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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 33
Area Location Sub Location Crag Links
VIC Buffalo Gorge South Side Angels' Buttress [ Gorge Guide ] 

Author
Mount Buffalo - WAFTT GPS
WeekendWarrior
21-May-2013
1:36:45 PM
My climbing partner and I are going to be in VIC this weekend, and - weather dependent - are thinking about jumping onto "Angels".

While it *should* be straightforward to follow the approach directions in the guidebook, I know that Buffalo navigation can be challenging. As daylight will be in short supply, I'd hate to waste it finding the base of the climb.

Wondering whether anyone has tracked the approach using GPS, and could send me the track (or some key waypoints).

Thanks,
gfdonc
21-May-2013
2:31:40 PM
I may have, can check my GPS when I get home.

However the following directions (mine) might get you there:

Access
Access in itself is a bit of an epic, you scramble down a rough track down the south side of the gorge. Park in the South Side car park near the hut and follow the track to the hang-glider ramp, then past the “No access” signs down a rough but wide gully. Descend down this heading roughly east, eventually you find rough steps and cairns. This track leads to Mushroom Rock which is unmistakeable, then swings left (west) and across ledges on the south side. Look for cairns and some scrambling is involved.
Eventually you get deeper and deeper in the gorge, heading in the direction of the chalet and reach some fixed ropes which you can go hand-over-hand. Angels’ buttress is easily seen from here, so get your bearings.
The fixed ropes descend into trees which you basically downclimb in the gully and follow the ‘creek’ bed steeply down further (I recall some misleading cairns on the left facing out) and eventually scramble up and out left, then come up from the right side of Angels buttress (looking up now) to scramble between some boulders and reach the base at a small stance under a tree.
The route starts up and left from here at some flakes/corner which leads into a handcrack above.
WeekendWarrior
21-May-2013
7:19:10 PM
@gfdonc,

Thanks for those directions. Any waypoints would be a real bonus.

Looks like a high pressure system is going to dominate VIC this weekend - looking forward to clear (if chilly) climbing.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
21-May-2013
8:21:17 PM
>The fixed ropes descend into trees

It has been a while since I was there, but not long after they were installed I noted that they were very poorly anchored on at least one end...
~> Psychological belay-assist at best back then, but could be different now?
gfdonc
21-May-2013
9:16:51 PM
No GPS coordinates, sorry.

From Google Maps the best guess is -36.720691,146.821621, but you'd be better off following the directions above.
gfdonc
21-May-2013
9:18:01 PM
Err maybe -36.720104,146.822329
Just ignore all that.

phillipivan
22-May-2013
12:24:22 AM
WW,

There are only three points where I think you are likely to get lost along the way, as for the most part there is an clear padded track, sometimes with a rope as mentioned.

The three points, where I imagine you might get lost, are at the start, passing mushroom rock, and at the end, finding the right point to scramble up, and the correct crack to start up. For much of the descent you have a good view of the Angels buttress. I suggest you take a few minutes to have a look and orient yourself with the topo as best you can; identify the ledges and transitions between crack systems. You may not have a good view of the upper reaches of the route, but you will have a prime view of the routes guts. This will also help you get a sense of where the route starts, and hence where you need to get to.

To find the start I have always followed the path past the run down old tennis courts, to a little lookout area on the left. This is just past the starting descent gully, and it is easy to backtrack through light scrub to intersect the path.
At the base of the climb, the normal route goes up the left most option, which involves about four metres of easy face climbing before you pull into the hand crack. There are some other cracks which come all the way down to the ground/starting ledge, some with bushes growing out of them, you don't want to climb these.

The buffalo guide has some useful notes about the approach.
bones
22-May-2013
9:21:09 AM
It's easy to get lost on the topout too!
It's worth finding your way into Burstans Crevasse the day before if you're not familar with the area
pecheur
22-May-2013
10:37:54 AM
On 22/05/2013 bones wrote:
>It's easy to get lost on the topout too!
>It's worth finding your way into Burstans Crevasse the day before if you're
>not familar with the area

+1 it took us a few tries and I was with someone who'd been there before ...

Ben_E
22-May-2013
10:39:33 AM
On 22/05/2013 bones wrote:
>It's easy to get lost on the topout too!

We weren't lost, we were just adding a couple of extra bonus pitches of munge and tea-tree...

Should be quite an adventure this time of the year, hope you come out smiling!
gfdonc
22-May-2013
2:53:16 PM
My tips for Burston's.
You can get under the big boulder under its right side instead of scrambling around left.
When you get near the top, scrambling up right is easier than going caving.

This will all make sense when you get there ..
WeekendWarrior
22-May-2013
8:18:59 PM
Thanks for all the tips. I'll try to grab some waypoints for future use.

PS - a few of the posts and TRs here mention the South Side hut (which I presume is the same as the Gorge Stone Hut). I've searched extensively, but can't find access details for the hut. Is it possible to bivvy in the hut? Any online resources I've missed?

Much Appreciated.
kieranl
22-May-2013
8:56:17 PM
Camping isn't permitted in the south side hut, it's day use only. I've spent the occasional wet night there (though not been there for many years) but you're at risk of being thrown out of the park if it's checked. Given the fine forecast it's not worth the risk

IdratherbeclimbingM9
22-May-2013
8:59:27 PM
I heard somewhere that if you are out of it by 7 in the morning you will be OK, as the Rangers usually start after then...
;-)
WeekendWarrior
23-May-2013
1:31:50 AM
So if the stone hur is technically day "camping" only, and Lake Catania is closed from May, is there any winter camping available in the park?
Cam McKenzie
23-May-2013
8:45:40 AM
Pretty sure you can camp at Lake Catani still but the toilet block is closed and you can't drive in there. Just go the sneaky bivy in the south side car park and get up early.
WeekendWarrior
23-May-2013
4:52:40 PM
Thanks - might try the lake instead of raising the ire of the Rangers.
MichaelOR
23-May-2013
7:34:07 PM
The main toilets and shower block will be closed but there is a stand alone single toilet that can be used nearby. It is for use by snow campers etc in winter. You'll have to look at a map of the campground to see where it is. It is near the stone hut.
Mike Bee
24-May-2013
4:07:20 PM
I've stayed in the hut for a couple of nights before.
One time, the ranger even saw us lingering around at dark and asked, we told him, he just chose to ignore it.

He could probably tell how shattered we were after our little epic on Angles.

As for finding the base of the route, I seem to remember that you can see the buttress from several places on the approach, which will help you to figure out if you're heading the correct way or not.
gfdonc
24-May-2013
6:03:40 PM
Persons I may or may not have been associated with may have had all there gear confiscated from the hut after a late-night bivvy coming off Ozymandias some years ago.

Same persons may or may not have been able to recover said gear from the storage shed near Lake Catani without the ranger knowing about it.

Same persons may or may not have subsequently been ejected from the park after been caught in a traffic jam near the Chalet.

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 33
There are 33 messages in this topic.

 

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