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General Climbing Discussion

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Removing bolts to create trad paradise 4-May-2007 At 11:26:20 AM sticky

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I'll bite.

I have to say don't understand this holier-than-thou bolt chopping crusade. Overseas areas have been established on the grounds of 'no-bolts' areas and sport. The UK is the obvious example.

That's never been the Australian way. We usually rely on trad gear, and supplement it with bolts where needed. (And on granite, sometimes far less often than needed). The idea of importing some foreign ethic to Australian crags for no discernable reason doesn't ring true. It seems more like someone imposing their ego on the Victorian climbing community. The recent controversy of the North American climbers trying to secretly rip the bolts out of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre springs to mind. They ended up having the use the bolts they were going to rip, so that ended that little debate.

It's notable that Rosea was picked, where there are a number of classic lines in the lower grades. It always seems to be the lower graded climbs that people talk about ripping bolts out of. I tend not to hear calls for ripping bolts out of grade 24+ routes, and that brings to mind Mikl's previous comments on how hard and easy routes are bolted.

If the bolt is there - leave it there. If it gets dodgy, replace it (if you can). Don't retro. Everyone knows the rules - why mess with them?