What's up with the giant bolts on Lundin?

[Fairweather]

Climbed the west ridge of Lundin Peak on Saturday with my brother. On the way down the normal route we noticed that there are three or four gigantic bolts with aluminum hangars the size of small dinner plates. Looks like they were homemade in a private shop. It's been quite a few years since I've been on this peak, but I don't remember these big ugly monoliths. Did The Mountaineers do this? If so, why? I realize there have been a few fatalities here, but these were spaced just a few feet apart and the climbing is only third or fourth class at the most. Were they put here to support mass-ascent practice climbs?

 

I don't have a strong opinion either way on the Great Bolt Debate, but these ones seemed like overkill, for sure. Regardless, I'm just curious.

 

 

[erik]

some lack of skill mounties pitched off the top and now since they abuse that route with cattle trains they have put the overkill bolts,

 

kinda like on ingalls.

 

 

[ncascademtns]

Did you read the plaque on the slab coming down?

Some guy died there a few year ago and someone came up and put those boat anchors in as a memorial.

Yeah they look bad.

[Gary_Yngve]

I do believe at least one of the plaques was from the WAC.

[chucK]

Those bolts are so crazy. I love how the threads are about five inches out there so there can be a huge lever action on the things. Then they got that bubble gum all over them like that's gonna help .

 

[Off_White]

Oh man, not only are they ugly, they're unsafe to boot. Why exactly would someone do that in a day and age when safe (and camoflaged) bolting gear is so available?

 

I'm no authority on the subject, but this doesn't really sound like an official Mountaineer's type project, but rather some misguided group of individuals who think they're doing a public service.

[dberdinka]

Those have been there for at least 12 years. They should be removed IMHO.

[chucK]

The bubble gum is new.

[Figger_Eight]

dberdinka said:

Those have been there for at least 12 years. They should be removed IMHO.

 

Can it be done without leaving the rock looking like crap? Just wondering.

[Thinker]

Gary_Yngve said:

I do believe at least one of the plaques was from the WAC.

 

 

from web page

Edited September 8, 2003 by Thinker

[Fairweather]

chucK said:

Those bolts are so crazy. I love how the threads are about five inches out there so there can be a huge lever action on the things. Then they got that bubble gum all over them like that's gonna help .

 

 

The bolts there now looked newer...and a LOT bigger. The hangars looke like cheap stamped aluminum, not forged. And the insides of the hangars didn't look like they were polished-out. They looked like they might cut through a sling if weighted and pulled from side to side.

 

Shit! I wish I'd taken a picture.

[mattp]

I have a friend who insists that his own home-made hardware is safer than anything you could buy from Fixe or Metolius. To my eye, his stuff still looks home-made, but it does look as if it is made well. Could it be that somebody who has been installing this stuff on Lundin has a similar misttrust for "production line" gear? If somebody wants to go up there and replace the stuff, I suppose they could put Metolius rap hangers all over the place - I think those would look plenty stout even to my "doubting thomas" friend and it would also satisfy the rest of us who look at anything other than recognizable brand-name climbing equipment with immediate suspicion.

[Greg_W]

Thinker said:

Gary_Yngve said:

I do believe at least one of the plaques was from the WAC.

 

 

from web page

 

What the fuck is that all about? So some dude took the big ride. Do we have to put up plaques and shit? That's worse than the bolts themselves. I could understand some shmoe carving some lame rock and putting it at the base of some chossy shitty crag where some joker killed himself due to his own inexperience, but this takes the cake.