Bolting Blog Category

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BMC Bolt Lower off Video

The BMC‘s Technical Committee is an accumulation of experts from the climbing world. Members consist of Metallurgists, Engineers, Manufacturers, and the likes. I stand on the committee as a technical expert from an instructional / user point of view. The committee is a vital part of testing faulty equipment and creating and enhancing the UIAA and EN standards on equipment for climbing.

This gathering of experts also use their knowledge for the various BMC technical publications, and provide independent advice on equipment.

I have voluntary represented the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI) on this committee for the past 4 years.

As part of the work of this committee we produced this helpful video.

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Thanks

Dan Robinson

A selection of adventures from 2010

The Following Video is a selection of our 2010 Adventures.

White Ghyll Abseil point

Kat and I headed op to White Ghyll and Kat lead Slip Knot VS 4a, 4b before getting rained off, well it had to happen at some point this summer!

There are many abseil points across the Lakes and they vary from good to just really unsightly.

Below is an example of the accumulation of new tat to back up old suspect tat and the old being left behind with a variety of either old rusting crabs maillions or chain left in place.

I will be replacing Ab Stations with new tat, taking away the old and leaving behind large stainless rings.

It is still the judgement of the climber to ensure the reliability of the anchor point and to ensure the tat is still in good condition before committing their life to it.

This is what one of the lower off’s at White Ghyll looks like now…

Hodge Close Quarry

After work we headed over to Hodge to take out the Bolt that had been placed in Ten Years After. The route is a classic traditional climb that is one of the “classic slate scare fests” a bolt was placed next to the old peg.

The Cumbria Bolt Fund which I chair works towards seeing replaced bolts cumbria’s bolted climbs, no illegitimate bolts will stay in any trad route under my watch.

On abseil we saw that someone had beaten us to roving it – thanks.

So we did Sky, E2 5c and Ten Years After E4 5c then had a BBQ on the side of Windermere.

Cumbria Bolt Fund – update e-mail

Current Completed Work

Thanks to 2 weekends then followup work there are now a number of lines completely re bolted at St Bees Head and Mill Side with also a new Abseil Station at Sargentman Crag Slabs.

Equipment

The Cumbria Bolt fund now owns 3 complete sets of kit to go out bolting. Once the oder comes through from Lyon Equipment (some of the kit they are even giving us) we will have 3 sets to access the rock. This will increase safety and save you all getting your personal kit trashed. Oh and there are a few seats on order to increase comfort too!

New Bolts

We have won £1500 in the BMC’s bolt fund bid, the bolts are on order and will be with us hopefully by next week. Ill get the bolts for St Bees over to the team as soon as I can once they get here, how are you doing for resin St Bees Team?

There is also an order for chain, d rings, more bolts, resin etc that will be with us next week.

Core Drilling Bit

The new core drilling bits are on there way from America so we should have a set ready for replacing those crucial bolts where there is nowhere where the bolt can go except the original hole. Thrang is high on the list for the first place to use the bit!

Cathedral

I am in the process of righting the risk assessments, plans of work and procedures for the National Trust. They require it for one reason or another! Once this has been approved we can get down there and make a start. We are looking to bolt the top of the crag in the process as part of the agreement, this will reduce the wear on the trees at the top and also be useful for groups.

Humphrey Head

James Bumbey is on the case with agreeing access with the land owners. Once he has made contact and an agreement is in place then Peter Latimer will jump on the case with the RSPB and Natural England. The desire is to have access in place for when the bird ban is lifted.

Scout Scar

James Bumbey working on access. No bolting just yet.

Ropes Access Training

As we are working at height we should be adopting the methods used by industrial ropes access workers. Some training has been given on sight during bolt workshops however to cover this issue in detail and ensure we are all working safely Alex Showell has offered to run some access training for Active Bolters. Alex and I will run the event, teaching people how to rig and work off 2 ropes and what to do when it all goes wrong. If you are interested in this then please get in touch. Date to be arranged.

Methods of Work

Due to the lack of rain the dust is staying on the crags and not being washed away, I have bought a hand brush for each set of kit to help with keeping people on the crag after a bolting session.

Church Beck

The Church Beck user group have decided that there is a need to bolt church beck for the use of groups after a crucial belay disappeared. They have asked if it is possible for CBF to do the work. We have agreed with the proviso of a heathy donation to the fund.

Future Bolting Date in S Lakes

I will be back at Mill Side on Sunday 23rd May. Let me know if you can make it. I hope to be able to bolt the rest of the crag and clean up leaving the place totally finished apart from the extra chain that needs to go in when it arrives.

This Message

You are receiving this message because you have showed an interest in helping the Cumbria Bolt Fund re-equip the Cumbrian and surrounding areas rock faces with shinny new bolts.

To unsubscribe drop me an e-mail requesting never to hear about bolt workshops / events again.

For more information please go to

www.cumbriaboltfund.com

Westmorland Gazette

The westmorland Gazette phoned after hearing about the Cumbria Bolt Fund work I am doing asking for information.

I am impressed with how many little points they got wrong in the article.

Corrections consist of £30,000 worth of bolts.

Also take out the Peaks of the Lake District as bolting hear is strictly prohibited.

Its also interesting how that if a climber where to climb on them they would die, makes good reading I guess.

AROUND 30,000 potentially dangerous climbing bolts are being replaced on Cumbria’s peaks and rock faces in a major safety drive.

The five-year programme to replace the bolts used by mountaineers and rock climbers will be carried out by volunteers from the Cumbria Bolt Fund.

Chairman Dan Robinson said: “This job is about replacing old, rusty and dangerous bolts and putting new bolts back in place.

“If they don’t get replaced then people don’t climb the climb. If you climb on some of these old, dangerous bolts then you would fall and die.

“It’s a job that’s needed to be done for a while now.”

Volunteers will abseil quarry and cliff-faces to take out the bolts, replacing them with new ones. Some of the old bolts date back to the 1960s.

Mr Robinson added the operation would purely consist of replacing existing bolts and that no extra ones would be added.

The British Mountaineering Council and the Fell and Rock Club are funding the replacement bolts.

© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk

South Barking Ghyll – Barbondale

During the November Floods a large boulder in a ghyll we regularly use with groups moved after a considerable amount of water washed away the smaller rocks and river bed that was pinning it in place. This boulder was then on the blink of moving down the ghyll and it was feared that if it moved it would crush anyone in the its path.

Attempts had been made to stabilise it but not to a sufficient extent that would satisfy us to be happy to stand underneath it whilst spotting our groups as they climb over it.

2 weeks ago Tom Redfern and I headed over there to move it but ran out of time, just as we where leaving the boulder decided to move with out us touching it and confirmed our concerns as to its stability.

Today I went back to South Barking Ghyll with Ingleborough Hall to complete the removal of the dangerous boulder. After a couple of taps with a large hammer the boulder split as predicted and fell down the ghyll and cracked into a further 2 pieces. This section of the ghyll is now safe for groups to climb past and minimal damage has been done.

Whilst I was there I popped up to the Key Hole in the upper part of the ghyll and removed a selection boulder that where blocking the smaller key hole, now you climb through both.

A good days work.

Sargent Crag Slabs

Alan and I headed up to Sargent Crag Slabs with the Bolt Fund kit to replace the lower off.

The walking decent off the cliff is a SSSI and is not recommended due to the erosion it has created in the past, The BMC local area group made a decision that the dangerous peg abseil station should be replaced with a bolt lower off at the left hand side of the climbs.

Bolt lower offs on mountain rock is a very controversial subject and each decision is talked about and argued at length before a conclusion is made.

In the past there has been an anonymous resistance to the thoughts of the people at these meetings and the bolts have been removed.

Due to the dangerous state of the pegs it is felt that an abseil station is the only safe way forward for this location.

Our methods where quite traditional, we climbed 5 great routes there today – Terminator 2 HVS 5a, Lakeland Cragsman HVS 5a, Aspasia E2 5b, Endurance HVS 5a and Quicksilver E1 5b. The bolting kit was carried on my back seconding Al up Endurance then an eco friendly resin chain and ring lower off was placed in the holes that where there originally.

I hope that this is third time lucky and the lower off is left for the use of everyone.

Bolting @ Mill Side

So our bolting road trip continued to a local crag on the Sunday, slightly less people but shorter holes and less training to do.

We got lots done here, there are now 7 lines that are re equipped and safe to climb again with another couple on there way. Soon we should have the whole crag complete.

We headed back on the Monday night too.

Tom is an active climber and heads up the route setting at Kendal Wall,

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