Re-bolting of the Division Wall is complete!
As of 9/2/2015 the re-bolting of the Division Wall is complete! This has been the pilot project for the SLCA's Wasatch Anchor Replacement Initiative (WARI), funded through Salt Lake Climbers Alliance memberships and fundraising with additional help from a generous Petzl Foundation grant; a forerunner of the Access Fund & American Alpine Club Climbing Conservation Grant Program. Thanks to everyone that has volunteered and for the patience and support of the climbers we encountered at Division. Special thanks to John Ross for his commitment to the project as well as his garage-tech, slide hammer method for removing the sleeves and cones of the ubiquitous, Rawl 5-piece bolts. This helped us reuse the majority of the old holes. Climbtech's Wave bolts were invaluable as the best available anchor system for the sometimes wet and/or chossy limestone.
As a reminder, the agreement with the Forest Service, documented in the Ruckman guide, specifies:"...No new routes in Little Mill Campground; Quickdraws cannot be left overnight on any route in Little Mill Campground..." The community has done a great job of adhering to these conditions for the most part, and the FS has reciprocated support of climbing activities by providing day use parking and financing the ongoing stabilization of staging areas. Let's keep up the good work, and if you want your 2 draws back from the Abyss, contact the SLCA.
Here's some more info on the project:
- 182 out of 205 bolts were replaced over the course of 9 work days.
- On-site volunteers contributed over 150 hours to the project.
- Training and oversight was provided by the SLCA.
- Existing stainless steel bolts from past re-bolting efforts were generally left in place.
- Wave bolts made up 95% of the bolts placed.
- Anchor sets consist of 316 SS, 5/16" quick links, between the 316 SS Wave bolts and high-test, plated- steel, 3/8" chain painted with a self-etching primer.
- Over 80% of the old holes were re-used with exceptions due to: sheering or stripping of old bolt heads while attempting to unscrew corroded studs from the sleeves/cones or improved micro-sighting of an anchor within a couple of feet from the old location.
- Three, high traffic, moderate routes saw more significant changes. Brian Smoot suggested that adding one bolt to the sum total was an acceptable compromise in addressing safety concerns specific to Black Hole, Physical Therapy, and Teenagers in Heat.
- Un-embedded Fixe adhesive bolts that had come loose were pulled and re-installed on Deep End.
It’s been a great first project for WARI. We’ve been able to implement methodologies that can be applied across the various limestone climbing areas in the Wasatch. Division definitely had some of the oldest bolts (25 years+), but the clock is ticking on a growing backlog. We’ll be moving on to other crags in American Fork canyon and elsewhere, expanding the initiative as we go.