Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Author

20th anniversary of Serpentine February 23/24 Feb

Dave J

8-Feb-2008
5:15:36 PM

Maybe after malcolm's warmed up on serpentine step up and claim the covetted second ascent of Shai
Hulud...or better yet blast a whole new line up the sandy wall. In some ways we took the soft option and
went for the line with the least amount of soft rock. All the belays are really good though.

I would be super impressed....no....super-duper impressed....to see someone put a route up that wall that
had a hanging belay on loose chicken heads in the middle of it.

People coming off would not be injured on the wall they would be injured on the rocks on the ground (3
pitches below)....so the wall would maintain its 100% no injuries rate.


nmonteith

8-Feb-2008
5:37:17 PM

You're not selling this very well Dave!

Dave J

8-Feb-2008
6:17:34 PM

gradewise it will probably not be harder than 25....maybe as easy as 23

how's that?

You won't find too many other new routes on taipan at 23.

and the ground under most of the wall is soft and sandy....very few sharp rocks to land on....very few


macciza

9-Feb-2008
10:52:07 AM

On 8/02/2008 Dave J wrote:

>You won't find too many other new routes on taipan at 23.
>
Cool, a lot of Blue'ies trad 23's seem desperate; so this vic thing may only feel like 21 to onsight . . .

>and the ground under most of the wall is soft and sandy....
>
Cool, a soft, cushy landing - you don't get that in the Blue'ies that often - more likely another cliff . . .

Thanks, I mean my friends say thankx


dreamingof8a

11-Feb-2008
2:45:42 PM

Hey, anyone driving to the Grampians some time before the 23 Feb? I could get there Fri night but have to leave early Sunday so I wouldn't mind getting there earlier during the week.
If someone could give me a lift and maybe even do some climbing that would be awesome.
Felix


nmonteith

11-Feb-2008
3:36:08 PM

Macca's 'friend' might need a belay partner for Spurt Wall....


Macciza

11-Feb-2008
5:23:32 PM

No, Zac is probably, I mean, his friend is trying to get down as well . . .
THey should be ok, I hope . . .


nmonteith

11-Feb-2008
5:24:42 PM

On 8/02/2008 Dave J wrote:
>I would be super impressed....no....super-duper impressed....to see someone
>put a route up that wall that
>had a hanging belay on loose chicken heads in the middle of it.

So, is this the plan for Zac's belay Macca? :-)

We don't want Dave disappointed. I want to see him super-duper impressed!

Dave J

11-Feb-2008
6:28:23 PM

I was just outlining a best case scenario. Running the whole thing together with a big long rope would
be fine with me too.

As long as its not just someone adding a sit start to Shai Hulud or some minor variant I will be happy.

Im half expecting someone to do Shai Hulud one day and say "What was all the fuss about?" there's a
lot less loose rock on it than there was when we first headed up there so it might be fine....though I'll
be surprised if people find much in the way of good gear on the route.

Im looking forward to some taipan action and it sounds like there might be a few takers

yay!


Macciza

11-Feb-2008
8:33:05 PM

On 11/02/2008 Dave J wrote:
>so it might be fine....though I'll
>be surprised if people find much in the way of good gear on the route.

I know what you mean about perceptions . . . and the changing nature of choss . . .
Crux sequences may well disappear or change completed with time and climbs,
No one has really tried Gigantor since we freed it but we might get our friends on it
It was alla bit soft and the gear was a bit dodgy and the climbing seemed hard and sketchy
Have you climbed on DogFace or could you compare it to other classic Blue'ies choss.
We'll pass your comments in . . .

Dave J

12-Feb-2008
12:29:56 PM

On 11/02/2008 Macciza wrote:
>Have you climbed on DogFace or could you compare it to other classic Blue'ies
>choss.

I havent climbed on dog face at all so I can't really compare it.I think the right hand end of tiapan is
probably quite a bit steeper. More steep jug hauling on loose chicken heads than intricate face climbing
on crumbling edges (which is how I imagine dog face). It might be like some of the soft cavey bits of the
sydney sea cliffs??? You'll just have to see for yourself.


westie

12-Feb-2008
12:46:53 PM

On 11/02/2008 Macciza wrote:
>No, Zac is probably, I mean, his friend is trying to get down as well .
>. .
>THey should be ok, I hope . . .

Macca, I don't s'pose you know hipster? thought he'd be following this thread with interest.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

12-Feb-2008
1:00:18 PM

Hipster is currently doing hard things on the North Wall of Buffalo and consequently I doubt he has seen the thread for a while.


westie

18-Feb-2008
9:44:14 AM

heya,

Anyone at a loose end this weekend in the Grampians? I'm hoping to catch some of the hard man action at Taipan Wall and do a bit of other stuff, perhaps Red Rocks (maybe Mt Difficult if time allows). I'm heading up from Melbourne Friday night and back to Melbourne on Sunday night. Looking to climb with someone in the mid to high teens (grades not age). PM if interested.


Macciza

18-Feb-2008
10:10:36 AM

On 12/02/2008 westie wrote:
>On 11/02/2008 Macciza wrote:
>>No, Zac is probably, I mean, his friend is trying to get down as well
>.
>>. .
>>THey should be ok, I hope . . .
>
>Macca, I don't s'pose you know hipster? thought he'd be following this
>thread with interest.

Damn - How did you guess it was Ado that's gonna give the Shai Hulud wall a try - Who gave it away . . .
.

Lee C

19-Feb-2008
9:45:28 AM

Anyone keen on a ride from the mountains or sydney for the weekend, let me know, we'll be driving down
on thursday night or fri morning and coming home on monday.


nmonteith

19-Feb-2008
4:16:04 PM

Saturday Fine. Min 6 Max 22

No excuses for not sending those projects lads!


Macciza

19-Feb-2008
6:14:15 PM

Nielo,
What gives - my friends were talking to a young lad in a climbing shop in Katoomba and this local kid told
us that it isn't really proper choss after all - some local sandbagged them on the quality years ago . . .
Is that true? Have you checked out any of our local real quality choss - not the solid stuff . . .


nmonteith

19-Feb-2008
7:12:08 PM

I think this katoomba local is sandbagging you so he can steal the glory! I'll be around on friday/sat for high speed shutter photo duties of this momentous event.


westie

20-Feb-2008
8:54:00 AM

hmmm,

re: Serpentine - word is Steve Monks is in Thailand. As Costello said: who's on second?

There are 129 messages in this topic.