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Curt
Boulder climber
Gilbert, AZ
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"Just say no to bolts," Nancy Reagan.
Curt
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Look, we'd love to help, but we're way too busy with other priorities on the thong thread right now.
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mucci
Trad climber
sf ca
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Start at the ground, climb like a monkey far enough up to scare your belayer, throw some hooks on and start drilling. Repeat until the summit.
If you do this the route will be "Sporty"
Oh, and don't forget the Blow tube!
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jbar
Social climber
urasymptote
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1. You should only bolt for safety, not convenience. If you're not sketched you don't need a bolt. 1st bolts a decker, 2nd bolt may keep you from decking, etc. bolt to protect a move over a roof if there is no natural pro.
2. A body length apart!!!??? You talkin bout a bolted aid route? Thats not even a sport route. Does this route traverse a 100' overhang? I have seen routes where I climb with bolts spaced 15' but thats only in really sporty areas. Is this a route for climbers or gym rats? You could always just boulder and then you don't have to bolt anything.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Go drink a bunch of beers, get out the electric drill, and get busy........what's the big deal here?
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Haggis
Trad climber
Scotland
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At the risk of changing the topic and sounding unhelpful perhaps bear in mind that part of climbing is that some routes are meant to be dangerous and run-out.
Half sport is a dumb ethic. If it takes trad gear then either man up and do it with trad gear or leave it for someone who can do it with trad gear. After all a lot of classic routes are hard (for the grade) because the gear is spaced or are classics because there is no real gear. if they were bolted then they would just be another sport route rather than a 45 m run out padding pitch or whatever.
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jbar
Social climber
urasymptote
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Every 3' max just to be safe. If near a vert crack then alternate sides to give climbers the option of right or left clips. Even better if you put those fixed draws. Remember, anything too blank should probably have a bit of a ledge added for a good crimp.
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couchmaster
climber
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BW said: Hope I have tough enough leathery skin to take all the potential critique I may receive, but I found a few nice sport lines I'd like to make. And since I'm totally new to this, having never drilled a bolt in my life, was wondering if I could get some sage advice. First, if anyone is willing to sell me a hand bolt drill for cheap, I would be eternally grateful. Willing to pay up to $50, good bits included or cheaper if not. Second, one of the lines has a bit of trad. I'd like to honor the rock and route as much as possible. The bolts in the area in question are spaced about a body length between each clip (for a tall person). After the crack how soon is too soon to place a bolt on the face?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
None of these yahoos can give you advice on this, find some locals who have been climbing there, who know what they are doing and ask them. They may tell you it is an existing route, or to leave it the F* alone or just toprope it, which is much better than asking them AFTER YOU STICK IN SOME INAPPROPRIATE BOLTS!!!!!!!!!! and having them undo all your work and rip out all the stupid bolts you install. If you want to "respect" the rock, maybe consider that leaving it alone is the best thing. (or not, but consider it). If it is appropriate, any climber who has been at that area will support, encourage, and help you do the routes. If it is inappropriate, don't you want to know it first? Lots of the advice given above is because they think your post is pretent, make believe, to rile them up, as they do not believe anyone would be that stupid to just show up and bolt a line they spot without asking around first....on the outside change you request for info is authentic and you haven't asked everyone there first.....
jus saying.
PS, where is the thong pictures!
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kev
climber
CA
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Yo BW,
1) You should really be part of a number of FA's where someone is teaching you how to do this before you go out and do this. That way you learn the does and don'ts (even if it's totally subjective and relative to whomever teaches you).
2) You should find some super small ass sized boulder and practice drilling bolts on this at the very least. Perhaps go help someone replace bad bolts, but don't just run off and bolt. If you make a bad hole, your bolt wont hold and now you've gone and damaged the rock. Not only does it look bad but it makes you look bad and people won't trust your route. In fact they probably won't trust any of your routes for a while if you drill a single bad bolt.
3) PIP brought a very important point - you need to do your research. Are you 100% sure no one has ever soloed it or climbed it purely on gear? Lots of research needs to be done here. That rock has been around for a long time and has seen MANY different climbers. Last thing you want is some pissed off hardman hunting you down because you've bolted his line.
4) Putting up routes is expensive, bolts are expensive, drill bits are expensive. Perhaps until you are able to afford a decent drill and know how to use it you shouldn't be putting up a route.
5) See #1 - if you complete #1 in this list you'll probably have solved #s 2,3, and 4.
I give this a 90% troll rating BTW
kev
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corniss chopper
Mountain climber
san jose, ca
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beer , power tools, and a cliff (with a nice view) - now we're talkin real American recreation!
Only the smell of steaks
cooking on the Bar-B-Q, your girl packed up the talus, would make it complete.
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jstan
climber
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Actually a MacDonalds at the base would offer a chance for profit and a big parking lot for your car would obviate the need to walk. A hot tub at the base would also be cool.
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the Fet
Supercaliyosemistic climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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"I found a few nice sport lines I'd like to make."
Boy, you came to the wrong website.
PS, as mentioned find a mentor.
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BW
climber
Big Pine, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 9, 2009 - 04:07pm PT
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Thanks very much all for the good advice. I am humbled by the thoughtfulness, humbled by the knowledge. And no, not Trol, just a lurker/listener on the edge of this big digital campfire. That said, I suppose the newbie/noob bolting question would not be the one I would ask from the edges of the firelight as a way of introduction and have to admit it took a six-pack of beer to jump in the ST fray in the first place. But it was a good experience and the advice (good, bad, and ugly) was well-taken and absorbed.
Just to clarify again, I've put up a few trad routes, just never placed a bolt. It sounds like a steep learning curve, one that I'll take slowly and with the proper mentors in tow.
Thanks again...
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Thorgon
Big Wall climber
Sedro Woolley, WA
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Yeah, Mentor, that's how I learned on small rocks as mentioned above 25-50 lb'ers. But there are a few things that will never
change about hand-drilling. You want a clean hole! If you are wabbling & whacking you are in danger of creating an oversized
hole! If the drill bit becomes chipped or overly dull, you are in danger of creating an oversized hole! There is a finite amount of expansion on the bolts, once that is surpassed the bolt is "BAD" and you have created a timebomb! That being said, go find some rocks and a "old dude", and have fun!
Yes, make sure that it is in fact virgin territory!
Thor
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Please wait until you have more overall climbing experience. Putting up a decent sport route is much more difficult than you might think. There are many, many crappy routes out there. Picking a good line and bolting it well requires a good deal of climbing sophistication.
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Greg Barnes
climber
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"There are many, many crappy routes out there."
Heh heh heh...I bet BW knows this if he's climbed much 40 miles south of his home town at the Alabama Hills...(and no, I'm not just talking about rock quality)...
Although, admittedly, in the Hills some of the super poor bolt placement locations are due to rock quality (too hollow to drill in the right spot) - but a whole lot of those placements are not excusable by the rock quality.
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Chris2
Trad climber
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Jun 10, 2009 - 03:10pm PT
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"Having never drilled a bolt in my life..." says it all. Leave the rock alone.
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F10
Trad climber
e350
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Jun 10, 2009 - 04:09pm PT
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I would have to agreed with Mr Barnes regarding some of those bolts in the AH's
No excuse for that type of crap!
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