To bolt or not to bolt?
Climbers first started using bolt anchors long ago when aid climbing was popular. Some crags still sport the rusty relics leftover from this bygone age.
Climbers first started using bolt anchors long ago when aid climbing was popular. Some crags still sport the rusty relics leftover from this bygone age.
In rock climbing and mountaineering, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock as a form of protection. Most bolts are either self-anchoring expansion bolts or fixed in place with liquid resin.
Climbers first started using bolt anchors long ago when aid climbing was popular. Some crags still sport the rusty relics leftover from this bygone age. In the 1980s, free climbing standards increased dramatically, and so did the bolting practice.
Since the first bolt has been planted on the face of a mountain, a rampant debate has been flaming mountaineer communities worldwide: is it acceptable? Is it not? Is bolting murdering the impossible? Does it still count as fair climbing? Could sport climbing be considered an adventure?
We do not have any answers to those questions, but in our honest opinion, we consider bolting:
Before arguing with someone on the "no gear" philosophy and the "no bolts" movement, please remember that:
By fair means. Peace.
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