General Climbing Discussion

Author	Burnley Climbing Wall
MichaelOR 21-Apr-2006 2:27:08 PM	Jacqui I've emailed you some details. Michael
HC 23-Apr-2006 9:45:59 PM	Wow Jacqui the walls have really come along in the last couple of weekends. I cannot believe how fast this "little" project of yours has come along.
climbingjac 24-Apr-2006 8:52:25 AM	Dear climbers, On Saturday we held a working bee to get the mats in under the 30 degree wall. I'm glad we left this wall till last - because it has the most irregular shapes and accordingly was trickier to deal with than the others. On Sunday we did some work on the vertical wall (which is slightly off vertical, but anyway!!) Our original strategy was to glue holds directly onto the surface. We ran some tests on this process and are not satisfied with the stability of the solution. As such we reverted to Plan B, which involves sinking a heap of Chemset bolts into the wall, battonning it and putting up teenutted plywood sheets (as per the other walls). This will mean the wall will be resettable. I'd like to say thankyou to the enthusiastic bunch of volunteers who sacrificed precious long weekend time for the good of the Project. Thanks to Stuart Williams, Rosemary Walton, Mark Marriott, Leigh Colless, Justin Knight, Joe Goding and Trevor Wall for their efforts in this regard. Saturday Pictures - Matting below 30 degree wall Rosemary Walton dealing with the messy job of trowelling on the adhesive …Mark Marriott does the same Rosemary Walton and Mark Marriott worked well as "the messy people". Other workers that were responsible for handling the mats and placing them on top of the glue were know as "the clean people". These people in general kept away from the glue for fear of getting it on their clothes and inadvertently, on the mats themselves. Leigh Colless is back again!! As always, Leigh turned up with a great selection of power tools that sped things up. Here Leigh is pictured custom cutting a matting tile for an irregularly-shaped spot. Sunday pictures - grid bolting the "vertical" wall Joe Goding (below) and Trevor Wall (above) working together to mark out where bolts need to be Thanks Joe! We're done with the tape measure... Joe Goding has a moment to smile for the camera. Pictured with Joe is the emerging grid of bolts. Trevor Wall marks out where a bolt needs to go Once again, a big thankyou to the team for offering their time over the weekend. Best wishes, Jacqui Middleton Burnley Project VCC working with Parks Victoria
climbingjac 24-Apr-2006 9:54:46 AM	Burnley – Status Report Dear climbers, Please find below a status report regarding outstanding work standing between us and routesetting at Burnley. 30 degree wall • Waiting on wooden edging to go in around mats. This is likely to occur tomorrow (Tuesday 25th April). • Waiting on climbing hold bolts to arrive. 45 degree wall • Waiting on wooden edging to go in around mats. This is likely to occur Saturday (29th April). • Waiting on climbing hold bolts to arrive. Vertical wall • Is still quite a few weeks away from completion. Please note: • We anticipate opening the walls one at a time. • We expect that the 30 degree and 45 degree walls will open before the vertical wall does. • Please also note that we will aim to do the routesetting incrementally over a progression of weeks. I will let you know as more information comes to hand. Best wishes, Jacqui Middleton Burnley Project VCC working with Parks Victoria
climbingjac 26-Apr-2006 11:17:28 AM	Dear climbers, Yesterday we installed wooden edging around the matting under the 30 and 45 degree walls. Thankyou to the VCC's Aaron Campbell for offering his services to guide us through the installation of this edging at such short notice. Please find below some pictures of the day. Jamie Reardon hammers in a dynabolt. Rosemary Walton tightens bolts in a "chock". Jamie Reardon and Ben Wright work on getting the next piece of timber into place. Argh! A section of timber is sitting too low, so Jamie devises a plan to put some packers in beneath it. Rosemary Walton on the seriously powerful hammer drill, preparing holes for dynabolts. Ben Wright takes pride in his work – and wants the place spic n span before we leave. A close-up view of the newly installed timber edging around the 30 degree wall matting. A view of the 45 degree wall. Best wishes, Jacqui Middleton Burnley Project VCC working with Parks Victoria
climbingjac 26-Apr-2006 4:06:53 PM	Hi all, We have a large number of second-hand holds to wash. This can be done in a dishwasher that can do a "warm" wash. If you can help, please send me a PM! Thankyou Jacqui Middleton Burnley Project
Sabu 26-Apr-2006 4:54:18 PM	Out of curiousity; is there any public liability or any form of insurance for burnley that has to be covered? Just wondering cos in this day and age eventually some little kid could have a go, fall off and have the paranoid angry mother sueing the council for "damages" ..... or one of those people that hunt for broken sidewalks to trip over could percieve the walls as another oppertunity....! Or is burnley a step in the right direction for public liability: "you fall off, it's your fault not ours?" Maybe we should put up a sign......
dave 26-Apr-2006 8:12:18 PM	Correct me if i'm wrong (Jac) but i believe Parks Vic are covering the public liability insurance costs...i think this has already been covered on this topic...
Hatman 27-Apr-2006 6:49:19 AM	just a quick question Jacqui where abouts did you ge the shockpads from?? there is a local (huge bouldering cube) project in my suburb that may need a simmilar product. Cheers
climbingjac 27-Apr-2006 8:27:18 AM	Hi everyone, Our little woodie is located in a Parks Vic park and as such Public Liability is absorbed into their policy. HOWEVER. For goodness sake please take some responsibility for your own actions. We all know climbing is dangerous, and we choose to participate anyway. If you hurt your elbow, then it isn't exactly anyone's fault but your own. Please don't make the climbing community ashamed of you by pushing the boundaries with an organisation (ie Parks Vic) that has supported us heavily - well and truly above and beyond the call of duty. Hi Hatman - the shockpads come from a company called Flexitec. The product we opted for were self-install shockpads that are 1m x 1m. They also have other products such as wetpour. I did a lot of shopping around, and this was by far the most cost efficient product with minimal installation fuss, which is what we wanted. They were also very accommodating of our annoying "we need it right now because that's the working bee that comes next" attitude, and gave us a big discount too. We dealt with a gentleman called Bruce Pomeroy. Jac
tepas 27-Apr-2006 6:08:38 PM	And stop teasing, Hatman... Some more info about this "huge bouldering cube"?
Hatman 28-Apr-2006 7:14:12 AM	sorry dude, but its in the ACT, the new Charnwood PCYC has a big bouldering structure that once belonged to UC however all the holds were pinched. (some ended up on a woodie in the mnts) So it is being renovated and moved indoors. It has great over hangs and roof sections with a mad section where you can boulder right under the structure!
climbingjac 28-Apr-2006 8:23:08 AM	How come the holds were pinched? How were they attached?
climbingjac 28-Apr-2006 3:18:15 PM	Dear climbers, ** Please be sure to read this entire post, it contains important information ** The bolts that attach the climbing holds to the wall at Burnley have arrived. All sorts of annoying dramas could of course occur within the next 24 hours… there could be some hassle with traffic when our person goes to collect them and the shop could close… etc etc etc. But I've told the man in the bolt shop that if this happens, I'll pick the bolts up from his house in Frankston if I have to!!! Anyway - I do not anticipate any such things happening. As such, the first routesetting team has been mobilized and will commence routesetting at Burnley tomorrow. I will surely regret mentioning this publicly before the routes are definitely on the wall, but it is a public space and it will be obvious to everyone by midmorning tomorrow if all goes well. We aim to put up at the three main routes on the 30 degree wall tomorrow. • Black grade 18 • Pink circuit (first half grade 22, second half grade 23/24) • Yellow grade 25 The above-mentioned grades are approximate - we will do our very best to make the routes match the intended grades. Remaining routes and boulder problems will go up incrementally over a progression of weeks. We will do our best to only ever disrupt one wall at a time during this process. (If you are wondering why we'll be mucking around all day creating only three routes – remember they'll be there a while – we want them to be quality). On behalf of the climbing community, I would like to thank everyone that has been involved in getting us this far. In particular, if you don't already know, Transurban, manager of CityLink, has been the primary sponsor that has made all this possible. Huge thanks to them for this amazing support. Also huge thanks to Parks Victoria, who have supported us heavily throughout the project, which dates back to 2003. So. Unless anything annoying happens to stand in our way, from 5pm on Saturday, the gates will no longer restrict access to the 30 and 45 degree walls. The worksite fencing will be shifted such that it restricts access only to the vertical wall.
climbingjac 28-Apr-2006 3:18:36 PM	Our first batch of holds will be spending their first night out in the cold on Saturday night. If you fancy babysitting them for a while (ie having your first climb at Burnley!!), please feel free to wander down and have a climb on Saturday, any time from 5pm. If you bring a light, remember to keep it well clear of the mats and walls. A few important points to consider include: • Our sport is very much on show to the public at this location. Let's show Melbourne what a great climbing community we have by exhibiting suitable behaviour when using the facility. • Burnley is not a supervised facility. You will need to take responsibility for your own personal safety (as you would at the crag). Always use a spotter, and avoid being in the area alone after dark. • Please help keep the area clean. Keep all rubbish contained in your bag and take it with you when you leave. (Rubbish left lying on the ground during your session will almost certainly be picked up by the breeze and dumped in the river – not good). • The nearest public toilets are located in Barkly Gardens in Mary St, near the corner of Barkly Avenue. If you decide to bring pets "to the crag" at Burnley, please keep them off the rubber matting. Please also be sure to clean up after them if they "visit the loo". • Burnley will essentially present an opportunity to newcomers to try rock climbing. Please be welcoming of newcomers, and offer them some tips when you can. More participants in our sport leads to more stability for the gyms and climbing stores, which means good things for you, the climber. • When in conversation with newcomers, assist in guiding them into our world. Let them know that Melbourne also offers climbing gyms that can cater for children's parties etc, and the location of the climbing stores. • Be mindful that there are some people living very close to our site. They have been there longer than our site has, and have assisted in the construction of the bouldering walls, and kept a protective eye on them when we are not there. We are very grateful to these people and hope you will be also. • Be respectful that nearby parking is in residential streets. Help minimise the impact to local residents by using alternative means of transport where possible. We are located right next to the Yarra Trail (bike path). Cycling to Burnley is a great way to warm up for your session on the wall! If you plan to drive, refer to the notes below regarding where to park. • You are welcome to bring along lighting to cater for evening sessions if you wish – but please keep lighting away from the walls (and other wooden surfaces) and off the mats. • In an emergency, dial 000 and specify your location is McConchie Reserve. Access is via the southern end of Mary Street, Burnley, Melway reference 2M 2B. • The wall will be attended to intermittently by Burnley "staff". Such people can be identified by brightly coloured vests. Spinning holds / feedback etc can be reported to these people. Alternatively, please send your comments to burnleybouldering@vicclimb.org.au
climbingjac 28-Apr-2006 3:19:22 PM	Getting to Burnley: By car: From Swan St Richmond, turn into Coppin St on the KFC side of the road. Go to the end and turn left into Barkly Avenue. Pass through the Parks Victoria entranceway and park you vehicle. Wander down the gravel driveway towards the river, turn right and walk across the floating pontoon bridge, and after approx 50m you're there! By bicycle: Follow the Yarra Trail to Burnley. When you find yourself positioned opposite Herring Island, and in between Coppin St and Mary St on the map, you're there. By tram: Tram 78 along Church St gets you the closest. Take tram 78 along Church St Richmond and get off as close as possible to the intersection of Church St and Yorkshire St. Walk along Yorkshire St in the direction of Mary St. Turn right into Mary St , walk through the Pedestrian subway and turn left when you hit the river. Walk for 50m or so and you're there. Alternatively, take tram number 70 along Swan St Richmond and jump off at the intersection of Swan St and Coppin St. Turn left at the end into Barkly Ave, and go through the Parks Vic entranceway. Walk down the gravel driveway and turn right when you hit the river. Walk across the floating pontoon bridge and Burnley is on your right. By train: Take the train to Burnley station (The following lines will take you there: Lilydale, Belgrave, & Glen Waverley.) Walk along Madden Grove in the direction of Melbourne CBD. Turn left into Rooney St. a dogleg in the road, head left through the Parks Victoria entrance gates. Wander down the gravel driveway towards the river, turn right and walk across the floating pontoon bridge, and after approx 50m you're there! Best wishes to everyone. On behalf of the Victorian Climbing Club, Parks Victoria, our massive team of volunteers, our primary sponsor, Transurban, and all our other wonderful sponsors, ENJOY – Hope you like our little woodie! Jacqui Middleton Burnley Project
climbingjac 28-Apr-2006 3:30:45 PM	PS I just got word that we have now collected the bolts from the shop. That's one less thing that can stand in our way. Yay!
Hatman 29-Apr-2006 8:20:38 AM	On 28/04/2006 climbingjac wrote: >How come the holds were pinched? How were they attached? not sure supoose someone thought they needed them more than the UC, Just bolted I expect. How are you preventing theft jac?
tmarsh 29-Apr-2006 8:46:01 PM	I don't mean to be rude, but that's a pretty dumb question. Whatever measures are being taken to prevent theft are not about to be published on Chockstone.
Hatman 30-Apr-2006 8:45:40 AM	well a pm will work fine, and if you did not mean to be rude you would have used nicer words I duno if i can handle it! Such a rude man are you! im going to go fondle my rack and cry

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