



If you have just completed a new climb anywhere in Malta & Gozo, let us know about it to ensure that it appear in the next climbing guide.
To register your climbing route within this database, please send your entries to info@maltaclimbingguide.com. Please ensure that every entry contains the following information:
If you have found a new line and believe it will be a better climb if it is bolted, then it is important to follow certain guidelines to ensure that the route when completed is of a high quality, safe for other leaders to climb and will remain safe for long years after your initial ascent.
A Corrosive Environment
Being a very small island, most Maltese climbs are so close to the sea that they receive a lot of saline wash or highly salty winds during the winter months. This is especially so on the sea cliffs but it is not restricted to cliffs that fall straight into the sea. For this reason it was decided that the bolts used on such exposed crags should all be A-316 steel. This is marine grade steel and specifically made to withstand the accelerated corrosion caused by saline environments. All bolts placed in exposed areas should be of this quality.
Some A-304 stainless steel bolts (most common stainless steel used by reputable suppliers such as Petzl, Singing Rock and Fixe) are OK for use in inland valleys such as Wied Babu, Wied Qirda and the Victoria Lines.
The Malta Rock Climbing Club has a limited supply of bolts and bolting equipment specially purchased to suit the Maltese climbing environment. If you have extensive experience in placing bolts and would like to make use of this material to equip a new line, call us up. As long as your proposed climb falls within the bolting ethic of the particular location of this climb, we would be happy to provide the bolts and bolting equipment.
Call Andrew Warrington on 00356 9947 0377 for more details.
Placing Bolts on a New Route
Bolt placement is a skill that is learned through carefully following the manufacturer's guidelines for proper insertion, learning to read the rock where the bolt is to be placed, being mindful of the fall potential between one bolt and another, careful planning of the location of each bolt through trying the climb on a top-rope and ensuring that the clip is manageable to a climber competent at the grade of the climb.
Here are some important parameters to follow:
The above list is not exhaustive, many other precautions need to be applied, as well as plenty of common sense.
IF IN DOUBT ALWAYS ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION, BETTER NOT TO PLACE A BOLT THAN TO PLACE ONE WHICH HAS A CHANCE OF FAILING. REMEMBER, THE SAFETY OF CLIMBERS IS AT STAKE AND THE RISKS OF SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH ARE HIGH.


