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THE AUSTRALIAN RE, RETRO-BOLTING OPEN FORUM 16-Apr-2004 At 4:02:30 PM rolsen

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On 16/04/2004 Tel wrote:

>** XI 30m 18
>A bold undertaking up an exhilarating wall. RP's are essential if you
>want to adequately protect the lower wall. Start near toe of buttress and
>climb moderate ground with poor pro. Committing moves then lead to base
>of crack in middle of wall. Up this until it peters out, then step R and
>continue up pockets finishing steeply. Easliy to the top. Mike Law, Peter
>Watson May 76.

I'm not so sure XI is a good example - I think it shows old guidebooks can be out of touch (with changing developments in protection) and new guidebooks (and their editors) that simply copy and paste and add new topos should have a look at themselves.

I climbed XI quite a few yeasr ago so my recollection might not be 100% - but I don't agree that it is adequately protected climb - I think protection is good/great. It is roughly around my climbing level so I think I'm a pretty good judge of climbs at this grade.

Admitedly you need to scamper up an easy slab for a few metres before the good protection but I would've thought the start to the bard (six grades less) is similar and longer with much more potential for real problems. Once you get to the first wire(s) they are bomber and you can add two (admittedly in the same crack) easily. From there you can step up and place the so called essential 1 RP (only two or three feet above the great wires.)

Commiting moves past the RP get a flake of sorts (memory is failing) which you can shove a pretty good large cam in. This cam woould be 3 or 4 feet above the RP, 5 or 6 above the bomber wires! From there the rising traverse is pretty straight forward - with pretty good rests. The major pockets on the traverse take a cam each - then there is easyish ground to the end. When the traverse ends I'd plugged 3 good cams (from memory).

I think the older guidebook descriptions don't take into account most people's rack of cams. In this case the essential RP's aren't essential at all, but I still placed them (of course, I climbed this one before I found out bold was back!)

> A website or a campfire where we regale one another with stories, things to do,
> places to climb. Sounds more like a "lifestlye" than a sport to me.

At the end of the day, if you're climbing trad talk to people, start up the route, know your limitations and back off if you need to.

Richard