Anchor testing
Anchor Testing Services

Demonstrating anchor strength during a training course in Thailand.
Fixed Anchors for Rock Climbing or ‘bolts’ are distinct from traditional leader placed protection e.g. wires or cams, in that they are:
- Installed by someone else the majority of users will have never met or know
- Fixed in place and therefore subject to corrosion (and potential misuse)
- Single bolts are often the only anchor preventing a ground fall
- Assumed to be reliable
Sport climbing is generally considered the safest form of rock climbing however this assumes that ALL fixed protection was:
- Certified for rock climbing use
- Of a suitable specification (material and anchor type) for the rock type, environment in which it was installed
- Installed correctly
- Remains safe to use
Too often assessments regarding bolt performance are visual only and without formal testing there is no way of knowing actual performance. Whether bolting a new area and wanting confirmation of anchor performance or seeking failure loads for suspect anchors as part of a knowledge building exercise towards understanding corrosion, load testing is an invaluable means of confirming and understanding anchor performance.
Climbing Bolt Supplies can provide technical services anchor testing to:
- Determine the performance of anchors in local rock conditions
- Load suspect anchors to failure
- Perform load testing at ground level or anywhere on a route
- Provide technical advice regarding anchor specification arising from test results
- Demonstrate old anchor extraction methods
- Demonstrate the performance between different types of bolts