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Crag & Route Beta

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Michelago / Wingello


evanbb

15-Jun-2009
10:41:14 AM

Looking for a friendly venue for some camping and climbing this weekend, with some relative newbies. I will be the bold; strong leader in attendance, which is a sad indictment on the lot of us.

Michalego sounds sort of fun, pretty close, never climbed limestone before, but there's hardly a dearth of routes under 20.

Any opinions on a cragging camping experience that's a bit friendlier for bumblies around here? Noting also that the road to Honeysuckle is now closed from the campsight onwards. I'm really looking for a Dam Cliffs on Canberra.


rodw

15-Jun-2009
10:50:34 AM

Go Wingello, the camping at the state forest campground up top is really good...pit dunny..tank water

http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=crag&crag_id=314

and plenty of bumbly graded stuff on slabs at either

Noli wall
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=area&area_id=821

or La Sancta wall.
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=area&area_id=1251


evanbb

15-Jun-2009
11:01:28 AM

Yeah, that looks terrific. Thanks Rod.

matthewp

15-Jun-2009
11:03:40 AM

Do you mean to say there is climbing at Michalego. I've lived in Cooma all my life and never realized this. When can I find a guild to it?


evanbb

15-Jun-2009
11:14:06 AM

On 15/06/2009 matthewp wrote:
>When can I find a guild to it?

Right here:
http://static1.shopify.com/s/files/1/0001/6170/files/Wingello_Climbing_Guide.pdf

Laced With Crack on the cover looks stupendous. I miss sandstone corners.

citationx

15-Jun-2009
11:19:09 AM

On 15/06/2009 evanbb wrote:
>On 15/06/2009 matthewp wrote:
>>When can I find a guild to it?

I think he meant the Michelago guide.
Having said that, i think i'm going to head to wingello in two weekends time with gold looking lines as as described at supa fun happy!

widewetandslippery

15-Jun-2009
11:20:20 AM

I've been to Michelago when I was a teenager. It was ok. Don't know current access but I remember it did involve gates and private property. matthewp you should go for a walk and do some google earthing.

Evan, rods suggestions are good but another may be Nerriga. How keen are your new/non-climbers. Is it a climbing weekend or a camping with a bit of climbing thrown in weekend? Theres enough there if you just giving them a go and plenty for you. There are no access signs due to roadworks but they really don't say what is and out of bounds. The new bridge just outside Nerriga would spoil the old camping spot on the river but not much and I'm sure you could still camp down there (pub 5mins away).


evanbb

15-Jun-2009
11:35:35 AM

On 15/06/2009 citationx wrote:
>On 15/06/2009 evanbb wrote:
>>On 15/06/2009 matthewp wrote:
>>>When can I find a guild to it?
>
>I think he meant the Michelago guide.

Yes he did. I'm a fool.


rodw

15-Jun-2009
1:08:24 PM

If you going to Wingello to camp, take the Mountain bikes for the non climbers...lots of trails to ride and are all well marked.

grangrump

15-Jun-2009
1:08:41 PM

On 15/06/2009 evanbb wrote:
>Michalego sounds sort of fun, pretty close, never climbed limestone before,
>but there's hardly a dearth of routes under 20.

Yeah Michelago is a great spot on the river, although probably cold in Winter (SW facing from memory). Even got some mini caves.
But hearsay is that its been no-climbing for years (private) :(

one day hero

15-Jun-2009
5:24:33 PM

I went out to check it out, hoping for a semi local ceuse.......What you're going to find instead is a nice spot next to the river, spoiled by having to sneak in over private property, and masses of prickle bushes, and silty routes which need mega brushing, and shit bolts which need replacing, and routes which seemed quite sharp but maybe ok for a visit or two if someone sorts out the other stuff


nmonteith

15-Jun-2009
5:34:01 PM

Reminds me of the limestone climbing at Buchan in Victoria. Stinging nettles, barb wire and endless gates don't make for a great day out...

patto

15-Jun-2009
5:48:10 PM

On 15/06/2009 nmonteith wrote:
>Reminds me of the limestone climbing at Buchan in Victoria. Stinging nettles,
>barb wire and endless gates don't make for a great day out...

Reminds me of my geology trip in Buchan. Theres a great big cliff on the Murrindal(sp)river. I grabbed one of those stinging nettles on a dare and my finger was numb for three days. There are fine needles on those things half a centimetre long!


wallwombat

15-Jun-2009
5:48:20 PM

On 15/06/2009 evanbb wrote:
> Noting also that the road to Honeysuckle is now
>closed from the campsight onwards.

Say what??


evanbb

15-Jun-2009
6:57:16 PM

On 15/06/2009 wallwombat wrote:
>On 15/06/2009 evanbb wrote:
>> Noting also that the road to Honeysuckle is now
>>closed from the campsight onwards.
>
>Say what??

Was closed last weekend becaue of the snow! Weakness. I guess it might open again, but I've got bugger all info on the topic.

BTW, did you go to Black Range on Sat? Saw a white 4wd van belting up the hill, with a big Petzl stcker on the back.


wallwombat

15-Jun-2009
7:27:32 PM

No, I had to work on Saturday.


evanbb

18-Jun-2009
7:32:54 PM

Was it Beatrice the kelpie you had your epic on? It doesn't read very well....

The area around Nubigena wall looks terrific for beginners. Might even fire a couple of them up their first leads. Some good crack around the place for me too. ANd of course Laced With Crack, which I'm totally excited about.


wallwombat

18-Jun-2009
8:06:32 PM

Yes, it was Beatrice the Kelpie that I had an epic on.

First attempt ended up high, face to face with an angry nest of wasps. I lowered off, leaving the gear in place, intending to go back the following week.

On getting back to Canberra, my (then) climbing partner decided to retire from climbing, so there was no return the following week.

My gear ended up hanging on the route for over a month before I could get back to it. I was on my own so I had another epic trying to find the line from the top and rap down it to get my gear. It was pretty hot that day. I kept throwing the ropes down in the wrong spot because it was overhanging at the top. Then my rap ropes got stuck in a tree. Then got chased my a Brown Snake.

That day really sucked.

Eventually got all my gear except for a #8 Rockcentric which was welded into the crux from a couple of largish falls I took.

Also managed to get rid of the wasps nest without dying.

I then returned a few weeks later and finished the line off with an old school mate who has belayed me a bit over the years. He wouldn't follow. I then had to rap off a disconcertingly feeble sapling and clean the route for a second time.

If I'd had a drill with me I would have placed a bolt or two higher up as the corner becomes fused and it is quite runout.

There is a unclimbed second pitch, sidling right through the overhangs to the top. It would be about 10 m long and would probably needs a few bolts.. I won't be rushing back anytime soon to finish it.

I may, however, return and rap bolt the entire climb. I'm sure I'd sleep sounder at nights if I did.

Except for Laced With Crack, it's not really worth carrying a rack down there. It's almost totally a sport crag and the walk up the hill from the bottom carpark to the top one sucks balls big time. Take a small rack of small medium cams and wires for Laced with Crack. If it was 3 times longer it would be an all time classic.

Wingello's true value is as a middle grade (16-24) sport crag.


HM33

18-Jun-2009
8:53:28 PM

Poor Ken! that day we saw you two stumble out of the scrub looked painful.

Laced with Is great fun. it really is a shame it doesn't keep going though.

what about the cracks you did just past SFH Wombat?

there is also Jasons Mr White trad 23 in the middle of this wall (foreshortened pic)


wallwombat

18-Jun-2009
9:42:09 PM

WW&S and I did a couple of short cracks past SFH. Neither are really worth taking a rack down there for.

There is a wall either a bit before or a bit after the Mr White wall with 4 or 5 awesome looking cracks. They all look a bit hard for me, though. Unless I was standing in aiders or I pre-placed the gear and worked the hell out of them

Hawkman, are there any other routes on that Mr White wall? There are some juicy looking pockets on it.

There are 42 messages in this topic.