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Grampians Cup Weekend

westie

7-Nov-2007
11:25:06 AM

Hey,

Here's a quick write up on 3 days in the Northern Gramps just gone by.

Headed up Friday night, a typically dull drive. Funny to see carloads of climbers from Melbourne cramming their shopping trolleys full of food and booze at the supermarket in Stawell and getting the wind up for closing time. Don't you hate random shopping at foreign supermarkets? always forget something.

Got to Staplyton campground at about 11pm - not many people there. Probably scared off by the weather forecast.

Saturday morning. Grey skies and a spot or two of drizzle. Bolted down a breakfast and then off to Hollow Mountain. Headed for Trident (14, 40m). Good climb. worth the stars it gets. Bouldery start then a nice traverse into some good steep climbing. By the end of the second pitch it was pissing down and like climbing a waterfall. Well worth doing (when its dry).

While it was still raining we left our gear and headed up to Taipan Wall for a scout around. I'd never been close to it before and I have to say hats off to anyone who steps off the ground here. Its bloody impressive. Certainly makes you think about your own climbing obstacles and just makes you wanna get back on some rock. The area at the bottom of the wall is starting to look a bit grotty though. There were old tarps just thrown around, bits of trash - even a blue g-string... the owner can pm me (please?)

After lunch we started up Molar Buttress (12,100m) Not a bad first pitch for the grade but the next pitch wanders a bit. Weird big features everywhere. makes you feel like an ant on anelephants backside. It got too wet so we rapped off a sling at the top of the second pitch. Does anyone know what the short, bolted climb to the right of MB is? It had about five or six bolts and looked about a 19 or 20.

More rain so headed back to camp for the day and some food.

Day 2. Weather not much better and getting worse. Did some bush bashing on the western side of mount zero too find some cave bouldering and then did the Mount Zero hike. Not a bad stroll. We headed for the Olive grove cafe to ride out the weather and for some lunch. Good for snacks but not much else.

After lunch it cleared up so we headed for Summerday Valley. We warmed up on Regatta (OK) and then headed around to Bird Wall. I led Greenfinger 15, 25m?? - more like 15m) which is stemming down low in a broken chimney to a slightly overhung jam crack. Jamming is not my forte so it was a sketchy lead. Bomber gear so I just threw some nuts in and went for it - awesome pumpy climb!

John had a lead too and then we headed round to Danger Bird (15,25m). Its an OK climb - steep and juggy up top so good fun.

After this we did Bowler which is a c&%t of a climp (IMO).

Great afternoon's climbing... headed back to camp for Chilli and beers. Some other climbers from melbourne had pulled up next to us at camp. They'd bailed from Nati and thought they would try the weather at the gramps. Nice timing guys, can't say no to an after dinner spliff! Perfect. I think one guy was making didgeredoos. Just a perfect night.

Day 3. We packed up and headed for Mt Difficult to try some more mutli pitch stuff. Tried to find Monkey Man at the end of the Epaminondas Buttress but to no avail. I'd say the reason its not often done is because you can't find the bloody thing. We had to settle for Epaminondas (10,100m). Nice climb. Slabby down low into some stem cracks and a squeeze at the top on the third pitch. The view from the second belay is magic! out through the top and the suns on our backs - nice way to finish the last climb. At this point we were pretty buggered so jumped in the car and headed back to town.

All in all not a bad few days considering the bad weather. There is so much climbing to do in the gramps and the camping shits on the pines. If you haven't been give it a go - you won't be disappointed.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

7-Nov-2007
12:31:51 PM

Good to read about people getting out there and doing it, even if the weather is/was ordinary.
The unexpected outcomes are always the meat of adventure.

>even a blue g-string... the owner can pm me (please?)

Like the humour.
... Careful you don't get a call from a troll !; ... unless they happen to wear blue g-strings ? (wazzatsayshex? ...orisitanudeswimtotheTote? nahgobacktasleep!).
Heh, heh, heh.

westie

9-Nov-2007
2:17:02 PM

On 7/11/2007 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:

>... Careful you don't get a call from a troll

Fat chance. what a waste of time (1 response) I may as well write up my trip to the Mt Morose craft expo in '93 and the close run in I had with a pair of darning needles.

pat

9-Nov-2007
2:33:53 PM

Westie, where are MB and trident? What guide book were you using?

IdratherbeclimbingM9

9-Nov-2007
2:39:34 PM

>what a waste of time (1 response)
... but 218 views thus far and rising.

Education is no loss of energy. I am sure others like myself find snippits of information relevant to their circumstances/aspirations in obscure places like unsung TR's.

We have learnt a bit more about what those climbs are like in the conditions that you experienced.
... and as an aside, writing it up probably brought back good memories for you?
Maybe in 50 years time you will re-read it again and get more good value out of it?

>I may as well write up my trip to the Mt Morose craft expo in '93 and the close run in I had with a pair of darning needles.

Probably relevant to the Mt Morose Darning Society!
Heh, heh, heh.

westie

9-Nov-2007
2:53:53 PM

On 9/11/2007 pat wrote:
>Westie, where are MB and trident? What guide book were you using?

On the Northern Wall of the Mt Stapylton Amphitheatre. They are about 250 metres west of Taipan Wall. They're both in the Gramps Selected Climbs guide. If you spot my sling on Molar Buttress, toss it out - it got really soaked that day. Also there's a set of rap chains at the top of the first pitch that aren't in the guide. Apparently Dave Jones has a project in the descent gully between the climbs, anyone know anything of it? I saw a couple of steep spots with potential. Also for those who like cracks around grade 17, Germinal (I thinks two stars + about 40 metres) looks wicked from below (its right there as well).

westie

9-Nov-2007
2:54:49 PM

On 9/11/2007 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:

>... but 218 views thus far and rising.

Oh yea? where does that show up?

IdratherbeclimbingM9

9-Nov-2007
2:58:37 PM

Here; under heading ‘views’

As an aside, if you click on that heading it will resort all the posts in that section based on the number of views.

kieranl

9-Nov-2007
10:48:36 PM

Bolted climb R of Molar Buttress is first pitch of Disco Dilemma 22. There have been some extra rap anchors added in the Amphitheatre and there are a few others to be fixed up.
Will Monks has recently loaded the info for much of the Stapylton Amphitheatre onto the Australian Climbing Association web-site and I have added some updates/personal knowledge to it. Epsilon Wall, Northern Walls and Central Buttress should be fairly up to date as of last nihght. No topos yet.
I've got lots of water-damaged copies of my old Stayplton Amphitheatre guide (1997). If anyone wants a copy to scribble in (no charge) PM me.

JamesMc

10-Nov-2007
8:31:59 AM

On 7/11/2007 westie wrote:
>Day 3. We packed up and headed for Mt Difficult to try some more mutli
>pitch stuff. Tried to find Monkey Man at the end of the Epaminondas Buttress
>but to no avail. I'd say the reason its not often done is because you can't
>find the bloody thing.

Monkey Man is pretty much up the back of the gully around right of Epaminondas. It's a bit of a walk to ge there, but a very good climb.

JamesMc

westie

12-Nov-2007
8:52:24 AM

On 9/11/2007 kieranl wrote:
>Bolted climb R of Molar Buttress is first pitch of Disco Dilemma 22.

Looks nice... what grade is the first pitch??

westie

12-Nov-2007
8:53:47 AM

On 10/11/2007 JamesMc wrote:

>Monkey Man is pretty much up the back of the gully around right of Epaminondas.
> It's a bit of a walk to ge there, but a very good climb.

The problem is there are a couple of 'bays' around right from Epaminondas as described and not much reference in terms of distance. Is the climb marked on the rock?

kieranl

12-Nov-2007
9:06:20 PM

On 12/11/2007 westie wrote:
>On 9/11/2007 kieranl wrote:
>>Bolted climb R of Molar Buttress is first pitch of Disco Dilemma 22.
>
>
>Looks nice... what grade is the first pitch??
First pitch is 22, all FH to rap anchor. Second pitch is 18 and trad.

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