Looking at the Adirondacks from a distance, it’s easy to see how the region’s cliffs and peaks are magnetic to climbers. Yet from a distance, it’s impossible to see the tiny pieces of technology needed to make climbing possible. Most notably, certain types of climbing require the installation of permanent bolts into the rock. During the twentieth century, rock climbing’s popularity skyrocketed, and with it came a new host of hurdles for conservationists. Such controversies still exist. Adirondackers don’t consider climbing a predominant part of outdoor recreation and thus view it as an impediment to the environment. As a result, efforts for climbers to enjoy their sport safely are overlooked. If climbing was more valued and regulations over bolting were more nuanced, the sport could provide a new flux for tourism and culture in the Adirondacks.
In the early days of rock climbing, climbers hammered pitons into the rock to minimize falling distance. Pitons are a relic of the past. Yet they remain on some Adirondack crags: a reminder of the subtly artificial form climbing can take. In sport climbing today, drilling metal bolts into the rock is a common practice to promote safety and efficiency, especially on routes with no natural anchors (like trees or boulders).
Although bolts are never more than a couple of inches in width, the issue surrounding them is nationwide. In protected areas like the Adirondacks, proponents of other types of climbing forcefully remove bolts. In protected areas across the country, climbing is a valuable pillar to outdoor recreational culture, and thus bolts are still legal. However, New York state law prohibits defacing or building on “any tree, flower, shrub, fern, fungi or other plant like organisms, moss or other plant, rock, soil, fossil or mineral or object of archaeological or paleontological interest found or growing on State land.” (Brown) Bolts fall under this domain.
It seems unfair to restrict a one-inch bolt under the same clause that prohibits hundred-foot buildings. Bolts are a necessity for some visitors’ enjoyment of the area and ensure safe recreation. As a sport, climbing is a low-impact activity, but because it contributes relatively little to Adirondack cultures and economies, its value is less than hiking, hunting, or skiing. Creating special regulations for bolts and other climbing infrastructure would increase accessibility, safety, and potential popularity. As one Adirondack climber said during a forum, “Climbing is a viable wilderness usage in Yosemite, and it should be considered viable in the Adirondacks.” (“DEC responds to climbers’ concerns over access”)
Works Cited
Brown, Phil. “Phil Brown on Climbing: To Bolt Or Not To Bolt.” Adirondack Almanack, 10 May 2010, https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2010/05/phil-brown-on-climbing-to-bolt-or-not-to-bolt.html. Accessed 14 November 2021.
“DEC responds to climbers’ concerns over access.” Adirondack Explorer, 10 July 2018, https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/outtakes/dec-rock-climbing-access-adirondacks. Accessed 14 November 2021.
“File:Climbing bolt with waterpipe close view.JPG.” Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. 29 Aug 2020, 16:39 UTC. 14 Nov 2021, 22:19 <https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Climbing_bolt_with_waterpipe_close_view.JPG&oldid=444975390>.
I have never considered climbing bolts being restricted in the park, and now that I am, I am not surprised because the climbing community is so small relative to other recreational activities. I wonder if the addition of bolts would really promote the climbing community or whether it would just change the type of climbing climbers are using? Would the increase in climbers further disrupt issues with conservation as well as just overcrowding the high peak areas? It does seem sort of pointless to have a restriction that is meant for buildings and other bigger structures on something like a tiny bolt. In reality though, the bolt comes with a variety of other issues surrounding the park as a whole.
This was a very interesting topic to blog about. I rarely think of something as small as a bolt affecting the public policy of the Adirondacks. Something I am curious about though, is how has the sport of climbing affected this region in the past to make the government significantly want to enforce this law? Was there an incident of a certain area being destroyed, a little too much by these bolts and climbers?