UKC

WORD OF WARNING!! Check the nuts on bolts before weighting them. i was up at Craig Arthur (llangollen) last night and wanted to try one of the new Sport lines up there "Relentless" now the ban has been lifted early. I pre clipped the first two bolts and climbed up to the third before resting. i clipped the rest of the route up trying the moves as i went and came down. i then had a top rope on it unclipping the draws, however after passing and removing the first, the second draw and hanger came sliding down the rope, pretty shocked this should happen, i can only presume it was never tight in the first place and i totally missed the fact the nut was one thread away from the bolt end when i clipped it. ive kept the hanger as the nut went flying down the hill, i will replace when i go back next.

take care out there folks!!!

In reply to spidey: you say these were new lines? any idea who might have put them up as this'll be the second instance of new bolts coming loose for one reason or another!

I for one am slightly worried about the prospect of sub standard bolt placements, be it through human error or poor bolts.

In reply to higherclimbingwales:


FA: G. Gibson

In reply to spidey: New bolts do sometimes have a tendancy of coming loose.

In reply to spidey:
It was pretty worrying... I've updated the climb notes on the logbook letting people know the second hanger is missing. I don't think the route was likely of a repeat very soon though. Great crag!

In reply to higherclimbingwales: just to clarify, it wasnt that the placement was sub standard in fact i think the bolt was sound, i gave it a tug and there was no movement, and these are new bolts, place last year or the year before i think. This was purely due to the fact the nut was loose and at the end of its thread. prob a good idea to always have a spanner in your bag. think im gonna have one from now on!!

In reply to spidey: fair play, yes you can get those nut keys with a spanner end which is much lighter than a spanner though quite why you'd have a nut key for sport climbing in beyond me!?

In reply to spidey:

I've taken to clipping a small adjustable spanner onto the back of my harness when sport climbing. I was going to change it to a ring spanner of the right size, but after some measuring on my last foray to the slate, I found 3 different "right" nut sizes so will stick with the adjustable!

I tend to check hangers don't move before I clip them, but then I am paranoid and a bit OCD!

In reply to spidey:
I assume from the content of the post that you aren't actually a rock climber - considering your approach to climbing perhaps a career in window cleaning?
Give the climbs a chance.
Mike

In reply to Mike Hammill:

Its quite a common practice these days Mike. It's known as 'redpointing'.

In reply to Mike Hammill: Assumed from the content of your post that you're an estate agent, and lo: http://www.apr.com/mhammill/

Nice photo, Mike.

In reply to Mike Hammill: No Never pulled on in my life, i just make up things to write on here cos im bored. love your hair by the way, do u use gel or wax? do you actually know what a bolt is?

MUPPET!!

In reply to Mike Hammill:

Keh?......Eh?..

What?... You mean give the bolted sport routes a chance? Sport routes as in sport climbing invented by Kurt Albert in the mid 1970s; Rotpunkt (point of red) was the red dot they painted at the base of the routes to signify that after using window cleaning tactics they had then free climbed the route in a oner and hence the redpoint and sport climbing was born, halleluja!

In reply to Mike Hammill:

Wow, a contender for stupidist post ever. Born of either utter ignorance or a tedious attempt at trolling. This site is getting clogged with such posts that ruin otherwise useful threads.

In reply to spidey:

Thanks for info, I think you've suffered a slight sense of humour failure re other comments!

In reply to Mike Hammill:

Who's this punter...

In reply to Mike Hammill:

I don't think these guys want to do that mike. The modern idiom is just to violate the rock....
Not like the good old days at all.

In reply to spidey: Hmm heres a thought then as there have been instances of thefts from the A55 crags, and a few instances of loose nuts couldn't be malicious could it?
Before everyone jumps on the bandwagon, I know nuts do work loose on their own but just seems a bit coincidencey! If it is someone doing this deliberately, makes you think doesn't it!

In reply to Mike Hammill:

ah...Harry Mammal! Nice to see you're still around and still climbing Mike, I associate your name with Yorks grit FAs like Mike's Meander and Ems Telegram from the late 70s.

Please do remember that not everyone has the same levels of natural ability and boldness as you did. It would be a shame for the glories of your youth to be obscured by intolerance and bitterness as you venture through your autumnal years.

Simon

In reply to andyb211:

Not really. Nicking kit is as old as the hills. Crap bolting has been around for a while. Deliberately creating dangerously loose hangers.....Don't think so.

In reply to spidey:

Hanger was bolted back on today by Spidey. He then proceeded to crush the route first redpoint. Looks like 'window cleaning' tactics work eh...

In reply to Luke Owens: Go the the window cleaner!!