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VIC Arapiles Pharos Gully (General) Upper Yesterday Gully [ Arapiles Guide | Arapiles Images ]

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near Blue Hawaii

bobasnotty

29-Oct-2004
10:53:04 AM

Does anybody have any info on the route on the arete just to the left of Blue Hawaii? The Mentz guide doesn't mention it, though it may be in Lou Shepard's guide. Somebody mentioned they thought it was a BH Direct, but it doesn't share any holds or gear with that route, just arrives at the same anchors. It has a couple of bolts in it, feels like around the 21ish level. Any news on this route?

Rupert

29-Oct-2004
8:39:26 PM

The Louise Shepherd guide lists 5 climbs on the pillar before Blue Hawaii as you come up the gully, but none of them are just left of it or near the grade you are talking about. Sorry - can't help on that one.

Robin

1-Nov-2004
9:06:07 AM

Sorry can't help with info on that route but I did do Blue Hawaii on the weekend and was very disappointed with the route. I was told it was an easy tick for the grade but I didn't expect it to be as easy as it was. I followed the exact line shown in the Arapiles select guide and I think it would be struggling to be 19. I think it is half a grade to a grade easier than other 19's such as Pearls Before Swine and Morphydd, and similar to Tannin but less sustained. There is absolutely no way it is anywhere near 21.

Blue Hawaii is a reasonable route, probably worth one star and probably at the easy end of 19.

Rupert

1-Nov-2004
11:17:53 AM

>and probably at the easy end of 19.

I'm on my way.

adski

1-Nov-2004
2:39:56 PM

Tis a funny kind of climber that gets disappointed when they climb well and find climbs easy for the grade. I've heard the phrase "full value for the grade" - does this mean when we find an easy tick we're getting ripped off? I don't feel that way, I feel great!

Robin, congratulations also on your gift of being able to measure difficulty in half-grades. Can you provide revisions on: Claw, Fang and Phyrric Victory for me please? I have a feeling even half grades may not do justice, perhaps they're 19.9, 19.5 and 19.7? Please also list any influencing factors in addition to the ones I feel also may apply:

the "Butt-strong gym bunny" factor
the "I've taped up my hands so i can't feel a thing" factor
the "Damn, all my gear's on the left when it should be on the right" factor
the "shoulda brought my adhesive full body suit instead of lycra" factor

I'm wondering what people would think of Blue Hawaii if it was transplanted to the organ pipes. The mid-teen trad bumblies would be slobbering all over it, in the same way Tannin is revered. Of course, then it'd be due to be cut down to size in the Aussie tall poppy tradition. Such is the destiny of the accessible soft tick.

I'm tempted to send my low-loader back to Araps and collect the Blue Hawaii pinnacle to prevent future 'disappointment', as my new boulder looks a little lonely..

(apologies for being narky, i got a bit carried away! but at least i make myself laugh. feel free to assassinate my character in return)

Wendy

23-Nov-2004
11:56:30 AM

It is Blue Hawaii Direct, it is given 22, it is harder than Blue Hawaii, whatever you think of the grade of that one ... Don't know what you started up, but I thought it shared the start of Blue Hawaii to the roof.

Rich

23-Nov-2004
12:19:22 PM

On 1/11/2004 Robin wrote:
>Sorry can't help with info on that route but I did do Blue Hawaii on the
>weekend and was very disappointed with the route. I was told it was an
>easy tick for the grade but I didn't expect it to be as easy as it was.
> I followed the exact line shown in the Arapiles select guide and I think
>it would be struggling to be 19. I think it is half a grade to a grade
>easier than other 19's such as Pearls Before Swine and Morphydd, and similar
>to Tannin but less sustained. There is absolutely no way it is anywhere
>near 21.
>

>Blue Hawaii is a reasonable route, probably worth one star and probably
>at the easy end of 19.

did it on the weekend.. thought it was about 20 and good fun. can't compare to the others mentioned above as they were a long time ago but i believe it was harder than say lemmington which i did again recently..

Wendy

24-Nov-2004
3:13:47 PM

I thought that Fang and Claw were actually only 18? But I reckon we’d have to give them 18- relative to gems such as Cerebrus and Sport Climb This You Bastards. Then there’s Driftwood, a delightful flared marble chimney that Simon graciously downgraded to 17 in his guidebook, although he did us the favour of justifying our struggles on Electra a little by raising it to 19. By the time you’ve done all of these, you should find other such classics as In Lieu (19) and Scorpion (18) a complete doddle. But if you don’t find Five Finger Mary (20) far more desperate than any 21 at the Mount, I suspect you could thrutch your way to glory on Kama Sutra (23) or Procul Harem (26) – hardly a common feat despite the numbers of people professing to climb these grades. Grades are subjective and these styles of climbs are notoriously desperate for the modern climber, and still a full body work out for those of us who seem to be stuck in the 1970s. Mind you, I was told to rush out and do Blue Hawaii before it was downgraded to 19 about 15 years ago … who cares as long as we’re having fun?

There are 8 messages in this topic.