UKC

Great news for sport climbers! Once again the BMC is providing free bolts and accessories to bolt funds in England & Wales. Bolt funds are invited to make applications for equipment to replace old bolts and belays to help make our sport climbs safer.

We're happy to report that funding for the 2012-13 campaign is a whopping £10,000...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=67402

In reply to UKC News: These bolts are not 'free'. They are paid for by the contributions of the BMC members and the small amount donated to the assorted bolt funds.
It grieves me to go to a 'sport' crag and look at the numbers there and think that if they all had any concience they would be sending a donation every year to pay for the upkeep of existing bolts and insertion of new ones.
Apart from myself, who rarely visits 'sport' crags, none of our group (who frequently visit 'sport' crags) have ever contributed to a bolt fund, and only one other is a BMC member.
It is the usual selfish outlook and I have remostrated with them about, 'If someone else will pay and do the work why should I pay/put any effort in.'
Rant over!

'Great news for sport climbers!'

That should be great news for climbers. Most who climb sport routes, climb trad and boulder as well.

In reply to UKC News: Looking at that bolt type Brit climbers must be getting very overweight . How about some cash to clean up some of the trad crags.They must be getting a bit green after the wonderful 2012 summer.

In reply to USBRIT: Trad climbers do it even when it's green and fuzzy!

In reply to johncook:

True as i found out on pitch 3 and 4 of Rakes Progress (Chair Ladder) on Saturday. That route, and a few others need some traffic.

In reply to USBRIT:

Maybe there should be a peg and tat fund to maintain the more adventurous routes too?

In reply to USBRIT:
How about some cash to clean up some of the trad crags.They must be getting a bit green after the wonderful 2012 summer.

A good point, the BMC has a crag care fund, which goes towards crag restorations: http://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmc-crag-care-fund

Many trad (and sport) crags have used this funding to great effect in the past, and I'm representing at our next one which is at Crag Lough in Northumberland.

In reply to Steve:

Money for pegs and tat would be nice, but there's a number of reasons why we can't do this directly. I've suggested a number of workarounds to those most disgruntled by this apparent favouring of sport over trad, but none have ever got back to me to actually do anything about it. PM me if you want to know more.

In reply to johncook:

Well they used to...indoor climbing and the move outdoors to produce the same with mass bolting has moved away from that tradition...at least from most of todays young rock climbers.. I think grade now rules not adventure.

In reply to Dan Middleton, BMC:

How about using some of the money to offset insurance costs? I hope the recent insurance hike is temporary and prices will go down again as the AAC are doing better service to British mountaineers than the BMC!

In reply to jonnie3430: I can't imagine that in the multi million dollar world of insurance that "some of" £10,000 makes any difference whatsoever. "Better bolts mean fewer insurance claims": discuss.

When you say the AAC are doing a better service to British mountaineers than the BMC, what you really mean is that they are offering cheaper headline prices. I don't know much about alpine insurance as I never go above 3000m (except in a plane) but you gotta look at the serviec and small print, boss.

In reply to The Vicar of Chinley:

Claims against who? BMC participation statement makes you responsible for your own actions, if that is trusting a bolt then so be it.

No, I mean they are doing a better service. I have been quite impressed by the inclusiveness of the AAC, the training I have been offered, the meets I've been invited to and the insurance as part of membership.

In reply to Dan Middleton, BMC:

I went through all that last year, got an agreement, spent my "allowance" but never got refunded.

It's a shame but it appears that is easier just to retro bolt routes with BMC funded equipment.

Steve

In reply to UKC News:

Cheers UKC guys - this article has kicked-off a few more contributions to the Dorset Bolt Fund, including one very generous contribution. Nice work.

The DBF will be applying to the BMC once again - last year they gave us a load of handy lower-offs, which have been placed in a few lower-grade locations on Portland (by Rob Kennard).