[Bonjoy]

The PBF is still here doing its thing. A few people slowly picking things off which over time has resulted in a lot of stuff getting done.
More competent and keen bolters would be nice, however I’m not sure how productive it is for people to spend a day learning in order to then do a day bolting. To put it in work terms it would be three man days (a day for you and trainer (most likely me), then a day for you to bolt) to get one man day of bolting done. Also, as a general rule people are slowest and make most of their mistakes on the first few routes bolted. On the other hand if enough people expressed an interest in learning then it would be worth arranging a group training day.

There is still plenty you could do to help which doesn’t require technical learning. You could contact JC (who is usually the most active bolter) and offer assistance. It is a huge help having someone on the ground when bolting to pass up kit and to deal with the public if bolting somewhere like the Cornice. Also there are still a number of routes which were bolted last year which still have their old bolts in place. Removing these is a hard and time consuming job. A lot of bolter’s time is also spent cleaning the rock on routes which have not been climbed for ages, which is another massively helpful thing you could do. The more help like this that the bolters can get the more free time they have to put in bolts.
There’s no lower limit on donation size. Any contribution will get put to good use eventually.

Good effort on STL. Nice route.

[shark]

Is training such an issue? IMO the BMC users guide is so comprehensive and clear that anyone with no experience but a practical bent could do a first rate job just following it.

[Bonjoy]

This is true, but by training I as much mean vetting. Drills are very expensive and the PBF one is not insured (maybe it should be). Also, bad bolting can and does spoil routes, or can even be dangerous, either way it’s a pain in the arse to sort out. The BMC info is brilliant and pretty (but not fully) comprehensive, however it doesn’t guarantee that the reader has good judgement when it comes to picking where to put a bolt vis-à-vis rock quality, proximity to old bolt, clipping position etc. Many people could learn to drive unsupervised from reading a book, but I wouldn’t necessarily give them my car keys and send them out on the road on their word alone.

[Bonjoy]

That said, in practice everyone who has bolted for the PBF is self taught to some extent or another and I don’t refuse to send out the kit if folk say they know what they are doing (and preferably have someone who will vouch for them) and seem confident in their own competance.

[JC]

If people don't know how to bolt, just cleaning up a route that needs rebolting is a massive help. Mainly talking about the Cornice here. Something like Monumental Armblaster last year probably would have taken about 5 days for one person to fully sort out! 

[Johnny Brown]

Worth mentioning here that Abracadabseil's pull tester is available for testing bolts if anyone is unsure of their placements or just wants peace of mind. It will only test the bolt in the hole though, so you still have to be careful to choose a suitable area of rock first.

If you want to practice, there are several suitable areas in Horseshoe - either at the base of the main crag or in the BMC's test bed on the quarry floor.

[Steamboat Stello]

Is training such an issue? IMO the BMC users guide is so comprehensive and clear that anyone with no experience but a practical bent could do a first rate job just following it.

I'm afraid "a practical bent" is not something I believe I possess. I'm a geneticist, I can't remember the last time I even used a drill so in reality I'd probably be less than useless without a fair amount of coaching! I'd be keen to make a donation though and also don't mind spending some time doing some cleaning if someone points me in the right direction. Maybe I'd be best to actually clean up something I'd be keen to do myself to make it interesting. I've not got a particularly great knowledge of Peak Lime but perhaps a former great which has become sadly neglected and needs cleaning and re-bolting? Somewhere around the 7c+/8a mark to make it a bit of a project. Anything like that on the list of stuff that is in the pipeline?

[shark]

I'd be keen to make a donation though and also don't mind spending some time doing some cleaning if someone points me in the right direction. Maybe I'd be best to actually clean up something I'd be keen to do myself to make it interesting. I've not got a particularly great knowledge of Peak Lime but perhaps a former great which has become sadly neglected and needs cleaning and re-bolting? Somewhere around the 7c+/8a mark to make it a bit of a project. Anything like that on the list of stuff that is in the pipeline?

To donate go here: http://thepeakboltfund.blogspot.com/

Jug Jockey at the Chee Dale Cornice would be a good one

[Bonjoy]

I think Kristian is on with that one already. Can't think of anything super classic off the top of my head. What’s left to do are mostly the routes which might well be great but have been out of condition/favour for so long that they’ve become unknown quantities. Things like Michael Footjam, The Vision, Something Fishy, those 7cs on the right side of Long Wall.