BOLT MYANMAR

Bolt Myanmar is an effort to expand the rock climbing scene in Myanmar. We want to increase the amount of climbing that all people in Myanmar can freely appreciate and enjoy. In 2012, some route developers from the U.S. (Steve Davis and Tyler Hoffart) bolted Myanmar's first crag in Mandalay. Since their much appreciated effort, climbing development has remained largely stagnant.

When my wife, Katie, and I arrived in Myanmar late in 2014, we thought we were the only people super psyched on climbing. We took numerous climbing trips to Mandalay alone, and built a bouldering wall in our apartment, hoping to grow a climbing community here. Since then the climbing community in Yangon has blown up; it turns out that there were lots of climbers in Yangon, they just didn't have a place to connect. The community here has been going on consistent climbing trips ever since, and we recently hosted Myanmar's first climbing comp on our little bouldering wall. 

We want to keep the current momentum going. We now have access to a new zone in Hpa-an with potential for several new lines to go up. With some support (gear and a few bolts) from the local climbing club, we recently bolted two new lines in Hpa-an, and they are rad. See video of 'Tomahawk' below. Hpa-an also has the benefit of being closer to Yangon, and the rock quality is better than the rock in Mandalay.  Our goal is to turn Hpa-an into a destination crag with at least 40 climbing routes. Additionally, we plan to prioritize establishing beginner grade climbs that new Myanmar and ex-pat climbers can enjoy. This funding campaign has been created to cover the cost of the bolts, glue, anchors, wire brush, glue gun, and plastic tubing, necessary to establish these new routes. Any excess funds will contribute to new climbs and new crags in Myanmar.

Edit: We reached our initial goal of establishing 20 climbing routes. The community is growing rapidly, the crag is getting a lot of traffic, and there are many more lines to bolt at Bayin Nyi, we have increased our goal to 40 routes at Bayin Nyi.

With bolt failures increasing in Asia (Tonsai, Taiwan, etc.) We are commited to doing this right the first time. We have connected with other climbing organizations in SE Asia to consult the most informed minds on what types of bolts will be most sustainable in Myanmar's tropical climate. We have decided to bolt all of the new routes with the high quality stainless steel 316 glue-in wave bolts. These seem to be the standard for creating long lasting climbs for tropical limestone crags that are not near the coast. 

What your money gets you:

$25: Digital copy of the future Myanmar Climbing Guidebook, including the new routes we will bolt.

$50: I will set a route at the difficulty level of your choice on our bouldering wall and name it after you + Digital climbing guidebook. 

$100: Name one of the new routes we bolt (names must be better than the ones that Katie comes up with) + Receive a copy of the guidebook.

$200: A route will be bolted and saved for you to get the First Ascent (must be in country) + You name the route + Receive a copy of the guidebook.

$500: Name a wall + Get the First ascent of a route on the wall(must be in country) + You name the route + Receive a copy of the guidebook.

Thanks so much for helping us keep the psych high in Myanmar!