kleinmond bolt status?

[funnyvoice007]

Hi

We planning on going to kleinmond this weekend. We wondering what is the status of the bolts there? Reading of bolt failure ...

[Thermophage]

Mostly fine. The bolt failure was the crux bolt on a 30(?). So was taking repeated falls.
However, as the crag it close to the ocean, just make sure to check before climbing, but most of the stuff I climbed (in the up to 22 range) looked fine on the surface (never really know about inside )...but it's unlikely that 2 fail on the same fall

[tygereye]

The last time we were at Lower Tier, the bolts were very dodgy-looking. The Middle and upper bits (Zucchini; Runaway etc) are all fine. Beware of the bolts on the 28 and 30 at Coffee Break Area, which are on the cards for being rebolted.

[SBern]

Was there over the last few days, I climbed at Arete area and Middle Tier. There were new bolts on the arete area and the bolts I spotted looked great, however the Middle tier had some very suspect bolts that I even stayed away from. Enjoy!

[Warren G]

Hi Folks! as was stated previously we are in the process of rebolting Kleimond, and I am wanting to head out there next weekend accordingly. If anyone is keen to help please email me on warren@rammountain.co.za

There are about 40 routes in the area, and about half have been rebolted. By this maths we would be able to finish the job in about 4 days- depending on how many people help. I do have contact details of people who have already raised their hands to help.

Thanks

Warren

[Ghaznavid]

most of the stuff I climbed (in the up to 22 range) looked fine on the surface (never really know about inside )

Ok - really off topic and probably the height of obvious questions, but when I was climbing at Rumdoodle crag (Kloof Gorge) a week ago, and I noticed that the bolts on the route "Impossible Slab" seem to be rusted. The route is a 12 that I think is substantially harder than the 13 next to it, yes I know a 12 isn't "hard" for most climbers, but I'm not a great climber

The hanger itself looks fine, but the bolt looks badly rusted. Would I be correct in saying that you should not climb a route with any sign of rust on the bolts?

The specific bolt in question is also on the crux move - the placement annoyed me, the draw goes in on a narrow ledge that you end up standing on straight before the crux move. 5cm lower or 1m higher and it wouldn't be in the way, would still be easy to reach though.

[NatureBoi]

most of the stuff I climbed (in the up to 22 range) looked fine on the surface (never really know about inside )

Ok - really off topic and probably the height of obvious questions, but when I was climbing at Rumdoodle crag (Kloof Gorge) a week ago, and I noticed that the bolts on the route "Impossible Slab" seem to be rusted. The route is a 12 that I think is substantially harder than the 13 next to it, yes I know a 12 isn't "hard" for most climbers, but I'm not a great climber

The hanger itself looks fine, but the bolt looks badly rusted. Would I be correct in saying that you should not climb a route with any sign of rust on the bolts?

The specific bolt in question is also on the crux move - the placement annoyed me, the draw goes in on a narrow ledge that you end up standing on straight before the crux move. lower or 1m higher and it wouldn't be in the way, would still be easy to reach though.

It could be just surface rust or not! I do not know where Kloof Gorge is, but expect corrosion to be higher at crags near coastlines.
If the bolt in question did not have a stamp (letter or numeral) on the head end then it is prob a Upat bolt and definitely needs to be avoided.
Upat threads are cut on a lathe.
Hilti/ Fisher bolts are rolled threads
If you don't trust the bolt don't climb on it your life is worth more.

[justin]

Just in case anyone forgot about the most recent bolt failure at Kleinmond: Alan was the 3rd person to try Percolator (30) for the day and after he took two foot fall, the crux bolt failed- Scary stuff! His belayer (Llewelyn - who suffered a bad rope burn) by catching this unexpected fall.

Bolt failure at Kleinmond

The bolt in the image below was caused by Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC). Very little of the cross sectional area is left as a result of the SCC.
Please treat all express anchors at coastal crags and Oudtshoorn with caution.

It could be just surface rust or not!
If the bolt in question did not have a stamp (letter or numeral) on the head end then it is prob a Upat bolt and definitely needs to be avoided.
Upat threads are cut on a lathe (BAD)
Hilti/ Fisher bolts are rolled threads (GOOD)
If you don't trust the bolt don't climb on it your life is worth more

[Warren G]

That route left of Impossible Slab is mine (Sans Gans), which I bolted in summer 2008/9, and so the bolts should look good still. I wouldn't think Rumdoodle is coastal enough to be impacted by that, however being Durban it is highly humid for most of the year, and that crag stays damp a while. I know Gerald Camp was doing some rebolting over the same period, but I can't recall if it was gluein or not.

I hate to repeat myself but as someone who has climbed most of the popular areas of the country over the last 18 months Durban and surrounds is in a far greater need for rebolting than anywhere else I have seen. I am out of the loop, but from what I gather there is no activity happening in this regard and with all those schools using the Kloof crags it is an accident waiting to happen. Dave Drummond was also rebolting and managing the bolting fund, but the other locals need to get involved- the UKZN club has a drill, and crags like Rumdoodle, Boneyard, Canyon, Mag wall and Lab have easy access to the top. The big drama will be rebolting Wave Cave, and that can't be too far away either. My guess is Durban has over 500 bolts needing replacement.

now that you have completely distracted this thread, please create another, and for the rest of you please come help next weekend in Kleinmond!

[Ghaznavid]

That route left of Impossible Slab is mine (Sans Gans)

I have done that route 3 times, its a nice line I might give it a shot on trad some time.

Ok - last comment off topic

[Warren G]

We will be heading out to Kleinmond this Saturday for rebolting. If you are keen and available, please get hold of me as we need to know numbers. sales@rammountain.co.za, or 083 264 9064. Sounds like we have secured a second drill, meaning we should make big progress this weekend.

If Sunday works better for you, and there are enough people I would be keen to go out again, but again, please give me a heads up.

This bolting is organized and sponsored by MCSA's Anchor Replacement Fund. Please get involved!

[justin]

How did it go Warren?

[Warren G]

Thanks for asking Justin, this is an extract from an email I just sent to the Rock Subcom:

Yesterday Cormac and I did a count of how many routes need to be rebolted, and where. We knew that there are 40 (proper) routes in the area, and many had been rebolted already. The top tier requires another 48 to 50 bolts, the middle tier also needs about 50-52 bolts, and none of the lowest tier have been replaced, so that is about 16-20 needed.

I have spent 3 days out there rebolting, and have managed to drill 19.5 holes. Yesterday we placed 9 glue in bolts and one set of chains, resulting in the most productive day out so far, but the maths of the situation makes for grim reading: roughly 5 holes per battery, with only one battery per drill means about half a route gets drilled per outing. Yesterday we had two drills, allowing us 10.5 holes ( one of which was replacing the failed bolt on Percolator). I had hoped to finish this job before my Gravity Rally on the second weekend of August, but that is mathematically impossible even if I spent every weekend day there drilling I would only place a further 40 holes.

[justin]

Thanks Warren and Cormac for the effort!!

Pity to hear that no one else was able to help out on the day.
I didn't think that the rock was so hard at Kleinmond! I guess the 12mm holes uses more battery.

[NatureBoi]

Andy agrees, rock is hard!

[Ghaznavid]

Nice work guys

[Russell Warren]

Hi Warren

What type of drill are you using? I spent quite a bit of time bolting at Kleinmond with the Bosch Rockmuncher and I don't recall having that problem. A team of 2 or 3 people could normally get about 3 or 4 routes done per day. I must say that I started with a Hilti TE2A drill and that did not have the capacity to deal with 12mm holes. Do you have a battery powered angle grinder to chop the old bolts. That also makes life quite a bit easier. I had 3 batteries for the Bosch and recall getting about 10-12 holes per battery. Justin don't you have the Bosch. Have you drilled 12mm holes with it? If so how many holes do you get per charge?

Do the MCSA still have a drill or is this the drill you are using at the moment? As far as I know there is a spare battery for the MCSA drill. Andy correct me if I am wrong please.

Regards

Russell Warren

[NatureBoi]

Yo! I was with Warren,
Makita 24V (MCSA, no longer 2 batteries) and deWalt 24V; 1 battery per drill
12mm holes 90mm deep
Angle grinder- 2 batteries
I have used the deWalt in Truit. got about 10-12 10mm holes, I suspect rock just hard. Also to glue correctly holes need to be chamfered, all adds up I guess, was also v. cold on day (not sure if that could affect performance too)
Cheers
Cormac

[justin]

Yes, I've got a Bosch GBH 36 V-LI

Friends have commented that the 36V is a lot more powerful than the 24V.
With a sharp bit I think I get around +-20 holes in Montagu (that is drilling 10mm holes 90mm deep). To the best of my knowledge the rock in Montagu is harder than Kleinmond due to the quartzite).
The nice thing with a 36V is the speed and ease at which you can drill, on the downside, its a heavier drill.

Russel, I have only drilled two 12mm holes in rock and both were by accident (due to bit mix-up's), so I can't really comment there.

[NatureBoi]

Justin, can we use your drill at the next ARF meet at Kleinmond?
Cheers
Cormac

[justin]

The answer is unfortunately no.

I do not loan my drill out. If something goes wrong (be it through human error or mechanical failure) no one is going to cough up +-R6500 to replace it.
Yes I could come through to Kleinmond, but I am behind with my re-bolting in Montagu and I would rather put my efforts in at Montagu to replace bolts + fuel for one person driving 2 hours to Kleinmond and back.

The best bet to increase battery power, depending on the charge left in the existing batteries (which does not sound like a lot) - would be to hook the drills up to other batteries (alarm batteries are usually used). This provides more battery power and cheap battery replacements.

Lot of instructions on the web to show you how to wire it up - Don't Throw it in the landfill: "How to Repair A Cordless Drill With Broken Or Missing Battery For about $3 (or less)"

Justin

[justin]

Drill battery replacement