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Beginner-intermediate sport/top rope near Melb |
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27-Nov-2014 5:02:58 PM
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Hi guys,
I am coming back to visit Melbourne (from Vancouver) and want to do some climbing while I am back over there. I climb here in Squamish but have never climbed outside in Victoria before.
I am looking for some easier routes (below grade 20) to take some of my mates to. From the information I have found so far on the Grampians, it seems like there are not that many sport routes under that grade. I will have a basic sport climbing rack and some short slings for top roping, so basically would be looking at using bolts for protection.
Are there more top roping routes around that difficulty level? Is it worth buying the sport climbing guidebook? Does it have easier top ropable routes listed in there? Should we just hire bouldering pads and do that instead!?
Any advice would be appreciated!
Cheers,
Rob
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27-Nov-2014 5:20:31 PM
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You won't find all that many sport climbs under grade 20 in Victoria, unless they're slab climbs or otherwise not possible to protect with trad gear, as you might encounter at Mt Alexander or Mt Buffalo. (And I'm not sure about Mt Alexander, but for Buffalo you need bolt plates.)
For top-roping, Falcon's Lookout at Werribee Gorge is definitely the easiest in terms of access and anchor availability, especially if you don't have gear to set up trad toprope anchors. The anchors there can be as far as 10m back from the cliff edge though, so you would need a static line or webbing to extend over the edge.
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27-Nov-2014 7:57:40 PM
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Keep in mind too that a significant number of areas in the Grampians are closed due to fire. Most of the easier sport climbing is included in that area.
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28-Nov-2014 3:27:06 PM
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Thanks for the tips! Falcons lookout seems pretty close and looks like it has a good amount of climbs, I'll have to bring some static cord. Is there a guidebook or app for the area that you would recommend?
Also, if we decide to stick to bouldering, where is an affordable place to hire mats?
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28-Nov-2014 3:28:32 PM
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Rock Climbs around Melbourne is the book, although it is pretty apparent what is easy and what is not from the bottom of the cliff.
Take static rope, not cord.
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28-Nov-2014 5:05:55 PM
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>there a guidebook or app for the area that you would recommend?
Rockclimbs Around Melbourne is also available as an app from iCrag
http://icragguides.com
It's good, I use it more than the book.
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28-Nov-2014 6:12:04 PM
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Assume your mates will have cars? Essential for pretty much everywhere around Melbourne that isn't a gym.
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28-Nov-2014 6:48:30 PM
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And you need helmets at Werribee. It's decomposing a lot more quickly than your average crag! And lots of loose stuff up the top which is easily dislodged. Certainly needed when you are at the base of the cliff. Probably more necessary than the car!
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4-Dec-2014 5:11:47 PM
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Thanks so much for the advice everyone!
Luckily my mates have cars so if anyone has any other suggestions for decent sport/toprope relatively close to Melbourne I'd love to hear them.
I will buy the iCrag app and bring a helmet and slings/static rope.
How many meters of sling or static rope approximately will I need to top rope at Werribee? I'm not sure how far back the anchors are set from the edge of the cliff...
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4-Dec-2014 5:20:12 PM
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If you look at the aerial-view diagram on theCrag's Werribee Gorge page (the one showing the climb positions, not the Google map) for context, the anchors for the NW end of the cliff, around Golgotha, are quite a bit further back than those along the rest of the cliff. Going purely from memory, I'd estimate that most anchors are 2-4m from the cliff edge, and the ones at the NW end might be 10m back.
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