Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - Trip Reports

Tells Us About Your Latest Trip!

Author

Doing stupid things in the Grose (Darkside)


evanbb

22-Dec-2008
10:11:22 AM

I was tempted not to post this at all, image management and all that. But, might as well get the whole horrible truth out there. Maybe my stupidity will help others avoid this in the future, but, some lessons need to be learnt first hand.

It's my birthday today, so to celebrate we camped at Mt Wilson, ate roast lamb and got outrageously drunk. First mistake. I climb badly hungover. Then to combat the hangover in the morning, I had 37 espressos. I hadn't climbed much with Bec lately, cos she's been working crappy hours, and thought a nice relaxing multipitch might be the way forward. We'd had a look off Walls lookdown the previous evening and thought a grade 14 chimney might make a nice jaunt. Mistake #3.
Access was easy, rapped to the base of the route, having a little look on the way down. Left an anchor at the halfway point for ease of belay on the way up. M#4. Pulled the rope M#5. Climbed up the wall of the chimney and clipped the first bolt, then flapped and flailed like a seal in a drainpipe for 20 minutes, trying to do the next move. The problem was this: the chimney is wide, 1.2m I estimate, and there's a few features. I found a way to move up, but my new shoulder didn't like it at all. Besides which, I fell off the next move anyway. And again. and again. I couldn't do it, literally could not climb a grade 14 chimney. Oh for fukks sake. Didn't have the guide, Bec doesn't lead, and besides if I can't climb a 14 what can I climb?
So we walked out. In my tight climbing shoes, sometimes bare foot, with no water or food. Stopped at each waterfall and drank heavily, trying not to think of chrypto and giardia. Bush bashed along the cliff, joined the tourist track, up Pierces, then back along the lunch ledge to get my bag. Should I rap down and prussick back up to get my anchor? No. Drive home, lick wounds. My feet look like they've got the stigmata and I woke up with cramps last night. Plenty of sunburn too.
There were some dark times on the walk out. Self loathing and doubt. Maybe I should start sport climbing?


IdratherbeclimbingM9

22-Dec-2008
10:19:16 AM

Yes, yes; ... but now you are ready for GRIT !

>Maybe I should start sport climbing?
...or take up Aid climbing if you really want to develop your penchant for suffering.
:-P

Next birthday you will look back on this one as an adventure!

>image management and all that

You are a climber, right?
Heh, heh, heh.

widewetandslippery

22-Dec-2008
10:54:16 AM

Evan you made me feel so much better reading that. At least I was nice and close to the car at Piddington while I was spewing on Saturday.


westie

22-Dec-2008
11:00:54 AM

On 22/12/2008 evanbb wrote:
>if I can't climb a 14 what can I climb?

I spent a week climbing recently and toward the end of it bombed on a grade 14 thrutch. Though we'd been climbing many grades harder we were looking for a late afternoon cruise. Just couldn't sort my shoulders out and get the jams in. So we left with our tail between our legs to do something else.

Speaking of chimneys... I spent a day with a guy once who spent most of the day working a grade 28 route (almost got it) but couldn't get off the ground on a grade 18 chimney we picked as a warm up.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

22-Dec-2008
11:02:40 AM

Was it your birthday too WW&S?
;-P

widewetandslippery

22-Dec-2008
11:08:12 AM

On 22/12/2008 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>Was it your birthday too WW&S?
>;-P

No, just training.


anthonyk

22-Dec-2008
11:35:54 AM

that sucks evan!


evanbb

22-Dec-2008
11:59:28 AM

On 22/12/2008 anthonyk wrote:
>that sucks evan!

It says in the guide that the walk out sucks, and they're not wrong. At least we didn't die. Good epic conditioning I'd say. In hindsight I should have launched up the West Face of the MB and hauled Bec when she got stuck. Live and learn I suppose.

mikl law

22-Dec-2008
12:07:35 PM

You do have to span the gap and turn around above the first bolt, and it could be a bit much on a wobbly shoulder. It gets narrower after that. Once you get past Wall's Lookdown the walk gets easier, did you find the BASE jumper's track?


evanbb

22-Dec-2008
12:32:00 PM

On 22/12/2008 mikl law wrote:
>You do have to span the gap and turn around above the first bolt, and it
>could be a bit much on a wobbly shoulder. It gets narrower after that.
>Once you get past Wall's Lookdown the walk gets easier, did you find the
>BASE jumper's track?

Yeah we stumbled onto some sort of goat track. Went under a couple of waterfalls, which were nice. Got hung up on a couple of cliffs though and rapped down to dry land.

Where do the jumpers land? There's lots of pointy trees down there. Since the fires there's vigorous regrowth and lots of pointy dead sticks.

mikepatt

22-Dec-2008
12:49:10 PM

Evan, don't be so hard on yourself. After all lots of walking and virtually no climbing should be good traing for Tassie. Seriously though, nothing wrong in backing off except losing gear and perhaps some face.

mikl law

22-Dec-2008
1:19:58 PM

losing face is what you do when you fall off slabs.
Walking out results in leggy dermabrasion

prb

22-Dec-2008
2:40:22 PM

I was sliding down a smooth sandstone slab the other week, feeling quite happy and in control of the fall. But I forgot about the bolts and hangers and almost got hooked up on one under my ribcage. I got away with a graze on my belly and chest but it could have been nasty. Lesson learnt: get away from the rock a little whether it's coarse granite or nice'n'smooth.

deadpoint

22-Dec-2008
3:15:40 PM

On 22/12/2008 evanbb wrote:
>On 22/12/2008 mikl law wrote:
>>You do have to span the gap and turn around above the first bolt, and
>it
>>could be a bit much on a wobbly shoulder. It gets narrower after that.
>>Once you get past Wall's Lookdown the walk gets easier, did you find
>the
>>BASE jumper's track?
>
>Yeah we stumbled onto some sort of goat track. Went under a couple of
>waterfalls, which were nice. Got hung up on a couple of cliffs though and
>rapped down to dry land.
>
>Where do the jumpers land? There's lots of pointy trees down there. Since
>the fires there's vigorous regrowth and lots of pointy dead sticks.

The BJ land on a ledge about 30m up the face, then handover hand down a dodgy line to
the goat track.

dfinnecy

22-Dec-2008
4:33:08 PM

Hey Evan!
Was nice to meet you yesterday on your way down! We were doing some of the climbs
on lunch ledge and wondered if everything was OK for you guys since we never saw you
come up. Epics are great, it doesn't have to be fun to be fun.

The base jumpers are crazy. We watched about 8 of them go yesterday on our way
down the Mirrorball raps.

A few weeks earlier we saw a few leave from the top:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfinnecy/3094007862/


Pat

22-Dec-2008
5:22:28 PM

Yep if you want to live a life of doubt and self loathing, sport climbing will do it to you.

DaveN

22-Dec-2008
8:40:33 PM

We climbed the "Darkside" a few years back. it was a fun outing. See some pics of the gymnastics at -

http://www.david-noble.net/climbing/2005/Walls_LO_Jan_05.html

I didn't lead the first pitch - but it was interesting following up afterwards.

Dave


wallwombat

22-Dec-2008
8:44:19 PM

On 22/12/2008 mikl law wrote:
>losing face is what you do when you fall off slabs.

Unless you can manage to turn around. Then you lose bum.


Dutch

22-Dec-2008
8:44:21 PM

Hey Evan,I think you're right, now might be the time to take up sport climbing :)

dfinnecy

22-Dec-2008
9:23:25 PM

Nice pics David. I had forgotten the second pitch. Gymnastics describes it well. It
really is a pretty cool climb and unique for the blue mountains. I vote for an extra star
(that is 2 to 3) in the next guide.

There are 27 messages in this topic.