Goto Chockstone Home

  Guide
  Gallery
  Tech Tips
  Articles
  Reviews
  Dictionary
  Links
  Forum
  Search
  About

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

  Shop
Chockstone Photography
Australian Landscape Photography by Michael Boniwell
Australian Landscape Prints





Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Author
The Movie That Would Have Won the Goatfest
crazyjohn
6-May-2011
10:13:43 AM
You guys may have noticed a 18 year old crusher from Belgium ripping up Australia lately? That would be Merlin Didier. Great kid. I met him at Arapiles in December. One day I was lounging around the Pines nursing a hangover when Gandalf comes running up (Ed the Scottish giant who was living at the Pines then? We called him Gandalf because when he sat in camp on those little chairs with us he looked like Gandalf sitting with the hobbits!) and stutters out, "Do you know CPR?"

This is never a good question to be asked outside of a job interview. That said, it is NEVER a good question to be asked.

Apparently Gandalf was belaying Merlin on an old crappy climb on the front of the Pharaohs to get up to Aftermath Roof. Somewhere up the middle of this chosspile Merlin dislodges a boulder the size of the Balrog which crashes down the cliff, with Merlin close behind! Gandalf dives out of the way, narrowly dodging the Balrog boulder. This time, he let the Balrog pass. Gandalf was unscathed, but what about our other conjurer of cheap tricks? Merlin took a bouncy little 15 metre tumble and was lying in a pool of blood when I got to him. Fortunately Merlin did not need CPR. With the help of Gandalf and the rest of the little hobbits from the Tas Uni Climbing Club, we called in The Great Eagles to fly Merlin's soul from the lady of the lake and sent him riding through the air into the healing arms of the House of Elrond (000, helicopter ride to the Alfred, if ya dont speak Tolkein).

Anywho, turns out Merlin just had a swollen brain. My hangover that morning was actually quite a bit more serious. So after a $20000 helicopter ride and business class tickets back to Camalot/Brussels, Merlin came back to Oz to finish his little trip. Long story short, Gandalf moved out of my little Hobart Hole and Merlin moved in. Lucky for Merlin, as you all know, April's weather was amazing. So he filmed all the climbing he did and made a movie about it and then entered the movie in a film festival via my university internet account. And he won! The link is below. Its pretty good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4yTRdnZQEA

shortman
6-May-2011
12:38:59 PM
I miss Ed. He made me feel short.
ClimbingNT
6-May-2011
2:58:29 PM
Great video.
Any idea on how the rope was recovered after they made it back over at the end?
Probably a simple answer, but am suffering from a bad case of Friday afternoon-itis.
crazyjohn
7-May-2011
9:58:16 AM
The same as everyone. One person goes across fixed at the top of the tote with the rest of the rope. Then the second unfixes the rope from tote side and runs it through the bolts, the mainland person pulls in slack and fixes the rope, then the second goes across allowing them to pull the ropes through tote bolts. Its not complicated and you would surely figure it out when there. Necessity is a motherf(((( and all that.

I still cant get over the folks who thought they could climb the candlestick by swimming around the tote on the seaward side then climb up the stick and "flick" the rope over the tote! That would have been fun to watch with a comfy chair and a case of beer.

I reckon if you could somehow compile a concise video of all the major F ups in Australian climbing in a year it would be far funnier than Reel Rock Tour.

ajfclark
7-May-2011
11:06:15 AM
There's a run through in the tech tips section: http://www.chockstone.org/TechTips/Traverse.htm
Wendy
8-May-2011
8:13:22 AM
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I reckon he was just put off by rumours of the quality of the competition ... mine was a work of ... well ...art. And hero's was definately a work of ... art. And balance was a work of drug hazed hyper-enthusiasm.

Really, good film. Nice shots. Could maybe do with a little more of Simey's sage editing advice. But it's main problem is it DIDN'T MAKE IT TO GOATFEST! Prime climbing film festival in the country and it wan't entered! And when we were desperately in need of more films! What was he thinking?

And where was that advertisement to increase the ratio of women climbers CJ? I was looking forward to it!

crazyjohn
8-May-2011
6:42:24 PM
Why Merlin didnt enter?
1. He made the movie after Goatfest.
2. He got 200 euros from the Brussels film festival and would have been lucky to get crabs from the goatfest.

I was going to make a movie,(honest!) but suffered a pretty serious injury to my hand which required surgery so I sat around for 2 months drunk, sulking and healing. Luckily, I also am finishing a degree at uni so I spent much time crippled in front of a computer. Im recovered now, I can jam a bit and climb grade 25 sport routes. So im slowly getting back into it.

Besides, the best way to improve the ratio of women climbers is for me to wait til Anna comes back from Germany! 49 days and counting! Nowra, Frog, then YOSEMITE VALLEY!!!! Just another 5 month climbing trip. God bless Australia.

Wendy
8-May-2011
6:52:43 PM
On 8/05/2011 crazyjohn wrote:
>Why Merlin didnt enter?
>1. He made the movie after Goatfest.

It was on youtube on the 22nd. Goatfest was on the 23rd. Greg only filmed his on the 22nd!

>2. He got 200 euros from the Brussels film festival and would have been
>lucky to get crabs from the goatfest.

I have a new rope courtesy of goatfest and AMS. I don't think there's any conflict between entering other film festivals and the highly official and well recognised golden goat.
>
>I was going to make a movie,(honest!) but suffered a pretty serious injury
>to my hand which required surgery so I sat around for 2 months drunk, sulking
>and healing. Luckily, I also am finishing a degree at uni so I spent much
>time crippled in front of a computer. Im recovered now, I can jam a bit
>and climb grade 25 sport routes. So im slowly getting back into it.

Glad it's getting better! I'm back on track again after the ross river and the world is such a better place.
>
>Besides, the best way to improve the ratio of women climbers is for me
>to wait til Anna comes back from Germany! 49 days and counting! Nowra,
>Frog, then YOSEMITE VALLEY!!!! Just another 5 month climbing trip. God
>bless Australia.
>
I thought you were going to be happy never to see the states again after the last trip? We're on the other coast this time, dodging hillbillies and people who believe Noah really did save all the animals, then squamish.

salty crag
8-May-2011
9:04:19 PM
On 8/05/2011 Wendy wrote:

Shave your head and take up banjo picking and youll be fine
crazyjohn
8-May-2011
9:32:20 PM
Yeah I guess I got no good excuse, just slack. Hey you gonna be in Squish August? Merry will be there til the 20th or so. You cant miss him, big smile, bigger laugh, strong climber. Oh and hes a Kiwi! Choice as, bro! We head to Utah via Bishop sometime in Oct. when the weather craps out and come back to Oz end Nov. Maybe we will see ya over there?
Im dodging Ross River this year and going to Nowra! Ill be flexing my mosquito-bite sized muscles in dirty caves. Should be fun!
Boony1
15-May-2011
3:29:51 PM
Just got around to watching it...missing 2 things, an entry into goatfest and a slackline walk back to the mainland, besides that enjoyable.

There are 11 messages in this topic.

 

Home | Guide | Gallery | Tech Tips | Articles | Reviews | Dictionary | Forum | Links | About | Search
Chockstone Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | Landscape Photos Australia

Please read the full disclaimer before using any information contained on these pages.



Australian Panoramic | Australian Coast | Australian Mountains | Australian Countryside | Australian Waterfalls | Australian Lakes | Australian Cities | Australian Macro | Australian Wildlife
Landscape Photo | Landscape Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Fine Art Photography | Wilderness Photography | Nature Photo | Australian Landscape Photo | Stock Photography Australia | Landscape Photos | Panoramic Photos | Panoramic Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | High Country Mountain Huts | Mothers Day Gifts | Gifts for Mothers Day | Mothers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Mothers Day | Wedding Gift Ideas | Christmas Gift Ideas | Fathers Day Gifts | Gifts for Fathers Day | Fathers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Fathers Day | Landscape Prints | Landscape Poster | Limited Edition Prints | Panoramic Photo | Buy Posters | Poster Prints