A Note on Bolt Safety

Recent events have emphasised the need for care when sport climbing, which relies on pre-placed protection to catch the climber in the event of a fall and for lowering off a route once it has been completed.

While the vast majority of bolts are safe it is important to recognise that bolt failure is always a possibility. For example, bolt testing in April 2026 found some bolts at Arbroath were failing at low loads, and climbers are advised not to climb there until further notice. Neither the SMC nor any other body carries out systematic bolt testing in Scotland, but where they are made aware of issues they will post warnings on the SMC Routes Database, https://routes.smc.org.uk/. Consulting this and other sources, along with carrying out your own physical and visual inspections, will go some way to mitigating the risk but it is impossible to remove the risk of bolt failure entirely.

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A corroded bolt © Ali Rose