cracks to grow in the steel. As the crack microscopically proceeds, it liberates the Chromium, the primary reason stainless is stainless. With the Cr no longer passivating the steel, you get rust.

But when the SCC occurs in the bolt-hole, its favorite place, it's common not to see any rust, yet the bolt breaks during a fall.

Classic broken stainless bolt. Absolutely NO visible indication of cracking.
See the nice shiny hanger and bolt head?

So only climb on routes that have stainless bolts that are less than 2 years old. Also, you can tell them for me, that if they are replacing their old bolts with anything but titanium, they're wasting their time and money in addition to risking everything.

Hello,

Is anyone planning to climb this weekend (11/1 and/or 11/2) in Bayamon?
I have rope and draws.

Alex

Hey John,

Thanks for your reply and thanks for your work around the world to keep up climbing and safe! (We're planning a trip to Cayman for maybe next year).

I have and will continue to chose not to do climbs where the bolts do look suspicious but that SCC is outright scary! I spoke to PR's main developers about Ti and the longevity vs the Ss however I don't feel I have the clout or experience to sway any opinions. If I knew how to bolt or maintain a route maybe. That being said if anyone wants to teach, I'll travel and carry everything for such a lesson!

Also a bump for Alex! We climbed with him last year and he's and gentleman and a scholar! Safe belays and friendly. Sorry you couldn't make it to HCR this year!

Ben Dubs wrote:Hey John, Thanks for your reply and thanks for your work around the world to keep up climbing and safe! (We're planning a trip to Cayman for maybe next year). I have and will continue to chose not to do climbs where the bolts do look suspicious but that SCC is outright scary! I spoke to PR's main developers about Ti and the longevity vs the Ss however I don't feel I have the clout or experience to sway any opinions. If I knew how to bolt or maintain a route maybe. That being said if anyone wants to teach, I'll travel and carry everything for such a lesson!

I don't think you need to be an expert to campaign for safe bolts. All the information anyone needs is available online. What's hard is getting people out of their mental rut and getting them to take action instead of just accepting the SNAFU. Often it takes someone breaking a bolt and getting seriously injured or dying before they'll get off their asses.

Here's the chain of events:

Stage 1: Denial. We don't have that problem here. Oh, those bolts weren't stainless (because they look rusty). Blah, blah, blah... I've heard it all.

Stage 2: Immature response. We'll replace those non-stainless bolts with "good" stainless because Ti is too expensive (and rebolting every few years is cheaper, yeah right).

Stage 3: Bolt breaks, someone gets hurt or dies. Land managers step in and shut down climbing. Lawyers get involved. A good friend is paralyzed. Now everyone is totally f*cked and it takes years and boatloads of work and money to even get permission to bolt with Ti. That's if you're not the guy in the wheelchair.

So SOMEONE (let it be you) needs to start a climber's coalition who's purpose is to replace the bad bolts with Ti bolts. Pool your money, labor and expertise. Take RESPONSIBILITY for the sport you love, or it won't be there much longer.

See ya in Cayman Some time.