The ASCA needs your help!

Please help - the ASCA needs donations now! With a surge in demand, we are out of cash to buy more bolts, and we just ran out of our primary 1/2" bolt (and we also ran out of quick-links a few weeks back). As more and more "early sport climbing" areas move into wholesale replacement of all bolts, this year the ASCA sent out far more than ever before - over 5,000 bolts! With over 80% of those bolts either 1/2" stainless or stainless glue-ins (and also titanium glue-ins), the cost per bolt has been increasing steadily. Gifts from our few larger donors have never recovered to even half of pre-recession levels. If it wasn't for the awesome team at Planet Granite and the huge fundraisers they've put on in San Francisco for the ASCA for the past 3 years, we'd never have been able to afford what we've already distributed! Northern California climbers have provided the bulk of ASCA donations for years, but as you can see from the list below, it's time for climbers all over to chip in!

The ASCA is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Please donate today - either donate at safeclimbing.org (the "Make a Donation" button on the upper right), or send a check to: ASCA, PO Box 1814, Bishop, CA 93515.

Here's the bolts we sent out so far in 2014 - note that lots of folks have bolts from previous years and are replacing at spots not on this list!

The short version of the list - by state:

California 1244
Colorado 1100
Wyoming 800
Nevada 450
Oregon 350
Kentucky 250
Arizona 214
Utah 200
Tennessee 200
Alaska 150
Washington 100
North Carolina 50
West Virginia & Virginia 50
Pennsylvania 150 links/rings

And the detailed list since the start of 2014 - remember this is what we sent out, not what has been replaced - many people are replacing with previous ASCA gear, and many of these bolts haven't been replaced yet (some are in the mail right now). Also this list does NOT include 400 titanium bolts and 500 beefy titanium rap rings that the ASCA purchased in late 2013 for bolt replacement in Thailand!

800 bolts Wild Iris/Sinks
632 bolts Yosemite Valley
500 bolts Shelf Rd
450 bolts Red Rocks
350 bolts Independence Pass & Rifle
250 bolts Red River Gorge
250 bolts Penitente
200 bolts Obed
200 bolts French's Dome & Broughton's Bluff
170 bolts Mt. Lemmon
150 bolts Smith Rocks
150 links, rings Safe Harbor Crag, PA
120 bolts Mt. Diablo & north bay crags
120 bolts Highway 108 & the Grotto
100 bolts Index
100 bolts Pinnacles
80 bolts Zion
80 bolts Tahquitz/Suicide & Joshua Tree
75 bolts Seward Highway AK
75 bolts Hatcher Pass AK
60 bolts Tuolumne Meadows
60 bolts Southern Sierra
50 bolts Southern Yosemite
50 bolts Seneca & Buzzard Rocks
50 titanium bolts North Coast CA
50 bolts desert towers Utah
50 bolts North Carolina crags
50 bolts Big Cottonwood Canyon
50 bolts El Potrero Chico
44 bolts Cochise Stronghold
22 bolts Tahoe crags
20 bolts Indian Creek
10 bolts Mt. Woodson

5268 bolts (not including links/rings, drill bits, glue-in supplies, patch epoxy, hole brushes, etc)

And I should note - we actually spent more money for bolt replacement in Colorado than California, since 951 of the bolts for California were (less expensive) 3/8" instead of 1/2" - not by choice, but because no one will hand drill 1/2" bolts! Yes, it's not a joke, there are LOTS of folks actually replacing bolts with hand drills!

Bump for a great cause!

Just sent a donation. Thanks for the great work! I'm always happy when I see an ASCA bolt instead of some spinning relic.

I'm curious, why is Thailand the only international destination funded by ASCA? It certainly doesn't bother me personally as I've been there and clipped many of those nice titanium bolts, but it does seem strange to me that an organization with "America" in the name would be funding anything outside of America.

Thailand was mostly developed by U.S. climbers, so if we put the bolts in it's really our job to help with replacement - particularly when there's just no way the locals will be able to afford titanium bolts (and few have the expertise for multi-pitch bolt replacement on overhung walls with old bolts that are snapping left and right!).

We also support replacement at El Potrero Chico for the same reason - almost entirely bolted by U.S. climbers to begin with - not to mention that MANY climbers from the U.S. climb at these spots!

The awesome team at Planet Granite climbing gyms will match up to $20,000 in donations to the ASCA from anyone nationwide for October and November! This includes everyone who responded to our earlier donation request, so we are already 1/4 of the way there!

The ASCA is a 501(c)3 organization, so donations are (typically) tax deductible. Please donate now and see your donation matched by Planet Granite!

Planet Granite has gyms in San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Belmont, and opening in a few weeks in Portland, Oregon! This is the 4th year that Planet Granite has helped raise the bulk of ASCA's annual budget. Please support them if you can - see planetgranite.com for more.

Please help replace bad bolts nationwide!!

I just spent a week in Yosemite and I appreciate all the new bolted anchors there. Sent a donation in thanks. Sadly, the tax-receipt won't help me up here in Canada.

Bump.

I recently made a donation after spending a weekend on Hall of Mirrors in Yosemite, which had been completely upgraded from the original 1980's bolts. All 16 pitches. Every bolt. Without this work, classic routes would decay into obscurity.

After seeing this post, I pitched in another coin.

Matching donations!?! Thanks Planet Granite!

I donated a couple months ago but I'll send in bit to help get those matching funds.

You rock, ASCA!

I'm in. Thanks ASCA.

a bump for a great cause and climbing organization that helps all of us!

Donated today.

Thanks for all the great work.

Bump for the online gear auction going on right now:

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