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Australian Landscape Photography by Michael Boniwell
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Chockstone Forum - Trip Reports

Tells Us About Your Latest Trip!

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 25
Author
TR - My awesome FA.

bigchris
3-Feb-2018
7:02:49 PM
So I put this route up today. I called it "Never Tell Me The Odds". It was freaking hard, and I tried really hard.

It all started when I googled "Where are there good wide cracks in Victoria" only to be met with a whole heap of porn. That was kind of exciting, but not was I was looking for, so I looked a little further and found an Offwidth thread on chockstone. Low and behold, some pictures of a magical looking crack.

After various people not wanting to tell me where this crack was, I eventually put two and two together and went out with the wife to find it. We looked around at Black Hill for about an hour (about 18 months ago) and found the lovely (read: heinous, sharp, burly, overhanging) looking thing just sitting there in the arvo shade, beckoning me to mount it, but I think I got it wrong (what it was actually saying was, "Yeah, good on ya, you've got no hope - you may as well go home").

I threw my carcass at it with no avail, and went home broken and bruised. I tried again and again and again and just couldn't get anywhere near even getting off the ground. 12 months or so later, Philly and I went on our honeymoon in Moab, Eldo and Yosemite and climbed with Pamela Pack and Devin Finn. Pretty good coaches and now life-long friends to have in your corner who provide endless stoke. Just legendary humans who were more than happy for us to climb with them. You should check out their video that they just made.

LINK HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiyVynohIPM


I returned to black hill with renewed vigour, and started to make some progress. After 4 solid months of going back there a couple of times a month, sometimes twice a week, today was the day of victory.

Ladies and gents, I present to you, "Never Tell Me The Odds" Grade 26/27. I think it's a fitting name, seeing as people love cutting others down, and if I can climb this, then people that are like me (have a dream about doing something rad) should get amongst it.

Now all b/s aside, I can't actually climb grade 26/27 unless it's an offwidth, and this is harder than all of the 5.11+ and 5.12s that I did in Indian Creek (hence the grade). I guess I like the pain and brutality of offwidths. I guess I kinda like that no one wants to climb them. I like the fact that when I do climb them, no one is around. I like sharing the outdoors with my wife and my dogs. I like taping my hands up. I like the feel of a solid jam. I like that people who climb in gyms have no idea about wide cracks.

I actually suck hard at climbing. I can slab up to 21 (sometimes), so thats cool, but if it's a face climb I'm lucky to get it done at 18. I just like climbing cracks. My very good friend Muki jumped on it today (I actually heard him swear) and said it's bloody hard for him (and he climbs pretty hard I reckon).

Yes, I wore knee sleeves and put some socks over my elbows.

I've put some bolts in the top for people who don't have big cams to make an anchor. Go and throw your carcasses at it and tell me what you think.


LINK HERE:
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/black-hill/area/1656850935


Have at me, flamers!

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mikllaw
3-Feb-2018
7:17:22 PM
awesome work, ow much skin does it require?

bigchris
3-Feb-2018
7:38:08 PM
On 3-Feb-2018 mikllaw wrote:
>awesome work, ow much skin does it require?


Fortunately not heaps if you use as much tape as me :D

ChuckNorris
3-Feb-2018
8:00:50 PM
that truly is an awesome climb - the third pic really makes it look brutal. well done and loved the background story.

Miguel75
3-Feb-2018
8:40:55 PM
Yeeeeewwwww, well done sucka;)
One Day Hero
3-Feb-2018
9:15:28 PM
First 2 pics - 27? What the fuch is this guy smoking?

Third pic - Ah, now I get it.

Nice work!
Jayford4321
3-Feb-2018
10:15:55 PM
Good 1 , an nice report , but tell me , did U C any gerbils while U were there, as I heard my fren Ed has lost his recently.
!st 3 pics is very gerbil like.

Ben_E
3-Feb-2018
11:33:23 PM
Nice effort, even if it was written up/pictured in the NW Victoria Guide as an 18... ;-)

More seriously, that thing has been ghosting people for years, great to see it finally go.


Miguel75
4-Feb-2018
2:37:50 PM
On 3-Feb-2018 Ben_E wrote:
>Nice effort, even if it was written up/pictured in the NW Victoria Guide
>as an 18... ;-)
>
>More seriously, that thing has been ghosting people for years, great to
>see it finally go.
>

I heard from a little Black Hills birdie you were back in town for a few days. Hope you and the gang are keeping well:)

The good Dr
4-Feb-2018
6:39:28 PM
Awesome work. We had a look at it a few years ago and got a bit of a ways up it and always had it on the agenda to return. Its is a stellar line for sure!!

bigchris
4-Feb-2018
8:49:40 PM
It probably is 18 and is hard because I'm climbing like a gumnut :D

Ben_E
5-Feb-2018
1:39:20 AM
^^^
Ha! I think not. I think you're pretty safe having a solid grade on that one. Was great to get to see you working on it (and Black Hill getting some love).

Thanks, Mike, sorry not to catch up with you on this trip. We're all keeping well, hope you and family are as well.
gfdonc
5-Feb-2018
7:54:52 AM
Fabulous story, and well done on the ascent.
I, too, have stuck an arm in there from time to time, wondering if/how it would go.
Congratulations on the tick.

shortman
5-Feb-2018
8:25:45 AM
Like I said on FB bigchris...a touch of jealousy, but well done bro!


shortman
5-Feb-2018
8:27:34 AM
On 3-Feb-2018 One Day Hero wrote:
>First 2 pics - 27? What the fuch is this guy smoking?
>
>Third pic - Ah, now I get it.
>
>Nice work!

This was the one I wanted to take you to Damo...

shortman
5-Feb-2018
8:33:54 AM
On 3-Feb-2018 bigchris wrote:
>So I put this route up today. I called it "Never Tell Me The Odds". It
>was freaking hard, and I tried really hard.
>
>After various people not wanting to tell me where this crack was, I eventually
>put two and two together and went out with the wife to find it.

Bullshit. I was forthcoming, albeit with a vague location, :)

>On 22/02/2016 bigchris wrote:
>On 22/02/2016 shortman wrote:
>>On 21/02/2016 dalai wrote:
>>>Is this the Black Hill offwidth shortman?
>>
>>Yep.
>
>Where is this off width? What area?

The secret cool crack area @ Black Hill. There are 3 of them -

A finger crack going at about 19....

A chimney tapering to tips going at 21 ish I think....great climb in my opinion...

And then the infamous formerly unclimbed overhanging bum crack off width at what Steve is saying 24.....

Come in the back gate the follow the path to where it joins the other path coming in from the left, walk a few hundred meters and then bush bash left until you reach the first climbable rock....you'll find it.

>
>My very good friend Muki jumped on it today
>(I actually heard him swear) and said it's bloody hard for him (and he
>climbs pretty hard I reckon).

Bomber!

>
>Yes, I wore knee sleeves and put some socks over my elbows.

Glenn Tempest suggested that I try it in hiking boots to protect my ankles....didn't help me, :)
>
One Day Hero
5-Feb-2018
9:22:15 AM
On 5-Feb-2018 shortman wrote:
>This was the one I wanted to take you to Damo...

I would've got my arse kicked. Don't remember you mentioning it being that steep.
One Day Hero
5-Feb-2018
9:30:45 AM
Chris, you should come to Canberra. There's a bunch of wide stuff (including a 4m roof @ "23"). Also go have a look at Mother of God up at the Gallery. CJ reckons it's way overgraded, and it looks amazing.

bigchris
5-Feb-2018
10:27:53 AM
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/black-hill/area/1656850935


Here is the area! :D

shortman
5-Feb-2018
11:40:48 AM
On 5-Feb-2018 One Day Hero wrote:
>On 5-Feb-2018 shortman wrote:
>>This was the one I wanted to take you to Damo...
>
>I would've got my arse kicked. Don't remember you mentioning it being
>that steep.

Carn ya pussy...even I can get off the ground!

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 25
There are 25 messages in this topic.

 

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