Uniting Canada's Largest Climbing Community

Put Down That Drill – What You Should Know Before Bolting New Routes

While the current COVID situation has resulted in climbing gym restrictions and closures, it's also encouraged many climbers to spend more time climbing outdoors. This newfound love for the rock, combined with an eagerness to contribute to the sport, has many climbers suddenly wanting to establish new routes. Though these new-route contributions can be positive (who doesn't like new routes?), they may also create a number of issues that are not obvious to someone new to the route-building craft.
  •  What You Should Know Before Bolting New Routes

    What You Should Know Before Bolting New Routes

I mention this because I was also once a new developer. I was full of grand ideas and a desire to contribute to the sport – probably no different from today's aspiring route developers. But unlike today's drill-wielding route builders, I had crusty old mentors like John Weir, Chris Oates and Judy Barnes to guide me along. I was fortunate to have them share their years of knowledge, experience and, most important, good judgement. They taught me to consider how my actions might impact access to a crag. They stressed that a single route isn't worth jeopardizing the community's ability to use that cliff. In short, they taught me to look at the big picture. 

So, in the spirit of my respected mentors and to prevent crag closures and botched routes, I'm sharing some ideas that every new route developer should consider before revving up the drill. These concepts are essential in the context of Southern Ontario as virtually all of our climbing areas have a long history of development and are rife with access issues. 
Over the years, we've seen well-intentioned climbers build new trails and bolt routes that ultimately threatened access and, in some instances, jeopardized climbers' safety.
Become part of an area's climbing community before developing new routes.
I've often jokingly said that no one should be developing new routes unless they've spent at least 10 years climbing at that crag or region. While this timeline is not a hard-and-fast rule, it ensures that you'll likely have climbed most of the existing routes and, in the process, gotten to know the previous developers. These individuals have invested their time, energy, and money developing the area, passionately care about the crag, and have a solid understanding of what development is viable considering the current access situation. Over the years, we've seen well-intentioned climbers build new trails and bolt routes that ultimately threatened access and, in some instances, jeopardized climbers' safety. These incidents could have easily been avoided if the new developers had consulted and listened to the input of the previous generations of route builders. 
Quality route development is serious work, and people's lives depend on your proficiency.
Proper route development is a craft that takes years to master. 
Just because you are a good climber doesn't instantly mean you're a good developer. Consider the time required for to achieve competency in any other profession. You wouldn't expect someone to instantly become a surgeon because they have a scalpel or to be an engineer because they own a slide rule. Yet you can go out, buy a $400 drill, some bolts and have at it. Quality route development is serious work, and people's lives depend on your proficiency. The best scenario for developing these skills is an apprenticeship under someone with a lot of experience.
Groups that don't support climbing are scrutinizing your actions.
Every bolt you place, every rock you trundle and every branch you cut can have permanent access implications. Conservationists see the cliff through the lens of preserving nature in its pristine state. Climbing routes, trails and trampled cliff bases conflict with that vision. In many cases, it serves non-climbers better if climbing is completely shut down. Don't give anti-climbing groups reasons to close climbing areas.
Often, that great-looking line hasn't been bolted because of some information you don't know.
Why has your route never been equipped before? 
Many of the cliffs in Ontario have been looked over by generations of climbers. Often, that great-looking line hasn't been bolted because of some information you don't know. Land managers may not support new development, there might be sensitive vegetation on the line, rock quality might be suspect, there could be nesting birds, or the route is on private property.
Respect the first ascensionist. 
If you are retro-bolting an existing route, contact the first ascensionist and get their buy-in. While modern sport climbs are best equipped with current bolt-spacing standards, many historic routes were equipped by the ethics of that time. Boldness may have been their objective for the route, and it isn't your right to unilaterally change their line.
Some areas can tolerate widespread landscaping, while access to other crags may be jeopardized by cutting a single tree or removing moss from a route or boulder.
Preserve the natural environment. 
Will the line require the removal of vegetation? Is the addition of a subpar route at an unused part of the crag worth the extra traffic and inevitable environmental impact? Strive to keep staging areas small. There should be room for a climber and a belayer, but clearing out space to accommodate large groups with dogs and hammocks is overkill. Stick to established trails. If there is a need for a new trail, contact all the relevant parties and listen to their input. Finally, each crag has its own unique requirements. Some areas can tolerate widespread landscaping, while access to other crags may be jeopardized by cutting a single tree or removing moss from a route or boulder. 
While it's commendable that people are eager to contribute to climbing by creating new routes, other options can have an even more significant positive impact. Simple actions like avoiding overcrowding, only parking at designated locations, not tailgating at parking areas, not camping illegally, reducing noise and not turning local public facilities into your personal kitchen and bathroom will improve how the general public and land managers perceive climbers. It comes down to embracing a tread-lightly and leave-no-trace ethic. You need to foster a mindset of not just being a user of a climbing area but rather a steward of that area.
Join the discussion of this and other climbing related stories at www.ontarioclimbing.com/forum/
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Greg Williamson started climbing in the 1990s and is a fifth-generation Lion's Head local. Over the years, he's developed a number of routes in the area and has seen the Lion's Head climbing scene evolve from a small, tight-knit community to its current state where visiting climbers seem to outnumber the residents. His understanding of local issues has been instrumental in maintaining climbing access to Lion's Head and the surrounding crags. Williamson has climbed extensively in North America and Europe and prefers spending winters sampling the pristine Spanish limestone.