Bolt Warning

As you probably know by now, the original stainless steel bolts that were used couldn’t stand up to the harsh marine environment on the Brac.  In November of 2000 a small team of people blitzed the island with new titanium glue-in Tortuga bolts from Ushba Mountaineering (See www.ushba.com for details). These bolts were developed specifically for marine environments and should provide safe climbing for decades to come.  As of this writing there are 46 rebolted routes of every grade at 7 areas.
DO NOT trust any of the old bolts you encounter on the island.  They may not look bad, but can fail without warning under less than body weight.  The only safe bolts on the island are the new Tortuga glue-ins.
If you are considering creating new routes, use Tortugas and let us know in advance.  Some specialized tools such as a glue gun and bits may be available, and we have lots of experience and advice on installation.
A “Ti” in the route description means this route has Titanium Tortuga bolts.
A “C” in the route description means the old bolts have been Cleaned from the route.  Feel free to clean any old bolts from climbs that have been rebolted, taking great care not to damage the new bolts in the process.   If it doesn’t break off in your hand, bolts can usually be cleaned by removing the nut and hanger and then whacking the stud up and down a few times with a hammer.  There is a wrench and hammer in the shed at Bluff View for this purpose.
A “T” in the route description indicates the route area has been Tagged with a yellow marker displayed in an obvious place to help orient climbers at the Point climbing areas.  

Posted in: Bolt Warning