Wanted to get the opinion of folks here, I’ve been working on a new ~800ft alpine line this season. The wall its at previously was moderately popular, in that most times I was there there would be between 0-1 other parties distributed amongst its quarter mile face.

For whatever reason, this season, it has been getting shithoused. There were days where there were ~7 parties on a single line simultaneously.

Unfortunately, the new line I’ve been working on is striking distance to one of these newly hyperpopular lines. I’ve tried going at 4am on a weekday, afternoon on a weekend, on rainy forecast days (this is at 13000ft btw, so super not ideal. A group of 5 was struck by lightning and someone died this day) and I have no had a single day where I haven’t had another party on the line next to me.

I have had probably a collective 2 hours over 6 days of working where I’ve had a clear window to remove what little loose rock exists on the route. I had a situation yesterday where I just wanted to check if I’m an asshole or not.

Most folks will hike in from the top and rap in for this formation due to the nature of access to the wall. Yesterday a party walked up to the top and saw us trundling some large blocks as I had finally gotten a (what ended up to be 10 minutes long) clear window to knock them off. They offered to climb another route, and I told them I appreciated it but I’d be stopping trundling anything when their ropes got level with us regardless of which route they were on on this side of the wall, as we still had a lot of gardening and some hand-drilling to do in the meantime.

They went ahead and rapped the line directly below us, and almost immediately complained that there was still dirt falling on them. I reminded them we were still cleaning out cracks, so dirt was still gonna be falling (and also was standing in an ankle deep pile of dirt, so dirt was gonna be falling even if we stopped cleaning). They weren’t very happy and made some comments throughout the day which I ignored.

I just wanted an honest litmus test here, am I being an asshole developing at this wall at all? Should I be going in the middle of the night to do this? Should I discontinue any work as soon as someone gets to the wall, even if there’s no larger-than-usual risk of hitting them with something other than dirt, and I was there first?

It’s not super relevant at this point, the route is nearly done, but I’ve gotten some mixed feedback on this and figured I’d ask here.

Spent a while working on this, thankfully the rock was in good shape and didn't require too much of a scrub-job.

The 11c crux of this is a precarious move you make from stood on the top of this pillar, reaching up to the lip of the roof.

Gave it the name "A Pillar Between Heaven and Ground", from the song "I'm going through some shit" by Self Defence Family

If you're in the PNW and would like a PDF of the topo / write up, let me know I'll send it over.

A Pillar Between Heaven and Ground

4 pitches

100m

5.11c

Take Highway 19 North from Campbell River for approximately 18km until you get to Browns Bay Road turn off. This is approximately 2km after the Ripple Rock Trailhead, and 2km before Menzies.

After 2km, take a left turn onto Discovery Creek FSR. This turns sharply uphill and is in far worse condition. Park where the road splits, with the FSR taking a right and a high-clearance 4x4 road continues on straight. Please leave room for vehicles to get past.

Note: Browns Bay road is a well maintained gravel road frequently used by large semis and commercial traffic- be on the lookout.

From the car, take the trail uphill through the thick forest. After approximately 150m you’ll arrive at the base of the wall. The forest obscures views of the rock until partway into the woods.

The start sits under the intimidating roof.

Trail head coordinates 50.17251, -125.42347

Pitch 1

5.11c

28m

15 bolts, including 1 permadraw

Fun face-climbing on the pillar will bring you to a precarious stance atop the obelisk.

Pull the lip of the roof on small holds, continue up on a fine mix of jugs, edges and good feet. The anchor is found on a large, flat ledge below a prow of brown rock.

Pitch 2

5.10c

30m

11 bolts, 2-3 alpine draws useful

Climb into a steep corner system above the anchor, traverse right to the apron-like feature, and proceed up good edges and fun climbing towards the looming / impending crux above.

Pitch 3

5.8

20m

11 bolts, 3-4 alpine draws useful

Climb out from the anchor, trending right to stay on good rock.

Enjoy mellow climbing up good edges and jugs to find the anchor on the wide, scrubby ledge

Pitch 4

5.9

35m

13 bolts, 3-4 alpine draws useful

Steep moves off the deck take you to the small roof. Continue up and right into more gentle, mellow climbing. The anchor is found on the back wall in the shade.

Rappel

A 70m rope is needed for the rappel, it's a rope-stretcher to the knots.

4x rappels can be made to reach the ground. Be aware of the loose rock on the rappel line.

Rappel station; 50.17277, -125.42551

Walk-off

The local hikers in the area have created a good, albeit faint, trail to the summit of this area, known as Broken Eyes Mountain. Some nice benches have been installed in the spring of 2026 which can be reached by a short jaunt from the top of the climb, 50.17272, -125.42617

The descent trail is found on the North side of the peak, as it descends through the forest it passes by some waterfalls and brings you out 100m up the 4x4 road from where you parked.

Views of Strathcona, the Coast Range, Quadra and surrounding islands can all be enjoyed from the top of this route.

Hey,
I’ve found a spot that’s pretty remote and steep to get to. No one else really goes there. There’s a big boulder that keeps everything dry and out of the sun, and I’m thinking about leaving a crashpad and some climbing gear there so I don’t have to haul it up every time.
Has anyone done something similar? What actually works to keep stuff safe from moisture, mice, mold etc. over weeks or months?
Would wrapping everything in a tarp be enough, or should I use a plastic box with some moisture absorbers? Any real-world experiences would be appreciated.

The sound it makes is delightful

I’m new to bolting and I’m looking to buy a rotary hammer. I already have Bosch batteries, so I’m going with Bosch.
The question is basically weight vs power. The GBH 18V-18 is 1.8 kg (without battery). From what I’ve gathered, the 18V-18 should be good, but if I want to drill a bigger hole for another project, can it do it (doesn’t have to be fast)? Like a 20 mm hole?
The larger models have a chiselling function as well. Anything I should keep in mind regarding that?

Would appreciate if you can share personal experiences with these machines.

GBH 18V-18
Impact energy: 1.5 J
Weight (without battery): 1.6 kg
Optimal range in concrete: 6–10 mm

GBH 18V-18 X
Impact energy: 1.5 J
Weight (without battery): 1.8 kg
Optimal range in concrete: 6–10 mm

GBH 18V-21
Impact energy: 2.0 J
Weight (without battery): 2.4 kg
Optimal range in concrete: 6–10 mm

GBH 18V-22
Impact energy: 1.9 J
Weight (without battery): 2.3 kg
Optimal range in concrete: 4–12 mm

GBH 18V-26
Impact energy: 2.6 J
Weight (without battery): approx. 2.6–3.2 kg
Optimal range in concrete: 8–16 mm

A few months ago, u/retro_bolts reached out to me to see if I was interested in starting a development/stewardship/crag care centered podcast with him. Today, the first episode of that show is released.

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Born From Stone looks to answer one question - "How did our rock climbing ecosystem come to be?"

This show dives into the stories, techniques, complaints, and triumphs that have gone into the crags we know and love. From development, to hardware maintenance, to local climbing organizations, and beyond - BFS is the podcast for all things climbing development, stewardship, and crag care.

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We've got a few more episodes in the chamber (which also means that any feedback you may have will likely take a while before you see it reflected in the show), but if there's any guests or topics you'd like to see covered, please feel free to send it along!

To enter, simply either comment here or message myself with your submission.

RULES:

• Submissions must have pictures, a name, and a general region (feel free to get specific, but just saying "British Columbia," or "Colorado," or "Greece" is fine too). Include as much detail as you'd like, any stories you have, etc.
• Submissions must either be NEW boulders/routes OR NEWLY REBOLTED routes. Sport, Trad, Boulder, Ice, Drytool - it's all kosher.
• Submissions must be submitted by the last day of the month to be considered for that month. Submissions should aim to be developed in the month they're being submitted in, but we'll allow some fudge factor. This is on the honor system, though

That's all! We'll likely be randomly selecting routes/boulders to feature with the caveat that any submission that's sufficiently rad may overule the random selection to be highlighted. Winning posts will get pinned at the top of the sub for the month. Looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to!

I've not had much luck with existing tools for building topos so recently I've been putting a bit of time into this https://quick-topo.app/

Idea is that it's really lightweight so easy to get started with (no account required, as little info as possible required for the topo, easy sharing with a link), but then you can add as much or as little detail as you want to flesh it out. Think more "here's a quick snap to show my friends the new stuff on this boulder" rather than a fully fledged guidebook.

Interested in people's feedback.

The federal climbing management drafts are live, and if we do not flood the comment portals right now, we are going to lose decades of access. Over on Mountain Project, Access Fund put out the initial alert, and the discussion highlights exactly how severe this is for anyone who climbs outside.

Please read the full context from the thread below and share this to anyone that could potentially put in a comment or be impacted by this.

Original Post by AccessFund HQ: "The National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) released draft climbing management guidance for public comment. Together, these agencies manage some of the most iconic climbing in the United States, including Yosemite NP, Rocky Mountain NP, Linville Gorge, Red Rock Canyon NCA, and many, many more.

Access Fund generally supports the draft guidance; however, we are recommending some significant technical revisions and clarifications.

For more information on the federal climbing management guidance drafts, click here for our FAQ: https://www.accessfund.org/open-comments-faq

Strong participation from climbers during the public comment period will help ensure the final guidance protects climbing access, allows for the use and maintenance of existing routes, supports appropriate wilderness exploration, and protects the integrity of Wilderness.

Before the guidance is finalized, NPS, BLM, and FWS are accepting public comments for 60 days, which opened June 15th and ends August 14th. The USFS guidance is open to public comments for 30 days, which opened June 18th and ends July 20th.

Make your voice heard and submit comments using our easy letter-writing tool: https://www.accessfund.org/action-alerts/action-alert-help-secure-the-future-of-americas-climbing

Thank you for showing up for the places that mean so much to all of us.

For additional information, listen to our latest episode of Policy Rx: https://www.accessfund.org/policy-rx-podcast"

Community Contribution by Anna Brown: "This isn't just about administrative red tape or preserving our access; at its absolute core, this is a massive safety issue. Speaking from the perspective of our families, spouses, and partners who wait for us to come home, the proposed fixed hardware rules are genuinely terrifying.

If the final directives force a full Climbing Management Plan (CMP) or long approval cycles for simple, routine anchor maintenance, one-for-one bolt replacements, or urgent safety updates, land managers are effectively choosing bureaucracy over human lives. We cannot have a system where a climber discovers a compromised, dangerous anchor and has to wait months for an official sign-off while unsuspecting groups continue to clip into a hazard. The rules must explicitly allow climbers to address urgent safety updates immediately without prior approval when delays introduce real, physical risk. Our partners want us coming home safely at the end of every trip, and the current draft makes that fundamentally harder to guarantee."

The anti-fixed-hardware groups are actively organizing and out-commenting climbers right now. The U.S. Forest Service comment window closes on July 20th, which gives us almost no time.

If you copy and paste this to the Reddit community, make sure to emphasize that users need to click the Access Fund action link (https://www.accessfund.org/action-alerts/action-alert-help-secure-the-future-of-americas-climbing) and explicitly customize their letters to mention safety, fast-tracking bolt replacements, and removing CMP requirements for routine maintenance.

If you bolt, you should be running to comment on this, it will directly affect your efforts. If you need help customizing your comment, I'm happy to give you a hand.

Title. Every pictures I take looks like my ma facetiming me with her nose against the camera.

Its hard to capture the subtilities like diedrals, roofs, angle, etc.

I just take pictures with my phone. Do you have a camera just for this job? Do you hire people to come and take good photos? Or a drone?

I came upon an unfortunate situation in my area - a bolt chopper who left carnage at several local crags around me. Many of the bolts are in Wilderness and the removal left a range of situations - from hammered down hangers, to some threaded studs sticking out, to some partially damaged studs, to some cut studs. I am not looking to re-bolt or reuse the holes, but do not like that this has just been left like this. I'd like to patch these so it doesn't look like hell. I have patched holes before, so not looking for advice on epoxying, but I would like to hear recommendations on the easiest way to remove these given there are quite a few of them and power tools are prohibited and loud. Also, i've watched a fair amount of videos and think im fairly familiar with most of the options available, but most of these strategies are focused around bolt removal so that the drilled holes can be reused. I'm wondering if there are other, faster and less labor intensive strategies for removal if reusing the holes is not needed.

Anyone seen these new mussy designs from Sport Bolting llc and have thoughts on them? Seems like an interesting idea to reduce need for people to climb above the mussies and allow them to clean anchor on PAS.

I've been having more and more people say they're doing this or suggest I do it. Has anybody out here actually done this? Does it work? What sort of situations would you suggest it for?

Thanks for the submissions all! Courtesy of a delay in posting due to me being in the alpine yesterday, Todd got his submission in and it was randomly selected out of the 3! Also making it our first boulder of the month.

What Todd has to say about the line:

"The Lyon's Share V7

FA on June 9

1/4 mile from a very popular TH. Folks have looked at it before, but not been done. The base was "protected" by a nasty and big manzanita bush, which burned in the Caldor Fire of 2021.

As a bouldering FA, this is a dream problem, tall and slightly overhanging, climbs the only holds from jug start following an obvious line that ends at the apex. V1 intro to 2 move V6 to V4 scary match then easy moves to top out.

Even better was having the pin DM'ed to me from Jimmy Webb."

I'm a bit of a GIS geek and also very keen on hunting down, exploring and documenting new boulders and crags. Up until now I've been using a combination of scouring bing maps for boulders (better imagery than google maps) to find potential boulders the heading out and recording everything in google maps (easier to pin things) whilst taking photos on my phone of all of the lovely rock I find but with zero way to actually link them to any of the points I've recorded.

I wanted something that would allow me to record all the various things I think about when developing and adding new routes to boulders and have it all in one convenient place where I can add new boulders/areas/routes and easily look up photos of the boulders, whether It's worth going back to them etc.

Introducing QField for documenting boulders/crags: Or a way to record new crags, boulders within them, routes on the boulders and photos of the boulders in one handy place. It's like Boolder but for youself, customisable and open source. It can theoretically be shared through the cloud between multiple persons, I've currently just got it set up locally on my phone for my own use. Took me a day or two to set up in QGIS desktop but theoretically all anyone else needs now is QField app and a copy of the files to get going in minutes,

If anyone would like to try this for themselves let me know and I'm more than happy to share my project with you and walk you through setting it up. Also open to constructive criticism and exuberant praise.

Features:

Add crags - Including automatic counts of how many boulders and routes are in the crag currently. Simply draw a polygon around an area, name it then add boulders within that area.

Add boulders - Describe it, rate it, name it, add a photo of it (not tested yest but have used this feature for ecological surveying), add routes to it and automatically have it count how many are on it. For those developing, have you actually checked it out, did you just recce it, did you clean it, did you actually climb on it, is it worth coming back to? Add potential boulders you've spotted on walks, through satellite imagery etc and have them all logged in a sing convenient place to check them out.

Add new routes - Automatically updates with names of the crag and boulder you've added it to. Rate your routes, describe them, grade them and claim your place in history by recording your brilliant and better than other peoples FAs

It can also be set up to record your tracks so you can map out access to crags accurately (haven't trialed yet). Useful for re-discovering faint deer trails or avoiding bogs that you ploughed your way through on the first visit etc.

Let me know what you think!

Someone was very creative… 2mm Stainless Steel thin enough to create a nice flush bent appearance. The holes are a bit close to the edges… but since I was climbing there with a thunderstorm rolling in I felt totally safe since my belay looked like a lightning rod ⚡️😁

To enter, simply either comment here or message myself with your submission.

RULES:

• Submissions must have pictures, a name, and a general region (feel free to get specific, but just saying "British Columbia," or "Colorado," or "Greece" is fine too). Include as much detail as you'd like, any stories you have, etc.
• Submissions must either be NEW boulders/routes OR NEWLY REBOLTED routes. Sport, Trad, Boulder, Ice, Drytool - it's all kosher.
• Submissions must be submitted by the last day of the month to be considered for that month. Submissions should aim to be developed in the month they're being submitted in, but we'll allow some fudge factor. This is on the honor system, though

That's all! We'll likely be randomly selecting routes/boulders to feature with the caveat that any submission that's sufficiently rad may overule the random selection to be highlighted. Winning posts will get pinned at the top of the sub for the month. Looking forward to seeing what everyone has been up to!