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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 36
Author
Arapiles revisited
ARidgley
16-Sep-2014
6:53:21 PM
I'm heading to Arapiles for the first time in a decade next week. I'm excited.
I'm going to climb with my 17 y/o daughter for the first time. I'm doubly excited.
I've just turned 50, and this is one of my half century birthday presents to myself. Did I tell you I was excited.

So what's changed? (I just found out about the site booking and did so)
What temperatures can I expect (I used to always climb in November if possible)?
What's the Pines scene like these days.

I'm excited.
kieranl
16-Sep-2014
9:31:54 PM
Temps : coldish nights, days low to mid-20s. That's the forecast up until next Tuesday anyway. Most likely to stay like that but it could get cold and wet instead.
Have fun

Miguel75
16-Sep-2014
10:54:27 PM
On 16/09/2014 ARidgley wrote:
... SNIP...
>I'm excited.

I'm stoked you're excited. I love climbing with my kids though right now climbing with them (as a 4 & 7yr old) means them climbing once and then running off to chase caterpillars...

Hopefully they'll keep wanting to climb with me in the years to come. Have fun and don't forget a TR.
ARidgley
17-Sep-2014
7:23:57 AM
Thanks guys.

My daughter will be able to climb anything I'm willing to lead after 10 years on the couch. I'm scanning guides for the few Grade 10 and under that I haven't done. I'm hoping she gets comfortable enough to tick of things like The Eighth, Salami, The Dribble, etc. Strangely, I've never done Introductory or Ordinary Trees either. Obviously numbers mean nothing to me now, simply the experience. I feel like a kid myself.
maxdacat
17-Sep-2014
12:26:32 PM
I've climbed there a few times, never heard of any of those routes. Intrigued!
ARidgley
17-Sep-2014
12:53:10 PM
I've climbed well over 200 different routes down there. All the three stars 21 and below are ticked (except Scorpion and Quo Vadis because, well, they're just too scary). Pretty much all of the one and two starred routes 12 and below are also ticked. I'm down to the ones that are half decent.

'Introductory' should be 'Introductory Route'. Being the first route climbed at Arapiles (with Siren) it is a tad more well known than the rest. I've always kept it up my sleeve as a cold or lazy day solo. I'll donate it to quality time with my daughter instead.
Wendy
17-Sep-2014
2:22:01 PM
The weather early next week looks glorious. I hope it stays that way for you (and for me too, for that matter!). The eighth and the dribble are great routes. I'm guessing you've done all the obvious easy classics, but other not so well known great easy routes are Xena, the Shroud, Tantalus, lizard Procrastination, Beau Geste, Dunes. Introductory and Ordinary trees share the top, so you may not want to do both if you have to pick and choose which routes to fit in to your week. Serpent, Penny Dreadful and Cloaca at Mitre are also good if your daughter would prefer to start on shorter things. Hopefully this becomes the start of a life long obsession for her!

You may notice there are quite a few less Pines these days. But it's all nice and green at the moment, not very busy, stumpies, roos, wallabies and echidnas are abundant.

shortman
17-Sep-2014
2:24:54 PM
Na, Xena is a terrible route. The rest are great.
ARidgley
17-Sep-2014
2:45:50 PM
Xena - Done
The Shroud - On my hit list. A bit worried about the free rap off the back for my daughter.
Tantalas - Done
Lizard Procrastination - Done
Beau Geste - Done
Dunes - Done
Serpent - Done
Penny Dreadful - Done
Cloaca - not sure how I've missed that. Definitely on the hit list.

I'm also looking at Nameless Gully as an introductory area in the first couple of days. I've never been there (not in the guides).
patto
17-Sep-2014
2:52:21 PM
On 17/09/2014 shortman wrote:
>Na, Xena is a terrible route. The rest are great.

I think Xena is a great route. Especially when done as a two pitch route with a 60m rope!
ARidgley
17-Sep-2014
2:56:14 PM
On 17/09/2014 patto wrote:
>On 17/09/2014 shortman wrote:
>>Na, Xena is a terrible route. The rest are great.
>
>I think Xena is a great route. Especially when done as a two pitch route
>with a 60m rope!

Agreed. I thought it was OK too. I think A Rack of Phobias is better though for a similar style.

shortman
17-Sep-2014
3:20:28 PM
Everyone goes on about Xena being great....must just be me...

It's the one with a couple of overhanging bits yeah?
kieranl
17-Sep-2014
3:31:21 PM
On 17/09/2014 ARidgley wrote:

>The Shroud - On my hit list. A bit worried about the free rap off the
>back for my daughter.

The free raps aren't required. Very easy scrambling and 2 short raps (12m and 20m) get you down. If you have the iphone app the route down is marked on the Front Wall and SouthEast Face pages. Probably in the Select guide too. It's a good adventure. Roping up isn't essential but I imagine that you would want to keep a rope on with your daughter.
ARidgley
17-Sep-2014
3:48:54 PM
Thanks Kieran. I will definitely check that out. It's one of the few easy two star routes I haven't done.

shortman
17-Sep-2014
3:51:49 PM
WTF is a free rap??
kieranl
17-Sep-2014
4:03:03 PM
On 17/09/2014 shortman wrote:
>WTF is a free rap??
Free-hanging. The raps down Kingdom Come and Dazed and Confused both have long sections where you can't touch the rock.
ARidgley
17-Sep-2014
4:06:28 PM
WTF is an app??
ARidgley
17-Sep-2014
4:12:06 PM
I did The Spiral Staircase and Hurricane Lamp Cracks about 25 years ago so my memory is vague. I thought at the time it required a single free rap from the top using double ropes. More recently (a more 15 years ago) I did Judgement Day and even that had a free rap off the back. While I'd much prefer that to scrambling, I'm not sure my daughter will want to do that as her second or third abseil.
ARidgley
17-Sep-2014
4:18:29 PM
I just bought the app, and have the descent route. Thanks again Kieren. It also confirms that, what I thought was a tat of a memory, was in fact correct. A double rope, 46m rap off the back.
gfdonc
17-Sep-2014
4:25:49 PM
I took my 11yo daughter up Spiral Staircase 4 years ago and the rap off the back was one of her first. Apart from the usual terror getting going, she loved it! It almost made her admit she liked climbing. We've done it again since and also climbed the Shroud with her slightly older friend who has a low fear threshold (but still did the rap ok).

Of course you can rap on a single and belay her on your other rope, then switch over to doubles for yourself. Just be super careful scrambling down to the chains.


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There are 36 messages in this topic.

 

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