At Patapsco Valley State Park, new anchor bolts have been added to Friction Wall’s main attraction, “The Truth” aka “40 Weight”.
A typical vertical anchor setup using 2 bolts and chain fit well into the limited space. Normal practice is to use the heavy duty rap ring for rappelling only. Please use your own carabiners and slings to set your own top-rope system directly off the bolts to prevent wear on the rappel ring. For people that are not familiar with Friction Wall, it is not advised to access these bolts from the top without the use of a rope.
As we mentioned earlier, a MAC crag steward discovered that these anchor bolts had been chopped. We never heard from the party responsible, but the existence of new holes below suggest that the intent was to replace them. Unfortunately, these holes were not perpendicular with the rock surface but instead parallel to the ground, making them unsuitable for use. While we appreciate this party’s likely good intent behind this effort, we strongly encourage climbers to contact us if they have a concern about any bolts in our area. Please feel free to contact us at info@midatlanticclimbers.org if you have questions about bolting, see bolts in need of replacement, or want to raise awareness about a bolting issue at a local crag.
More bolt replacements at Friction Wall will likely come later this year, via local climbers with experience in removing and replacing bolts.
Mike
Climbed this route today. Really appreciate the new anchor bolts. Thanks a lot!