Bolting in granite

I’m just getting into bolting and was wondering what length of bolt to use in granite and if to use expansion or wedge bolts? Also, is it worth it to buy 1/2 inch bolts and hangers or is 3/8 okay? Thanks for any help! 

Wedge bolts are fine. 3/8s is fine. You can go 3" or a bit lower but I'll leave bolt length recommendations to developers who develop granite, which isn't me. Save money with 3/8s wedges instead of larger diameter bolts or five piece sleeve bolts, but DO go stainless. 

Hi. These questions should probably be directed to the mentors in your life who are more experienced route developers than you. 

Looking at your ticks in MP, you seem to have been climbing for two years and are just getting in to easy trad leading.

The granite you want to bolt isn't going anywhere, and everyone will have to deal with the permanent bolts you place in it when you decide to alter it forever. I would strongly recommend getting more climbing under your belt before permanently changing a granite wall forever.

I'm a fairly new developer, who's only been climbing for 10 years, but I lean on my peers who have much more experience than me so that I don't fuck up the wall we're working on.

bmdhacks wrote:

Hi. These questions should probably be directed to the mentors in your life who are more experienced route developers than you. 

Looking at your ticks in MP, you seem to have been climbing for two years and are just getting in to easy trad leading.

The granite you want to bolt isn't going anywhere, and everyone will have to deal with the permanent bolts you place in it when you decide to alter it forever. I would strongly recommend getting more climbing under your belt before permanently changing a granite wall forever.

I'm a fairly new developer, who's only been climbing for 10 years, but I lean on my peers who have much more experience than me so that I don't fuck up the wall we're working on.

This is excellent advice

That Guy wrote:“The granite you want to bolt isn't going anywhere”

Yeah it is.  It’s going to the next greedy asshole with a drill.

No, the granite isn't going anywhere.   And perhaps the next "asshole" will do an excellent job for the rest of us to enjoy.   The attitude of "I gotta bolt it before someone else does" is one of the things that is wrong with our sport.  It often results in shitty routes.

An ethical and respectable developer is doing it in small part for him/herself, but mostly for everyone else that comes afterwards.   Therefore, it should be done well.

As the developer which do you want to hear?  "Love your route!" or "There's a bunch of loose holds, #3 is almost impossible to clip and you can hit the deck from there!"

To add to the discussion, most route developers are happy to mentor if you're willing to put in hard work. Shlep loads, clean faces, do the unglamorous labor and most anyone will teach you whatever you want to know. 

Aside from the mentorship compenent you need a belayer at the very least or at least someone invested in the crag you would develop. Your going to waste a lot of time, if you are not sure what bolt to use, adequately figuring out how to clean is going to take forever. 

I do maybe wanna push back against the  mentor idea. What you really want is a cocktail of information coming from different sources. The information that is consistent across people is really where that knowledge is gained. Reading the bolting bible, read the forums thoroughly, and try to educate yourself the best you can, is better than relying on a single person for knowledge.

Ill be the first to tell you I don't do the 100% best job. But of the north bend climbers I have probably done the most climbs out of everyone, the guidebook author asks me for beta. 

Here is my list throwing experienced unnamed developers under the bus:
Maybe top 10 in number of bolts placed in the united states, still uses mixed metals and I have ripped off refrigerators rebolting his routes with my hands.
One of the strongest climbers in Wa, not only placed mixed metals but most were hardware store cheap bolts and he didnt trundle anything
Another developer one of his climbs straight up fell over, and some blocks his bolts have been placed in also been removed
Another developer thought a 1 inch bush was an adequate anchor

I like all these people and am grateful for their route contributions but just because someone has done something a lot does not always mean they know what they are doing. A diversity of opinions should always be welcomed. You just have to make the best decision based on that.

Also every climber thinks they are correct, in some rock I think 5 different developers would get 5 different routes. 

Sorry I didn’t specify but I wasn’t planning on going to a crag to bolt. Just putting up some toprope anchors on the rock behind my house. 

Jonas Helton wrote:

Sorry I didn’t specify but I wasn’t planning on going to a crag to bolt. Just putting up some toprope anchors on the rock behind my house. 

Huh? You're putting. Bolts. In rock.

Gunkiemike wrote:

Huh? You're putting. Bolts. In rock.

Private property creates different ethics 

If it's just top rope bolts for you, you can consider using a couple of removable bolts like the petzl couer pulse.  That way, you can just drill holes wherever you want to try a line, and move them as you please.  They're expensive, but easy to use, and allows for a ton of flexibility.

Ricky Harline wrote:

Private property creates different ethics 

Agreed, but I'm reading OP's Q as something more objective.

 I get where you're coming from though. If I were merely putting in a TR anchor on my own backyard ledge, I might personally be cool with a pair of split shaft buttonheads. But should I expect support for that here?

Jonas, wedge bolts are a type of expansion bolt. I think you should try to reach out to local Evergreen developers for help and guidance. Some of the granite in the area is very old, weathered granite, so general recommendations from developers in other states may be lacking. If that rock "behind your house" is not on your private property but is the same Maxwell Falls rock that you asked if a permit is needed to be bolted, you definitely should.

Maxwell Falls is on US Forest Service so they require minors to have a note from their dad or sign up for the military draft a few years early ..... just kidding, permits are not currently required by the South Platte Ranger District of the forest service. But you should consider if bolted top rope anchors are needed rather than using traditional gear and trees as has been done by previous generations of climbers there. There are active developers putting up routes only about 1 mile away at/near Staunton.

Thanks everyone for the info. I think I’m going to hold off on it for now!