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Top ten very exposed climbs - give me your list


pmonks

30-Jun-2009
1:34:21 PM

The photo of Basilisk Direct Finish reminds me of Telstar at Ikara Head. Haven't done it myself, but I expect it'd be quite exposed.


nmonteith

30-Jun-2009
1:52:41 PM

Telstar is phenomenal exposed and scary. I did it a few months back. Ridiculous face moves on the lip of the giant roof with the last gear well back inside the chimney. I was panting "i'm just sport climbing i'm just sport climbing i'm just sport climbing" with my eyes shut on the lip trying to psyche myself to commit. Not the average grade 17. I linked the chimney pitch with the last pitch for the full 60m mega pitch.


wallwombat

30-Jun-2009
2:54:22 PM

No one has mentioned Blue Bell.

JDB

30-Jun-2009
3:53:55 PM

I'll put in my 'twenty cents' worth.....

Whilst the exposure on routes like Quo Vadis and Scorpion are obvious, in that you start high up the mount, the route that I found really intimidating was Thunder Crack.
I concur with Simey's guide book comments, it certainly deserves three stars, but it definitely is not a route for the faint hearted.


gordoste

30-Jun-2009
5:52:42 PM

regarding the arab crux pitch, i had only 1 big cam which I used right at the start of the pitch (not real smart) so i did the slab variant. It was balancy and pretty darn scary (because I would have swung back into the corner) but I didn't think it was exposed. Next time I'm gonna save my #3 cam and head up the crack.

Wendy

30-Jun-2009
6:00:55 PM

On 30/06/2009 gfdonc wrote:
>The traverse variant of Basilisk is also pretty exposed and very fun.
>Provided you're tall enough. I'm guessing that's why you did the Direct,
>Wendy?
>

Nah, I just think the roof is the route and the traverse is a strange reversal of odyesus to avoid it. I figure, do Odyesus, or do Basilisk via the obvious finish. I have done it a couple of times now because it is awesome!

gfdonc

6-Jul-2009
8:27:51 PM

On 30/06/2009 JDB wrote:
>Whilst the exposure on routes like Quo Vadis and Scorpion are obvious,
>in that you start high up the mount, the route that I found really intimidating
>was Thunder Crack.

I didn't include Thunder Crack on my list. Yeah, sure it's way up the Mount, but if the exposure gets too much you can always use the Ostrich technique to hide from it:

prb

6-Jul-2009
10:25:37 PM

Tiptoed across A Cut Above yesterday. I wouldn't call the exposure "gut-wrenching" but it'll give you a taste of it. If your second was only just climbing the grade it could be a different matter.

duglash

7-Jul-2009
11:12:31 AM

I did Wirilda at the Asses Ears recently, and thought the first pitch was one of the best of the grade around,
and the exposure on the second (finishing straight up through the roof) is pretty exceptional. What a great
route - nice one Noddy.

ithomas

8-Jul-2009
10:57:43 AM

Neil
Telstar is not your average grade 17 because it is 19! It certainly wraps fear around exposure.
Ian

JDB

8-Jul-2009
11:06:33 AM

On 7/07/2009 duglash wrote:
>I did Wirilda at the Asses Ears recently, and thought the first pitch was
>one of the best of the grade around,
>and the exposure on the second (finishing straight up through the roof)
>is pretty exceptional. What a great
>route - nice one Noddy.

What's the pro like on the second pitch, Lash ?


nmonteith

8-Jul-2009
12:38:42 PM

On 8/07/2009 ithomas wrote:
>Neil
>Telstar is not your average grade 17 because it is 19! It certainly wraps
>fear around exposure.
>Ian

I thought the '17' pitch was the scary one!

ithomas

8-Jul-2009
1:19:43 PM

You're right Neil, that pitch is 17. I've done the climb a couple of times. Once with Keith Bell (on the first
ascent) where he sucked me into doing the roof pitch. Once around the roof, I had only a Chouinard 7 or
8 stopper with which to belay. Luckily it was a beauty. I almost kissed it in relief. The second time on the
climb was with Greg Mortimer. He led the roof and I slipped on the 2nd or third moves off the belay just
around the roof. I fell onto Greg and ended up with most of my body dangling just below the lip. Oh how I
laughed. I hauled myself back up onto the belay only to find that I had kicked Greg in the gob as I sailed
past and that the karabiner that held our single rope into Greg's sticht plate was somehow jammed open
with my end of the rope. I looked at the drop beneath my feet and stopped laughing at that point.


nmonteith

8-Jul-2009
3:06:16 PM

I couldn't help thinking what it must have been like to be the first guys up that route - thanks for sharing the story!


IdratherbeclimbingM9

9-Jul-2009
1:30:31 PM

I agree.
It is always great to get the personalised versions of 1st ascents, and makes the routes come even more alive as such due to affinity, when one repeats them as a consequence.


muki

9-Jul-2009
10:56:40 PM

I'm surprised Wendy hasn't nominated "Five Fingered Mary"

duglash

10-Jul-2009
7:32:49 PM

It's .. ok. there's a bolt at the start, then the rock and gear are both a bit questionable to the top, but hey
you're not going to hit anything.


Pat

10-Jul-2009
8:14:37 PM

Yeah, but is it exposed?


Superstu

10-Jul-2009
10:06:35 PM

On 30/06/2009 Sabu wrote:
>The crux has you bunched up under an exposed rooflet and makes you feel
>rather humble!

i have done arab twice and both times found myself crimping on small things about a metre or so out onto the face right the roof... am i missing out on something ??


Sabu

11-Jul-2009
3:21:14 AM

Yep, the bomber fist/hands jams in the crack!

There are 66 messages in this topic.