The anchors to the first pitch of Jovian Thunderbolt at Paarl are bad. The system involves two anchors in line with each other with 6 mm d shackles attached to hangers. The anchors are approximately 50 cm apart with a quartzitic ridge between the anchors. Thus if you want the comfort of lowering off two anchors (highly advisable considering the recent incident of bolt failure) you have the following options - 1. thread your rope through the D shackles thereby seriously kinking your rope and giving it a thorough grinding from the quartzitic ridge or 2. thread your rope through the one shackle and backing that up by way a sling clipped to the other anchor. Unfortunately the last option involves abandoning at least R100 worth of gear. I have made a decision to avoid all routes opened by these guys as there is no way I can afford to loose R100 per pitch every time I climb one of their routes. I also do not think this is an isolated case as people coming off Sands of Time told us that they also had to abondon gear at the lower off anchors on that route.

The anchors sound totally bogus!! Cheapskates!!! Bl&%dy would be murderers more like it! Everyone who bolts please use only anchors designed specifically for the purpose and made by a recognised manufacturer of climbing equipment. Also the only bolts to be placed from now on are the HILTI stud anchors (ref: the \"This is Scary\" thread on this forum.)

Stu - (The cheapskate bad bolter)
Ok, wow, where did this come from. I have heard from several experienced climbers that they feel that the routes are well bolted. The shackles (8mm, not 6mm) on the route were a way for me to get down the routes when bolting, not meant as lower off anchors. the routes are not straight, especially Sands Of Time, that route will almost guarantee your rope getting stuck if you ab down, WALK DOWN idiot, it's quicker!!!. If you don't feel you can climb a route, DON'T GO UP IT!!! They are multi-pitch meaning that you can not always abseil back down the way you came!!!! I asked an MSCA member whether I should bother putting in chains to accomodate scardy cats like yourself and he said don't bother. Those routes cost alot of money and we did not skimp on any of the gear. You will notice on some of the shorter routes and all of the single pitch routes that they offer chains. if you are going to bad mouth other peoples efforts at least get your facts straight!!!! lastly all the hangers are Sky hangers, so unless derek has made a bad batch of hangers these are perfectly safe. Gri-gri you should know better than to take things for fact without having checked them out yourself. An annoyed bolter

Yes it's me again. Forgot to ask you where the quartzite ridge is that runs through the two anchors. The quartzite ridge is below you that you stand on with your feet, it doesn't run between the bolts.

Glad to hear these were not intended as lower offs! Nothing will entice me to climb local granite so checking them out probably would never happen. Im just on a mission to get everyone to use quality gear. Accusations of attempted murder officially withdrawn!

Hi Stu. Notice I did not slay your routes - just the lower offs. Your efforts at developing Paarl are amazing and the routes are great. I went to the crag wanting to just do the first pitch of the routes (reason being that I go climbing with my family and do not feel inclined to abandon my daughter). Being multi-pitch sport routes I had assumed that they would be equipped with lower offs at the end of each pitch, which in my experience is associated with sport routes (and which is the way Burnt by the Sun was developed - this being a multi-pitch sport route I put up with Microbe in Montagu). Also the route descriptions both in SA Mountain Mag and the new guidebook do not give an indication that the situation is otherwise. In fact they hav bold double x's at the end of each point which in every guidebook I have come across means lower offs. Having read your response, I now know how you have designed the routes. Maybe you should warn people that these routes are not designed to rap off them. Having said this I think you would add to the quality of the routes by placing bomber rap points at the anchor points.

ps Stu. I think you deserve hero status for your efforts.

ps ps Stu. Quartzitic ridge is probably the wromg term. It is more of a seam, but definitely different to one below the anchors.

Funny - there are never any complaints about top anchors on trad routes. Supose the expectations are less.

Hi Derek. Expectations are different

Hey Paddy, I take your point about only wanting to do the first pitch. Sands of Time involves a long traverse so would be impossible to abseil back down after the third pitch unless you down climb or use the last pitch of The Ring Route. Scorched Earth ha

Something went wrong with the first post so here it is again. I take your point about only wanting to do the first pitch. Sands of Time involves a long traverse so would be impossible to abseil back down after the third pitch unless you down climb or use

grigri, always got a comment eh? always too quick to throw a dagger. I'm sick of hearing your HILTI story now.

Ok one more time. Hey Paddy, I take your point about only wanting to do the first pitch. Sands of Time involves a long traverse so would be impossible to abseil back down after the third pitch unless you down climb or use the last pitch of The Ring Route (can be done). The Scorched Earth has one ring on the first and second pitch (will make that two as those are cool pitches, well bolted as well!!) as after the traverse you are pretty well committed. Jovian Thunderbolts you could abseil down without too much hassle, so I will invest some rings and make all of the routes as 'abseil friendly' as possible. I appreciate the comments on the routes, as you know sometimes the rock dictates the line of the route and not the climber. maybe the next time you go out, things will be 'sportier'. Hope this goes through.

My comment came from a crusty day and got more attention than it deserved.

nothing like a good row to blow away the cobwebs (No-not boating silly)