This article appears in the 2026 autumn issue of New Zealand Alpine Journal. We're reproducing it here because the intention of the author was for a broad debate on the issue of the appropriateness of bolts in the central Darran Mountains, and if protecting a space for adventure climbing is something the New Zealand climbing community might support. As it is hard to facilitate this debate in print, we're sharing it here for all to access.
Latest climbing news
Kraków marked the debut of the new Speed 4 format at World Cup level—four lanes running simultaneously, a system first used at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu. Plenty of records fell at the event, notably USA's Emma Hunt became the first woman to go under six seconds, setting a new record of 5.99.
Janja Garnbret made the first female ascent of Bibliographie...
