I am finally going to be a saint…
40 years old & 5-15kNI am involved in bolting issues in Japan for the past 5 years, providing information to local governments, and have successfully finished one crag by reinstalling new bolts.
Japanese climbers are still using 40-year-old bolts with only 5-15 kN strength when they were new...
I had a few climbers from overseas come to climb with me at a Japanese crag, but the problem is that there is no suitable crag to entertain them...
Now, Yuji is facing a very tough time trying to fix the crag in his area, but he is not succeeding.
The older generation thinks it is their right to deny the removal of old bolts and replace them properly.
The developer climbers are taught that the routes are their "artwork" when they are young, and they only install bolts for their own use.
As a result, there are many routes that are no longer safe for climbing free. They insist that young climbers should bring their own bolts for protection or climb the un-climb-able routes.
This way, only a few good climbers can accomplish the mission impossible!
Today there are such a variety of people climbing, women, child, old and foreigners... it used to be only young Japanese male around 20's.
As a short climber, 152 cm (a little under 60 inches), the crags meant for young man's height are very dangerous for me. This is the reason for me go climbing abroad. I prefer safety over cost.
The distance between each bolt is too far apart in Japan, since historically, Japanese crags were developed by aid-climbers for aid-climbing. Today, no one likes to climb the crag with aid. No fun.
We need the transition from aid-climbed crags to "free climbing" crags. Well, at least in Kyusyu... all of those routes I've climbed were aid route turned into free.
The purposes of bolts in aid climbing and free climbing are so different, for aid the bolts does not need to be that strong, because shock load does not need to be considered, and for the bolt distance, the far the better. But in free Climbing, old aid climbed bolt layout is unreasonably dangerous, especially for a short climbers.
It's ok this way, when only selected few were climbed, but see Tokyo, see Fukuoka,
young 20ish guys who started in a climbing gym, can not climb the routes even I, rather matured woman can climb. Be realistic. It's unsafe for today's climbers out of climbing gyms.
If the local government of the crag wants to prosper, the crags need to be open to everyone including them.
Young people, speak up!
Knowledge of bolting is not only important for Japanese young climbers, but they also need to have the courage to speak up for themselves.
Moving on the history of climbing is not rebellion.
Japan still follows a seniority system, so the voices of the young are not heard; only the opinions of old or rather outdated individuals are considered.
However, it has been the age of free climbing since the 1980s, and now it's been over 40 years. No one really likes to climb the hugely runout aid routes anymore.
Even the old climbers themselves acknowledge the risks
They are trying to make a younger to lead climb, including me, a late starter who began climbing at age 41... has to lead when climbing with 70's. See me climbing in this photo.
The left is me. leading. Note that there is another climber in right. So two climbers were belayed by one belayer. Understand the message untold. The old climbers are already so old that they seek help in lead, even to the weakest tribe like me in the industry.
So they know the risk, of course, only they can not admit it, just like once you pretend that everything is ok, you got to keep lying. It is not OK, older forks are too old to lead climb in the crags.
Thus, installing new bolts with updated knowledge and skills is actually a "benefit" to them too.
In fact, it's good for everybody.
But older people, when they get old, they are no longer capable of understanding what's really "beneficial" to them. They get angry at anything different from the old ways they are accustomed to.
I realized this by injuring my Achilles tendon and spending time with elderly residents in hospitals who no longer know what's good for them and they attack even nurses.
Who wants to climb with this kind of anchors? But if this is their best shot... who can blame?
Young men, now, it is your turn to work for the other fellow climbers.
