Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

A fistfull of steel (the punchup continues) 16-Jan-2011 At 2:46:39 PM cogsy

Message

On 14/01/2011 Phil S wrote:
It took loads of visits before I got the guts up far enough
>to attempt WW without the low bolt and I'm really glad I had the oportunity.
>I'd also be sorry to see someone breaking their legs as they plummet down
>the slope under it and I don't know where they right shade of grey lies.
>

I own up to rebolting WW.
But I did not put a "low bolt" in. You still need the first cam placement before you clip the bolt.
The new bolt is about a foot below the old one, so that it is easy to reach. I made a point of placing the bolt so that a short person could clip it. Previously you needed a wire to clip the bolt, and shorter people needed 2 wires joined together!
I basically got into the stance, reached up and put the bolt where my elbow was!
The gear requirements are exactly the same, there is still a vital cam placement as the first piece (below the bolt), about 5 metres up (though no bolt plates, because I did use rings and a U for the crux).

You will still fall down the slope under it if you fall before the first cam placement.
There are the same number of bolts as there used to be, if you include the lower off. That means there are actually 2 LESS bolts on the climbing bit of the route, plus a 2 bolt anchor.

I know the lower off was controversial, I was in two minds about it. That was a personal decision. My opinion is that Cosmic County would be a better crag with lower-off anchors. I simply do not agree that the climbing is better by having walk-offs. I know Giles and Crunch feel the same way about most of the routes there. I agree that some routes (eg 80 minute hour) are nice top-out routes, but "IMHO" most of the routes would be better with lower-offs.