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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 25
Area Location Sub Location Crag Links
VIC Arapiles (General) (General) (General) [ Arapiles Guide | Arapiles Images ] 

Author
Oceanoid
lfranklin
6-Apr-2009
10:28:28 AM
Hey everyone, Thinking about heading up to Araps in a few weekends time. I'm thinking about giving oceanoid a go! Althought a little scared of it. I've been to the base and looked at it previously and decided to not climb it. I guess i'm wondering what the gears like and do you get some good stances after/before the bulge to rest and place gear?
prb
6-Apr-2009
12:01:02 PM
"BETA ALERT", as they say...

I recall the gear up to the crux as spaced but good, but then my style is to run things out a little more
than most so maybe you could pretty well stitch up the first part. At the crux, you can stand there all day
but you're a couple of metres above your last piece and after a lot of looking I could only find one small (#00) but reasonable cam. Maybe I missed something. The stances are fine after the crux and the top
part of the pitch is superb. If you've dealt with pitch 1, the second pitch should hold no fear. The tight V-
chimney/corner will put hair on your chest.
gfdonc
6-Apr-2009
12:52:49 PM
OK I'll bite. How much beta do you want?

Firstly, you want double ropes and a few slings. The initial section up the corner goes around some inverted steps meaning your rope wanders, then you launch left around the roof, then left some more. I've seen double ropes fouled up quite well also, so try to use your 'left' rope for the first 10m, then your 'right' rope up to and through and a bit past the roof, then your 'left' rope again for the top tricky section (more beta coming below). If you put a sling on your last piece of your 'left' rope in the corner it runs pretty well over the big smooth bulge (gee a photo would be useful right now).

The initial corner isn't hard, a couple of tricky reaches, and gear is good but be careful about your placements or you'll have killer rope drag later. Slings, slings, darlings! You step right around a block up higher (15m?), so watch the gear placements there, then you step up into the roof - watch the outwards pull on your placements here.

At the roof there's a good high wire (finger size?) so don't get too precious about fiddling placements in lower. Step back down for the (good) rest, then launch leftwards around the roof - holds are fairly good but body position is important.
Once around the roof you get a reasonable rest and some gear a bit higher. You wander leftwards and up into a lovely corner-crack section with another tricky bit to reach up for holds. It's well chalked due to the shelter from the roofs above, so you won't get lost. Then steady but smooth sailing up to the belay.

Some people get stuck trying to get too far up before traversing across left to the belay (double rings) - watch for better holds down lower.

That's pitch one. Then you go up for pitch two. ;-)
patto
6-Apr-2009
5:09:12 PM
The climb is still graded 17 in the new guide book (but in picture caption it is 18). It is quite sustained after you pull of the sloped ramp at the start. This is a very solid 17, some would grade this an 18. I wouldn't recommend it if you are just leading the grade. Gear is good but putting it in will test you because the stances aren't the best.

That said this is probably my favourite climb that I have climbed at Arapiles. Though Eurydice I did a couple of weeks ago might edge it out.
Wendy
6-Apr-2009
5:31:13 PM
I agree with Steve, the gear is good, including at the crux, and not spaced if you are good at finding placements. The rock is a little friable to start thus your placements are really only limited by the good rock bits. There's a 2 or 3 rock up high and right before the crux and if you really want to hang around, a 5 or so mid traverse, and a .4 camalot. I'm pretty sure on a nervous day I've lobbed at least 5 bits into those 2m! It's a long pitch so if you don't want to run it out all over the place, take a generous rack and a 3/4 camalot on the ledge at the top before you wander over to belay will make your second very happy.
lfranklin
6-Apr-2009
5:40:22 PM
Cool, this fills me with a bit more confidence. All i have to do now is not let my climbing partner see all this Beta i have gathered and i can still claim the onsight!!! Thanks.
Mike Bee
7-Apr-2009
10:03:39 PM
On 6/04/2009 lfranklin wrote:
> All i have to do now is not let my climbing partner see all this Beta i have gathered and i can
>still claim the onsight!!! Thanks.

Mate, not trying to sling shit or have a go at you, but thats pretty lame.

Climbing isn't about how strong or good you can make others thing you are, it's about enjoying yourself and the movement. If you like to climb hard and chase grades, thats great, but trying to bullshit your partner about if it was an "onsight" or a "flash" is cheating and lying to yourself as much as it is to him.
rolsen1
7-Apr-2009
11:57:24 PM
On 7/04/2009 Mike Bee wrote:
>On 6/04/2009 lfranklin wrote:
>> All i have to do now is not let my climbing partner see all this Beta
>i have gathered and i can
>>still claim the onsight!!! Thanks.
>
>Mate, not trying to sling shit or have a go at you, but thats pretty lame.
>
>Climbing isn't about how strong or good you can make others thing you
>are, it's about enjoying yourself and the movement. If you like to climb
>hard and chase grades, thats great, but trying to bullshit your partner
>about if it was an "onsight" or a "flash" is cheating and lying to yourself
>as much as it is to him.

He was joking..... he's not really gonna lead Oceanoid.
patto
8-Apr-2009
3:03:01 PM
On 7/04/2009 Mike Bee wrote:
>On 6/04/2009 lfranklin wrote:
>> All i have to do now is not let my climbing partner see all this Beta
>i have gathered and i can
>>still claim the onsight!!! Thanks.
>
>Mate, not trying to sling shit or have a go at you, but thats pretty lame.
>
>Climbing isn't about how strong or good you can make others thing you
>are, it's about enjoying yourself and the movement. If you like to climb
>hard and chase grades, thats great, but trying to bullshit your partner
>about if it was an "onsight" or a "flash" is cheating and lying to yourself
>as much as it is to him.

Chill out dude! Can't you read humor?

Besides how is asking for a little heads up about a climb destroying the onsight? At least in my book this 'beta' doesn't destroy an onsight.
dalai
8-Apr-2009
3:09:25 PM
Any beta destroys the onsight. But I agree about the missing humour bit...

gordoste
8-Apr-2009
10:28:29 PM
fyi an onsight with beta is called a flash. a true onsight is with no beta at all.
prb
9-Apr-2009
12:13:41 AM
A really true onsight is climbing virgin rock, not knowing whether the line you've spotted will go or not, having no chalk marks to guide the way, placing extractable or fixed protection on lead.

pmonks
9-Apr-2009
3:24:55 AM
On 9/04/2009 prb wrote:
>A really true onsight is climbing virgin rock, not knowing whether the
>line you've spotted will go or not, having no chalk marks to guide the
>way, placing extractable or fixed protection on lead.

But only if that fixed protection is pre-rusted mild steel carrots bought from Bunnings for $0.25 a pop. ;-)

The good Dr
9-Apr-2009
9:09:34 AM
>On 9/04/2009 prb wrote:
>>A really true onsight is climbing virgin rock, not knowing whether the
>>line you've spotted will go or not, having no chalk marks to guide the
>>way, placing extractable or fixed protection on lead.

I would say that the above is really the only true on-sight given the following:

- If you read the guidebook, you have beta (flash)
- If someone tells you where it is, you have beta (flash)
- If you discuss it with your buddy below the climb, you have beta (flash)
- If you talk about the climb with anyone, you have beta (flash)

Which basically means that very few people have onsighted anything and that they are all claiming false credit for their climbing prowess. Which means that you (yes YOU, ie the general climbing population) are a bunch of cheating liars. But we all sort of knew that all along didn't we ;)
prb
9-Apr-2009
9:56:30 AM
On 9/04/2009 The good Dr wrote:
> If you discuss it with your buddy below the climb, you have beta (flash)

I think I'd allow that, although technically it's a "team" rather than an individual onsight so you wouldn't
dwell on who gets to the top first (a Hillary and Tenzing sort of thing).

rolsen1
9-Apr-2009
11:24:09 AM
You're meant to be burying this thread so his partner doesn't see it!

Stop posting.

bluey
9-Apr-2009
11:26:45 AM
I am always bemused by the onsight/flash etc debate.

Most climbs I lead, I read the guide but ideally avoid beta from other people (sometimes you can't avoid it cos you mention the climb and people go ON and ON and ON about it). Sometimes when I know a lead will be a challenge for me in terms of style or just cos it's got a reputation, I'll ask people for beta or second it first and come back to lead another day. That's my personal ethics.

At the end of the day tho, chatting around the campsite, I never distinguish between whether I truly onsighted or flashed or whatever - I'd be more likely to mention a fall or rest as part of the story. I'll happily tell people if it was the first time I'd gone anywhere near the climb, or I'd seconded the climb before or if person X gave me some good tips, but to actually say "I did an awesome onsight today", or "it was just a flash" just sounds pretentious.

I would have thought most casual climbers get beta so they feel safe on a climb they perceive as being a significant challenge, rather than just so they can claim a hollow victory over more and harder climbs - so why be picky about the level of beta involved in someone else's ascent?
lfranklin
9-Apr-2009
12:19:48 PM
Thanks rolsen1, i thought this thread would have just disappeared by now..............
My climbing partner NEVER sits on gear and NEVER rests when he's pumped, he just has this ability to push through no matter the consequences. I on the other hand like to stich it up, never run it out and live like a Chihuahua (scared all the time). If anyone hears a guy screaming "live like a chihuahua" from the top of pharos, don't be worried, it's just my new moto!

bluey
9-Apr-2009
12:24:46 PM
Sorry.

Oops, posted again ; )
rolsen1
9-Apr-2009
1:34:23 PM
On 9/04/2009 prb wrote:
>A really true onsight is climbing virgin rock, not knowing whether the
>line you've spotted will go or not, having no chalk marks to guide the
>way, placing extractable or fixed protection on lead.

So when I fail to pick where the line goes I shouldn't be bagged out for my incompetence, I should be praised for my pure onsight ethics!

btw, you're partner sounds cool, I'm sure he'd understand your need for beta

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There are 25 messages in this topic.

 

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