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Crag & Route Beta

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Topic Date User

The Phoenix (20) Resurrected! 19-Aug-2013 At 7:59:38 AM PThomson

Message

bjorniam, nice work getting on it, mate. I only know of 3 other teams who've climbed it since I cleaned it last october. Did you do it as a single superpitch? If done that way, I rate it as one of the classic cracks of the Blueys. The variety and "very" trad nature of it makes it an unforgettable climb, IMO.

Not so nice work missing out on the awesome new access track ( =P ), but at least you earned your supper that night, that bush bash from the bottom isn't fun. It's even LESS fun in summer when the leaches are out, hehe.

The line of bolts out left is actually 2 climbs I put up.

Quetzal starts from the ground, goes up the Firefly fingercrack, then continues straight up past 6 bolts (and a few bits of gear), then rejoins The Phoenix at the start of the top crux to finish up that. It goes at about 21, and is very pure slab, albeit quite run-out and bold. 55m of climbing in 1 pitch is a very long way, and even though I've climbed the crux of the Phoenix numerous times, I almost muffed it up just from sheer mental exchaustion on the First Ascent.

Quetzalcoatl is the continuation direct up the slab to the top, and is about 23-24 for the last 6m of climbing. The reason I wrote the 2 routes up as 2 separate routes is because of the stark contrast in difficulty for the last 6m. I haven't sent Quetzalcoatl, though I've climbed it clean on top rope solo. Haven't been able to find anyone psyched for going out there lately.

Did you see the routes on the headwall above? (you might have seen my bad chalk diagram above the Phoenix).

Starting out 12m right of the top of The Phoenix is the access pitch to get to the headwall (basically a 12m traverse). And on the headwall above is Archaeopterix (21), which I sent with Gene a few months back, and the massive overhanging arete-prow out left (very visible from the ground) is The Firebird, which I haven't climbed, but is about 19-20. The bolt immediately above the top of the The Phoenix is just a rap-rope redirect for getting off the headwall above (without getting stranded in space).

Anyway, nice work guys. And it's good to know that The Phoenix is still attracting the odd trad obscurist for a wicked romp.

Be safe.

-Paul