Highline Bolts Chopped in Yosemite, and Death Threats

There’s bolt chopping afoot in Yosemite by an old-school highliner of some new-school anchors. We’re sharing this video that was posted on May 21 to give folks a heads-up.

The channel, How Not to Highline, stated, “Shawn Snyder just posted these photos and removed them from Highline Yosemite. He has hammered over all the classic highline bolts in Yosemite to now be unsafe for use. Please share this and get the ranger’s attention. He needs to be banned from all parks and anywhere there are bolts. I will not be fixing these if he is free to smash them again.” According to the video, he was once jailed for “trying to kill Dean Potter.”

Highline guru Andy Lewis then posted here, “Apparently Shawn Snider is on the way to Moab to chop all the bolts at the fruit bowl and then kill me! If anyone sees him let me know— I’d love to have a cordial conversation with this human comb over.”

Snyder was charged with misdemeanour second-degree theft for taking about $1,000 worth of equipment stashed at the Smith Rock in late 2013. While most state parks ban the practice of stashing gear, Smith Rock has an exception, as long as the gear is left in a discrete place. The charges were dropped. “Leaving equipment, such as ropes or bolts, puts a stain on a beautiful, natural place,” Snyder said.

In 2018, he was rescued in Smith Rock after being struck in the head by a falling rock, and the following year, he was apparently banned from Smith Rock for 210 days. Last year, he installed a “sketchy ladder” in protest of bolts in Smith Rock.

Drilling bolts in Yosemite is only allowed using a hand-drill, no power drills, which means replacing bolts takes a long time.

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Yosemite Bolts