Bolting and Revolting

The snow gods of the northeast have been pleased this season. Yes, yes, it has been a week since my last blog post, but I've been working hard, and playing harder. Each day after cruising the slopes, I have tried to find time to cruise the internet too. Here's a cool site that I found through a climbing buddy of mine.




Climberism.com
This site dons the motto "Feeding Climber Addiction." It is a particular interest to me because the site is based out of Vermont and put together by climbers of the northeast. While many of the articles pertain to northeastern climbing, the climb crew does travel and report from a variety of locations around the world. Set up in a blog-style format, the articles feature product reviews, climbing news, and competition updates. Climberism.com has awesome videos, and even a "Chicks on Crag" section. And who doesn't love free stuff? In addition to free stickers, you can subscribe to Climberism's free online magazine. Check it out on Facebook or visit the site to feed your addiction.

The first article that really caught my eye on Climberism.com was about the regulation of bolting in national parks. In the next month or two, parks plan to make climbers jump through hoops of permits for the placement of new bolts. The way I look at it, there are pros and cons to these new policies. On the positive side, parks are recognizing sport climbing as an acceptable activity, and admitting that it does not have a negative impact on the wilderness. It seems that bolts will be regularly inspected, maintained, and replaced when necessary. And less experienced route-setters can't just set bolts willy-nilly (is that a real issue right now, though?) But will climbing progression in national parks slow down because of this? What will this mean for trad climbers and first-ascenters?

How will this affect you? Tell me what you think! Let your local national parks know how you feel about these new regulations. Check out Climberism.com, subscribe to the zine, and get active in your climbing community. More importantly, subscribe to Kim In A Kayak and check back frequently! And as always, never stop moving!