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VIC Grampians Northern Mt Stapylton Amphitheatre Taipan Wall [ Taipan Images ]

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Taipan- Itd be easy if I wasnt so weak!

Super Saiyan

21-Aug-2005
3:06:44 PM

Hi everyone,

Was wanting to know the logistics of lowering off these climbs:

Sirroco 1st Pitch 20m 21

World Party 1st Pitch 23m 21

Anaconda 1st Pitch 20m 22

Kaa 1st Pitch 25m 23

Is there bolts/rings to lower off? Natural gear lower? Back jump? Is there any other sub 23 pitches on Taipan? Any beta/tips/tricks/recommendations appreciated!

Please note: I'm NOT even considering continuing upwars after these pitches (for the time being) :)

Jimbo

phil_nev

21-Aug-2005
3:25:16 PM

Hey James,
Best Intro to taipan pitches are proably Sirroco (21) and The seventh Banana (23).

Sirroco has a bolt protected crux, and a few pieces of trad. Lower off is of half a dozen slings. Quite an enjoyable route.

The Seventh Bannana, again, bolt protected crux, funky pocket pulling, then wires and cams to the top. Double bolt lower off. Seventh bannana is a great route IMO.

Hvant done annaconda or world party 1st pitches, but from what ive haerd they arnt that great. Apparently Kaa(23) is pretty hard. I think Neilo did it recently, hopefully he can let you know more.

Cheers, Phil

KP

21-Aug-2005
7:12:21 PM

dude the 1st pitch of world party is way cool. Bit scary tho.. neils route to the right (constrictor 21) is a little harder but has some shiny bolts. Its also very nice.

nmonteith

21-Aug-2005
9:11:20 PM

>Sirroco 1st Pitch 20m 21

It is a traverse so you need a second who can follow you and clean the gear. The rap slings are ugly
but bomber. Soem say the crux of this route is 22 - its a tough single move right at the bolt and the
rest is cruisy but airy.

>World Party 1st Pitch 23m 21

All trad with a traverse at the start so you migth need a seconder again. No hard single move, but very
awkard and balancy sections with gera at your feet. Do this one in winter when the friction is good.
Bring lot sof slings to extend runner aroudn the bulges. New double bolt lower-of fon ledge.

>Anaconda 1st Pitch 20m 22

Not very nice. Two bolts, and not much in the way of trad. The second botl is in a stupid place (just
after the hidous slopy crux). I didn't enjoy this! There is a nice rap chain though.

>Kaa 1st Pitch 25m 23

This is a Spurt Wall route, but with only two bolts. A nails harde crimpy crux and a LONG reach to a
pocket. Not the greatest pitch around - and certainly not very Taipaneqse. It finishes on a ledge with
no bolt anchor. Yuo need trad for the anchor and then you have to downclimb (roped up) a ledge
system on the left. A lot of effort for a zero star pitch.

>Constrictor 20m 21
Starts just right of WorldParty. It only has a few bolts and quite a bit of wiggly stuff. It has a very
crimpy crux at the start, then lots of delicate slabby weirdness. It has a chain lower-off and is easy to
clean.

>Seventh Bannana first pitch 20m 23

Classic, fun, cruisy for the grade and a bolt at the crux. The best intro to Taipan!

WM

21-Aug-2005
9:44:40 PM

I like your attitude! You can have tonnes of fun at Taipan if you climb 23.

Photos and route descriptions of most of the easy ones are here:
http://www.geocities.com/willmonks/taipan_leftside.htm
http://www.geocities.com/willmonks/taipan_rightside.htm

And the full list of sub-23 Taipan routes (from thecrag.com):
Mission Over Tokyo Gunigalg Gully Connection [8, 50 m ]
Mission Over Tokyo * [18, 55 m ]
Atomic Tadpole * [20!, 55 m ]
Tokyo Connection [18, 45 m ]
Tokyo Rose * [18, 50 m ]
+Ukrainian Geranium ** [20, 45 m ]
+Dance of Life Dinosaurs Don't Dino Connection * [23 M1, 40 m ]
+The Mint * [21, 42 m ]
The Seventh Banana Pitch 1 ** [23, 20 m ]
Sirocco Pitch 1 * [21, 20 m ]
The Seventh Pillar Left Han... *** [22, 46 m ]
The Seventh Pillar *** [23!, 118 m ]
+The Seventh Pillar Right Ha... ** [21, 14 m ]
Lawrence of Arabia ** [21, 100 m ]
World Party Pitch 1 * [21, 20 m ]
+Constrictor [21, 18 m ]
+Anaconda Pitch 1 [22, 17 m ]
Kaa Pitch 1 [23, 20 m ]

nmonteith

21-Aug-2005
10:16:35 PM

> Mission Over Tokyo * [18, 55 m ]
> Atomic Tadpole * [20!, 55 m ]
> Tokyo Connection [18, 45 m ]
> Tokyo Rose * [18, 50 m ]
> +Ukrainian Geranium ** [20, 45 m ]

These are not 'really' Taipan Wall IMHO. They are all fun multipitch trad that top out on a big ledge and then you have an awesome 50m rap straight off Taipan proper for descent.

> +Dance of Life Dinosaurs Don't Dino Connection * [23 M1, 40 m ]

Very high admin for this route! The moves and positions and rock quality are A1 though. Teh aid move at the start requires a confident leader and second. Tshi must be doen in two pitches. Double 50m ropes required for descent off rap anchor.

> +The Mint * [21, 42 m ]

Really fun and exciting traverse that requires second that leads as well as leader (?!). Raps off anchors on Sirroco or Seventh Banana Pitch 1.

> The Seventh Pillar Left Han... *** [22, 46 m ]

I havn't done this - but is has a reputation for total scare city. A big 8m un-protetable traverse is the crux! Again, get a solid second for this. There is some sort of manky lower-off at the end of the traverse.

> The Seventh Pillar *** [23!, 118 m ]

Aid skills required. Very high admin!

> +The Seventh Pillar Right Ha... ** [21, 14 m ]

You have to do the 23 pitch to get to this!

> Lawrence of Arabia ** [21, 100 m ]

This is really really fun. Lots of jamming, runouts and an exciting down traverse crux. It is done in two long pitches starting at Seventh Pilalr and ending up near the start of Serpetine. Bring lots of cams!

WM

22-Aug-2005
8:27:34 AM

>> The Seventh Pillar Left Han... *** [22, 46 m ]
>There is some sort of manky lower-off at the end of the traverse.

2 FHs with malions from memory - they are corroded enough that I backed them up with 2 cams.

>> The Seventh Pillar *** [23!, 118 m ]
>Aid skills required. Very high admin!

An amazing outing at 18M1 - 3 sections of compulsory aid if done this way (mostly on bolts but a few wigglies too). VERY highly recommended but give yourself all day to get up it. ;)

>> +The Seventh Pillar Right Ha... ** [21, 14 m ]
>You have to do the 23 pitch to get to this!

...or the 18M1 version. Or rap in from above - by far the best way to quickly get to the top is up Mission over Tokyo Gunigalg Gully connection (50m grade 8) - 1 quick pitch.

dalai

22-Aug-2005
9:15:38 AM

On 21/08/2005 nmonteith wrote:
>> The Seventh Pillar Left Han... *** [22, 46 m ]
>
>I havn't done this - but is has a reputation for total scare city. A big
>8m un-protetable traverse is the crux! Again, get a solid second for this.
>There is some sort of manky lower-off at the end of the traverse.

Crux is just as you leave the security of the flake and head out right. But if 23 is your limit, with the runout and exposure on the final moves to the break where you can finally place gear again!!

adski

22-Aug-2005
2:41:00 PM

neilo: "very high admin"

you talking about intestinal fortitude?

nmonteith

22-Aug-2005
2:47:29 PM

No, just lots of friggn in the riggn. It is the complete opposite of a clip and go sport route. Double ropes
are handy, etriers, large rack, good second, ascenders perhaps...

spicelab

14-Oct-2005
8:32:56 PM

Has anyone ever attempted Scud Buster? Or know anything about it? For some odd reason the description in the guidebook intrigues me. Have a vague recollection last time I was there (1.5 years ago so WAY too long) of looking at it from World Party or something and thinking it looked very unloved and intangible.

spice.

kieranl

14-Oct-2005
8:46:22 PM

>On 21/08/2005 nmonteith wrote:
>>> The Seventh Pillar Left Han... *** [22, 46 m ]
>>
>>I havn't done this - but is has a reputation for total scare city. A
>big
>>8m un-protetable traverse is the crux! Again, get a solid second for
>this.
Second gets to do the crux after unclipping the bolt! I was lucky in having a kind leader (Kim Carrigan) who let me leave a krab and tie-off for a back-rope. When I fell off (stuffed from cleaning wires yarded into the expanding flake) I got to learn a new climbing move, manteling onto my back-rope to regain the holds. On the positive side, the second should be OK if they fall without a backrope. I saw Enga fall seconding and she took a good swing but was then able to reach a line of holds to climb back up.

nmonteith

17-Oct-2005
10:57:40 AM

On 14/10/2005 spicelab wrote:
>Has anyone ever attempted Scud Buster? Or know anything about it?

Yes, i tried it many years ago. Very slick, very holdless and the bolts seemed to be a LONG way apart. I
bailed at the first (maybe 2nd?) bolt.

There are 13 messages in this topic.