Rebolting Effort Details - Yank the Mank!

[KD]

very nice

[climb2core]

1/2 way!!! Very nice... find your buddies, flip em upside down and shake some change out of their pockets and lets get the other half.

[Artsay]

A total of $1,400 raised!
This money has been withdrawn from the Mank Bank and is directly supporting current purchases of hardware and other materials for winter 2013 rebolting efforts.

Many thanks to those that donated to support this effort!
If you haven't donated yet, please do. Your donation is important and all funds will continue to support current and future projects.

Michelle

[dustonian]

Original 2nd bolt on Flush (1997), severe galvanic corrosion with typical rust staining on rock from non-stainless bolts at Bob Marley



Rock breakage beneath the hanger on the 3rd bolt of Flush



3-year old non-stainless bolt on Tacit from recent rebolt; already the 3rd generation of hardware from route established in 1997



Broken rock beneath the hanger and rust staining around the 3rd bolt on Tacit



"Nest of holes" phenomenon on Tacit from repeated placements of non-stainless hardware (also a 4th hole not visible to the right of this photo)



New stainless steel glue-in next to old bolt on Reticent, with typical rust staining on rock



Original 3/8" wedge bolt placed in horizontal roof, with aluminum "cleaning biner" and 3/16" quicklink (600-lb working load) on Reticent



Old anchor from Buff the Wood




Old bolts from Bob Marley and Global Village

[ynp1]

Cool! Thanks for the work you have done

[climb2core]

Damn! Amazing how quickly those bolts are corroding! I was wondering why developers weren't all using a stainless steel glue ins and asked around. Basically it seems like it came down to a cost issue as they were almost twice as expensive per bolt/hanger. I don't blame the developers at all for using what is cheaper/what they have... it is already an expensive and thankless enterprise.

BUT...

It seems to me if we don't change something, we aren't going to have sustainable climbing at the Red. It also seems to me that we are going to end up spending MORE on rebolting efforts than if we had just done it with stainless steel in the first place. The only way I see this happening is if we can educate the community and get them to step up on an ongoing basis to support the developers. I mean that time and money spent rebolting could have been spent developing NEW routes. We need a huge paradigm shift in that once you buy your rope, draws, and shoes that climbing is not "free". Unless everyone becomes part of the solution, we will all be dealing with an ever growing problem. Considering the exponential growth of sport climbing in the Red, this problem is only going to get worse, and soon may be almost unmanageable.

Lets make a subsidized push to make stainless steel the only acceptable standard at the Red.

Thanks for your work.

[Brentucky]

Thanks for sharing all those pics, dustonian. It is awesome to get to see the work that you all you bolters and rebolters do and you should be damn proud of it! I actually look forward to being able to climb Flush now, too. Those bolts were beyond sketchy. Big thanks to all you folks!!!

[dustonian]

Big thanks to Yasmeen for installing the glue-ins on Toker, cleaning up aluminum mank on Betavul, and managing to squeeze in a nice flash of Eyeball Chaw in the meantime (which, to quote, got her only a "very little" bit pumped... guess Odub's training stuff does work!!). Crag's coming along nicely, appreciate all those who have donated and helped!

BTW if anyone can identify any of the aluminum draws from Horn I have those, or from Betavul, talk to Yasmeen. I imagine at this point it was a mixed-up hodge podge of many people's gear.

Finally, be sure to take 3 or 4 draws with you for the top few bolts and anchors of routes in the Bob Marley cave, as at this time only Eyeball Chaw is fully equipped (by the FA)... and please don't abandon your aluminum draws at the crag, thanks!

[Howie Feltersnatch]

So let's suppose I'm a developer...

Why should I pay for stainless? You can say whatever you want about how I might owe it to the community or "sustainability", but when it comes down to it what benefit is it to me. I will redpoint a route then move on to new routes. If it becomes a popular route I'll let you guys pitch in your money to rebolt it; I've already spent all I intend to in order to get what I want out of it.

[dustonian]

Just the satisfaction of a job well done and leaving behind something safe and lasting rather than a corroding trail of shame for the next guy (or no one) to clean up in 15 years or less. All the "developers" in the Red that have never rebolted a route need to get out and try it once to see how much of an unpleasant chore it is... placing the wrong hardware to save a few bucks suddenly becomes much less enticing. Simply put, there are not enough qualified people that actually want to do it (and huge thanks to those that have stepped up over the years), and the rate of rebolting will never be able to keep up with the rate of new development. Not to mention, at some crags (such as Bob Marley) the non-stainless stuff is actually leaching into and staining the rock to the point of damaging/defacing it, so it becomes an environmental stewardship issue in addition to the basic safety concerns.

But all that said, you're right in that some people will continue to do it due to a lack of other good options or out of selfishness or ignorance. That's exactly why the enormous community of folks who climb at the Red need to step up and help support established developers place stainless steel hardware the first time around (rather than the 2nd or even 3rd or 4th as with the current paradigm). The goal is to get a stainless sleeve bolt/hanger combo to within a dollar or less of the current price for the zinc-plated crap... but realistically this probably won't be able to happen without some degree of community support. Stainless steel is the standard material at crags around the world, especially those with moist, humid environments, and it most definitely should be the standard by now in the Red too. More to come...