Bad Bolts and Home-Made Hangars

On a recent climbing trip to SpringMountain we encountered some routes equipped with old home-made hangars made from angle iron. You still see these super-dodgy hangar/bolt combinations with surprising frequency. We took one look at the hangars and - with no natural protection available - immediately decided we would not climb those routes.

As surprising as it may be to find climbs still equipped with this type of hardware, the fact that people even consider leading these routes is even more surprising. While we were standing beside one climb equipped with home-made hangars, at least three different parties came past, and, had we not pointed out the unreliable nature of the hangars, all three parties would have launched a leader up onto the route.

Home-made hangars break under small loads, so, if you really want to climb a route equipped with this type of protection, don't fall. 

Clipping solid bolts at Smith Rock, Oregon