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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area Location Sub Location Crag Links
All NSW (General) (General) (General)  

Author
The Spartan

voodoo
21-Oct-2010
4:41:19 PM
Can anyone tell me what form the belay anchors take between pitches on The Spartan? Ie DBB, DRB or trad anchors? When it comes to commenting on the hardware present (or not present) on climbs the Blueys guide tends to be pretty silent - and certainly this is the case on this route.

Cheers.
hargs
21-Oct-2010
4:44:40 PM
All trad when i did it. edit: According to Will's Rock Climbing Page, there's a DBB between p2 and p3.
mikllaw
21-Oct-2010
5:03:51 PM
And the 4 m last pitch is desperate!
martym
22-Oct-2010
6:21:55 AM
Great climb - there's one bolt in the top corner under the roof, I used it to create a hanging belay for my partner because I didn't bring any big gear to create a decent anchor on the ledge.
So yeah, bring big gear!

After the awesome roof traverse, there's a pair of carrots on the ledge when you come out of the squeeze.

pmonks
22-Oct-2010
7:10:09 AM
On 22/10/2010 martym wrote:
>Great climb - there's one bolt in the top corner under the roof, I used
>it to create a hanging belay for my partner because I didn't bring any
>big gear to create a decent anchor on the ledge.

Yowsers! My recollection (from 10+ years ago) is that that bolt is older than Methuselah! How was the natural gear?

When I did the Spartan (in a huge downpour with thunder and lightning close by), we did it in 3 pitches:
P1. pleasant corner from ground level on the right hand side of the embayment. I seem to recall we talked about moving the belay left to the bottom of the offwidth (1 manky carrot BB there, from memory?), but decided the anchor was better above the first pitch.
P2. up the offwidth (carrying at least one #5 camalot is highly recommended and you'll be much happier with two), put a looooooooong extender on the manky bolt at the top of the corner, then launch out the roof (which is AWESOME and takes as much gear as you can place). Due to the rain I belayed a little early on natural gear - under a large chockstone above the squeeze.
P3. Out onto a ledge then a bouldery move or two to the top. I'm guessing this is the ledge that has the belay bolts (that we didn't use, due to the pouring rain out there).

>So yeah, bring big gear!

Amen to that. I reckon the offwidth corner on P2 would be seriously dangerous without at least one #5 camalot (I walked the only one I had with me up the crack).
mikllaw
22-Oct-2010
7:52:49 AM
On 22/10/2010 pmonks wrote:
>Amen to that. I reckon the offwidth corner on P2 would be seriously dangerous
>without at least one #5 camalot (I walked the only one I had with me up
>the crack).


hexes and tubes, and you can finally place one, at the bolt
Stuart Hickson shot from late 70's

pmonks
22-Oct-2010
7:58:30 AM
On 22/10/2010 mikllaw wrote:
>hexes and tubes, and you can finally place one, at the bolt
>Stuart Hickson shot from late 70's

Cool photo - just look at that awesome rock quality on the slab!

I think I may have also wangled a wire in beside the chockstone halfway up the crack, but I remember being pretty unhappy with it and it might have fallen out after I launched across the traverse too...

What an AWESOME AWESOME climb!!

ajfclark
22-Oct-2010
8:04:15 AM
Yeah, maybe we should upgrade the forum to prevent rainbow awesomes.

pmonks
22-Oct-2010
9:30:13 AM
On 22/10/2010 ajfclark wrote:
>Yeah, maybe we should upgrade the forum to prevent rainbow awesomes.

That would be NOT AWESOME...

ajfclark
22-Oct-2010
9:33:56 AM
Oh, Apparently chocky filters out blink tags...
Duncan
22-Oct-2010
1:35:25 PM
Yep, an absolutely stunning climb. I had a shitty cam behind that chockstone that would have pulled straight out had I fallen on it - and that was it from the belay up to the roof. My biggest cam was a no. 3 camalot equivalent that didn't even touch the sides of the crack. I don't remember the bolt, but I slung a chockstone just under the roof. The roof itself, as already mentioned, swallows cams. One of my favourite routes ever. Do it!

dave h.
22-Oct-2010
2:31:36 PM
My memory is that there's one long droopy carrot immediately below the offwidth (ie at first belay).

Then there's another one in the corner at the top of the offwidth, like pmonks said.
I've never noticed the carrots at the second belay, I've always belayed in the little cave after the traverse. Plenty of natural gear in there though.

And I hate the 3rd pitch. Have always done a dodgy traverse out to the right and up an easier crack there..
grego
22-Oct-2010
3:40:41 PM
From memory i think i used 2 #5s and a #6 cam on the second pitch, and reckon i could have shoved another one in!

For someone who is tall the traverse under the roof felt horrible, horrible, horrible. I was so stressed and my belayer was having a good laugh as she had no trouble. Next time i will take off my helmet for that pitch.


Superstu
22-Oct-2010
3:40:47 PM
I avoided the 4th pitch and did the traverse and escape up easier ground to the right too, as the sun was just about to dip behind the horizon and we had no torch between us ~ narrowly avoiding an epic. Sounds like I missed out on some fun.

I have a no.5 and no.6 friend I can loan if somebody needs it for the offwidth. If I recall you had two options, jam a foot lengthways in the trench or slip up the slab.

I also found the traverse awful to lead - one of those harder -if-your-tall problems that short people don't believe exist. I couldn't see my hands, couldn't see my feet, couldn't see where I stuck my pro, it was all quite unnerving. Then you pop out into daylight at the belay ledge, sit down and cry.


bobic
22-Oct-2010
3:48:19 PM
It sounds pretty wild for a 16. I was thinking of trying it after the initial posts but now I'm too scared.

monkeyboy
22-Oct-2010
5:57:29 PM
This is a really great climb, I am shorty so the traverse wasn't tooo hard but my partner for the day is considerably taller and found it tricky.

I set up a belay at the base of the off width with the bolt and some gear and the leader put a revolver biner in the back of the cave before the roof just to help with rope drag.

We did it with no number 5 and the off width is fairly run out.

As others have said the third pitch has one difficult bouldery move that is easier if your taller
martym
23-Oct-2010
12:45:30 AM
Don't be too scared off! It's a 16 for sure - just make sure you note the guidebook says "Ewbank, Seconder FREAKED"

On 22/10/2010 superstu wrote:
> If I recall you had two options, jam a foot lengthways in the
>trench or slip up the slab.

Yeah I had to run out the entire offwidth - though it's not too bad, if you panic just stick most of your body into the crack! But if you have the option - borrow big stuff!

>I also found the traverse awful to lead - one of those harder -if-your-tall
>problems that short people don't believe exist. I couldn't see my hands,
>couldn't see my feet, couldn't see where I stuck my pro, it was all quite
>unnerving. Then you pop out into daylight at the belay ledge, sit down
>and cry.

My experience exactly, and I'm not that tall! Right down to the sit down & cry - that's why I was so happy to find the belay, dunno how the others missed them..

It's a terrifying lead, but the holds are there & the gear is bomber, just put loads in - cause as above, you can't see it!
I stared at that roof all day & managed to convince my buddy to second - I highly recommend it.
Just don't forget the big stuff.

There are 17 messages in this topic.

 

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