Sometime last year my friend Eric mentioned that someone wanted to install fixed chains on a route that I bolted some 16 years ago. I told him no way would I want chains hanging off every bolt; I couldn’t imagine how ugly that would look given the areas natural beauty.
A few months later I was climbing in Arkansas and went over to climb at Cave Creek. When I turned the corner I couldn’t believe my eyes. Fixed metal draws hanging off of Flying Elvis and the large roof system above Elvis, the place looked like an indoor climbing gym. That day I removed the chains.
I returned to Cave Creek a short while back to find once again more chains (fixed draws) on not only Flying Elvis, but another route put up around the same time frame this route is Gravity Slab. Gravity Slab is merely 45 feet long. A short, fun, overhanging sport climb just after making your way down the chimney walk down. It is also the first climb that you see when visiting Cave Creek from this approach.
So, we now have chains again, but not just there… There are now chains starting from the first bolt of Brick Attack, this is the route with a large roof system above Flying Elvis. Just right of Brick Attack there are several more fixed draws hanging off of the bolts in the roof. The place looks like a chandelier of metal. I removed the chains on Flying Elvis and Gravity Slab that day, for the second time.
Here’s the deal. This is not our crag this is Public Land. Me and several of my friends have been climbing in Arkansas for 20 years or longer. Could we have installed fixed hardware on these or any climbs in this area if we chose? Probably, but we didn’t. Why? Because as climbers, we know it’s a privilege to climb and that land whether on private property or public land is a valuable and finite resource.
Climbers need to be low impact which means Leave No Trace, a slogan that the Access Fund has championed for many years. Why do you think climbing companies like Metolius started selling painted hangers that match or blend with the rock? Installing fixed chains on every bolt of a rock climb where removable quick draws can be used instead makes no sense. This steels the natural from the entire setting. Installing these chains to make it easier to clean the climb when you’re done is a terrible excuse for needing this stuff. I am 46 years old and have never felt it difficult to clean a sport route, just take another lap on the climb, I’ve always looked at this as a bonus; “hey I get another run on a really cool climb”! Being in your twenties and complaining about how hard it is to clean an overhanging climb or how inconvenient it is, is just lame. Climbing El Cap in a day is hard; sport climbing is just pure fun.
Making comments about the Forest Service not having a stance on bolting? The Invasion area has routes that are off-limits due to Native American art and it was mentioned that 80% of the Invasion area is now fixed with metal chains like Flying Elvis? We have a sensitive area and someone blatantly installs metal chains off of every bolt on the climb there anyway?
We have never had problems with the Forrest Service that I’m aware of but that means very little in today’s world. As climbers we need to be proactive which means do things like Leave No Trace, pick up trash whether yours or not. Don’t cut down live trees in your campsite like I have seen at Sam’s Throne recently when there is dead wood a hundred feet away.
Indiscriminant bolting of climbs that were established in bold ground-up style now have bolts marking the way of the climb. Rock faces that were not bolted on rappel because the area was left for ground-up style climbing are now sport bolted with little to no regard for the areas ethics and future adventurous undertakings that other climbers may have had the chance to establish.
I have never been for wanting a governing body to oversee this wonderful sport we have but I am also worried about the direction in which the climbing areas around and at Sams Throne have taken. It doesn’t look promising for the climbers of the future. I am willing to do whatever it takes to preserve these areas for future climbing.
~TM
I’m always psyched to take the bonus burn . . .
These young dudes don’t get it! Take a bonus burn and you might just be inspired to climb the Captain sometime!
I just processed the bit about the invasion wall. That’s really hard to believe. So, we’ve got the forest service closing routes that somebody installed too close to native american paintings, and, with access this touchy, a bunch of extra hardware is added to the wall in the name of convenience? I don’t really understand this.
I am not sure if the FS closed the route but it is mentioned in Clays book. There are pad locks on the first bolt of those
climbs.
Those chains are really hard to believe. I tried to understand why but I am afraid I could not find any logical and innocent point on that.
ALL those chains should be removed and a serious effort made to find out who is placing them so they can be educated.
Thanks for the comment Ed. Its good to hear from you. Hope all is well in El Potrero.
Right on Tony!!! Fixed draws are a travesty and could impact climbing in the future in a negative way. Thank you so much for removing them. I’m sure it was a lot of work. Regarding Flying Elvis, in hindsight, I wish I had kept the original anchor and chain up higher and out of sight also. Is that a problem too? I haven’t been there in probably seven years.
Hi Tony,
Thanks for the heads-up. I have never seen a chained route that seemed necessary. And they are all ugly, especially overhanging ones. The less metal, the better. Of course.
Someone will surely find the guys hanging them. Probably they just don’t understand and we can help them save their $$ for a trip to the Valley!
PS — Your new guidebook rocks! I sure do get homesick for OK…
You bet Doug! Great to hear from you man and glad you like the guide brother!
Like yourself I enjoy the natural settings that climbing brings us. It’s a shame that we even have to have discussion on something like this. I guess once you understand that climbing is a privilege all else falls into place.
PS – Come out and visit us anytime, you’ve got a place to stay with us! Lori say hello!
Tony,
I completely agree. I contacted the Arkansas Climbers Coalition a while ago about this iussue after seeing the fixed draws issue at Cave Creek first-hand. The Coalition’s stance at the time was that they wanted to stay out of what they deem as inter-personal climber decisions on how to establish routes/anchors/chains. My feeling is that it is much more than this alone – in fact I think if the issue reaches a certain level of recognition by the Forest Service areas that were once “low key” will start to be managed and even restricted. I’m sure that some of the same voices in the Coalition (which I am a supporter of as a whole) are supporters of chains on routes. I think that chain draws are an unnecessary luxury that take fixed anchors a step beyond bolts for sport climbs. They are there purely for convenience and to make it easier to get up and down routes. I don’t think there is any additional safety added by chains – in fact, it’s just one more thing to replace down the road as the carabiners become more worn.
Then there is the issue of equipping already existing routes – routes that were established by another person. I think this falls into the same realm of retro-bolting or altering someone else’s established climb. You should have permission from the first-ascentionist. I could go on but I’ll keep it at this for now.
Fixed bolting has always been an issue, I believe there are places for bolts but not chains. People need to understand that climbing is a privlage and not a God given right. It can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye so what one does is important to all of us. Hopefully this person or persons will see the light you would think the negative critisism would be a factor but some people are pretty hard headed.
Good luck on this one Tony
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I appreciate both this and Aaron’s blog on this. I can’t climb anything that would remotely necessitate fixed draws, so I figured my view on it would be skewed. Kyle and I were pretty surprised to see fixed draws on a 9 (forgot the name of the newer route on North 40) and 10a/b (Sour Girl). With more people coming into climbing and using the ‘I’m 5.blah grade for 20 feet’ HCR routes and/or falling up routes as their basis of stating ‘I am a 5.blah climber’, and seeing more people ‘progress’ up grades, there seems to be more perceived need to not be the wuss. I don’t think the people that are putting up chains care about impact. They care about their ticklist.
I agree Tony. Very frustrating, eh?
Mike
Hi All,
It was not that long ago that Arkansas didn’t even have that many bolted routes. I am certain Tony and Clay can remember those days. When Tony took me to Mt Magazine when I was 14 (Now 34) we were just lucky to have bolts to climb on the sport routes. Not to mention good climbing shoes. Obviously times have changed. I now live in the bay area and our local area is basically 100% fix draws because the wall is a 200ft 45 degree wall. Yosemite–just down the road–is lacking fix draws and bolts in many places. And is arguably the most beautiful place in the world. (3 hrs from my house)
My wife and I now spend our vacations traveling to different climbing areas–including back to Arkansas every once and a while. Styles and ethics vary wildly from place to place. In Rodellar Spain there were no fixed draws on even the steepest routes and it was frowned upon to climb on other peoples draws. Go Figure. Thailand was a mixed bag of fixed, unfixed, and slowly rotting fixed rope draws.
I believe fixed draws have a place in climbing. Certainly on super steep routes where cleaning is difficult or dangerous some consideration to fixing draw is warranted. On routes that have existed that is between the person that put up the route and the person wanted to fix it. On new routes? That just depends on the situation. Slab–are you kidding? Vert routes at magazine? Probably not. Environmentally or access sensitive? Aren’t they all this way?
My personal opinion is that in areas that are sensitive or easy to clean go for the “on site” and throw up your own draws. Carry a bail ‘biner if you are worried about failing. For hard routes on steep walls–I will leave it up to the person/persons putting up routes on the limit. Bolting/Cleaning/Route finding is hard work and hopefully the climbers that are bolting and pushing the sport are in touch with the local standards and ethics.
Good debates are what drives us to create the answers that will hopefully serve the rock climbing community well.
Barrett Tilley, M.D.
Disclosure (Happy to clip Starks fixed chains next week on my trip back to Arkasnas, Happy to climb Clay’s or TM’s bolts back in Arkansas, or happy to boulder)
I love how self centered you are. Property rights transcend location. Just because someone leaves their wallet on your couch doesn’t make the wallet yours. The same goes for carabiners on a route. They aren’t yours!
Flying Elvis is poorly bolted and hard to clean. It’s a 4 star route put up by a 1 star bolter. I’ve sent it both with and without fixed gear and the former was so much more enjoyable.
Subject: Access Fund Wants Your Input on NPS Fixed Anchor Proposal
The National Park Service has released an updated draft of its wilderness management policies. The update covers a wide range of topics including provisions specific to climbing fixed anchors. Iconic climbing areas in the U.S.—including Yosemite, Zion, Black Canyon, and Rocky Mountain national parks—would be governed by this new policy. The Access Fund is soliciting input from the climbing community to inform our policy position on this critically important issue. Please take a moment to read our summary of the major take-aways of the proposed NPS policy, the history of the fixed anchor debate, and the Access Fund’s advocacy strategy below –then take the survey!
Important Elements of the Proposed Policy
The proposed policy acknowledges that “climbing is in many cases a legitimate and appropriate use of wilderness” and that each park with significant wilderness climbing activities must prepare a climbing management plan. However, the policy calls for climbing to be restricted or prohibited if unacceptable impacts to wilderness resources or character occur.
This proposed policy recognizes that the occasional placement of a fixed anchor for belay, rappel, or protection purposes does not necessarily impair wilderness, but it requires prior authorization for the placement of new fixed anchors (replacements or removals may also require park approval). The requirements and process for authorization are to be laid out in each park’s climbing management plan. The practical outcome of this proposed policy is that climbers would need a permit or some other authorization prior to the hand placement of new bolts in any national park wilderness area. Most national parks currently do not require such prior-approval.
Background on the Issue
It is important to view this proposed policy in the context of the last 20+ years of advocacy and uncertainty surrounding technical climbing in federal wilderness areas. In the mid 1990′s, the future of fixed anchors in federal wilderness was uncertain—an outright ban seemed imminent on US Forest Service managed wilderness. Some user groups, notably mountain bikers, have been categorically banned from wilderness areas. In light of this, the NPS’s acknowledgement that “climbing is in many cases a legitimate and appropriate use of wilderness” and that the “occasional placement of a fixed anchor” is not incompatible with wilderness is significant.
The Access Fund believes that some level of fixed anchor use must be allowed wherever climbing is allowed, and that the appropriate level of use should be established on an area-by-area basis. The government has authority under the Wilderness Act to permit fixed anchors in wilderness, and this use should be permitted as climbing is one of the unique recreation opportunities wilderness is intended to provide. The continued use of fixed anchors, if properly managed, will not degrade wilderness resources and values.
Please take a moment to review a background document the Access Fund has prepared for the benefit of the climbing community, which includes our general position statement on fixed anchors. You may also read the text of the draft Director’s Order. If you need to brush up on your understanding of the Wilderness Act, you can do so here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilderness_Act.
Advocacy Strategy
The Access Fund recently met with a range of climbing advocates (including the American Alpine Club and the American Mountain Guides Association) and members of the outdoor industry to consider the current NPS proposal and develop a joint position statement with recommended modifications to the draft policy. An important part of our advocacy on this issue will be shaped by the specific opinions and ideas from individuals in the climbing community.
Please take a few minutes to let us know your thoughts through the following set of survey questions. If you would prefer to share your thoughts in a letter, feel free to send an email to comments@accessfund.org. We will use the comments we receive to inform our final policy position and recommended changes to the Director’s Order. We will issue an action alert in mid-February, which will include an Access Fund position statement and an easy letter-writing tool for climbers to submit their own comments directly to the NPS. Thank you for your time and comments.
http://npsfixedanchors.questionpro.com/
This past weekend my wife and I took a trip to Arkansas for the first time in a number of years. I have always loved the Beauty and Serenity of climbing in Arkansas. Its a beautiful state. The lush forests and beautiful terrain and rock have always attracted me there. Not to mention the remote feeling of climbing there. This weekend my opinion has changed somewhat.
Ill tell you a little about our experience this weekend. We spent the 3 day weekend camping alone at cave creek. On the second day, I took my wife up the casual route wandering spirit. I was was trying to shoot photos of her following it while sitting at the anchors on involuntary man slaughter and was so disturbed by all the chains hanging from the roof on brick attack and the other routes.. Looked like a damn climbing gym. It took so much away from the wilderness experience we had this weekend because those chains were just so noticeable and hideous. I personally have never seen anything so ugly done by climbers in the entire 20+ years i have been climbing now. It was the first time ever that I felt ashamed to be a climber. I am 33 years old so I am a member of the somewhat younger climbing generation, and I just don’t get it.
We also visited Hudson Mountain. It was my first time there and visited it based on recommendation, and I felt sick just walking the base of the wall. I saw chain after chain hanging below what could be amazing routes, and some bolts on routes that would be otherwise protectable with bomber natural gear. It is my opinion that all of these fixed draws should be removed and the bolts on protectable routes be pulled and the holes patched.
It makes no since to me why anyone would want to take such beautiful places and degrade their physical appearance to that of an indoor gym. I do understand the close proximity of Horseshoe Canyon Ranch and the Lack of outdoor ethics present there (which is why i will not visit there again), but will never understand the whole concept of fixed chain draws hanging all over the cliffs of Arkansas. Arkansas is so much more beautiful than that. Why can we not keep it that way. Why can we not preserve what few natural outdoor resources we still have in their natural state.
I trad climb and sport climb both, so I understand and have no issue with the use of bolts as long as they are not overdone. But bolts can be very hard to see. Heck i have been on routes and been right next to a bolt and never saw it because it was so camo’d. But those chains are in your face from the minute you walk around the corner. Those are the kinds of things that give us as climbers a bad reputation with the non climbing community. Hikers, backpackers, campers, nature viewers and whoever else may wonder down below these cliffs and see the ugliness. Bolts they may never see…but there is no missing the chains.
I feel truly saddened for the first time ever to belong to this group we call climbers.
Ryan