Stepping on bolts?

michael s... wrote:aid climbers step on bolts all the time? for realzy?

I've occasionally stood on drilled angles in the desert - you can get a bit higher than you do in top steps and a few ladders were drilled this way.

Jim Turner wrote: Saw that happen to a climber. Opened his knee right up, then he finished the climb. Left an incredible amount of blood on the rock.

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Think about it. If you're leading on slab and directly over the bolt, stepping on it... the next body part in line is your shin and knee cap.

Leaving ethics out of the discussion....Just a friendly caution

In my failed attemtps to climb harder I have both stepped on bolts and pulled on draws...so what? Mind your own bizz.

gription wrote:In my failed attemtps to climb harder I have both stepped on bolts and pulled on draws...so what? Mind your own bizz.

+1

Sometimes just moving up and moving fast is more important than adhering to someone else's ethics. If that takes pulling on gear or stepping on a bolt so be it.

Is the intent of this thread safety, or style?

Remind me again, this is called Brown Pointing, right?

rging wrote:Remind me again, this is called Brown Pointing, right?

I thought that was when you shit your pants on a runout section?

You can sometime race up a bolt ladder by having draws in your hands and stepping on the bolts, but the bolts have to be relatively close together. Definitely can be better than dicking around stepping in slings or bringing aiders. The Grandwall in Squamish comes to mind.

Mathias wrote:Is the intent of this thread safety, or style?

I had safety in mind when I started this. When I first started climbing I was told it's bad to step on bolts. It's also even worse to grab or stick your finger in them. I honestly don't give a damn about some shlub setting up a toprope for a group of newbs to gangbang. My main concern was, if any of them actually do take up climbing, shouldn't we be teaching them better habits. In no way do I want to start policing crags and calling people out on their bad habits. It just seemed like a big deal when I started and I wanted to see if it was blown out of proportion when I was a young fledgling climber. In the future I'll just make fun of them and carry on about my business.

Stepping on bolts is an accepted aid technique. In the '60s, Dolt even sold hangers that were specifically designed to be stepped on.

I don't like it. Find an easier route.

Does this violate the style of the first ascentionist?

Ethically? Who cares.
Safety-wise? Who cares, if it's on toprope.

From the perspective of learning to actually rock climb: probably not very helpful. Seems like coaching the person through a difficult section would be a better learning experience. If they really get stuck? Have them take a break, try an easier route, and then maybe try it again.

If you step on a bolt, you will be called down from the wall and you likely won't place in the medals.

The climber at 2:18 in this video didn't seem to have a problem stepping on bolts.

What a newb right?

youtube.com/watch?v=t3YG86w…

gription wrote:pulled on draws

I once saw a guy get caribeener through his hand, meat hook style from doing this. lots of blood.

i still do it sometimes though...

christoph benells wrote: I once saw a guy get caribeener through his hand, meat hook style from doing this. lots of blood. i still do it sometimes though...

I read that if you do grab on draws, to grab the dogbone only, for this exact reason. Yikes, biner through hands, degloving fingers, maybe I dont have the stomach for climbing!

Today on a hard slab lead, I thought about using the bolt to aid me... I managed to stand steady and get the draw into the bolt, then grabbed the dog bone and aided up above the crux.

Definitely not looking to lose a finger or violently gash my leg.

Good thread.

Also know a guy who got a biner through his forearm / lost a finger and damaged a second. Not from pulling on a draw but just a freak fall that caught just right.

And he still climbs harder than me with only 3 and half fingers on one hand. But I think he got stuck at the 5.13 level.

rging wrote:Remind me again, this is called Brown Pointing, right?

Brown pointing is an onsight toprope. And if you have to redpoint your toprope it's been called a few things so not sure if you call a redpointed toprope a maroon point, or I have heard dirty brown point. Someone please correct me because I don't know what to put on my scorecard.