Stefan Creaser said:
>>3. I think my concern is that the large number of bolts that
could suddenly appear in a scenic cave.
>3) Probably not, there would be plenty of stuff to tie the ropes too
Actually that's not always true. In fact these days with
European style rigging and thinner ropes it's not even usually
true. More often than not a rig point that will provide a free hang
down a pit does not exist naturally, so bolts are common. Bolt
proliferation by cavers can certainly be a problem, which is why a
lot of caves are now rigged with stainless steel hardware that lasts
for years and can be cautiously trusted by all cavers, not just the
ones who placed them. In Europe it is common for clubs to maintain
the bolts in popular caves precisely to prevent each visitor from
being tempted to install his/her own. Glue-in bolts seem to be
preferred for those applications.
David Locklear said:
>>7. I think it should be also noted, that rock-climbers try to
use as few bolts as possible, and that cavers who are doing something
called "bolt-climbing," use 3 or 4 times as many bolts on a route up a wall.
A good caver bolt climber will not use any more bolts than a
good rock climber. Bolts are time and money. Caver climbers use a
lot of the same aids that rock climbers use, like chocks and cams,
where appropriate. The problem in caves is that conditions are often
not conducive to these more environmentally friendly aids. We cavers
have to deal with things like mud, water and flowstone, which are not
usually an issue outside. There's also a philosophical
difference. For rock climbers the climb itself is the whole point,
while for cavers getting to whatever passage is at the top is the
point. In that respect caver climbers may be more cautious, and less
concerned about finesse.
Mark Minton
You may reply to mmin...@caver.net
Permanent email address is mmin...@illinoisalumni.org
