The Electric Climber
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Winter 1991 A Journal for Volume 53 Members of the Number 1 Yosemite Association Finding One's Way in the Age of Motorized Bolting The Electric Climber Hannah Gosnell When George Anderson made phone calls from people con- the first ascent of Half Dome in cerned about the number of bolts 1875 by engineering a bolt ladder put in Yosemite's walls by rock of sorts up the eastern flank of climbers today. the monolith, no one spoke out Why this new interest in boltsz against his impact on the re- It's because modern technology source. Nor did many object to (the cordless drill) is being utilized the Sierra Club 's 1919 attempt to to accomplish very quickly what make the peak more accessible to traditionally has been very slow non-climber tourists by putting and demanding work . That has in an elaborate system of expan- resulted in more holes and more sion bolts and cables to use as bolts in Yosemite granite. handrails . But in the past month, Rudolph attributes the recent Yosemite Search and Rescue deluge of concerned letters and Office Bob Howard and Chief phone calls about bolting to in- Ranger Roger Rudolph have been creased media coverage in the "swamped " with letters and last few months . "People think PAGE TWO YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION ,WINTER 1991 In an attempt to prove that climbing big walls did not necessarily require the use ofhundreds of bolts, Royal Robbins, Chuck Pratt and Tom Frost climbed the southwest face of El Capitan using only 13 bolts. the walls of Yosemite are going to of the Valley, including El Capitan, ing section of the Sierra Club the monolith). The three men put crumble," Rudolph said. "It's the Eagle Peak, Yosemite Point, North started making organized at- 675 pitons and 125 bolts into the bee that's gotten in everyone's Dome, Basket Dome, Mt . Wat- tempts on the unclimbed faces rock during their ascent. In 1961, bonnet." Rudolph and Howard kins, Sentinel Dome and Cathe- and spires of Yosemite with ropes Harding was criticized for placing agree that the issue has been dral Rocks . Everything else was and soft iron pitons (for protec- 110 bolts during an ascent of the blown out of proportion. "The considered beyond the range of tion) that were somewhat limited Leaning Tower . He soon gained a media has gotten out of hand human climbing ability. in their usefulness (they could reputation for placing excessive with its narrow focus on motor- In 1865, the first California only be driven into perfectly par- numbers of bolts, an activity ized bolting," Howard added. "In Geological Survey said about Half allel cracks). When John Salathe which was thought of as not in the past four days I've received Dome, Mt. Starr King and Mt. developed a stronger, more versa- keeping with the adventurous three letters on the issue from Broderick, "Their summits are ab- tile kind of piton out of Model A nature of the sport, as it afforded concerned people as far away as solutely unaccessible ." Ten years Ford axles in 1945, he opened up a more protection than many New York." Because the issue has later, George Anderson proved limitless number of first ascent thought necessary. been causing heated debates in them wrong with his ascent of possibilities . Salathe himself In an attempt to prove that other climbing areas around the country— particularly the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado — local reporters have started looking for some of the same con- flicts in Yosemite . As it turns out, though, there isn't much of a con- troversy between climbers and officials at the park. The fact is that climbers make up only 1 to 2% of Yosemite's visitor population. Thus, even these im- pacts seem small in the eyes of the Park Service. In a park where there are a number of pressing issues and a somewhat limited budget, climber-related problems are not at the top of the administration's pri- ority list. Nonetheless, most people agree that the Park Service will be forced to become more involved in climber-related issues in Yosemite in the near future . The reason is not only that the issue is of growing o- -concern to other land managers around the country, but it is also causing strife within the local climbing community. Bolts allow climbers to accomplish made the initial climb of the Lost climbing big walls did not neces- Yosemite has strong roots in special traverses like this one be- Arrow Spire in 1947 sarily require the use of hundreds traditional climbing and moun- tween the Valley's north wall and Bolts had already been intro- of bolts, Royal Robbins, Chuck the Lost Arrow Spire . taineering, and this makes many duced as a means of protection to Pratt and Tom Frost climbed the people reluctant to accept change American climbers in 1939 when southwest face of El Capitan using in the park. To get a perspective Half Dome. Anderson's achieve- David Brower and Bestor Robin- only 13 bolts . The "Salathe Wall," on what is happening today, it is ment paved the way for many son made the first ascent of Ship- as they named it, is another one necessary to look at a bit of climb- more ascents of walls that were rock in New Mexico. With this of the most frequently climbed ing history. previously considered unclimb- combination of technologies — routes on El Capitan today. able, and throughout the 1800s, ropework, bolts and pitons—the The Unclimbable John Muir, George Bayley, James 1950s and 1960s saw many first Excessive Hardware Right around the time that Yo- Hutchings and many others ascents on Yosemite's steepest, One of the first major alterca- semite first became a State Park, started a mountaineering highest walls. tions over bolting occurred when Clarence King and some others tradition in Yosemite. In 1958, Warren Harding, Harding and Dean Caldwell drilled did the first serious topographical It wasn't until the 1930s, how- Wayne Merry and George Whit- 300 holes in El Capitan in order to and geological reconnaissance of ever, that ropework and technical more made the first ascent of the bolt their way up "The Wall of Yosemite Valley. They climbed climbing became popular in the face of El Capitan via the Nose Early Morning Light" in 1970 . Rob- many of the peaks around the rim park. In 1933, the first rock climb- route (still the most popular on bins was so offended by the execs- YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, WINTER 1991 PAGE THREE. Mark Tuttle is one of the more concerned individuals in the debate. He estimates that there are 16,000 bolts in Yosemite National Park today, and with the use of motorized drills and "rap-bolt" methods, the number is increasing at an alarming rate. sive amount of hardware used to been scorned by Yosemite Valley's Search and Rescue Team one to two thousand bolts . What engineer the climb that he took it climbers, as it takes away from who has climbed in Yosemite for if you have 10 or 15 rap-bolters upon himself to "chop" all the the risk and adventure of the 16 years and lived in the park for putting up climbs in Yosemite bolts, making it unrepeatable . Part sport. But today there are several 11, claims that "in many cases, not Where is it going to endz" Tuttle way up the route, however, he be- locals who openly support this using power tools compromises estimates that there is a central came so impressed with the climb- style. Proponents of power drills safety. Power drills have made core of 10 to 12 local climbers who ing that he abandoned his chopping and bolting on rappel argue that many of the dicey anchors (on be- actively endorse these methods, project. Still, Harding's and Cald- the ease and convenience of the lay ledges) safer." Tech estimates while a survey he conducted well's project strained most climb- new methods have resulted in that he has placed about 1,000 recently shows that 80% of those ers' perception of the justifiable use safer and more enjoyable routes, bolts in the park, mostly by hand. who climb in Yosemite prefer a of bolts . Today, the debate contin- While he does not own a power more traditional style. ues among climbers about when drill (which cost in the neighbor- While Tuttle agrees that using a bolts should be placed, and more hood of $330), he uses one when- power drill makes climbs safer in importantly, how they should be ever he has the opportunity. Tech some cases, his main concern is placed . The latter is what concerns claims that local climbers like for the resource . "I feel that climb- the Park Service today. himself have reached a consensus ers should be able to choose the As for the "hows" of bolting, up that "they don't care how the kind of climbing they do, but until about five years ago, climbers bolts go in, as long as the route is whenit comes to environmental looking for a way to protect them- safe and a good line." destruction, that's where I draw selves on blank sections of rock (It is interesting to note that this the line ." Tuttle points out that ge- where no cracks existed in which new philosophy is directly con- ologists have found excessive to place removable hardware) had trary to one which many Yosemite drilling to cause premature exfoli- to use a hand drill and a hammer pioneers upheld during the "Gold- ation in the rock.