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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Author
Weather conditions in Victoria
Jonast
11-Nov-2015
8:56:50 AM
Hi everybody,

As I planned a trip in Australia for the next 12 months, I try to get some infos about the conditions for climbing in Arapiles and the Grampians. I will arrive in oz in two weeks, and if i'm not wrong, it will be the start of the summer. So I only found a few infos about the conditions so far and I figure it out that from december to february, it might be too hot and I should wait for the automn. So I thought it was better to start with Tasmania to get fresh air.
So, you who live over there have probably good advices. When is the best moment to go climbing in Victoria ? Should I wait for the automn as I planned ?
see you in Oz, and i'll be gratefull for any tips you'll give,

Jo

IdratherbeclimbingM9
11-Nov-2015
9:07:57 AM
See this thread (located in Crag & Route Beta section of Chockstone), for generalised weather information for international visitors...
gfdonc
11-Nov-2015
9:11:15 AM
The weather in Victoria is variable Jonas, and unless you are the type that thinks 25C is too hot you can climb any month of the year.
The forecast today in Natimuk is 24C but when I was there a month ago it was 36C - dry and still climbable in the shade. With many different faces in different directions you can pick sun or shade depending on the weather. Earlier this week it was 6C in the Grampians (early morning).
Plenty of good climbing days over the next 3 months.
Jonast
11-Nov-2015
9:46:08 AM
Thank you very much for these fast and really detailled answers. I don't mind climbing with 25C if it is windy and in the shade. But where I come from, center Europe in France, there's often no wind at all. So 25C feel like 30, especially because all the good sandstone faces are south faces ... You lucky guys don't only have the most beautiful spots, you also have the possibility to climb all year round !

Anyway in the "grampians traveller guide" that is pretty much clear that even if you can climb in december, it's not the best moment to be here. I guess that the conditions in grampians can be similar to Arapiles conditions. Tell me if i'm wrong. So i'll go in tasmania in search of wildness.

Thank you again helping me to clear things up !

Sabu
11-Nov-2015
9:47:09 AM
As others have said you can climb at any time of the year in Victoria including the dead of winter and height of summer. You just have to plan your days a bit and know what the weather is doing. Tassie is great during hot spells so worth considering perhaps in January / February. That said do not avoid Arapiles, for instance, on the basis of the hot weather - there are countless shady gullies to explore and everything comes into shade by 4/5pm so its game on until dusk (8/9pm thanks to daylight saving). Hiding in gullies and swimming in dams is all part of the fun up there over summer.
Jonast
11-Nov-2015
10:05:39 AM
Another really helpfull comment. That's easier to have an idea of how it works in Arapiles now. I keep it in mind, why not spending december in Arapiles and then going in Tasmania when it's getting too hot in january/february. For sure I definitely want to visit Arapiles and don't want to avoid it, it's just that I planned to stay over there quite a long time. Maybe a few months. So december won't be enough, i'll have to come back after visiting Tasmania !

peteclimbs
11-Nov-2015
11:01:36 AM
Mt Buffalo is another great warm weather location in Vic. I was there last Christmas and up on the plateau at 1700m it was spring-like, cool and green with lots of wild flowers out still. Totally awesome place if you like granite adventures.
One Day Hero
11-Nov-2015
1:46:07 PM
Dude, Australia is farking hot in summer! Something which will surprise you is how strong the sun is. You will be properly sunburnt in 10 to 15 minutes, I'm not joking.

An important question to ask is what is your perfect temperature for climbing? For me it is 10-15 degrees in the sun, or 15-20 degrees in the shade. At 30 degrees I'm not really enjoying myself anymore unless there are some wierd effects (like cold rock from the night before). Anyway, I don't really climb through summer on mainland Australia because it is just too hot. You might get lucky with the weather in Victoria for a few days or weeks at a time, but the expected normal temperature at Arapiles is 35 degrees. Tasmania is the only sane place to plan a climbing trip in Australia in January and February.

shortman
11-Nov-2015
1:52:35 PM
On 11/11/2015 One Day Hero wrote:
>Dude, Australia is farking hot in summer! Something which will surprise
>you is how strong the sun is. You will be properly sunburnt in 10 to 15
>minutes, I'm not joking.
>
>An important question to ask is what is your perfect temperature for climbing?
>For me it is 10-15 degrees in the sun, or 15-20 degrees in the shade. At
>30 degrees I'm not really enjoying myself anymore unless there are some
>wierd effects (like cold rock from the night before). Anyway, I don't really
>climb through summer on mainland Australia because it is just too hot.
>You might get lucky with the weather in Victoria for a few days or weeks
>at a time, but the expected normal temperature at Arapiles is 35 degrees.
>Tasmania is the only sane place to plan a climbing trip in Australia in
>January and February.

Says the man whom I last saw at Arapiles in late December/early January....
One Day Hero
11-Nov-2015
1:57:31 PM
True, but there was a lot of beer drinking and guitar playing getting done, and no hard climbing.
kieranl
11-Nov-2015
2:11:36 PM
The mean Maximum for January at Horsham (30km from Arapiles, same altitude) is 31 C.
Average number of days > 30 is 16.8.
Average number of days > 35 is 8.3

That said this summer is looking like being really hot and long so don't be surprised if ODHs prediction of half the days over 35 comes to pass.
Jonast
11-Nov-2015
9:48:55 PM
yep ! That means that december is the last month where climbing without sweating like hell and getting sunburnst when you're not hiding behind gullies is possible. I've got genes from the vikings haha, so I can't stand high temperatures really long. Fortunately you have Tassie for the hottest days. I'll definitely go there for january/february and might have a pre-view of Arapiles in december before to come back in march

Thank you everyboy, I'm very glad I found this website.
Wendy
12-Nov-2015
6:11:16 AM
Hi Jonas, Damo (one day hero) is a whinging canberran and massive wuss who faints in double digit temperatures. I live in Natimuk, and the only time of the year I won't climb here is mid winter. Summer is mostly fine, it doesn't really get over 35 that much and there are shady gullies and high crags in the gramps like Bundaleer that are fine on hot days. The secret is to actually get up to the cliff. Both town and the campground are much hotter than the deep gullies or high, breezy cliffs. Extended days around 40 are a good excuse for the beach, which is only 2 hours away and 10 degrees cooler than here.

Tasmania suffers from the opposite problem. It is cold and wet. I have been snowed on there in Dec, Jan and feb. People tell me that March is the best month for not getting wet, but as march is too good at home, I've never tried it. I have this theory that you have to be really motivated to climb as a Tasmanian. Between the weather, the access and the rock, it is hard work. If you are travelling by yourself, you will also want to start looking for climbing partners there now. There is no central place to just rock up like Arapiles and meet climbers. Indeed, Arapiles is almost the only place in Australia where that is reliable. You will need a car to get to anything in Tas and lots of areas lack a convenient free camping area. So if you do decide to go there, I'd start planning now. You might get lucky and meet someone at Araps keen for Tasmania or Buffalo as well. NZ is another option for mid summer - Payne's Ford used to be easy to turn up at without a climbing partner but maybe not anywhere else. Having said that, the climbing in Australia is way better than NZ (and Victoria better than Tasmania). Both NZ and Tas do have a lot of beautiful walking, but i have been cold, wet and snowed on in NZ mid summer as well.

Another thought is that mid-dec - late January is our school holdiays. That makes flights/ferries more expensive and anything near tourists busy. Mt Buffalo campground will be booked out until after the Jan long weekend. Fortunately, February is a great time for Buffalo. Any of the classic walks in Tassie and NZ will probably also be booked out. It does mean lots of uni students will be bumming out at the Mt, and maybe at places like Freycinet in Tas, which is about the only dedicated climbing campsite there (although we had it to ourselves for most of Feb a few years ago).

You will also get sunburnt in the sun anywhere and any time of year in australia in no time. Our sun is vicious, which is why Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.

Whatever you do, it should be a great trip. You can easily fill years travelling around Australia and most people try and squish it into a matter of weeks. At least you have the whole year to check things out and spend a good amount of time in the places you like best.

There are 13 messages in this topic.

 

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