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Panzer ... 12 ... NOT!

simey

16-Aug-2006
9:31:52 AM

On 16/08/2006 Ronny wrote:
>Yeah I think Finger Nickin' is the big robust red equivilent of Orestes - everyone knows its easy, but no one wants to admit it cause it was many people's first 24. My feeling is its closer to 23 - things often feel easy when you onsight them Simey.

We are actually downgrading Orestes to 23 in the new guide.

>I actually think the grades are a bit all over the place at Moonarie.

Tend to agree, although I have probably experienced more tough routes at the grade than vice-versa.

kieranl

16-Aug-2006
9:25:32 PM

On 16/08/2006 simey wrote:

>We are actually downgrading Orestes to 23 in the new guide.

Shame, shame, shame. Another slap in the face for us bumblies who remember this as our finest hour. Sob...


Chuck Norris

16-Aug-2006
10:48:33 PM

Are you guys sure you were doing the "grade 12" first pitch to Nervine?. My recollection is that the the
first half of pitch one is all over the place. If you climb the direct natural line it is 14 (and IS graded
14/15 in the guide), but if you come in from the right, the climbing is easier. Problem with coming from
the right is you are doing a whole bunch of wandering about blocks etc...pick the wrong block to
clamber over and its a lot harder than you thought. The bottom line is once you get in the proper
corner, it is pretty much 12 (if that!). Its donkeys since i've done it so i could be wrong, but it was
never one of the routes at moonarie that i thought was misgraded.

As for the Hangover layback/ Flying buttress thing. Once again i think both at grade 15 is pretty spot
on...at the most FB could be 16 (but that seems perverse) and likewise HL could be 14 (equally
perverse). I think this comes down to the whole Ewbank grading debate. HL is all in the head, if you
can cope as a grade 15 climber with cutting loose for 3 or 4 moves on JUGS, then it is a piece of piss.
So the question is what grade do you give it? I've heard of too many people who supposedly climbed
19 and ended up doing the c--kroach underneath the overhang to believe that it is a doddle and should
be downgraded.

Throughout the spectrum, the above is one of the probs with grading at moonarie. Things feel harder
because they are exposed (its a huge vertical gain from bottom camp to the cliff). The climbs are also
more sustained, and you have to walk a long way to get to the start. Everything feels harder, and there
are a few that could be nudged up a grade...though i'd be surprise if there were that many.

Bottom line, when you get your head into the space of climbing at moonarie, i don't think the grades
are an issue....its just rock(pretty nice rock though)....you're just a bunch of meat and muscle(sexy
meat i'm sure)

PS the only time i ever saw simey at moonarie he spent the whole time shagging in his tent - no
wonder he hasn't climbed there much.


Chuck Norris

16-Aug-2006
10:50:48 PM

WARNING: Your message may contain offensive language. This is a moderated forum. Please refer to
this help topic for more details and edit your message accordingly. Thank-you.

if i did any of the above....sorry in advance for my offensive previous post
peace to all
xxxx


Chuck Norris

16-Aug-2006
10:54:22 PM

Ahh just realised it was because i said something about an insect that has the capability to survive
nuclear wars...can someone suggest an alternative word for the C**KRoach?

simey

16-Aug-2006
11:13:16 PM

On 16/08/2006 stugang wrote:
>PS the only time i ever saw simey at moonarie he spent the whole time shagging in his tent - no wonder he hasn't climbed there much.

Aahhh, yesss... good trip that one.

prb

16-Aug-2006
11:48:08 PM

That would be the trip that Downwind felt like "solid 21".

It's all starting to make sense.

patto

17-Aug-2006
12:01:02 AM

On 16/08/2006 stugang wrote:
>Are you guys sure you were doing the "grade 12" first pitch to Nervine?.

Yeah, I am sure I got the first pitch right, and the rest too. But I still surprised at its difficulty in a few points. It was the second and third pitches which I thought may have been a bit hard for a 12. My seconder, a strong guy but needs to improve technique, slumped on the rope a few times on the 2nd and 3rd pitches. There were a couple slighly overhanging bits that are surprising for a 12. Exposure certainly wasn't a problem.

But of course difficulty is quite subjective, and often depends on ones strengths. I have heard the Bard being described as a hard 12, but I've always thought it was an fair 12 it has never given me pause for thought. But then I suppose 12s are easy for most of us and for some even 18s can be considered easy. It makes comparisons at the lower grade harder.

prb

17-Aug-2006
12:15:06 AM

On 16/8/06 stugang wrote:
>can someone suggest an alternative word for the C**KRoach?

The penisroach?


DaCrux

17-Aug-2006
12:17:11 AM

On 17/08/2006 prb wrote:
>On 16/8/06 stugang wrote:
>>can someone suggest an alternative word for the C**KRoach?
>
>The penisroach?

the roosterroach ;)

simey

17-Aug-2006
9:04:39 AM

On 16/08/2006 stugang wrote:
>...one of the probs with grading at moonarie. Things feel harder because they are exposed (its a huge vertical gain from bottom camp to the cliff). The climbs are also more sustained, and you have to walk a long way to get to the start. Everything feels harder, and there are a few that could be nudged up a grade...

>Bottom line, when you get your head into the space of climbing at moonarie, i don't think the grades are an issue....

So Stu, you are saying that Moonarie climbs are more exposed, more sustained, more remote, everything feels harder, and a few could be nudged up a grade.

Sounds like Moonarie routes are undergraded!

Nottobetaken

17-Aug-2006
10:06:36 AM

Surely not!
The hardest known route there is now 'Drowning Direct Finish' (29) - unrepeated
Meditations at 27 - again, unrepeated
Stu's route Captain Attrition (28) only recently received its 2nd ascent - (first in 198?)
The Womb Waltz - at 28 - despite being the best looking line at the cliff, only 1 repeat in 18? years
Get Out of Your Wheelchair (25) - unrepeated?
But Holland (25) - less than 5 repeats?
and I'm sure such examples stretch downward through the grades as well...

Oh yeah - and let's not forget Downwind - that things harder than Thundercrack!


Chuck Norris

18-Aug-2006
11:05:02 PM

roosterroach! Thanks for that...its my new favourite word...i'm tired and its late but i must use it three
times before bedtime.....

....yes simey, my point could have been clearer but all i meant was that the general climb at moonarie
has a few things about it that initially make climbing there a bit intimidating...such as exposure,
remoteness and the fact that you can't belay off your towbar...after a while most people get over this
and in the end the grades are pretty much like anywhere else. That is some could go up and some
down. Noone i've climbed with ever had the mentality to sandbag - to sandbag you've gotta expect
someone is ever going to repeat your route - and as boardlord points out the laughs are few and far
between at the moon.

I bet there is some lump out there that could wobble up Bard, but if they had to walk up to topcamp
before climbing it they would probably fail. Anyone saying that that means Bard would be 13 at
moonarie can just roosterroach themselves.

A crag assumes a certain technical and fitness level amongst the people climbing it and those things
shouldn't affect the grade. If you can't climb cracks i'd say learn to climb cracks rather than whinge
about the grade - ditto for exposure - ditto about sustained multipitch routes (not the same as a
continuous sequence without a rest 'earning' an extra grade) - and certainly ditto about getting to the
bottom tired.

i'm determined to keep babbling shit so i can say roosterroach three times....aaahhhhhh....such a
versatile word.......
goodnight
xxx
stu

PS: I am really impressed that simey manages to spell, capitalise and punctuate all his posts
perfectly.
PPS: that wasn't meant to be sarcastic - i am impressed.


tnd

21-Aug-2006
11:16:37 AM

On 18/08/2006 stugang wrote:
>PS: I am really impressed that simey manages to spell, capitalise and
>punctuate all his posts
>perfectly.
>PPS: that wasn't meant to be sarcastic - i am impressed.

Go simey with the shining examples of correctly written English! Would that all Chockstone posts be so elegantly worded. (Now there's a bit of Shakepearean style English for you).

gfdonc

22-Aug-2006
11:57:08 AM

>On 16/08/2006 simey wrote:
>
>>We are actually downgrading Orestes to 23 in the new guide.

So how much longer have I got to tick it at 24? (Which would be my first, not that I'm chasing numbers or anything ...)

Nottobetaken

22-Aug-2006
12:10:14 PM

You've lost out - but don't worry, there's always 'Cruel Britannia'.

There are 36 messages in this topic.