Have you ever clipped a bolt, rappelled from a bolted anchor, or even had a loved one attend a climbing activity that involved ropes? Chances are, they relied on bolts at some point during their climbing experience.

One important facet of the Carolina Climbers Coalition’s stewardship work is bolt replacement and maintenance. On various lands where climbing is permissible in the Carolinas, bolts are used as a last resort to make an ascent safer or make a descent feasible. Mechanical non-stainless steel bolts tend to rust, and their holding power can diminish if the bolt is made of a degradable metal. Thankfully, CCC organizes volunteers and disceminates proper equipment for bolt replacement throughout the Carolinas and beyond.

At the CCC, our volunteer bolt replacers attempt to remove the old bolt and replace it with a stainless steel bolt in the same hole. That new stainless steel bolt, if placed in good rock, will last generations without compromising its strength. The CCC and our bolt-replacing volunteers average 150 replaced bolts per year, but our work is nowhere near complete. Bolts and fixed anchors date back to the 1950’s in the Carolinas, yet more sustainable stainless steel was not prevalent in climbing bolts until the turn of the 21st century. We have our work cut out for us, but many hands make light work.

Will you help by donating to the rebolting campaign? Go to tinyurl.com/NewBolts to make a charitable donation to our rebolting fund and help us upgrade the Carolinas to stainless steel!