First Ascentionist Pushes Back on Heavy Retrobolting of Snake Dike

A climber and guidebook author, Eric Sloan, shared on Mountain Project that he added bolts to Snake Dike, the iconic eight-pitch 5.7 on Half Dome in Yosemite. The route is one of the most famous slab climbs in the Valley and was known for its long runouts between protection bolts.

It was first climbed in 1965 by Eric Beck, Jim Bridwell, and Chris Fredericks. At the time, the team established the route with very limited fixed protection, single belay bolts and just a couple of protection bolts across the entire line. The climb was done as a fast, single-day ascent from the Valley.

Beck has long said the minimal protection on Snake Dike reflected uncertainty about the route and the limited gear they had on the first ascent. According to Beck, early retrobolting by Steve Roper doubled belay bolts and added limited protection. Even with those additional bolts, he later encouraged others to add some bolts to make the climb even safer.

However, he just expressed concern that recent changes may have gone far beyond what he originally intended for the route.

Yosemite Climbing Association newsletter editor Miles Fullman reached out to Beck to ask for his perspective. “Even the most beginner beginner doesn’t need that many bolts,” Beck told Fullman. “The first ascent was done round trip in a day from the Valley and we put in single belay bolts, two protection bolts, and one off-route bolt where we tried to go up and right but changed our minds.”

When Fullman raised the extent of recent retrobolting, Beck responded: “I don’t like what you’ve told me one bit. Whether it should be ripped out or not I don’t know—that leaves a mess.” Fullman noted that Beck sounded pained by the amount of impact to the rock, adding that if any bolts were to be removed, it should be done by someone experienced enough to appropriately patch the rock without causing further damage.

So how many bolts were added? To quote Fullman: “After a few friends of mine climbed the route on Sunday June 7th, they returned to the Valley to report exactly how many bolts Sloan had added to the route: six bolts on the first pitch, several on the second pitch and nearly a dozen bolts on the third pitch for a whopping total of thirteen bolts on the pitch. There had only been two protection bolts and a midway anchor on the pitch previously.”

Beck also added: “A couple years ago I was speaking at Oakdale and I put in a plug for more bolts on the route, but I never imagined that anyone would do what Sloan has just done.”

The post First Ascentionist Pushes Back on Heavy Retrobolting of Snake Dike appeared first on Gripped Magazine.