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13-Feb-2006

Buffalo Aiding Revival!
A very strong team from Canberra has blitzed the North Wall over the past weekend. Using a rap in and climb out approach (sport aiding?) they managed to climb several of the hardest aid routes in Australia. On saturday the 11th of February they casually warmed up on Holden Caulfield (M6) then moved onto the infamous HB testpiece Copperhead Road (M9). Chris Fitzgerald spent more than seven hours inching his way up this frightening 50m long pitch which involves serious copperheading miles above good gear. He finished the lead well after dark. Not content with doing Australias hardest they returned the next day and spent another full day leading the second hardest aid pitch, Clouded Queen (M8). This route involves 20 bodyweight only bathook moves straight off the belay, a potential 40m fall onto the slabby Ozymandias corner far below. The rest of Buffalo was in a similar frenzy of activity. Malcolm Matheson and Adam Demmert were working a new 27 face project on the South Side of the gorge, Neil Monteith and Hannah Lockie were freeing Defender of the Faith and a swarm of others spent the weekend at The Hump and The Horn.