How would you rate these bolts?
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I'm interested in learning to rebolt at some point, so I've started taking pictures of bolts to document their quality (also I think it's just a good skill to be able to judge bolt quality). How would you rate these bolts? They're located at Cragmont Park in Berkeley, which gets a decent amount of precipitation (25.40 inches/year). It's ~1700 feet above sea level so I think it's more rare for it to get fog from the ocean, but I'm not sure on that. It's a very popular spot for teaching climbing/beginners. These bolts are all at the anchors. |
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Cave route- rusty carbon steel bolts, hangers not corroded so prob stainless. Not a good setup as dissimilar metals can speed corrosion greatly. They should be replaced. |
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If it makes a difference, you're unlikely to rappel from most of these—they're all very accessible by walking around to the rope. The Cave Route triple of bolts is an exception—you need to rap down to reach those, so you'd probably rap to clean them. On the other hand, though, you might get better throughput on Farewell to Arms if you didn't need to walk up top to clean it. |
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So everyone freaks over rust, but a rusted bolt on the exterior does not always tell you about the interior. Replace the spinners for sure or tighten them if possible (looks like someone tried a lock washer). I'm assuming there is a lot of top-roping at this crag or people leading and then rapping off. Think about this: In order to have a catastrophic failure that sends a climber to the ground, you must have a DOUBLE, and in two cases a TRIPLE bolt failure (assuming you use all three bolts for the anchor). Not to say that could not happen, but you can scour the annals of climbing accidents over the past 50 years, and if you can find one instance of a double bolt failure under top-rope or body weight only, I'll Venmo you $100. And that glue-in with the rust - bomber! (unless its loose). I wish every cam or nut I ever placed on lead looked as good as that rusted glue in. As long as the principles of SERENE (triple in two cases) are adhered to, no one's going to die on those. However, if you are so inclined, and learn to properly replace bolts with good hardware, you're only helping, not hurting anything, and everyone will love the shiny new bolts. |
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Maximilian...you're really NOT going to learn much about rebolting by taking photos of old bolts/anchors. You should spend your time with a mentor, someone who has extensive experience with replacing/rebolting if you want to learn to rebolt properly. Also, invest in some good quality Stainless Steel hardware if you decide to wade into replacing this gear. We could go round and round about why these anchors are not equipped for rappelling/lowering, but none of the bolts look that funky save the Leeper hanger on the buttonhead, which was cursed previously by a poster above. The vertical orientation of the bolts on the Cave Route is vexing without some sort of chain to connect/equalize them and the left bolt is alarmingly close to that crack/seam. The Metolius Rap hangers aren't an issue, but those on Farewell To Arms are TOO far apart and depending on how they are rigged could create an "American Triangle" situation. Finally, NOT mixing metals and a good paint job on the hardware before installation could mitigate the rust issues. Good climbing. |
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@Pjm In Thailand two bolts failed under the body weight of two climbers (presumably due to SSC). My Venmo username is @MaxTagher ;) |
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Maximilian Tagher wrote: @Pjm In Thailand two bolts failed under the body weight of two climbers (presumably due to SSC). My Venmo username is @MaxTagher ;) BLAMMOOOOO SOMEONE'S EATIN TONIGHT |
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Those aren't perfect, but for perspective, they're much better than these ancients still in place at Table Rock, NC. |
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the Bay Area climbers coalition might be a good resource for you. |
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Maximilian Tagher wrote: @Pjm In Thailand two bolts failed under the body weight of two climbers (presumably due to SSC). My Venmo username is @MaxTagher ;) Ha- you got me and great call out! That story also serves well on my PSS note about using titanium when there is a chance for ocean air / fog. Happy climbing! |
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Post up that $100 venmo receipt and give some to ASCA! |
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Was the failure on what's now Anchors Away on Glacier Point Apron a two bolt failure? |
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Tom Halicki wrote: Was the failure on what's now Anchors Away on Glacier Point Apron a two bolt failure? No, single 1/4" bolt failed, it was just a single bolt anchor (which used to be very common). Same with the 3-person fatality while rapping the Nose in the '70s, that was a 2-bolt belay, but only one bolt failed. But there was a chain between the bolts and they were clipped in over that chain (maybe too small diameter to get a biner through anywhere including the hanger), so there was nothing to keep them from falling if one broke. |
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Ed Henicle wrote: Post up that $100 venmo receipt and give some to ASCA! Ed - great idea! Since the person I bet never responded, but Maximilian did call me out, I'll put my money where my mouth is per your suggestion to ASCA. I made the donation to ASCA but closed out the page before I could print the receipt. However, if you email Greg Barnes at ASCA, he'll confirm $100.00 received November 13, 2018 at 10:15:47 AM PST from email pjmfish@gmail.com. At least we raised some money with the post! |
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Pjm wrote: My bad, Maxililian was the original poster that I bet with - I got him mixed up with someone else. You can check with him, he got his $100 as well! |
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Maximilian Tagher wrote: @Pjm In Thailand two bolts failed under the body weight of two climbers (presumably due to SSC). My Venmo username is @MaxTagher ;) You won and it's there! |
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The cave anchor bolts appear to be wedge bolts that have been peened. The ends will to be ground off the get the nuts off. What is left will be short and hard to spin. |
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Wow, kudos to Pjm for upholding that promise; I really wasn't taking it seriously. In any case, I've passed on the money to the ASCA |








