Bolt Status
An Accident Waiting to Happen
In July 2015, a visiting climber was lowered from the anchor of Big Drum, a popular sport route at Music Hall Sector. As he arrived the second bolt, he fell 3 meters to the ground. Both bolts at the anchor broke off at the same time. Thank goodness, the fall was not fatal and the climber was fortunate he was not severely hurt.
Anchor failure on Big Drum in July 2015. Bolts & quicklinks are stainless steel of less than 10 years lifespan. Photo by: Arnette Wong
Most of the climbing routes in Long Dong are equipped with stainless steel. According to an advisory issued by UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) in 2015 (for full report), Taiwan and a bunch of other tropical, marine areas are listed as locations where stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is confirmed or highly suspected.
There has been a major rebolting effort to re-equip the place with Titanium bolts and fixed gear. Be sure you know the routes that are equipped with Titanium and others to avoid.
Removing old anchors on the mega-classic Wedding Route, Music Hall Sector:
Identifying Stainless Steel vs Titanium Bolts
→ For Routes Partially and Fully Equipped with Titanium Bolts
Anchors: Ram’s Horns and How to Use Them
These curlie wurlie hardware are known as Ram’s Horns and are installed on some of the anchors in Long Dong. Take a look at the video below on how to use them:
Many thanks to Outdoor Adventure International Inc. for funding Titanium bolts & Ram’s Horns to make Long Dong a safer place for climbers
As a climber, please do your part to preserve the lifespan of all fixed hardware on climbing routes. DO NOT top-rope, second or lower off through bolts.
Emergency Medical Kits at Long Dong: Know Where They Are!
Rock climbing is dangerous. The Bivy and its owners and staff do not hold any liability or responsibility for injuries and deaths arising from the use of any information on this website.
The Bivy｜Long Dong, Taiwan 