Despite San Diegos idyllic climate, the bolts and anchors that keep us off the deck on our favorite routes still rust, wear, and need continual replacement. Most of San Diegos iconic climbing areas were established in excess of 30 years ago and are due for hardware replacement from age and climber traffic. ACSD does not replace climbing anchors for insurance and liability reasons, but we do partner with the American Safe Climbing Association (ASCA) and trusted community members to facilitate the bolt replacement process.
Please keep in mind every climber is responsible for their own safety on the sharp end. If you need help identifying unsafe hardware, we recommend looking through this handy guide.
The American Safe Climbing Association (ASCA) is a non-profit organization that works toward improving climbing safety and facilitating bolt replacement. If you climb outdoors in San Diego, you have likely clipped their bolts. ACSD helps trusted community members obtain ASCA donated bolts for replacement work in San Diego County and beyond. ACSD has distributed ASCA bolts that have been used at El Cajon Mountain, Mt Woodson, Mission Gorge, Corte Madera, the Needles, and more.
Local climbers can contribute towards bolt replacement in San Diego by directly donating to the ASCA.
Bolt replacement is a continual and resource-intensive process, and we thank everyone who is involved in this essential effort.
Bolting Ethics
ACSD works on bolting policy, but tries not to get involved in decisions about placement or removal of individual bolts. ACSD generally respects the bolting ethics established by first ascentionists, and discourages adding additional “convenience” bolts to existing climbs if there is no significant need for improving safety. We urge all climbers to respect how climbs were first established.
Every bolt that is placed will require maintenance and multiple bolt holes long-term. Always consider the long-term impact before placing or even replacing a bolt. For example, there are old bolts from historic aid lines next to cracks, before modern gear, that are now obsolete that do not require replacing.
ASCAs bolts are strictly for bolt replacement and are never to be used for new routes or adding bolts to an existing climb.