{"id":54435,"date":"2019-05-23T08:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=54435"},"modified":"2023-05-18T17:38:49","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T00:38:49","slug":"what-it-takes-to-develop-a-new-climbing-route","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/what-it-takes-to-develop-a-new-climbing-route","title":{"rendered":"What It Takes To Develop A New Climbing Route"},"content":{"rendered":"

As you\u2019re clipping a bolt on a climbing route, enjoying the moves and the view from up high, have you ever wondered about the person who put those bolts there? Or maybe you\u2019ve questioned why they put the bolts where they did? What does it take to turn an unclimbed piece of stone into a classic climb? With well over 100 first ascents under my belt, most of which were bolted sport climbs, I\u2019ve put in my fair share of work to create new routes. Here are the basics of how it happens.<\/p>\n

The Vision<\/b><\/h4>\n

In the beginning, a route starts as an idea in the head of a climber, who looked up at a line and envisioned what it could be if it were cleaned, bolted and climbed. Before bolting, it\u2019s important to check with local land managers, climbing organizations and the Access Fund to make sure new routes are allowed in the area, as regulations are specific to different locations. For example, power drills are not allowed in wilderness areas, but bolts can be placed by hand on these cliffs. And many climbing areas on U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land don\u2019t have specific regulations around bolting, but this can vary by area and it\u2019s the developer\u2019s responsibility to know what\u2019s acceptable\u2014or they could easily create a situation that could endanger future climbing access. Assuming there are no access issues with the area, and they know the regulations regarding what kind of public land their potential route is on, the hard work then begins.<\/p>\n

The Labor<\/b><\/h4>\n

The developer then loads up their pack with all the essentials of route development: a cordless hammer drill, wall hammer, bolts, hangers, wrenches, a blow tube, brushes, a rope, harness, a rack of climbing gear, GRIGRI, ascenders, aiders, quickdraws, cams, slings, water, helmet, climbing shoes, static rope, the kitchen sink and more. Then they hike with their pack\u2014probably bulging at the seams\u2014to the top of the cliff. Sometimes this might be a nice, flat area that leads to the edge of the crag, but more often than not, it involves some sketchy third-class climbing, made even more treacherous by the 60-odd pounds of gear they\u2019re carrying on their back.<\/p>\n

After gaining their bearings at the top of the cliff and hoping they\u2019re close to the line they had spied, they set up a rappel to lower down for a closer look at the rock face. If they\u2019re lucky, they\u2019d be close to the line and can carry on with the next step. If not, they\u2019ll have to ascend the fixed line they rigged and try again.<\/p>\n

Then comes the part that\u2019s still hard work, but more fun: They get to put in an anchor and lower down onto their potential line to clean it of loose rock, scrub the holds free of dirt and debris, and figure out where to put the bolts. Route developers are typically experienced climbers who have climbed extensively across the country and often the world. It requires knowledge and experience from countless ascents, and a strong understanding of what makes for a good route, what makes for a poor route, and how to tell between the two. It\u2019s not a good idea for newer climbers.<\/p>\n

\"The

The author, cleaning a new route near Redstone, Colo. Photo credit: Ben Frye.<\/p><\/div>\n

What Makes A Good Route<\/b><\/h4>\n

A quality climbing route needs to be an independent line, not too close to existing lines\u2014that\u2019s called a \u201csqueeze job.\u201d And it must be on high-quality rock that\u2019s well protected by the standards of the area. In some places that will mean the bolts are relatively close together, but in others it could mean longer distances between them. Of course, with enough cleaning, prying and hammering, nearly any rock is climbable; but the best lines follow the cleanest, most solid rock. There have been times when developers have crossed the line from route creation to route manufacturing through tactics like chipping or creating holds, which is generally frowned upon, as it\u2019s no longer accepting the challenge that the natural rock presents and will change the cliff forever.<\/p>\n

Working Out The Moves<\/b><\/h4>\n

After the route is cleaned up a bit, the developer figures out the sequences\u2014the best way up the route\u2014and places the bolts. This is typically done solo, as it\u2019s not much fun to hang out at the base of a cliff while your buddy above you trundles\u2014pushes or pulls\u2014off loose rocks and dirt. This means the developers are rope soloing\u2014climbing on a fixed rope with a device like the Petzl Micro Traxion, which catches them if they fall\u2014dialing in the moves, with no one for company but the lizards scampering across the cliff. Once they figure out where the best rock is for the bolt placements, they drill a hole and pound in the bolt, tighten it to proper specs, and repeat this process until all the hardware is installed.<\/p>\n

The First Ascent<\/b><\/h4>\n

Finally, it\u2019s time for the most fun part. The developer will come back with a partner and attempt the first ascent. If it\u2019s a route well within their ability level, they might send it on the first go, since they know a lot of the beta from working on it. If it\u2019s harder, it could take anywhere from a couple tries to maybe even up to a year to get it done. As a side note: It\u2019s generally considered bad form to climb on<\/a> someone else\u2019s route and nab the first ascent before they do. They put all the work in, paid for the hardware and cleaned it up, so most climbers understand that the developer should be given a fair chance to climb it first. Most developers will mark their climbs that are in progress with some kind of tag on the first bolt, historically a red one; so if you see this and wonder what\u2019s up, please don\u2019t climb the route, as it\u2019s not yet ready for the masses.<\/p>\n

If all goes well, and they successfully complete the first ascent, the route is then opened up to the public. They might keep it to themselves for a while, or they might share it via word of mouth to the local community, or maybe even post it on Mountain Project. Eventually, it will become something many people can enjoy.<\/p>\n

Route development is hard work\u2014really hard work\u2014and takes the place of a day that could otherwise have been spent simply enjoying climbing on a previously developed route. So if you happen to meet a route developer, be sure to thank them. They probably aren\u2019t looking for glory or fame, but a simple thank you goes a long way to keeping them stoked to continue growing the climbing opportunities in your area.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As you\u2019re clipping a bolt on a climbing route, enjoying the moves and the view from up high, have you ever wondered about the person who put those bolts there? Or maybe you\u2019ve questioned why they put the bolts where they did? What does it take to turn an unclimbed piece of stone into a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":54453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[800,801,352,727,442],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-54435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climb","tag-access","tag-access-fund","tag-climb","tag-latest-posts","tag-rock-climbing"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/climb\/what-it-takes-to-develop-a-new-climbing-route","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"What It Takes To Develop A New Climbing Route","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/what-it-takes-to-develop-a-new-climbing-route","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/what-it-takes-to-develop-a-new-climbing-route"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/Developing-A-Climbing-Route.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/Developing-A-Climbing-Route.jpg?fit=2000%2C1001"},"articleSection":"Climb","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["access","access fund","climb","latest posts","rock climbing"],"dateCreated":"2019-05-23T15:00:15Z","datePublished":"2019-05-23T15:00:15Z","dateModified":"2023-05-19T00:38:49Z"},"rendered":"