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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
VIC Eastern	Ben Cairn	(General)	(General)	[ Ben Cairn Guide \| Images ]

Author

ben cairn

ademmert

1-Feb-2007
5:58:23 PM

has anyone been to ben cairn recently?
what condition of the cliff like?


brat

1-Feb-2007
7:22:26 PM

I was there before christmas and doesn't appear to get much traffic!

ademmert

1-Feb-2007
7:26:23 PM

could you climb?
or was it to mossy?


nmonteith

1-Feb-2007
7:28:44 PM

The good routes are clean adam.

dalai

2-Feb-2007
12:05:22 PM

On 1/02/2007 nmonteith wrote:
>The good routes are clean adam.

All the trade routes are fine. The less travelled routes have reverted back to their natural state...

gfdonc

2-Feb-2007
12:16:11 PM

I was there in December and did post something at the time, here's a recap.

Basically I was disappointed in the level of cleanliness of some routes. Most were climbable but (e.g.) Frankenstein was gritty with some mossy bits higher up. Could use a rebrush. Digit Dancer and Pancake was OK but Jerry's big corner was almost unclimbable with the initial, poorly protected layback having moss all over the footholds. I thought my leader (close to her lead limit) was heading for a groundfall! Need the current generation to learn the skills of hanging around on jumars with a wire brush!

Might have cleaned up a bit since then of course. Have fun. Nice place to hang out on a hot day.
- Steve

dalai

2-Feb-2007
12:28:18 PM

On 2/02/2007 gfdonc wrote:

>Basically I was disappointed in the level of cleanliness of some routes.
> Most were climbable but (e.g.) Frankenstein was gritty with some mossy
>bits higher up. Could use a rebrush.

I was there the week after you went and gave the top a light clean up

>Jerry's big corner was almost unclimbable with the initial, poorly
>protected layback having moss all over the footholds.

I've never seen that route clean. It's not on the trade route list...

>Need the current generation to learn the skills of hanging around on jumars with a wire
>brush!

Exactly, the young people today have it too easy... they just want to go to the crags and climb!

"I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night, half an hour before I went to bed, eat a lump of cold poison, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad would kill us, and dance about on our graves singing "Hallelujah."

But you try and tell the young people today that... and they won't believe ya'."


alrob

2-Feb-2007
12:53:59 PM

On 2/02/2007 dalai wrote:
>>Need the current generation to learn the skills of hanging around on
>jumars with a wire
>>brush!
>
>Exactly, the young people today have it too easy... they just want to
>go to the crags and climb!
>

don't worry, I have plans to hold up my gen's side of it.

has 'fiction' ever had a 2nd ascent?

dalai

2-Feb-2007
12:58:24 PM

On 2/02/2007 alrob wrote:

>has 'fiction' ever had a 2nd ascent?

Not sure, but the line The Russians Are Coming to its left joining at the crux bulge of Fiction is still awaiting a first ascent ;-)


alrob

2-Feb-2007
1:01:16 PM

On 2/02/2007 dalai wrote:
>On 2/02/2007 alrob wrote:
>
>>has 'fiction' ever had a 2nd ascent?
>
>Not sure, but the line The Russians Are Coming to its left joining at
>the crux bulge of Fiction is still awaiting a first ascent ;-)
>

interesting.... explain though. it's in the guide, but done in 1958?

dalai

2-Feb-2007
1:04:50 PM

Exactly! By Don Whillans and Joe Brown...

Was written up as such in the first Eastern District guide and continued through...

It's an open project lad. Go forth, clean and send!

2-Feb-2007
1:06:04 PM

fiction is soooo cool al. I wanna go back and try it !!


alrob

2-Feb-2007
1:10:08 PM

On 2/02/2007 dalai wrote:
>Exactly! By Don Whillans and Joe Brown...
>
>Was written up as such in the first Eastern District guide and continued
>through...
>
>It's an open project lad. Go forth, clean and send!

well, i guess i'll have to go out there, clean some lines.......the sending part though is easier said then done!

who's up for a day out there next weekend?

andi nismo

2-Feb-2007
1:19:53 PM

On 2/02/2007 gfdonc wrote:
.
>
>Basically I was disappointed in the level of cleanliness of some routes.
Need the current
>generation to learn the skills of hanging around on jumars with a wire
>brush!
>

Umm, may I ask, where was your brush? Seems to me the same people who DID'NT clean the routes for your visit probably had the same gripe!
Let's forget the lost tribe of 'they'. 'They' who should fix the tracks, 'they' who should clean the b.c. huts, 'they' who should make the tracks easier to follow, 'they' who should brush the routes after winter. Maybe you could take up your brush and jumars and run a route cleaning lesson so that 'they' can do the job for you!

dalai

2-Feb-2007
1:24:52 PM

On 2/02/2007 andi nismo wrote:
>On 2/02/2007 gfdonc wrote:
>.
>>
>>Basically I was disappointed in the level of cleanliness of some routes.
> Need the current
>>generation to learn the skills of hanging around on jumars with a wire
>>brush!
>>
>
>Umm, may I ask, where was your brush? Seems to me the same people who
>DID'NT clean the routes for your visit probably had the same gripe!
>Let's forget the lost tribe of 'they'. 'They' who should fix the tracks,
>'they' who should clean the b.c. huts, 'they' who should make the tracks
>easier to follow, 'they' who should brush the routes after winter. Maybe
>you could take up your brush and jumars and run a route cleaning lesson
>so that 'they' can do the job for you!

I think you need to do a bit more research Andi.

Gfdonc was one of the first people who uncovered alot of this cliff during it's initial development! I personally think he has done his time hanging on a rope there already!

andi nismo

2-Feb-2007
1:29:40 PM

Oh dear, I've been told!


alrob

2-Feb-2007
1:35:45 PM

On 2/02/2007 andi nismo wrote:
>Oh dear, I've been told!

andi nismo

2-Feb-2007
1:41:00 PM

Oops, did'nt finish what I was going to say. I respect the effort of anyone who contributes to the development of a climbing area, but the use of the word 'disappointed' threw me. Sounded like an expectation that the crag would just be clean when he arrived. My knowledge of climbing history is actually quite immense. It's just that if I have to check up the status of every person I'm going to reply to, then I won't be getting much replying done. I accept that my comments were a little misplaced but they represent a truth. There are far too many goons getting into the outdoors with the attitude that someone else will look after the fine details. From where I stand, it seems a majority of those types have infiltrated outdoor activities in the last ten or so years.

dalai

2-Feb-2007
1:43:04 PM

Not telling just educating ;-)

Your underlying sentiment in regards of the benefit if everyone took some ownership is valid and unfortunately correct.

If everyone who went there even spent a half hour each trip there giving various routes a quick brush, then there would be more routes for people to climb rather than the usual few...

andi nismo

2-Feb-2007
1:56:14 PM

I know what you meant Dalai.

I don't climb at the 'Ben' alll that often but as I live only ten minutes away from there I think I will go up next weekend with the intention of giving some routes a clean. Anyone else keen on bringing their goggles and a wire brush is more than welcome to join me!

There are 48 messages in this topic.