My prediction for 2008...

[ReachHigh]

clack mountain this season.

watch out of the spiders, I had a nice case of blood poisoning from a bite there.

[caribe]

caribe, you ignorant slut...

Buster, don't let what doesn't happen between us behind closed doors taint your opinion of me.

I saw a bolt fail on Sand. (everyone knew that one was crap, most of all the guy who place it and said "don't fall on that one, hahahahaha!).

This sounds like poor rock instead of a bad bolt. It should have not been placed. Replacing might not help.

and another pulled out of Strevel's Gets In Shape while someone was top roping on it (It was the second bolt).

Someone was topropping and managed to pull a bolt out of the rock by hand?? Does this qualify as catastrophic bolt failure?

Hugh (lurkist) had one fail on him while falling off Twinkie

This may be the only legitimate bolt failure. Let's hear this first hand. Wh'appen'd Hugh? Did the bolt indeed sheer or did it come out of the rock?

The bottom line is that you can't tell how good a bolt is unless you are the person who places the thing and they only get weaker with age. Every single mechanical anchor should be trusted like you would trust 512OW with your virgin cousin.

Kris seems like a clean-cut soft-spoken young man with the manners of an English gentleman. Once in a while we hear some slackness,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slackness
but his badness is way overrated.

[pigsteak]

rhunt has a story about a bolt pull out at Torrent. rob?

caribe, so you are prehaps defining it differently than the rest..if the bolt pulls out of the rock, you blame the rock. if it sheers, then it is bolt failure. right?

[Shamis]

If the majority feel that Funk rock city will have a bolt failure this year, then we should definitely organize a session to replace them. I'd be willing to donate money/time, especially considering I wanted to work a few routes there this year. Unfortunately, having never placed a bolt personally, I'm probably not capable of organizing such an event.

[caribe]

I have these T-shirts for sale.

Ha, Rick is bad ass to the bone for stopping and testing. Talk about a git-off-your-ass attitude.

I also hope you are donating $ to Muir because Muir is the primary reason the Philistines stay out of your crag. They go to Muir instead and the Weber's have to deal with them. Pony up a few duckets and show some love.

[kirker]

The poll votes should be limited to those who know what the hell their looking at. For me any bolt that is loose or down right manky looking is potentially going to fail, but who the hell am I to judge. I wouldn't know a truely bad bolt from a rusted old bomber bolt. At the time of this post there were 29 votes I doubt all 29 of those people know what the hell their voting for. Another reason to have an open ballet voting poll so we can see what the people who really know what their talking about think. For instance I'd like to know what some veterns consider to be potential hazards are so my gumby ass doesn't get hurt..

[Wes]

caribe, Does it really matter why the bolt failed? I include new bolts and areas as well, esp. in some of the softer rock that is being developed now. Ever break off a really big jug or plate? See that softer, less consolidated rock under the thin patina? That is what is holding your bolt.

And, as for know which ones are bad by sight, that is something that I cannot do, not even close. Bolts I thought would be weak, took a lot of effort to shear off with a ratchet, yet some bolts that look the same snap right off. I have no doubt there are several time bomb bolts out there, ready to go off. Ju-Ju went up in 89, nearly 20 years ago. The bolts are in rock that gets wet, and they are not stainless. And that is just one example.

[Buster]

Yeah caribe, you are right on.
The failure on sand was the stone.
The failure on strevels was the type of bolt and the fact that the stone is really soft on that route. the guy fell off the route on TR and the bolt pulled out of the route as outward pull was applied.
Hugh's bolt failure, I don't know, ask him.

So yeah maybe you are right. there is nothing to fear as far as bolts go. I would be way more psyched if bolts were failing instead of the stone around them though.

[caribe]

caribe, so you are perhaps defining it differently than the rest..if the bolt pulls out of the rock, you blame the rock. if it sheers, then it is bolt failure. right?

Definitely. The rock is a big . Rick also dealt on some level with the unpredictability of the rock. We need to deal with that as climbers. No amount of bolt replacement is going to change the possibility of rock failure.

It is most profitable to separate the two issues: rock failure and bolts sheering at the head even though they remain firmly seated. The latter seems like an issue that we can actually address.

[Buster]

I have these T-shirts for sale.

Ha, Rick is bad ass to the bone for stopping and testing. Talk about a git-off-your-ass attitude.

I also hope you are donating $ to Muir because Muir is the primary reason the Philistines stay out of your crag. They go to Muir instead and the Weber's have to deal with them. Pony up a few duckets and show some love.

I have spent a stack on $$$ bolting and rebolting routes in the Red. I never asked anyone for "donations".
My attitude about Weber's land is like 7 -Up, Never have, never will.