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Yak Banquet: all you can eat 27-Sep-2010 At 9:54:57 AM f_ladou

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For this once, I wanted to have a climbing-free weekend so, of course, I took Friday off in order to get onto Yak Banquet at Perry's Lookdown. On the occasion, Alex was in but Dominik had to work (v-cool exhibition at his gallery at the moment, BTW). Together with Martijn, a friend and ex-colleague of mine now keen urban climber in Utrech, we hit the road early on, had a coffee at the Bakehouse on Wentworth (Hi Janette!) and got to the top of Perry's Lookdown around the 9:30 mark. By the time we (mis)managed the four raps required to get down to the deck, it must have been 12:00.

Yak Banquet is a link-up that meanders along the cliff face; it's made out of bits and pieces of Date with Density, Fat Yak and Beggar's Banquet. Mikl recommended it when I suggested Date with Density, he wrote: "Date with density = hard, I’d start with Yak Banquet, classic and quite solid for 22!"

So, ok, Yak Banquet it is and, well, it was quite solid indeed.

Martijn took care of the first pitch (35m, 22). He climbed it patiently and inexorably, taking two rests along the way, commenting on "the pump". From the ground up, no warm up this is quite demanding. The crux is probably the slight overhang on slopers after a rather long demanding start. As for me, well, I had to cheat on every second draw and by the time I got to the top, I was trembling, out of breath and wondering how I could possibly face another four pitch of the same. Shaz often talk about the flash pump. Well, maybe that was a bad case of it because, after some food and belay time, by the time I got onto pitch two, things were back to normal.

Martijn led that one again (45m, 22). To me, that's the best pitch followed by pitch four. The climbing is varied, it starts gently, face climbing to the left of an arête, goes through some choss (the Grose valley tax) and then move to the arête proper in a memorable sequence which turns out to be the crux. A great moment.

Pitch three (40m, 22) is another marathon pitch. To start this one, you first have to crawl along a ledge, pass two ring bolts along the way and lower yourself to a double ring bolt belay (Mikl calls it pitch 2.5, grade 10). That's the theory anyway. We simply belayed from the two ring bolts using long slings. That pitch is quite different from the first two. It starts with 20 meters or delicate and thin face climbing. By the time, I reached the first ledge, my fingers were begging for some rest. Then there's another 20 meter of easier ground (grade 18) including one tricky mantling and a hard pull over a rooflet.

When we finally started pitch four (35m, 22), time was running a short. Nothing serious but still. Both Martijn and I tried to shame Alex into leading at least one pitch but our Austrian friend is a tough nut to crack... So Martijn took on the job yet again, tied to the sharp end and masterfully lead that pitch. In my view, this one is a grade easier that the previous ones: a little easier and with some kind a smooth, enjoyable flow to it. Great pitch.

By the time we all got up that pitch, there was 5 minutes of sunlight left (so claimed Alex). To save time, Martijn jumped on the lead and finished the last 15 meters of grade 21. When I finally got climbing, I could hardly see the footholds and we all got to the top in the dark. The walk back to the car involved headlamps, iPhone mock-up flashlights and a sense of relief. Quite a solid climb indeed.

Of course, we all deserved a beer. At the Gardners Inn, while waiting at the bar, a bunch of St-Peter regulars waived at us and we finished the day at the Piedmont Inn Pizza with Radica, Suzy, Paul, Pete and a few more. Someone told the worse joke ever (really) but still managed to be hilarious. It was then end of a great day.

Cheers, François

Myself on pitch 2. Well above me, where the ropes reach the arête, lies a magical moment.