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failed attempt at Echo Crack (190m 18 M5) + snow


maxots

20-Jul-2004
7:56:40 PM

well, last weekend saw the culmination of all my aid practice with my first attempt on a multiday climb, (though anyone could do it in a day, and if, or when, i return i will attempt it in a day) Me and fellow chockstoner Barnardo Mayer went to the blueys to try our hand at echo crack.

we arrived in katooomba on friuday night at about 10, ate some thai (the one across from the YHA > yummy !!!) and checked out the giant stairway > still closed, this meant we had to take the scenic rail down, though it allowed us to sleep in somewhat as it opens at 9am. we found a nice spot to bivy by the side of the road, and i was very impressed by my new bibler bivy sack > its great !

woke, ate packed the haul sack and had trouble with the stove. Part of the plan for this climb was to experience sleeping on a climb, so though it is often done faster, we took it as a big wall (or mini big wall) with haulbag and all. when i bought my haul bag i got the huge 145litre BD one as it gave my more options for future climbs, however we seriosly overpacked. and over racked. being begginers we didn't want to be underprepared, but we seriously overdid it.

took the scenic rail down with some funny looks, hiked along the trail and shrub basheed to the base of the climb, took a while, but mid morning i led up the first pitch a 30m grade 12 rotten corner. we had planned to do the first day in two pitches, but rope drag brought a stop to that. ...hauling SUCKED, and bernardo took the next ptich, the other half of our intended first pitch. and about 12m long i started aiding the 3rd ptich but was brought to a halt by not having worn my climbing shoes and it turning out to be mixed, I backed down and let bernardo take the lead which he diod in fine style, a strenous pitch of mixed M3 and 18 free ! (hard for us bumblies, bernardos only doe two ad leds and one 18 trad before > correct me if im wrong buddy)

slept on the ledge "heartbreak hotel" I got Really itimidated by the next pitch, mine the crux M5 ahhhhh> it looked at this point like we might bail, though i cant think why now, so i gave bernardo the good spot as he had done all the real climbing that day. I got so little sleep, the first half of the night tied in too short to close my sleeping bag (which i was too tired to get out for i while so i insisted on sleeping in my clothes and goretex) and then the second half I lenghtened my tie in but got scared i would roll off. (my spot was somewhat sloped) winds were huge that night and apparently it snowed, i thought it was cold rain, i guess it was !!!

morning came and we bailed, mainly because i got intimidated by M5 > have only lead up to M4 in the past. and because of the overhanging nature of the second half of the climb, it was very commiting, IE no retreat once we started.

Lesseons learnt > we brought far to much food water gear etc..... when i try again i will attempt it in a day with an early start, easily doable.

bernardo is a great climbing partner, and great climber > i feel bad that he led all the hard bits on day one and i wasn't up to doing my part (as bernardo had only learnt to aid the day before it wasn't fair to ask him to go for the M5......

awesome climb though, and sleeping out rocks, I wanna go bigwalling again.

if anyone MORE experienced wants to take my, I am a willing belay slave and will travel to your chosen climb, it seems it would be good to not learn all of this stuff by jumping in the deep end ! ! !


maxots

20-Jul-2004
7:57:16 PM

Oh yeah, bernardos gonna posat his story and photos soon !!!


nmonteith

21-Jul-2004
9:27:40 AM

cool report maxots! You have discovered the secret 'joy' of big wall climbing. It is about 80% prepping, walking and hauling and about 20% actual climbing!


maxots

21-Jul-2004
11:54:04 AM

max and bernardo here, simultaneuosly exclaimed "sooooooo true !!!"


mousey

21-Jul-2004
5:32:31 PM

thats kinda like me at the local sport crag, though if i didnt always get lost on the walk in im sure it would be different...


maxots

21-Jul-2004
6:06:17 PM

your local sports crag has bivy ledges at 100m > awesome !


mousey

21-Jul-2004
6:52:00 PM

good old berowra regional park has plenty of surprises mate...no i meant the 80%/20% thing

mikl law

21-Jul-2004
10:44:46 PM

Though it's a classic line (which I haven't done), mixed climbing is always a drag, it's much better to get on something too steep to free at all, easier for hauling too. The mountains is prety bad over winter, especially for hanging around on belays.

Gigantor used to be considered a classic, but I think the top 10m is a bit decayed fro nutting, rather than exploding the crack with pitons a few long U bolts or fixed fence posts might be in order. Samarkand would be an awesome aid route, but might need knifeblades for the original pitch 2, or a stick to reach the bolt on the variant. Aiding some of the long cracks like Blast Off etc at Ikara at least would be in the sun.

Good luck


Bernardo

22-Jul-2004
5:30:38 PM

well i have the photos now, but itll still be a week or so before i get back home to bendigo to a scanner.

max seems to have summed up pretty well. id like to add that max did a fine job at resoning his way out of carrying the haul bag (somethignabout the harness being to short for his bag) ;)
this left me to walk at about 1k an hour adn actualy CRAWLING!! to the base of the climb!!!.
no hard feelings though, it was a good experience adn its been a long time since i actualy put any real effort into..well anything realy!!

i must say that i greatly enjoyed our half climb. the first pitch wa abit of a let down(i had to climb next to the haul bag and basicaly carry it up) but after that it got interesting. the third pitch was quite scary i must admit, almsot a full rope length of aid, at a grade i had never attempted, adn a fair bit of free at what i currently stop leading on trad. i probably wouldnt have been half as bad if i hadent had a couple of tangling issues adn z clipings wiht the etriers...but i guess that comes down to practice.

yeah..thats about all realy..
i also intedn to return someday, preferably with max, but if anyone else wants to go im up for it!!!

trip report on frog, glass house and point perp soon to follow:)


IdratherbeclimbingM9

23-Jul-2004
8:36:58 AM

Great trip report maxots.

Aid stuff seems to me a real mixed bag. Some individuals with scant experience get up awsome routes while others (including me) tend to have enough 'failures' to make the successes seem sweeter. Its all good fun though, and the hauling, bush bashing etc keeps you fit.

>only learnt to aid the day before it wasn't fair to ask him to go for the M5......
Why not? If he is safe/safety minded, then he can choose if you are sandbagging him!

>awesome climb though, and sleeping out rocks, I wanna go bigwalling again.
Spot on.

>it would be good to not learn all of this stuff by jumping in the deep end ! ! !

Seems you already have. Thats not bad though because (if you cope) it steepens the learning curve.
I once had my inexperienced second learning to jumar clean an aid roof in the dark on his 1st significant wall ...
Feedback later, is that while doing it he reckons he experienced probably the best moment of the whole climb ...

I find it interesting (confirms some ideas I have had) that you had a gut feeling but no specifics re
>it looked at this point like we might bail, though i cant think why now
ie just generalised feelings.
I too have felt like this and put it down to the multitudinous weight of 'all the little things'.
I have found that pushing through this barrier often makes it seem a small one in hindsight.

Lastly I am glad for you that you had good commeraderie (sp?) with your climbing partner. It really does make a difference, and even 'epics' become enjoyable with good company.
You now have a special (and strong) bond with Bernado that should stand the test of time.


maxots

24-Jul-2004
7:56:48 AM

A5 wrote >
Aid stuff seems to me a real mixed bag. Some individuals with scant experience get up awsome routes while others (including me) tend to have enough 'failures' to make the successes seem sweeter. Its all good fun though, and the hauling, bush bashing etc keeps you fit.
A5 wrote >
I find it interesting (confirms some ideas I have had) that you had a gut feeling but no specifics re
>it looked at this point like we might bail, though i cant think why now
ie just generalised feelings.
I too have felt like this and put it down to the multitudinous weight of 'all the little things'.
I have found that pushing through this barrier often makes it seem a small one in hindsight.

must be that said succes stories with "scant experience" have "found that pushing through this barrier often makes it seem a small one in hindsight."

I feel far more determined about the next wall almost because I bailed on this one. Because ive spent so long wishing I didn't bail, maybe its less likely next time (in fact im sure it is) Pushing through the barrier you describe seems required, as it was not really the climbing that made us bail rather "the multitudinous weight of 'all the little things"its cool to see other people have experienced similar things

quote form A5 >

"I once had my inexperienced second..."

so, you want another one of them ???

(currently got sights set on "magic and loss" as a 'shorter ozy' (190m M4 > IE as big as echo but easier and without the free climbing, or same grade as ozy but shorter)

Im still looking for partner as bernardo is down in bendigo for the next term and doesn't want to jump straight back on a wall without more practice (maybe thats prudent, but i like jumping in the deep end)

anyone........I'll carry the pig !!!


Bernardo

26-Jul-2004
12:28:19 PM

so max...how am i suppost to get practise with out jumping on the wall?...
;)


maxots

26-Jul-2004
12:39:37 PM

the BIG wall, as oppossed to the local crag > > > silly


IdratherbeclimbingM9

26-Jul-2004
5:50:41 PM

On 24/07/2004 maxots wrote:
>"I once had my inexperienced second..."
>so, you want another one of them ???
>(currently got sights set on "magic and loss" as a 'shorter ozy' (190m
>M4 > IE as big as echo but easier and without the free climbing, or same
>grade as ozy but shorter)

What do you reckon gfdonc? climbau?? Interested in a party of 3 ? ( I could handle a cruise, ... cant get a better offer than a willing sherpa)!


maxots

26-Jul-2004
7:15:18 PM

seriously......???


maxots

26-Jul-2004
7:57:09 PM

>What do you reckon gfdonc? climbau?? Interested in a party of 3 ? ( I
>could handle a cruise, ... cant get a better offer than a willing sherpa)!

a cruise ? we'd better do it soon then while its still cold !! ! ! !


nmonteith

27-Jul-2004
9:34:32 AM

are you guys on drugs? it is -5'C below every night up there at the moment!


IdratherbeclimbingM9

27-Jul-2004
9:41:07 AM

Cruise only inasmuchas a team of 3 is less work, or more efficient for a given load, than a team of 2 (cos you can share the work/load); and the climbing goes relatively quickly due to having someone leading ALL the time.
I am not implying that M & L is an 'easy/cruisy' route, as I respect Steffan Eberhard/Vera Wongs abilities too much for that.
(Besides anything that needs a 2m cheatstick obviously has hard sections in it)!

I don't handle the cold particularly well* so spring+, suits me better if any of the others# are interested.
(*Too much of a gear freak, so hate fumbling / potentially dropping gear).
(# Bernado?)
Hey Maxots, you should not be writing Bernado off so soon! Maybe you and he ought to try Magic & Loss 1st.


Bernardo

27-Jul-2004
12:24:49 PM


Bernardo

27-Jul-2004
12:25:24 PM

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