Last week, James Walker chopped the bolts on Zona Rosa 5.11d, a route located at Mount Nemo Conservation Area in the Milton region. Walker is a controversial figure in the Southern Ontario climbing community who has been involved in bolt chopping in the past and has threatened to chop all the moderate sport routes at Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area.

Zona Rosa was recently retro-bolted with the overwhelming support of the community and the first ascensionist, David Smart. The route was re-equipped to be the pure sport route that Smart would have created if he had the tools and foresight at the time of the first ascent.
 
“If I had known what sport climbing would eventually become, and I had the technology, I would have fully bolted the route,” recounts Smart. “It was never intended to be a statement of boldness or ethical purity.”
 
The updates to the route included the addition of three more bolts as well as proper anchors. Unfortunately, Walker deemed these changes unacceptable and took it upon himself to chop the three additional bolts.

Zona Rosa was established by Smart, a prolific Ontario route developer, sometime between 1985 and 1988. This time period was the beginning of the sport-climbing era, and Ontario was an early adopter. On rappel (which some traditionalists considered poor form), Smart added pins, cleaned, and rehearsed the route before bagging the first ascent. As was typical of the time, Smart did not fully equip the line because it was too difficult and time-consuming to hand-drill additional bolts. Many new climbers do not realize that before the sport-climbing template was finalized, early sport lines frequently had the odd piece of trad gear. At the time, this approach made sense as it saved effort and minimized costs. It’s also worth remembering that modern sport hangers and top anchors had not yet been invented or were not widely available. In fact, many early sport routes used SMC hangers that were originally designed for lower-angle granite climbing and could not withstand the regular falls that occur on modern sport routes.

During heated discussions regarding his recent actions, Walker challenged another climber to a physical altercation and suggested that he would chop more moderate sport routes at Mount Nemo. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Walker has threatened climbers who do not agree with his behaviour. This has garnered him a reputation as a volatile and irrational individual. If you see Walker at the crag, it is recommended that you avoid confronting him.

Walker’s actions mirror the behaviour of other infamous bolt choppers like Ken Nichols of Connecticut and Shawn Snyder, who is based in Oregon. Nichols was eventually charged and convicted for bolt-chopping, while Snyder has become a social pariah in the climbing community and is likely to face similar charges if he continues with his destructive behaviour.
 
Bolt chopping has historically prompted land managers to close or restrict climbing access. With many Ontario climbing areas already suffering from onerous access restrictions, local climbers fear that Walker’s actions will further exacerbate the situation, resulting in more restrictions and possibly even closures.

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