to bolt a climbing route

to bolt a climbing route

1. lower off set up

   
   Bolting a climbing route in the climbing area begins with a lower off.
   
   If you are rappelling down the wall on a fixed rope, please be aware of this:
   
   – Secure the fixed rope redundantly
   – Use rope protection on the rock edge
   
   If neighboring routes are available. Simply follow the route from there to the location of the planned lower off rappelling.
   
   The following must then be observed when attaching the lower off:
   
   – connect the two fixed points of the lower off in series
   – the chain between the fixed points of the lower off should sag slightly (not taut!)
   – the lower off carabiner should protrude at right angles at the lower fixed point (use Rapid link if necessary!) and hang “freely” in the air
   – avoid at all costs running the rope over edges or scales before the lower off.
   
   

2. Climbing route bouldering and route cleaning

   
   When bolting a climbing route, take enough time to boulder out your planned line in the toprope.
   
   This is the best way to find out what the ideal route should look like. Ideal means choosing the easiest line. After all, this is the line that repeaters will climb later on.
   
   Forcing lines around “defined” solutions usually makes no sense at all!
   
   As a rule, new climbing routes are also cleaned properly when bouldering out. If the line is very dirty, you may have to put a lot of effort into cleaning the rock before bouldering out for the first time. Setting up a climbing route can therefore mean a lot of work.

3. Define clip positions

   
   Once the lines are clear, the clip positions should be defined.
   
   The best clipping positions are so-called “stable” positions. This means positions in the climbing route where you can safely clip the rope into the bolt thanks to good holds and footholds or a “solid” body position.
   
   There are two critical areas when bolting a climbing route. Firstly, the start. Secondly, all types of ledges and ledges.
   Use a higher bolt density at the start of the route and above ledges / ledges. This helps to avoid ground falls or falls onto ledges.
   
   In general, the following practice applies when setting up climbing routes. On the one hand, more bolts are set over the entire climbing route in easier routes. Consequently, fewer bolts are set on average in difficult routes. This means that easy routes are better secured!
   
   The position of the hooks is automatically determined by the clip position found.
   
   

4. Hook Mark positions

   
   Once you have defined the clip position, you should determine the exact position of the hook. This should be done using the “5 point check”. This is one of the most important steps when bolting a climbing route and should be done with the utmost precision:
   
   – 1st elbow check: Can a small person reach the hook? As a man, check whether you can reach with your elbow!
   
   – 2nd quickdraw check: Is there a carabiner on the side of the rock cross-loading? Is there a cross-loading on the side of the rope? Does the carabiner on the side of the rope rest exactly on the edge of the roof? Check this by placing both a short and a long quickdraw on the rock where the hook should go!
   
   – 3. grip and foothold check: Am I obstructing my grip or foothold with the clipped quickdraw or the attached rope? You should avoid this at all costs!
   
   – 4. rope course check: Is the hook in a straight line with the other hooks or in an even curve? Prevent a “zig-zag” in the course of the rope at all costs. When it comes to “setting up a perfect climbing route”, the following applies: the rope route must fit!
   
   – 5th hammer test: Tap the desired spot with the rock hammer. Does the rock sound hollow? Only set pitons in solid rock. You may have to attach an extension to the solid rock surface to be able to clip in the desired place!
   
   Mark the finally defined hook positions with a chalk dot.
   
   

5. Bolting the actual climbing route – setting pitons

   
   First mark the drilling depth on the drill bit with tape.
   
   The drilling depth when setting up a climbing route depends on the type of hook:
   
   – expansion bolt: Hook length + 0.5 cm. The expansion bolt must be able to be fully countersunk!
   – glue in bolt: Shank length + 2 cm. “Overdrill” the hole deliberately. This guarantees that the glue in bolt does not protrude from the wall. Even if you make the “channel” for countersinking the carabiner eyelet on the side of the rock a little more generous.
   
   Drill the holes marked accordingly. Clean the drilling hole with a blow out pumb or a hole brush. Carry out at least two cleaning processes at glue in bolt.
   
   When bolting a climbing route, you must tighten the expansion bolt to the appropriate torque. In other words, do not overtighten!
   
   When using glue in bolt, process the injection mortar cleanly. Firstly, throw away the “pre-run” (the first approx. 5 cm of adhesive that flows out of the static mixer). Secondly, push in the glue in bolt while turning it slightly. Thirdly, smear the oozing glue properly. This means you must close the drilling hole completely.
   
   Practical tip – set up the climbing route: Always take spare bolts, spare batteries and spare pitons with you on the wall. This way you don’t have to go back to the ground if a drill breaks, a battery fails or material falls down!

6. Final theses

   
   Once the route is finished for the first time, the following usually remains to be done:
   
   – clean again and, if necessary, prepare the base of the wall
   – test climb
   – if hook positions are not successful: if necessary, attach extensions to the hooks or re-drill hooks
   – make an assessment suggestion
   – give the route a name
   – mark it locally if necessary