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Tarana classics....?


Dr Box

8-Sep-2008
7:29:01 PM

Hi all

was planning a trip out to Tarana this weekend (hope it doesnt rain) and was wondering if there are any 'must do's'? any all time wicked lines?
i havent been out there, so any info would be great. from the sounds of the guide, would a change of undies be a part of the recommended rack ? '5 BR in 30m'... sounds like a bit of fun

cheers, might see you out there
alex


cruze

8-Sep-2008
7:44:25 PM

I thought that some of the Tarana routes had a surprisingly high number of bolts. The quality of the bolts on the other hand is variable.

Dr Martens Boots 21 (well protected - maybe use v large stick to clip v high first carrot with wire, easy runout to finish)
6 days on the Toad 21 (bolts when you need them but looking a little oxidised)
Fuzzy Navel 18 (P2 at least)
Up the nose of love 16 (bold, but if you are in the right headspace it is well worth it)

Enjoy!


wallwombat

8-Sep-2008
8:20:00 PM

Fuzzy Navel is one that sticks in my mind. Polkargris does too but that's because I ruptured an A2 pulley in my finger, doing it.

I don't really see Tarana as a scary crag. It's well bolted and generally lowish angled stuff there.

5 bolts in 30 ms there, isn't like 5 bolts in 30ms in the Blueys. You'll generally slide more than fall.

Also take a rack. It's not really a sport crag even though there is more metal there than in Capt Mulch's noggin.

I'm jealous. I love the place.

Have a good time.

mikl law

9-Sep-2008
7:11:32 AM

Avoid the crap short wall on the right (3 bolts to glory...most of them used to be boulder problems originally till you get to Rollerdisco) and go for the longer routes on the left. Walk another 4 minutes and climb on The Crown itself. etc etc, (i.e. do the obvoius longer good routes rather than climbing something that's clearly worthless, and then complaining that all the routes there are crap)

psd

9-Sep-2008
9:32:30 AM

On 8/09/2008 Dr Box wrote:
>Hi all
>
>was planning a trip out to Tarana this weekend (hope it doesnt rain) and
>was wondering if there are any 'must do's'? any all time wicked lines?

Tarana is fantastic - you'll have a great time! You should definitely get on:

Six Days on the Toad - all time classic. Don't leave without getting on it.

Fuzzy Navel - maybe I'm soft but even though it's an easy grade the position of the bolts on pitch 2 makes this pretty gripping - but still an all-time classic must-do (take a couple of big cams for the belay (there apparently used to be a tree but it's gone)).

A few others in coffin hole gully are good too (field commander jagusch is nice) as a warm up for 6DOTD and in the same area. If you do want to get used to the rock on some shorter ones these are a good option. In the area Mikl is referring to climbs like greenies delight and mortal combat are good fun (if bouldery) but yeah you will not get a decent sense of the place if you don't check out the tall climbs.

>i havent been out there, so any info would be great. from the sounds of
>the guide, would a change of undies be a part of the recommended rack ?
>'5 BR in 30m'... sounds like a bit of fun

They can be scary but only if you don't trust your feet - in reality they are pretty safe. As someone said - you slide not tumble if you come unstuck.

Cheers,
Peter

widewetandslippery

9-Sep-2008
9:42:06 AM

Mikl, how do you get off the ground on the camping cave crack?

mikl law

9-Sep-2008
12:03:57 PM

5.10 rubber wetsuit maybe. I can't touch. Someone used to borrow my big cams to try it though a few years ago


evanbb

9-Sep-2008
6:36:44 PM

Are there any easy cracks out there? I like granite, and so close to home.

Wollemi

9-Sep-2008
7:07:10 PM

There is a 15 m beginners fat flake thing that greets you on arrival uphill. On the RHS of
the first massive slabby boulder. Medium hexes and cams. Rap chains at the top (on
the shelf, not the top of boulder system) and also further R (looking out).
I could never really work out the guide - and people here are naming things that are not
in the only available guide, AFAIK.

Close to home? I once measured Evans Crown to be 95km from Springwood.


wallwombat

9-Sep-2008
8:00:36 PM

On 9/09/2008 Wollemi wrote:

>Close to home? I once measured Evans Crown to be 95km from Springwood.

Besides stuff in Sydney, you aren't going to find any closer climbing to the Blueys and certainly not any granite, outside of bouldering down on the Cox's River.

A lot of Blueys locals I know don't really count Springwood as being in the Mountains anyway. I used to live in Hazelbrook and a lot of my mates further up the hill used to say I lived in West Penrith.

In Australia 95kms isn't a squirt of piss. It's just up the road.

To answer your question , evanb, not really. There is Baradur , if you count 18 as easy and a couple of other little things. Baradur is good but the Tarana is more of a face climbing/slab climbing area. Cracks do not abound.

Wollemi

9-Sep-2008
8:45:58 PM

Rock climbing partners in Sydney have told me Evans Crown is 'too far' though they
happily travel to Blackheath to climb.
Have met many Sydneysiders who bemoan the fact that they have never been to
Canberra although they would like to go. They own very nice cars, too. It's just 'far
away'.
I have cycled to Evans Crown and return in a day, thanks mate.

Even the guide, from memory, states that Evan's Crown will never be popular due to it
being too far from Sydney. The proposed highway extension utilising Darling Causeway
and Newnes Plateau will link back to the GWH well West of Lithgow, keeping the
authors words true. As may fuel costs.


cruze

9-Sep-2008
8:57:50 PM

Bolting of all kinds is banned on Evans crown. That includes rebolting (!!). It is probably only a matter of time before the routes are only toproped.


wallwombat

9-Sep-2008
10:11:34 PM

I didn't say this but it wouldn't be too hard for a couple of crafty individuals to replace bolts out there and not get nabbed by the fuzz. It's hardly the National Parks Visitor's Center at Govett's Leap.

Can't really see much room for new bolting out there anyway.

I haven't been out there for about four years but the bolts seemed OK last time I was there. I have climbed on much worse bolts in the Blueys and around Canberra.

Heaps of Sydney climbers wont really travel. They go to the Blackheath sport crags when it's warm and when it's cold they go to Nowra. That is about it.

After all, it's hard to get a latte out at Tarana.

And all of Australia is like Sydney, like all of the USA is like New York. If you get what I mean.


cruze

10-Sep-2008
8:48:21 AM

On 9/09/2008 wallwombat wrote:

>I haven't been out there for about four years but the bolts seemed OK
>last time I was there. I have climbed on much worse bolts in the Blueys
>and around Canberra.

Not all just some.

And in Canberra how did you feel trusting 20/30 years old home sawn angle steel bashed in to hand drilled granite? Times have changed. I guess knowing the current standard makes it easy to be dubious about 70s/80s bolts on ACT Granite. Good thing that routes are in the process of being rebolted. I assume it has kept going since I left Canberra a couple of years ago?


Dr Box

10-Sep-2008
12:57:14 PM

thanks heaps for all the replies . its going to be a wicked trip.
fuzzy navel was definitely on the cards, and depending on how things play out, i'll do all the other ones too. i'll basically go for anything with a star, or anything that looks good. so i might need a few trips by the sounds of it
would taking a second rope be usefull?

cheers, might see you there

mikl law

10-Sep-2008
5:06:32 PM

laughing boy morris 22
Barad Dur 18
Barry Door 18
Sea of heartbreak 23

psd

11-Sep-2008
1:45:57 PM

On 10/09/2008 Dr Box wrote:
>would taking a second rope be usefull?

not really ... there's no need for doubles and you generally walk off

on another note I hope the forecast is wrong and it doesn't rain in the mountains this weekend! This weekday sun rainy weekend thing is doing my head in ...

mikepatt

11-Sep-2008
1:49:48 PM

Dr Box, I'd recommend a 60m single. That will get you down from all the raps. No need for a second rope. If you're chasing stars stay away from 'Your friendly Neighbourhood Bolter', it's really lichenous and impossible to get bolt plates of the old carrots (so maybe take wires if you really have to do it)
Blood Bath is a nice, short, well protected climb to get you in the mood for Dr Martins Boots.


cruze

11-Sep-2008
2:14:14 PM

On 11/09/2008 mikepatt wrote:
>If you're chasing stars stay away from
>'Your friendly Neighbourhood Bolter', it's really lichenous and impossible
>to get bolt plates of the old carrots (so maybe take wires if you really
>have to do it)
So true it hurts, and it nearly hurt a hell of a lot more...


wallwombat

11-Sep-2008
6:22:22 PM

The last time I was there, I dragged a non-climbing mate up Fuzzy Navel and used wires on the carrots (I'd forgotten my bolt plates). My mate got to the top and proceeded to hand me all my quick draws. He'd left all the wires attached to the carrots. I wasn't too happy but I guess it was my fault for not making it totally clear he had to take the wires off the bolts.

There are 23 messages in this topic.