I don't want to spend a lot of time on the pulpit, preaching fire and limestone to anyone. I speak only for myself on these issues, and claim no special authority because I have a website. I have only been in Tucson a year and a half, and only recently have really started to feel like I could consider myself a 'local". But I think as a community it would be useful to discuss ethics, and how we want our boulders to be developed and maintained, and I would love to hear any opinions others may share in the matter.

At many of Tucson's bouldering spots you can find obvious examples of hold manufacturing or hold reinforcement. Silverbell has it's namesake 'Drilled Pockets', and you can find glue oozing over holds at many areas. Some places the drilling and gluing has been done fairly well, and is barely noticeable except upon close inspection. In other cases, hardened glue covers most of the surface area of the hold, negating the very purpose of the glue job. Regardless of how well or poorly things were drilled or glued, it happened; and I have no intention here to infer their motivations, or condemn their actions. It was a different era in climbing with a different mindset and set of rules.

As we explore and develop new areas around Southern Arizona, I believe this should become a practice of the past, and we should aim to keep our boulders free from manufactured holds. The spirit of bouldering is very pure and simple - to find a compelling and aesthetic line of holds that forces you to push yourself mentally and physically to ascend. Only by facing this challenge head on - using the in situ natural holds - can we achieve our highest peaks, and expand our understanding of what is possible. If we allow ourselves to take the easy road, tempted by the shortcuts, we remove many of the elements that make a boulder problem worth striving for. Not only for ourselves, but for the next generation of boulderers.

Simply put, I think there should be no chipping or drilling, and no gluing holds. This means if a hold breaks on a newly cleaned boulder, it is possible that what is left is an impossible line, and will never be climbed. Or it could appear that way to us, only to be recognized by someone down the line as a perfect and beautiful boulder, with just enough holds to be a new testpiece. Either way, there are more than enough boulders in Tucson that are perfectly  climbable. Leaving that one alone shouldn't inhibit your ability to find something to climb.

There are other issues that pop up from time to time that I am a little more ambivalent about. One being bolts on top of boulders. Topping out on numerous boulders around Tucson, you are greeted with an old (and often sketchy looking) bolt. And when you find a nice big boulder tucked away in the woods on Mt. Lemmon, it may be tempting to drive in a bolt to practice the moves on TR. One thing to remember though, is all those old bolts you see on boulders were placed pre-crash pad. Today it is much easier for us to manage and minimize the risk when bouldering high off the deck, or above a horrendous landing. Am I going to chop a bolt I find recently sunk on a boulder? Not at all, but I would suggest considering other alternatives before you do place a bolt on a boulder. Tick marks? Usually not a problem, but if you need a six inch tick mark, please brush that one off (or at least most of it).

If we can reach some consensus on these issues, and effectively communicate our ideals, we can help insure that our boulders will be a quality natural playground for beyond the shelf life of our tendons. Despite rumors to the contrary, I think Tucson has some pretty good boulders, which are worth caring for and preserving them for the next batch of young upstarts seeking out and pushing their limits.


Feel free to share your thoughts or opinions on the matter in the comment section below: