New Line on the Great Wall

I made a trip out to the Great Wall near Stone City last week with Eben Farnworth and Alex Honnold. We had great, cool weather but the adventure was cut short by shortened daylight – this is a better spring crag. Alex got on lead on a new line up a crack system that proved too chossy and loose. We bailed after placing only one additional bolt and headed over to the arete at the top of the approach pitch to the main ledge.

Eben got to lead the pitch up to the Heather Terrace and we agreed that it is probably the best line on the wall so far. Alex liked the face just to the east of the arete and he rigged a line and rapped down and tried to find moves on top rope. He marked the bolt placements and I cleaned and bolted the line afterward but we ran out of daylight and did not finish it. There is still some loose rock that needs to be taken care of, including a death block near the top, and the route needs the white lichen to be brushed off before I attempt to send it.

The route is a full 40 meters long and will end on the Terrace so we can use existing rap anchors to descend. Alex thinks the line will go at 12+. This will be the hardest FA I’ve attempted and it is at the top of my list once I fill in my next pyramid. Pulling this off would make an excellent Christmas present to myself.

Setting Bolting Standards

There has been a bit of lively discussion lately about bolting standards in Yangshuo, not all of it civil. Paul Collis, in his guidebook, Yangshuo Rockclimbing, has suggested standards for bolts: 316 or A4 stainless steel expansion bolts with a minimum diameter of 10mm or 3.8 inch. Abseil anchors are another story and there is a new campaign, funded by revenues from last year's climbing festival and made available to the Yangshuo Climbing Association from Black Diamond, to replace the anchors at White Mountain and Lei Pi Shan.

Anchor hardware configurations can vary depending on the rock and the line of the route. I have put up anchors with chain connecting a rap-ring on an anchor hanger to a standard hanger placed directly above. I have also used two pieces of climbing rope threaded through separate bolt hangers and connected to two large rap rings. Both set-ups offer a single rap point to reduce rope friction and twisting while providing the safety of two bolts.

The less civil bolting arguments turn around bolt spacing and whether an existing line should be bolted or re-bolted.

First bolt spacing. Better climbers often prefer more spacing between bolts to give a better flow to the climb and find clipping too often detracts from the quality of the climbing experience (they can always just skip clips!?!). Less bold and weaker climbers often prefer more bolts to reduce the length of their potential falls. The problem area seems to be between climbs in the 5.10 range, which tend to be more closely bolted, and 5.12 climbs, which assume climbers just want the necessary safety and are less concerned about bigger falls. Most complaints of over-bolting have come from strong climbers who have climbed 5.11 climbs, many of them put up by Paul and myself. I've since gone back and climbed a few of these lines and I must agree that some do feel over-bolted. I will try to improve in the future and as I climb stronger I might place bolts farther apart on more difficult 5.11s.

On the other side are 5.10 climbers like myself who have ventured onto poorly bolted 5.11s and nearly shit themselves. Two come to mind: Simon Wilson's 5.11a on the Fried Egg Wall at the Egg and the 5.11c thin crack line at Lei Pi Shan put up by Alex Xi Tang. Both climbs have been re-bolted to remove very real ground/ledge fall potential. I find the climbs much improved because the cruxes are now about 'making the moves' instead of 'making a clip from a bad handhold'. I spoke to Simon on a number of occasions about not liking making the clip just above a ledge from a tiny crimper. He assured me that the clip was no problem - and it wasn't for him, he climbs 5.13.

At issue is: Who has the final say in what gets bolted and how it gets bolted? Is someone responsible for adding or changing bolt placements after a route has been opened by the first ascensionists, especially if there are safety concerns? Both of the above mentioned routes were rebolted by Dave Gliddon, a seasonally Yangshuo hardman with an Australian accent. Dave noticed the problems after hearing complaints and took it upon himself to make the changes. Everyone I've talked to says the changes have improved the climbs.

Some changes made to other routes have been more controversial and even criticized in the guidebook. Replacing the rusty bolts on a few classic lines at Moon Hill has been largely praised. Since there will always be different opinions on best bolting practices, we need a forum to discuss things such as bolting standards, safety issues for existing routes and communicating these standards to visiting climbers who want to leave new routes behind for the rest of us to climb. Sounds like just the job for the Yangshuo Climbing Association!

Photo is of Paul Collis on the first ascent of the Yosemite Flake on the Great Wall.