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When does bouldering become soloing?

Jonesy

10-Dec-2004
2:17:13 PM

Hey Nick,
I'd be really keen to come up and check out the DWS around Newy - sometime next year though as I'm in
WA for the summer. Maybe you could point me in the right direction? I've been searching Sydney for any
dws action, but no luck so far. After a two week trip to Mallorca last year I'm absolutely hooked.

You said that it's up to 9m - anything overhanging? How are the exits? Need a boat? Much scope for
development?

I'm up that way a bit on surfing trips, so it would be unreal to combine the two.


Nick Kaz

12-Dec-2004
9:52:27 AM

hehehe

The DWS there is a bit of a wank if you are headed this way just for it, but is god fun if you are already up that way for a climb or surf, there is stuff ther that is around 9m but it looked bit hard for me without my shoes, nothing steep but a boat isn't needed and the exits are all exciting mantles, you would probly be best to bring a ripe and draws and have a bit of a crank at morna pt or if you are keen for harder (24+) sport stop in at buladelah cave for some 20+m roofs and steep walls. If you come up this way give us a shuot and we can get out there.


Kris

17-Dec-2004
12:38:53 PM

Ask Alex Huber!


IdratherbeclimbingM9

5-Aug-2005
4:39:12 PM

(bump) ... another good thread (esp. like the onsight pics).

Re the topic Q I agree with Goodvibes
>DWS aside, if you are prepared to fall off it, it is a boulder problem. >If you aren't prepared to fall then it is a solo.
and mikl
>When your spotters run away
(LOL)

Jonesy said
>I've been searching Sydney for any dws action, but no luck so far.

Years ago the 'Northern Beaches Cliff Climbing Team' did what was effectively DWS (pre the term being coined), in sussing out bigger climbs (done later as roped affairs), on the headlands in the Whale Beach to Avalon area.
I clearly remember having some sketchy moments in 'The Ovens' where the sea enters large caves in the headland.
Some of our exploits in that area were perhaps inspired by photos in one of John Cleare's climbing style coffee table type books at the time.

Although the water can be very deep in places along those cliffs with accompanying difficulty of climbing out of the water back up to the rock platform/shelf level (particularly at low tide with vertical drops into the sea), there are other spots where submerged boulders protrude from the sea underneath you. This is particularly the case at the entrances to The Ovens, where in prehistoric times the roof has collapsed in the process of forming the sea-caves.
A complete traverse from Whale beach to Avalon has not been done yet to my knowledge, due to a fairly severe section just South of The Ovens main cave. If you fell off here you could end up having to swim the best part of a kilometre to find a suitable exit point if the tide or swell conditions were not obliging.

Its an atmospheric area and worthy of further exploration for the adventurous, but be aware that there are big live scary things in the water thereabouts ...

climberman

5-Aug-2005
5:13:28 PM

I can't imagine that there would be a stretch of reasonable rock that would go all three k's from Whaley to Av ? All that stuff around St Michaels Cave is either cheese or shale. Even the best of the rock there is hideous. I don't think any of the cliffs except for the 'zawn' at the Ovens go straight into the water without a shelf below it.

There is access to the cliffs at the western end of Marine Pde if anyone is looking, or from North Av beach if the swell is under 8'.

M8 - did you ever do Indian Head (North Av ?) I grew up about exactly where you would top out on it, but it predates my climbing days. A mate has climbed a route there at about 17, with some runouts and looseness, but reasonable rock.

I s'pose you guys put in all those old bolts and ironmongery in my backyard then (before Council requisitioned it)? Would love to hear anything about it, or any pics you may have ?

Dave C

5-Aug-2005
7:26:04 PM

On 9/12/2004 Stuck in UK wrote:
>On 9/12/2004 rodw wrote:
>>Thats why you mix your spotters up with both sexes, at least someone
>will
>>be paying attention:)
>
>Only problem is they are often only paying attention to each other.
>

Or practicing their dance routines?
http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.html?id=30822


Paulie

5-Aug-2005
9:25:05 PM

On 8/12/2004 Onsight wrote:
>On 8/12/2004 mikl law wrote:
>>When your spotters run away
>
>"Hey fellas!!!
>
>Come back fellas...
>
>Arrr crikey... help... please... I'm pumping...
>
>

>
>... arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."

LOL! :D


IdratherbeclimbingM9

8-Aug-2005
10:08:30 PM

On 5/08/2005 climberman wrote:
>I can't imagine that there would be a stretch of reasonable rock that would
>go all three k's from Whaley to Av ? All that stuff around St Michaels
>Cave is either cheese or shale. Even the best of the rock there is hideous.
>I don't think any of the cliffs except for the 'zawn' at the Ovens go straight
>into the water without a shelf below it.

The adventuresome part would be from the Ovens through to Bangalo? Head, ie the headland north of the fisherman’s descent at the end of Nth Avalon Road. St Michaels Cave is south of this descent, and the rock shelf is extensive in that area; so my guess from fading memory is that you would have half (maybe 3/4) a km of entertaining traversing.
You are right about the rock quality, but it didn't stop us from rising to the allure/challenge or the magic of that place.
Incidentally after learning climbing on that choss, I have never been fazed by what others regard as 'loose' at places like Bungonia or the Warrumbungles.

>There is access to the cliffs at the western end of Marine Pde if anyone
>is looking, or from North Av beach if the swell is under 8'.
>
>M8 - did you ever do Indian Head (North Av ?)
Did that as a 1st ascent climb in 1985 with Bill Goddard. Though I was in the 1st 'descent party' of that line in 1971.

>I grew up about exactly where you would top out on it, but it predates my climbing days. >A mate has climbed a route there at about 17, with some runouts and looseness, but reasonable rock.

The line I led (alternating leads with Bill who led the first pitch) was 17 till the headwall, then I TR* aided (pretty much hooks only) up the onion skin exfoliation on the 'nose'/leftish side (ie Avalon side) at grade M5/6. All up the length was 230 feet with approx the last 60 foot (aid) being very runout/exposed with poor (read bugger-all and unreliable) pro.; though I recall there being one small stance about 25 feet from the top.
I eyed another line that I reckon was completely free to the top at about grade 18, that finishes closer to the single room dwelling on the cliff edge a bit further north, but never got around to doing it, though I did free-solo downclimb to a cave of sorts about 5m below near this ones topout to check it out closer ... for the thrill.

>I s'pose you guys put in all those old bolts and ironmongery in my backyard
>then (before Council requisitioned it)? Would love to hear anything about
>it, or any pics you may have ?

In Oct. 1971 Phil Toomer, (from Careel Bay), Bruce Welch (from Newport), Greg Borrowman (Mona Vale) and myself (Avalon); plus a few others David Martin, Wayne Dickson, Bruce Heimler? ... all part of a caving group called the Peninsula Speleological Group (that was affiliated with SUSS), put in two carrot bolts directly above the 'nose' for abseiling / prusiking purposes. I recall that one of the ropes used that day was a manilla one and others were laid nylon. Good kernmantle ropes were probably available at that time, but we could not afford them! We lowered a folding table to the overhang and had a group lunch suspended there.
The Northern Beaches Cliff Climbing Team, (Bill Goddard et al) upgraded the abseil bolts for abseiling there with home made brackets as well as an additional dirty-big (read huge) bolt sometime between 1979 and 1982. I think they also placed another couple of carrots a few metres further north as well during those years. I am not sure why, as an abseil rope can be positioned either side, or squarely on the 'nose' quite easily from the original anchor, though salt air corrosion would have been a factor for possibly upgrading it.
It took Bill and I a while to gain the skill and nerve necessary to actually take on a later ascent of the Indians Nose proper, ... (in 1985).
The pictures I have are mostly black and whites. Later when I led the second pitch of that climb we got some colour photos through our 'pre-organised photographer' who arrived later at the top. *We got him to chuck down a backup (static) rope and I think Bill jumared out, so I ended up aiding, the third pitch (up the nose-headwall), but as a toprope, while photos were taken.

Since then I have abseiled/jumared it again a couple more times in later years for photographic reasons (colour photos and then for slides).

Likewise antics on the overhang at the end of the headland separating Avalon and Bilgola, ... anchored the rope off my landcruiser in the Serpentine carpark in 1979, though this was the third time I had done it, as previous was with PSG and again with NBCCT.
That headland also has a couple of routes I put up. A Gd 14 (in 1984'ish) that takes a corner on the north side forming the overhang which is located at the most seaward point, with a runout clay slope to topout, ... beware, dangerous! Done with Bill Goddard (from Palm Beach) and Ken Wilson (from Manly). I also led a grade 19 (in 1986ish) up the cliff about 20 or 25 m south of the 'usual entry' into the surf at Little Avalon with my brother. This one tops out in grassy mank and lawn clippings/garden refuse in some-ones backyard!

I don't have a scanner unfortunately so I can't publish the pictorial history of any of those exploits (yet?).

Other stuff of note from that era are a number of ascents we did on the south-east through to east end, cliffs of Lion Island; abseilling/jumaring the zawn from the cliff-top behind the 'castle' at Whale Beach; etc, ... but I have hijacked this thread long enough; ... (sorry Nick) ... though I have enjoyed the ramble down memory lane.
:)

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