Erik Sloan’s Latest Victim – Ten Days After

Wishing each of you a productive 2016

A few excerpts from Sloan's translation guide (English to Sloaneze)

What are the rules about power drills in the park? I believe that designated wilderness begins at 500 ft above the valley floor. That could possibly mean lower routes could use power drills.

Bolting Policy & New Routes
The Rules:

Drilling protection bolts for climbing is permitted in Yosemite as long as it is done by hand. Motorized power drills are prohibited. The National Park Service does not inspect, maintain, or repair bolts and other climbing equipment anywhere in the park.

Beyond this simple rule, there is a strong community bolting ethic in Yosemite. If you plan to bolt a new route or alter an existing one, talk with local climbers who are familiar with Yosemite's route history and traditions before permanently altering the cliff face. No one wants to see the rock damaged by bolts being placed and chopped.

"Gardening" (the name given to removing plant life from cracks) is not allowed in Yosemite. Many climbers remove the occasional bit of grass or leaves to place protection or find a finger-lock, but this is nothing compared to the serious damage done establishing a new area.

New Routes:
The damage caused establishing a new route is far greater than that caused by each subsequent party. If you are considering establishing a new route ask yourself, "Is this route worth the damage it will cause?" "Is it a classic line that others will enjoy climbing, or I am simply interested in putting up my own route?" "What will climbers fifty years from now think of this route or this bolt?" There are thousands of established routes in Yosemite already--maybe try a few more of those before making a new mark on Yosemite's Wilderness.

The Reasons:
Most of the Yosemite's climbing areas are in designated Wilderness, and motorized items, including power drills, are not allowed in these areas. In addition to this Congressional mandate, the park has an interest in limiting the impacts from climbing while enabling climbers to enjoy the park. The resulting rule allows climbers the unusual privilege of permanently altering Yosemite's granite cliffs by adding bolts in the location of their choosing, but inherently limits the number of those bolts by requiring that they be hand drilled.

Yosemite does not adhere to the same standards as other national parks do in terms of the wilderness act.
Yos pretty much ignores it in that they use and are reliant on power tools to keep the park running.

Minimum Tool. The Service will use the minimum tool necessary to carry out management and research functions. These tools will be primitive and non-mechanized wherever possible. The tools in Appendix B are the only ones that are approved in the Yosemite wilderness. Exceptions must be approved in writing by the Superintendent.

Does anyone have proof wootboy is using a powr drill or is it just an assumption?

Does anyone have proof wootboy is using a powr drill or is it just an assumption

Powerdrills? Yawn. Same as Base Jumping, right? No one's doing it I swear. You guys are so silly - nearly everyone putting up routes here(and I'm definitely not putting up routes here) is using power drills. What happened to the thread on ST this spring where the title was 'I saw someone powerdrilling in the Valley yesterday'? What ever happened to that witchhunt?

The NPS going nuts over powerdrills is not the answer - forming groups to research and develop the best bolting practices and equipment is the answer. Just like pot - they're still going crazy about it here in Yosemite, but when I lived briefly in Colorado, people are like 'yeah, what's the big deal'(I don't smoke, so maybe an easy statement to make, haha). Witchhunts for pot smokers and powerdrillers will be later looked at like the NPS feeding the bears - better education is what we need. (I predict that future studies will show that hand drilled bolts are, on average, 25-30% weaker and less safe than powerdrilled holes).

Well thanks, hoss. It WILL be productive. I'm getting my tools ready right now:

There are very clear guidelines and no, YNP does not "pretty much ignore it [the US and CA Wilderness Acts]." If you think they do, I expect Earth Justice (formerly the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) would be interested to hear about it.