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Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
VIC Grampians	(General)	(General)	(General)	[ Grampians Guide \| Images ]

Author

Open Grampians projects


nmonteith

2-Aug-2004
1:44:35 PM

I thought I would open a topic about the location and beta for some of the Open Projects located around the Grampians. I've given them stars so you know what the good ones are! Please feel free to add others that you know about.

** Cut Lunch Walls, Stapylton 20m
Route between Tendor Hooks & The Big Payback. 5 rings with a damn hard bouldery start in little cave - then a bizarre traverse left on inverterd heucos to long blank section (crux) with a tiny crimp. Top half is easy 23 climbing. Bolted by me but found to be too hard! Grade 28+? Attempted by Malcolm, Steve Monks...
Equipped Neil Monteith '04

* Killer Wolf Direct Finish, Centurion Walls 20m
One long pull off a big sloper. Should be a good one for bouldery types. Protected by good bolt. The rest of the route is grade 21.
Equipped Nick McKinnon '99

** Millars Fails, Centurion Walls 25m
Start up Psychotic Episode to 2nd bolt, then traverse hard left along rail (two medium cams) then out roof (29?) past ring bolt to cross Stone Temptress. Up and left to finish (upper section not bolted).
Equipped Neil '05

* Pocketed Roof, Sentinel Cave 8m
Swinging quickdraw in roof left of Antics. Three bolts and anchor in total. Felt 29ish?
Equipped Neil '04

Face traverse, Sentinel Cave 10m
Starts 5m right of Media Puzzle. Up then traverse left across Media Puzzle to anchor. 4 bolts? Not very nice. 27 or 28 maybe?
Equipped Neil '05

* Rattlesnake Shake Direct, Taipan Wall 35m (including original finish - 5m of new climbing)
Up right side of Venom groove then step right into original route. All moves led but never linked. Contrived. 28? 2 FHs. I was actually thinking about removing these bolts as the right hand varient is so much easier than this contrived mess.
Equipped Neil '06

** Face Project, Plaza Strip 20m
Great bulging orange face with slopers and subtle pockets. Starts 4m right of Technorganica. Only has a top anchor in place, no bolts on route yet. Possibly 29? Attempted on toprope by Nick and Neil '99

*** Toar, The Tower 20m
Calling all very tall boulderers! One hard move off sloping dished with zero feet. I battled this for many years but the move eluded move. Classic orange rock and awesome moves the whole way - rest of route is 24 an dis mixed bolts/trad.
Equipped '03

** Platinum Development, The Studio 25m
Up Seven Diamond Experiance traversing left to its first FH. Now continue hard left across amazing orange bulgy stuff (FH) then finally up seam. Only half bolted. 28?
Equipped '05

Van Diemans Land, The Dungeon 15m
** Bolted route left side at the Dungeon will be quite good. (26?)
Right route at the Dungeon not so good. (no idea of grade)
* Direct finish to Billy Ray Cyrus would be good if you could divert the water above it to stop grit washing on the holds.. (28?)
All equipped by Martin Lama in the 90s

more to come....!


nmonteith

13-Jan-2005
5:48:49 PM

- bump -

Dalai - any idea on what the status with those projects located directly below VD Land is? What has been done and what could be done?

Kent and I had a bit of a look on Tiapan at the start aid move of Dance of Life (24A1) on the weekend (kent flashed the rest of it!). It looked quite possible. There is a small positive crimp and then a long move sideways to a fingerlock. Some hard nut should give it a go. The rest of the route is three stars.

dalai

13-Jan-2005
6:12:09 PM

Open Projects below VD, I don't know of any projects.... *cough, cough*


nmonteith

13-Jan-2005
6:19:25 PM

do daaa do da daaay. Look at that interesting tree.

duglash

14-Jan-2005
9:17:00 AM

BTW, has anyone had a look at the groove and slab at the LH end of the crag - looks like a harder
version of the existing Roland Foster route. Looks interesting.

dalai

14-Jan-2005
1:17:37 PM

Damn, I might have to start training again... I've been found out!

They're all mine, mine I tell you!!!

Just make sure that thieving Pom Nic Sellars keeps away from them...


nmonteith

4-Feb-2008
1:11:35 PM

bump... for all you new routers who are after something to do! This is a good collection of my abandoned new routes that are up for grabs in the Grampians. Most are around grade 29ish (too hard for me!)

dalai

4-Feb-2008
1:30:53 PM

My VD projects are definitely open to all and sundry, given it has been so many years and that I don't get on a rope anymore...

Route left side at the Dungeon will be quite good. (26?)

Right route at the Dungeon not so. (no idea)

Direct finish to Billy Ray would be good if you could divert the water above it to stop grit washing on the holds.. (28?)


nmonteith

4-Feb-2008
1:42:01 PM

Added them to the list Martin! Anyone think of anything else to add to the list? There are quite a few Taipan projects i guess. They seem to remain projects though! I havn't heard of a new route in many years (apart from the easier linkups and extensions that Gary and myself have done recently).

devlin66

4-Feb-2008
3:11:37 PM

Just purely for interest to us northerners. Can you put approx meterage of the climbs. Helps to picture them in our feeble minds.


nmonteith

4-Feb-2008
3:13:43 PM

Done!

dalai

4-Feb-2008
3:25:27 PM

How about a few pictures then...

My VD projects

Dungeon
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page=27&area_id=214

Beaver wall project (photo nicely shows the slight seeping problem...)
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page=27&area_id=215

devlin66

4-Feb-2008
3:36:15 PM

wow got to love the information gained on this web thingy. Shouldn't have to accidently climb on someones project with this around.

Man that is some nice rock down there. Almost as good as KP :)

4-Feb-2008
3:45:47 PM

I'm surprised you're so harsh on the LHS to Rattlesnake Shake. from the belay it looks like the more "obvious" way to approach the rest of the line and the moves looked really good (if rather difficult).

I have unilaterally declared about half the unfinished routes on Taipan open:
mirage pitch 2 30m 32?
Medusa pitch 2 20m 29
serpentine direct start 15m ?
Nether extension 25m 34?
Groovy extension 20m 33?
the old dog 18m 32?

dalai

4-Feb-2008
4:11:16 PM

some more photos / info for you devlin66

Cut Lunch Walls - http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page=27&area_id=210
>** Cut Lunch Walls, Stapylton 20m

Centurion http://www.chockstone.org/Grampians/CenturionWalls/Centurion.htm
>* Killer Wolf Direct Finish, Centurion Walls 20m
>** Millars Fails, Centurion Walls 25m

Sentinel cave - http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page=27&area_id=221
>* Pocketed Roof, Sentinel Cave 8m
>Face traverse, Sentinel Cave 10m

Taipan Wall http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page=27&area_id=98
>* Rattlesnake Shake Direct, Taipan Wall 35m (including original finish
>- 5m of new climbing)

Plaza Strip http://www.chockstone.org/Grampians/PlazaStrip/PlazaStrip.htm
>** Face Project, Plaza Strip 20m

Tower http://www.neilshaulbag.com/guides/PDF/tower.pdf
>*** Toar, The Tower 20m


nmonteith

4-Feb-2008
4:24:52 PM

On 4/02/2008 WM wrote:
>I'm surprised you're so harsh on the LHS to Rattlesnake Shake. from the
>belay it looks like the more "obvious" way to approach the rest of the
>line and the moves looked really good (if rather difficult).

Thats the thing. It looks like the obvious line but certainly doesn't climb like the obvious line. You do all these hard moves in a row, reach right and you're at a horizontal slot rest OR you could just traverse 2m further along the Kaa traverse and climb upwards at about grade 22 to the same spot. I think this direct start would be 2 grades harder at least, and feels really out of keeping with the rest of the routes style. A bit like Snake Flake. Its also very slick, so requires a brutal cold day to hold the greasy rounded slopes.

devlin66

4-Feb-2008
5:09:05 PM

Yeah yeah yeah yeah. I still reckon KP is better :)

Someone remind me why I moved up here please!!!!

One Day Hero

4-Feb-2008
5:50:06 PM

How about the thing round the corner from Strike The First Blow?


nmonteith

4-Feb-2008
5:55:16 PM

On 4/02/2008 One Day Hero wrote:
>How about the thing round the corner from Strike The First Blow?

The boulder start to Struck Twice is still open for anyone to have a go. I've had people say it might go but i've not seen the results! I don't imagine it will get many repeats with the grade 30 single move boulder start! Most will just hoist up the batman start i reckon at grade 24.

Dave J

4-Feb-2008
6:12:29 PM

On 4/02/2008 nmonteith wrote:
>Anyone think of anything else to add to the list?

add

*Agent of Cool (ampytheatre)32+
*Old project of pollit's on afterglow wall
*old project of mine just left of that (quite hard)
*a bolted thing chris jones bolted on sandanista (Im pretty sure he opened that to the general public)
*a line of pockets between that and daniel or tiger
*is gilgamesh on that list already? 31+
*bloody amazing line right up the middle of rain wall
*finish to sordid orchids 29+

if they're not on the list already

There are 48 messages in this topic.