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Crag & Route Beta

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

Author

The Ravine - new Gramps mid grade sport crag.


nmonteith

25-Feb-2008
12:08:54 PM

In the last month or so a new area has been developed near Stapylton Campground. It's certainly not complete, but there is now five worthwhile routes between 19 - 24 in a really shady location. The routes are mostly long slightly overhung and are well bolted. Try Land and Pains Ford and particularly good sport routes for their grade. Some of the rock is quite unique, very polished water worn jugs a bit like Thailand limestone. There is a big cave as well with possibility for harder routes for anyone who's willing! Its a bit like Sentinel Cave but steeper and blanker. Enjoy the routes and leave any feedback here if possible...

Guide & access info is here:
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=area&area_id=1189

Adam on a 19 at The Ravine.

qman

25-Feb-2008
12:41:44 PM

I am amazed by the awesome looking crags that you guys keep rolling out.
great photos and topos as always.


ado_m

25-Feb-2008
5:39:22 PM

Great work! Bring on the mid-grade sport for us not-quite-that-hard types.

kieranl

2-Mar-2008
7:47:16 PM

Visited the Ravine this afternoon. Pleasantly cool and the approach quite OK in the warm. Even I didn't get lost and got in in 25 easy minutes.
Pains Ford was very good though the fifth ring is a long way above the fourth. Just compare the difference between 4th and 5th rings on Try Land next door. I know they're big holds but it's steep.
Try Land was also good and harder. No way my pathetic stamina and brain would have hed(edit: NZ usage) me lead it today. Still a lot of dirt on the last steep bit but I did my bit for cleaning it.
Good find. I will be back for more.


nmonteith

3-Mar-2008
5:48:49 PM

I'll take all that on board Kieran! I led Pains Ford on 4 bolts originally :-) It now has 8 and it sounds like you wanted 9! I know the section you talked about - if you stay a little left its a fair bit easier and the runout isn't too bad. Only 4 metres between bolts at that point maybe?

Yes - the moss at the top is a bit of a problem. I cleaned it up fairly heavily, and just learnt to use the good holds rather than the dirty holds. So many monster jugs to choose from up there! (and for once they are solid)

hairy1

8-Mar-2008
11:32:42 AM

went to the Ravine last saturday morning - had a greattim! It's a great cliff & the routes that have been developed so far are fantastic. Did not find anything to be run out at all. As well as the potential in the steep cavey bit, it also seems like there is a reasonable amount of potential for easier (perhaps bolted) routes - we were thinking of heading in next weekend to toprope a few lines & suss things out.
hairy


nmonteith

11-Mar-2008
12:12:36 AM

On 8/03/2008 hairy1 wrote:
>As well as the potential in the steep
>cavey bit, it also seems like there is a reasonable amount of potential
>for easier (perhaps bolted) routes - we were thinking of heading in next
>weekend to toprope a few lines & suss things out.

Glad you had a fun time! I reckon there is heaps of potential for sub 18 sport routes. Some will need a fair bit of a scrub. Please bolt them - rather than establishing mixed or runout trad routes. We have a chance to finally make a brand new sport area - without all the bullshit of the older crags. [ready for flame war now!]. If you need a help - let me know - i'm happy to loan drills ect...

hairy1

11-Mar-2008
2:58:41 AM

definitely agree on the sub 18 sport area concept. We plan to work out what might be good lines, clean things up a bit etc. once we've got some info i'll jump back on here and see if we can find some help for the bolting bit...

cheers tim


..::- Chris -::..

11-Mar-2008
11:31:34 AM

Hey Neil,
We went there in the 39 degree heat on Sunday and had a ball climbing. Painsford is just fun climbing, reminded me of a Nowra a little...

My only small issue with the area were the walk in and out.... We got lost ended up bush bashing by the end of day my 3/4 shorts were ripped and shreded into boxer shorts ; ) It took us easily over an hour on the way in and about 50 mins on they way out. I'm going to head there again hopefully i run into the track this time.

All in all a great area especially if it's 39 degree's. Mind you we did get completely fried walking out, but we were comfortable whilst we climbed.

Many thanks to Neil and folk for bolting and opening the area.

Chris.


nmonteith

11-Mar-2008
11:35:35 AM

An hour! :-o

I've timed it back and forth (with slow walkers) and it's never taken more than 25 minutes one way. I've done it in 15minutes at my own (fast) pace (with a pack full of ropes, drills, rack, water). The secret it obviously to find the track - which is a bit tricky to follow in places. My recommendation is if you can't see either a tape marker or a cairn then backtrack and locate the previous one! Don't keep bush bashing forward in the hope you'll stumble upon the next one. :-)

I'll mark it a little better in the next few weeks hopefully.

Dave J

11-Mar-2008
11:43:30 AM

do you have any intention of developing the steeper section on the opposite side neil?


nmonteith

11-Mar-2008
12:13:32 PM

On 11/03/2008 Dave J wrote:
>do you have any intention of developing the steeper section on the opposite
>side neil?

Not in the short term - in less than 2 weeks i head overseas for 4 months. It's open slather on that wall!

11-Mar-2008
1:18:49 PM

I bouldered the starts of a few lines on the steep side - I think they will be really good and am looking forward to somebody else doing all the hard work of equipping them!


nmonteith

11-Mar-2008
1:23:49 PM

If i get bored i might go up there this week (or next) and aid up one of the steep routes. Thats a big maybe though...


IdratherbeclimbingM9

11-Mar-2008
2:15:08 PM

On 11/03/2008 nmonteith wrote:

>I reckon there is heaps of potential for sub
>18 sport routes. Some will need a fair bit of a scrub. Please bolt them
>- rather than establishing mixed or runout trad routes. We have a chance
>to finally make a brand new sport area - without all the bullshit of the
>older crags. [ready for flame war now!]. If you need a help - let me know
>- i'm happy to loan drills ect...

On 11/03/2008 hairy1 wrote:
>definitely agree on the sub 18 sport area concept. >We plan to work out what might be good lines, clean things up a bit etc. >once we've got some info i'll jump back on here and see if we can find some help for the bolting bit...

... maybe invite jgoding along as I think he agrees with helping out in this concept when he can.
~> could keep him out of some other places at the same time according to some?

(Heh, heh, heh).

;-)

;-)

kieranl

11-Mar-2008
3:35:00 PM

Neil's already established the first mixed route. I'll be carrying a sling for between the 4th and fifth bolts on pains Ford next time I go. Call me a weak and call me a wimp but when 19 is at my limit I can not going to risk that fall. In my book even I should be prepared to jump off anywhere on a sport climb.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

11-Mar-2008
3:49:06 PM

On 11/03/2008 kieranl wrote:
> In my book even I should be prepared to jump off anywhere
>on a sport climb.

...But what about a slab?

dalai

11-Mar-2008
3:52:09 PM

Slab and sport climb are mutually exclusive...


IdratherbeclimbingM9

11-Mar-2008
3:53:40 PM

Not to some on another thread and at another location.


dimpet

11-Mar-2008
4:01:09 PM

Slab + bolts != sports climbing :).

There are 72 messages in this topic.