Spokane-area climbing nonprofit adds bad bolt reporting form

The region’s nonprofit climbing advocacy group has launched a new reporting system aimed at spotting and replacing aged climbing bolts.

“Kind of the state of Spokane routes. All these routes were put up in the ’90s. They are all awesome routes and the developers did a good job, but the hardware they used 30 years later has reached the end of its lifespan,” said Zach Turner, the vice president of the Bower Climbing Coalition.

When the routes in the Spokane area were first bolted, climbing was a fringe activity. Now it’s more mainstream with participation growing each year.

The BCC formed in 2016 in honor of Andrew Bower, a local climber who died while replacing aging bolts at the Dishman Hills climbing area. Since the group’s inception, the BCC has replaced hundreds of bolts throughout the region.

The bolt reporting form opened to the public about a week ago, Turner said and already has 12 reports. Prior to the reporting tool, Turner said the BCC heard about bad bolts randomly.

“That kind of gives us a constant stream of work to do,” he said. “Because we have this log of routes that we know need work. That will be our priority coming into spring responding to what the community wants.”

Turner also points out that the BCC can provide bolts and gear for people who are developing new routes.

“That’s not something that people take advantage of often,” he said. “But if they need a box of bolts, that is something we can help them with.”