Tim Nottingham
- Jul 8, 2023
- 3 min read

Homestake Restoration Project

On Friday, June 23rd, ECCC partnering with the ASCA and Mike Schneiter, removed and replaced fixed hardware at the Homestake Crag which included replacing and updating all of the anchors. During this process, the guidelines presented by the ASCA were strictly followed in removing and replacing the fixed hardware.

Because ECCC is in support of the ASCAs "Lower Off Initiative", we modernized the anchors to a system that aligns with the initiative.

The vast majority of bolts removed were five-piece plated expansion bolts in various states of decay, as seen in the photo. The roughly 30-year-old bolts were replaced with stainless steel glue-ins.

Much of the anchor hardware replaced was worn well beyond its safe use. Note the significantly grooved steel carabiners.

The ASCA provided the Mussy hooks that have now been installed at every anchor station.

To extend the life of the new hardware, please, whenever possible, follow the lower-off and toproping guidelines provided by the ASCA, which are "When toproping on any fixed anchors, only the last climber should lower directly on the lowering hardware to increase the working life of the wear part. Use personal gear to toprope up until the final climber lowers."

While we went to great lengths to preserve the original bolt placements, some anchors and lead bolts were either adjusted or added to increase climber safety. This included moving anchors out of subpar rock or adding lead bolts to prevent ground fall. These decisions were not taken lightly, and we worked with both community leaders and the first ascensionists to preserve the climbs' history while improving overall safety.

From its initial development in the late 1980s, toproping has been a regular activity at Homestake. We attempted to preserve this by not removing some of the original anchors, which should allow for accessing the new anchors. As always, please exercise caution while navigating the top of the wall.

The Board Of Directors and everyone else at the Eagle County Climbers Coalition wants to express our genuine gratitude to all of the people and organizations who participated in this process.

Thank you to the First Ascensionists (Jerry Weiss and Mike Latourneau) who offered their knowledge and support to the project.

Thank you to Mike Schneiter for bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience.

Thank you to Greg at the ASCA for providing thoughtful input and the new anchor hardware.

Thank you to the team of highly qualified volunteers who gave of their own time, effort and resources to support the climbing community they love.

Thank you to the anonymous donor for their generous financial support that made this project possible.