Home > Fixed Protection

Fixed Protection

One fact became blatantly obvious to me as I checked out some of the crags contained in this guide: much of the fixed protection in the Sydney region is in notoriously bad shape.

There are reasons for this, of course: much of it was placed 20 or more years ago using outdated techniques and materials; the sea is never too far away so much of it has been exposed to years in a highly corrosive environment. And of course there is the rock itself, much of which is highly porous and tends towards the soft end of the spectrum (particularly on the sea cliffs), making even the most perfectly placed bolt less than secure.

The lesson?

Exercise extreme caution when using any of the fixed protection found anywhere in the Sydney region. In particular, keep an eye out for the following things (all of which I have seen at various crags about the place):

Rusty bolts and pitons.
Cracked or flaky bolts.
Bolts that droop.
Bolts that stick out from the rock.
Routes where some of the bolts have fallen out.
Rust streaks running down the rock below a bolt.
Bolts that are deformed (eg. bent hangers, dented bolt heads etc.). Vandals are active at some of the crags included in this guide.
Bolts that are loose in any way (including those that can be twisted).
Bolts that have a hole that, at the surface of the rock, is larger than the shaft of the bolt.
Bolts with a bit of shoelace or tat hanging out of the hole (don't ask what this means!).
Ring bolts whose welded join is cracked or has come apart.
Rock that is cracked or loose near a bolt.
Fixed slings.

Yeah, a lot of this is common sense, but the Sydney region seems to have been "blessed" with more than it's fair share of crappy, manky ironmongery. Take care!!

If you plan on placing fixed protection:

Don't retrobolt! Retrobolting is the act of adding fixed protection to a climb that has previously been climbed without it. Recent events (Queen's Park and Earlwood in particular) have demonstrated that the Sydney climbing community does not approve of retrobolting.
On the other hand, rebolting (the 1-for-1 replacement of existing, dangerous fixed protection with new fixed protection) is usually considered acceptable, provided installation of fixed protection at the crag is legal. It would be a good idea to contact the first ascentionist (if possible) before rebolting a route.
Get in touch with the Rebolting Fund. They organise rebolting efforts at various crags (in both the Blue Mountains and Sydney), and provide funding and support for people involved in rebolting efforts.
Don't place anything unless you are experienced and have received formal training.
Use only high quality (A4-70 or A4-80 grade) stainless steel.
Use bolts with a shaft diameter of at least 10mm (this includes BRs, FHs and RBs).
Place all bolts at least 90mm into the rock.
Glue all bolts into the rock. The glue must be designed for anchoring in stone and exceed the relevant standards for rock anchors (including EN959 and UIAA123). Epoxy adhesives should be used to maximise the possible strength of the anchor.
The shafts of all bolts should be threaded along their entire length, to ensure a strong bond between the glue and the bolt.
BRs should be hex headed, between 15mm and 17mm across the flat sides of the head.
BRs with 17mm heads should have their corners rounded off to ensure all brands of bolt bracket fit onto them properly. Do NOT round off 15mm headed bolts, since it then becomes possible for bolt plates to fall off.
FHs should have the same grade stainless steel for both the bolt and the hanger (to minimise galvanic action).
In a FH, the hanger is the weakest part of the anchor, so they must not be placed in a location where large tensile forces could be applied.
Only use RBs that have been professionally manufactured. It is notoriously difficult to weld stainless steel properly!
Don't place expansion bolts - they aren't suitable for use in Sydney sandstone and are also more prone to salt corrosion than glued in bolts (see this article for details).
Don't place cold shuts (a type of lower off common in the US).
If rebolting an existing route, place the new bolts at least 100mm away from the existing bolts (to avoid overlapping shatter cones).
The two shafts of a U-bolt must be at least 45mm apart from one another.
Double U-bolts placed close to each other and used as a lower off or belay anchor should be spaced approximately 200mm apart. This is due to the large impact they have on the surrounding rock.

You should also read and fully understand the various studies that have been performed on the characteristics and performance of rock anchors. Some examples are:

The Strength and Reliability of Chemically Bonded Rock Climbing Anchors In Sandstone (2003), Stephen Hawkshaw's honours thesis. Stephen is a local Sydney climber so his findings are particularly relevant to the placement of fixed protection in the Sydney region. Many of the guidelines listed above are based on his research.
Soft Sandstone Rock Anchor Testing at Swinburne (2000), research conducted by Alan Jarvis and Joffrey Hyman in South Africa.

These guidelines are by no means complete, and will not guarantee that any fixed protection you place will be safe. If you are seriously thinking about placing fixed protection, do everyone a favour and make sure you know what you're doing before you start. There are numerous pitfalls (some obvious, some subtle) when installing bolts, and a mistake could seriously injure or kill you or your friends.