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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
VIC Buffalo	(General)	(General)	(General)	[ Mt Buffalo Guide \| Images ]

Topic Date User

Bolts at Buffalo 10-Jan-2019 At 6:42:25 PM bigchris

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OK so........

Before I say or mention anything, I'm reluctantly posting on here because I'm not entirely sure if anything is going to be gained from people arguing. I've spoken to M9 and to Claw in a string of emails, and they've both recommended that I type what's happened and what I've done.

So I was climbing with Geoff Gledhill up at Buffalo last week. Doing a whole heap of fun and burly stuff. I met up with this dude from California who wanted to try and climb Typhon so I showed him how to get to it as even though its 100 metres from the carpark, its easy to get lost.

The Californians and Geoff and I walked down to basically the entry point of Burstons Crevasse (kinda the intersection where you can turn left to go to Beowulf or scramble straight and go the the top of Angels Butress) only to find the walkway (the bit that you walk over the top of the dead tree) down to where you would look at Typhon, Caligula, Agrippa etc, sprayed with bolts and anchors.

I went back to the car and grabbed my hammer and spanner and started to remove them all and punch most of them in, however the person that has drilled them hasn't drilled the holes deep enough. They're still somewhat hanging out of the ground. Yes the ground, on a slab which you can walk down. Geoff and I pulled about 3 sets of anchors out, and 4 hangers.

Over at the Caligula top out, where I was showing the Californians how to climb through the hidden hole to get to the top of Typhon were also random bolts in walls. I pulled all of these out as well. They were not near any climbs and just in random spots kinda 5-6 meters back from the cliff.

I also pulled the bolts out of the slackfline anchors at the top of Country Road and across to Wicked Solitaire. All 10 of them (except for one which is f---ed up) and none of the holes were deep enough to punch them through. I'll take the grinder up in a few weeks and grind these off, or figure out how to get them out somehow. Geoff and I hit every thread at the base of each bolt with a hammer so that they can't be reused. Geoff was fuming by this stage. I also installed a rap anchor at the top of Country Road about 8 months ago as the trees are starting to disappear making it a little sketchy for Tim Lockwood and I to get down there. They are hidden right over the edge where no-one can see them unless you are rappelling down. Rod and Claw have no issues with these and a multitude of people have used them.

We climbed also at the Horn only to find that some gum nut has basically grid bolted Profanities (17) with bolts right next to perfect gear placements. Geoff and I will possibly chop some of these off. I think there is 10 or 11 in total, when it needs 4-5 at the very most.

The next day on the way to Angels, he ended up walking back out with my Canadian friend Mike, and they saw about 15 bolts on a flat piece of rock which you could walk on with your hands in your pockets and they pulled every one of those out too. If you are friends with Geoff on Facebook, you'll be able to see that Mike has tagged him in a Video where they are about to remove them all.

Is it the Army? Is it a guide? Is it a Uni Club? I don't know. We walked away with pockets of brand new hardware and were kinda bummed out about it. I don't mind people putting in an anchor to save a death march or a dodgy descent, or where there is no natural gear to make an anchor, but I don't know what is happening here.

In speaking with M9 and Claw, we've decided it best to leave the Slackline anchors that go across Crystal Brook as they're no near any climbs and have been responsibly installed and I think we have to share. I guess after I was accused of over-bolting a route earlier in 2017 (4 bolts over 25 metres), I'm trying to do what's best for the future Buffalo users.

I think that people should stay away if they're not ready to get rowdy in the wide and run out on the slabs.

Let me know your thoughts.