Been Sport Climbing this year? You may not have thought much about it, but the bolts and chains you have been trusting your life with have been put up and paid for by some organisation or individual. Around the world there are bolt funds set up to pay for the maintenance of many crags. Each bolt fund works in a slightly different way but the basic idea behind them all is to pay for bolts, bolting and the gear required to place them.
Norton Summit is Adelaide’s most popular sport climbing destination and due to the overhung nature of the crag, the bolts and chains here get a huge flogging. Added to that the land is owned by the local quarry, so any access, cleanup or maintenance work done around the bottom of the crag is paid for by climbers.
The Climbing Club of South Australia, together with some individuals who have used their money for the benefit of all, have for a number of years paid for the replacement of bolts, chains and perma-draws at Norton Summit. The CCSA has also helped host cleanup and crag care days. The costs to the club have been born by all members of the club even though many choose not to climb at Norton Summit. In addition many climbers at the Summit are not CCSA members – they may be members of a University club, a scouting organisation or just one of the many folks who are happy to get out and climb.
The Norton Summit Bolt fund has been set up to give people the opportunity to help pay for the infrastructure they use without necessarily feeling obliged to join any club. Whatever you’ve done on the bolts this year, whether it was a 19 or a 29, why not send some cash to the bolt fund to help keep those bolts safe, and Norton Summit well equipped.
You can donate to the Bolt Fund By:
- Depositing money directly (in branch at Bank SA) or via Electronic Funds Transfer into the following account:
Account Name: Climbing Club of South Australia Inc Norton Summit Bolt Fund
BSB: 105-141
Account number: 041994540 - Paying in person at any club meeting at the Wheatsheaf Hotel, Thebarton.
Climbers and residents revegetating Norton Summit
