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Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
All QLD	(General)	(General)	(General)

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Frog in November


cruze

2-Oct-2007
3:06:29 PM

Turns out I will be in or around Brisbane for about 5 days at the very start of November. I have been wanting to head to Frog Buttress for a while now, but have never found my way that far North with time to burn for a while. I read in the guide, and have heard from a good friend, that the crag is climbable all year around - you just have to be willing to get up early and siesta in the middle of the day. My mate is a Queenslander and has a different idea of "ideal conditions".

Problem is I am a wuss. I hate humidity. I hate greasing out of cracks. I hate sweating.

Can people who have climbed there at that time of year please let me know what they think?


gremlin

2-Oct-2007
3:14:38 PM

Hot! The sun comes over the cliff by about 10... then it fries like a big motherf---ing egg all day
Bring a headlamp and climb at night?

danbaker

2-Oct-2007
3:33:46 PM

yep, it is hot! You'll need to get out there really early, like 5 or 6 am, then wrap up climbing about 10.30 - 11 am. It just turns into a furnace out there!


Bluey

2-Oct-2007
3:51:03 PM

Yeah, I was up there at exactly that time of year and was a complete pansy about getting a good day's worth of climbing in. Normally the heat doesn't bother me that much but it was sapping.

Even in the campsite we ended up lying under the picnic table for ultimo shade.


cruze

2-Oct-2007
4:34:25 PM

You guys are making me cry... Lying under a picnic table for five days doesn't sound like much of a holiday.

Any other suggestions for climbing in SE Qld that time of year? Is there anything closer to the coast that might be in the shade? Glasshouse/Sunshine Coast area?

gfdonc

2-Oct-2007
4:55:59 PM

I climbed there in December when I was working in Brissy many moons ago, and survived to tell the tale.

bradc

2-Oct-2007
6:06:06 PM

not bad conditions at Girraween that time of year. Can be hot in the sun but is normally easy to find shaded climbs


muki

2-Oct-2007
6:12:06 PM

Girraween is awsome, take bolt plates.


nmonteith

2-Oct-2007
6:19:19 PM

DO NOT go to Frog in November. You will die. The humidity is horrible as well. I still felt hammered by
the heat and humidity in June this year for example.

Nice shady options for Queensland are Slider Wall on Tibro, anything on the east face of Tibro after
midday. Mt Column is ok. Giraween is awesome if you like granite and runouts.


Phil Box

2-Oct-2007
10:23:07 PM

If you really must climb at Frog during Novemeber then just get up real early in the morning and knock off when it gets too hot then head back down the cliff later in the arvo.

james

2-Oct-2007
11:26:40 PM

east & south sides of Tibro are the ticket. I last climbed there in stinking February weather & the cliff was shady by about 11am, it also gets a seabreeze to keep things pleasant.


muki

3-Oct-2007
12:52:41 AM

I agree with the comments made about early starts and a siesta till it cools off in the afternoon for frog,
the cracks there are absolutely amazing, well worth the trip, nice pub down in the town of Boonah too.
Classic trad climbs are also available at Girraween, check out scimitar, on the second pyramid, theres a
nice sport climb called asana on the top of the first pyramid as well, lots of good stuff, the only runout I
can remember was Giant Pygmy Possum Fossil, very runout, but easy, gentle walk ins on sandy trails
for most of the smaller crags, and a big up hill for the pyramids, nice camping ground & friendly rangers.

james

3-Oct-2007
5:44:27 AM

climbing on top of the 1st Pyramid (ie Asana) was off limits last I heard... There are some nice routes at Turtle Rock aren't too run-out also.


meinmuk

3-Oct-2007
8:42:49 AM

Cruze,

Neil is on the money. For actual climbing, Tibrogargan in the Glasshouses is your best bet. East face routes are the go for that time of year. There are trad "classics" (I'm sure that the implications of that are apparent) and a whole range of bolted stuff, from 12-29.

Look on http://www.qurank.com for the Glasshouses guide (top right hand corner, cunningly marked G), go to Tibrogargan and look at East Face routes, Celestial Wall, Upper Caves Section...well, everything really from sectors 1-9.

Before 11 the sun's not too hot anyway and after 11 the sun will be off the wall and higher up a breeze wafts in.

You could make a trip to Frog (you'll need wheels) but won't climb for more than half a day unless there is a cold snap. In truth, just seeing the lines at Frog will make you come back when the weather is better.

cheers,

andy


cruze

3-Oct-2007
8:43:54 AM

Thanks for all the replies guys. I think that we will have to check the weather forecast for the week and hope for a cooler change. The few days before we will be up north in Townsville - might have a walk up to Mt Stuart.

If possible I think that we will still check out Frog (at least for the walk) unless it is stinking hot. Other options include slider wall (looks like it could be the summer ticket) or a mate's farm in the glasshouse area which he reckons has a sizeable bit of rock on it.

Girra might be a bit too far south, and having lived in Canberra I have seen my fair share of granite run outs so might look to other rock types.

On that note, is the Rhyolite of Frog as smooth as the rhyolite of the ACT at say red rocks/coree?

james

3-Oct-2007
9:18:05 AM

Frog rock is pretty smooth, perfect for greasing out of flaring jamBs on a hot day. I can't compare it to the places you mention though. You can drive to the top of Frog (& Mt Stuart I think).


nmonteith

3-Oct-2007
9:46:42 AM

On 3/10/2007 bomber pro wrote:
>nice sport climb called asana on the top of the first pyramid as well,

That was banned at least 15 years ago.

If you want to mix a nice walk with a bit of climbing try Waterfall Gully on Mt Maroon. A nice lush walk up
a palm filled gorge (tourist track) for about 45 minutes to some interesting short sport climbs. Shady
most of the day.

Frog is the primo crag but the grease factor on the very slick cracks is horrible in high summer.


muki

3-Oct-2007
10:18:16 AM

I never had a problem with the so called "grease factor" baybe I just don't sweat as much as you when
climbing trad, that and being born in PNG I just love humidity.

james

3-Oct-2007
11:53:05 AM

>If you want to mix a nice walk with a bit of climbing try Waterfall Gully
>on Mt Maroon. A nice lush walk up
>a palm filled gorge (tourist track) for about 45 minutes to some interesting
>short sport climbs. Shady
>most of the day.
>

do you mean Mt Greville? Mt Maroon there are some really good route on the Sth East face of Mt Maroon but its a hot 45min slog up the hill to get there. Tibro is a flat 10min stroll!


nmonteith

3-Oct-2007
12:16:30 PM

ahh yes Mt Greviile . My mistake.

There are 29 messages in this topic.