We need bolting courses

I have put up some 500 routes and sure I have also placed some bad bolts which were later moved. Lately, I have seen more and more bad bolting around Göteborg which makes me think we need bolting courses. Drilling is easy, and so is hammering and tightening the bolt - but bolting routes involves other tasks that require substantial skills.

1. Safety
The most common mistake I see is easy routes with run-outs between the first bolts. The bolter must respect that the specific route is the first one somebody may lead and belay outdoors. Furthermore, holds can break and if the ground is not even, the bolter should place the bolts so that an injury could be avoided even if a hold breaks.

2. Onsight
"You need a long quickdraw in the fourth bolt" is not a good description to have in a topo. In such a case, one more bolt should be placed or the fourth bolt should be moved. If we are talking an 8a and the ninth bolt is a bit high, that is ok, but for a 5c for which you need to be 170 cm tall to use the best clipping position from a ledge, that bolt is placed too high for an onsight attempt.

3. Lines and Variations etc
Before you start bolting, make sure that you climb it several times together with your friends in order to find the best line. If you later would like to place a route next to it, think about how much quality the original line loses. If it is not your line, make sure you talk with the first bolter. An option is always to just create a new start or finish instead of squeezing in a route that interferes with the neighbouring routes.

4. Anchors
Clipping the anchor should not be the crux. Instead, move the anchor downwards. On the other hand, if the top has some nice moves that can take you up to a no-hands rest position and, even so, there is a possibility to place the anchor higher up, this is always the best option. Also make sure that you place the anchor so that you avoid as much rope swing as possible. In some cases, if the route gets much harder at the top, consider placing a first anchor, like many of the hardest routes have.