bolts falling off the wall and loose and missing bolts at ganhyeon

[tyadams]

this thread is not to report an accident or injury. just a little update that might help prevent one from happening.

just got home from a weekend climbing at ganhyeon (august 13-15) and thought i should share a few thoughts as it is a very popular crag especially with the foreign crowd living in the north.

a few things to note:
first, the climb called "revolution" or "gae-hyeok" is now missing a bolt at the first crux section of the second pitch a few meters above the anchor of the first pitch. it is now quite run out to the next bolt and a fall could very easily result in a rather long whipper and potentially land the climber on the ledge where the first pitch anchor is located. there is an old piton located about a meter above the lower bolt that the local korean climbers recommended be clipped and if it holds a fall, could save one some pain. i have seen many climbers fall on that section so i highly recommend that one recruits somebody familiar with the climb to lead it for your top-roping pleasure until you feel comfortable with the sequence. hopefully they replace the bolt soon.

second, a climber had just finished the classic "aelida" and was pulling the rope through the draws when suddenly one bold just popped out of the rock and fell to the ground with quick draw attached. it wasn't even a bolt at the crux section (one or two bolts above the overhang in the midst of all the jugs) it wasn't clear why it just popped, but it did. so be careful especially with the spinners.

third and last, the multi-pitch routes are very popular and see a LOT of traffic. even still, over the weekend a climber managed to dislodge a rather substantial chunk of rock that would spoil anyone's weekend. it landed in the middle of a popular rest/eating spot on the left side of the crag directly below the main routes. luckily there was no one there at the time, but just a reminder to be careful and listen for warnings when under the multi-pitch routes.

be safe (:

[P_Freeman]

scary....thanks for posting this!

[nate45]

Gnarly stuff. I'm looking at a topo for it now since I dont have the routes memorized... is "revolution" number 29 or 30 on the main wall? http://www.powerclimbing.org/amgong/gan.htm

[tyadams]

my pc doesn't want to recognize the korean on that link but as best as i can tell revolution is number 22 (5.8/5.11c) although the new map at ganhyeon has it downgraded to 5.11b. in fact, it seems a few of the routes have been re-graded.

if you are familiar with the classic climb aelida (10b) with the fun overhang move then revolution is easy to find. it's the super long route located only a few climbs to the left of aelida. revolution shares an anchor with another marathon climb just to the right of it.

hope the bolt situation doesn't discourage people from trying the route. it's so much fun and i don't know anyone that hasn't enjoyed climbing it.

[skinsk]

wow. . . and those are some classic climbs-- but getting older and obviously showing it. While I bet those bolts are replaced soon (the area is kept up well), the hundreds that were put in about the same time and that have taken just as many falls/takes/etc are probably in need.

thanks for the post and a good reminder! (I have also witnessed rock fall just under Revolution . . . a chunk that just missed me and a crowd).

[wheelis]

Yeah, I actually took a rockfall to the shoulder when pulling a rope on Revolution.

It's definitely a mistake to think that just because a crag is climbed frequently that all the loose rock has already fallen off. Ganhyeon gets so crowded and condensed...it's a good idea to wear a helmet at the base...

[nate45]

Confirmed. cleaned a football sized rock off the belay ledge on one of the left most climbs. Hopefully it will stay clean.