Access Fund: Future of Fixed Anchors II Report

[Bruce Hildenbrand]

On April 1st and 2nd I attended the Access Fund's(AF) Future of FIxed Anchors II summit at Red Rocks.  The first one was in 2012; the AF thought it would be a good idea to meet again.  66 people attended almost all of them doing some form of rebolting.  There were climbers from Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Washington DC, New York, Vermont, Maine, etc.

The first day was indoors with a bunch of presentations.  The AF presented information on the different types of public lands and the laws governing fixed anchors on each of them.  As MudnCrudders know, Pinnacles is in a Wilderness Area so only hand drilling is allowed.

We then had a discussion on the liabilities of placing fixed anchors.  Many of the rebolting organizations carry liability insurance to avoid lawsuits.  Many land managers have liability concerns about bolts.  As far as placing bolts or rebolting the idea of 'Best Practices' was seen as the best way to avoid litigation.  This means that there is some sort of documented method to do something which is generally accepted.  As long as someone is following the guidelines they can't be cited for negligence.  Of course, I am glossing over the legal details, but you get the point.

Along those lines the AF is trying to assemble a 'best practices' document in written and video form.  Also, the AF is trying to work with the UIAA to determine the best material for bolts.  The UIAA published proposed guidelines which called for all stainless hardware to be 316 and not 304(Powers Power Bolts).  It turns out that Europe (where the UIAA is based) doesn't use 304.  There is nothing wrong with 304, but Europe just doesn't use it so they didn't put it in their document.  Brady Robinson, the Executive Director of the AF, is working with the UIAA to include 304 stainless in their document.  The UIAA has said they will.

There were a bunch of presentations in the afternoon of the first day.  I presented on hand drilled rebolting at the Pinnacles.

On the second day we went outside and did some demonstrations on how to remove bolts.  Most of the techniques required power tools so they aren't of interest to Pinnacles climbers.  The AF video-taped the demonstrations.  Sooner of later they can be found on their website.  I did a demonstration on hand drilling and another demonstration on using tuning forks on 1/4" bolts.

Probably the most interesting piece of equipment came from some guys doing rebolting at Cochise Stronghold.  I can't really describe it very well, but it is a round metal tube about the size of a coffee can.  There is a 3/4" threaded rod in the middle of the bottom of the can with a bearing.  You attach the rod to the bolt hanger and start screwing the rod out.  You can generate a lot of pullout force.  This might be the ticket for 3/8" wedge bolts and split shafts.

All in all it was a great summit.  There are many dedicated rebolters across the country! If I can think of anything else I will add it later, but that's about all sitting on the top of my head at the moment.

[mungeclimber]

great info Bruce. Sounds like 304 inclusiveness means that the standards movement within climbing is less geo-location-centric than it used to be. And a lot more organized.


But, I do offer one point, not all of Pinnacles is wilderness, and motorized drills are banned in the non-wilderness areas as well. So the reason for hand drilling isn't because of the wilderness designation, but because it was a National Monument that implemented the interpretation of the CFRS consistent with other Federal Monuments that banned motorized drills.

[F4?]

not all of Pinnacles is wilderness, and motorized drills are banned in the non-wilderness areas as well. So the reason for hand drilling isn't because of the wilderness designation, but because it was a National Monument that implemented the interpretation of the CFRS consistent with other Federal Monuments that banned motorized drills.

Can the interpretation be swayed???

[mungeclimber]

Sure, an act of Congress ought to do it.

[clink]

 No motorized drilling anywhere when establishing routes is my vote. Give nature a little respect. I am fine with quarrying out huge amounts of material and reconstitution of this raw product into concrete and steel that we may bore with our Bosch hammerdrills to our hearts content. Hand drilled routes are established. Motorized drilled routes are erected.

 These notes and many more important opinions may be found in vol. 2,  chapter 7 of My Way, by Me.

 

[mynameismud]

I still support hand drilling and ground up at the pins. 
plenty of places to rap bolt with a bosch.

[mungeclimber]

AF's blog post...

http://www.opengate.org/access-fund-blog/2016/05/deputies-or-outlaws-the-future-of-fixed-anchors-.html

Jeff Achey key takeaways...


•We have two main eras of bad bolts to deal with: the 1960s/1970s hardware on “Golden Age” traditional climbs, and, more problematically, the massive amount of rusting hardware from the sport-climbing revolution of the 1990s.

•Bolt replacement is a huge and important challenge, but getting better, longer-lasting hardware in the rock the first time is obviously the best way forward. Ian Kirk, head of the Red River Gorge Fixed Anchor Initiative in Kentucky, has pioneered a model for subsidizing stainless-steel hardware for first ascents by allowing the local climbing community to share the cost of doing it right the first time. As those of us immersed in the activity know all too well, equipping new routes is partly a public service, partly a neurotic addiction, so subsidizing first ascents can have both good and bad consequences, that must be somehow managed.

•There is a growing cadre of bolt-replacement specialists dedicated to “the cult of the original bolt hole.” Greg German, a climber and guitar maker from Boulder, is pioneering state of the art old-bolt extraction techniques and tools. German and a few others, including Geir Hundal from Tucson, have devised custom tools and methods to extract almost any type of old bolt and re-use the hole for replacement hardware. These guys’ ingenuity, skill, and commitment to re-use was frankly quite stunning. Oversize buttonheads, 1/2-inch sleeve bolts, beefy wedge bolts, you name it—all were pulled from the test blocks by these tenacious extractors (and even some notably unskilled volunteers) with their simple yet ingenious tools. The Access Fund hopes to make some of these tools available to LCOs—keep an eye on their website for progress on this initiative, or better yet, donate to the cause.

•The UIAA is on the brink of releasing “materials standards” that will recommend that all bolts at outdoor climbing areas should be stainless steel or better. In a nutshell, what this means is that all zinc-plated bolt installations will suddenly be out of compliance with “best practice” standards. The online forums in the US will no doubt continue to rage about the technical pros and cons of stainless vs plated, but these discussions are now pretty much beside the point. Any land management agency looking for materials standards for climbing anchors has only the UIAA document to reference. Plated-steel climbing anchors must become a thing of the past.

[mynameismud]

Plated-steel climbing anchors must become a thing of the past.

good to hear.