The American Alpine Institute was excited to host a bolt replacement clinic on Sunday, October 19th with the Washington Climber’s Coalition. They have been working for several years to reduce the number of poor bolts in Washington State with their Bolt Replacement Program.
Following is a short video from the event:
The movement to replace bolts in Washington does not stand alone. The American Safe Climbing Association has been working on bolt replacement throughout the country for decades. If you’ve previously placed bolts, then the techniques they provide could be useful to you.
An array of bolts, both new and old.
There are two primary types of bolts that are found. Sleeve bolts and wedge bolts. Each requires specalized techniques to remove them as each has complications that are specific to the bolt design.
Sleeve Bolt
Gabriel, from the Washington Climbers Coalition, demonstrates bolt placement.
Crystal demonstrates the removal of a wedge bolt. These are complicated to remove due to the threads.
Bolts are always a hot topic with land managers. So before ever placing a bolt, or replacing a bolt, be sure that you understand the local community, the land management agency and how to do it well…