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Thanks Mt Arapiles, Mentz & Tempest & Lockwood |
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31-Jan-2014 1:02:32 AM
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Hi all.
Now back in chilly Scotland after an Australian visit, I want to thank the cliffs of Mt Arapiles, and the guidebook and coffee table book writers.
What rock! What lines! I had a great week at The Pines, and despite getting there in the middle of the recent heatwave, got some good classics done: including Muldoon, Lamplighter, Watchtower Crack, Syrinx, The Bard, Brolga.... and some great smaller stuff on the Organ Pipes. Its definitely rock that invites you to climb.
My pleasure during the week was also increased by Simon Mentz's and Glenn Tempest's excellent guidebook. A great and humorous read for its own sake, and spot on for finding the route and getting up it.
I'd also like to mention I got Arapiles, A million Mountains by Keith Lockwood which is a very good read too, and provided a lot of background and colour before I even got there. Its the kind of book that makes you glad you're a climber.
Thanks all.... I'll be back.
Cheers,
Lex
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31-Jan-2014 8:35:13 AM
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It is great that you had a great time(!), and thanks for also taking the time to give positive* feedback of your experience to those authors, on Chockstone.
(* Too much negativity in the world, so reading of a positive instance, to start my day, is appreciated).
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31-Jan-2014 8:56:54 AM
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On 31/01/2014 Lex wrote:
>My pleasure during the week was also increased by Simon Mentz's and Glenn
>Tempest's excellent guidebook. A great and humorous read for its own sake,
>and spot on for finding the route and getting up it.
>
I completely agree. Having travelled through some great climbing places world-wide, I've never had a guide book that was even close to as entertaining.
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31-Jan-2014 10:40:18 AM
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On 31/01/2014 patto wrote:
>On 31/01/2014 Lex wrote:
>>My pleasure during the week was also increased by Simon Mentz's and Glenn
>>Tempest's excellent guidebook. A great and humorous read for its own
>>sake, and spot on for finding the route and getting up it.
>
>I completely agree. Having travelled through some great climbing places
>world-wide, I've never had a guide book that was even close to as entertaining.
How's it compare to Peter Balint's Sydney bouldering guide? That's still my gold standard for a guidebook of exceptional quality.
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31-Jan-2014 5:29:18 PM
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Thanks for the feedback. It's reassuring to hear that guidebooks can still make an impression in today's world of multimedia.
Sounds like you had a great trip, knocking off loads of classics. The longer I climb the more unique I realise Arapiles is, particularly in the grade range that you were climbing.
On 31/01/2014 pmonks wrote:
>How's it compare to Peter Balint's Sydney bouldering guide? That's still
>my gold standard for a guidebook of exceptional quality.
To be totally honest, I never studied Pete's guide in detail. I remember thinking when it came out that it looked like a characterful production and would be a fun read, but I am surprised that I don't own a copy (in fact I think I did buy one and then lent it out, then never saw it again).
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31-Jan-2014 8:56:05 PM
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Hi Simon.
I'm sure my climbing partner got sick of me reading out funny excerpts of routes we were never going to do.
I would like to suggest one addition for the next edition though if I may? On Watchtower Crack you say "...still echoes with the whimpering cries of a thousand struggling leaders." Can you make that "a thousand and one"?
Speaking of which, the main cause of my whimpering was the prospect of falling on that small, slightly rusty looking bolt just after the roof on pitch 3. I just didn't trust it at all.... Until I got my largest (but only just large enough...) friend in, and stopped trying to squirm up the crack and started to climb the immaculate wall instead, I was a gibbering wreck :-).
Lex
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31-Jan-2014 10:05:02 PM
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On 31/01/2014 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>(* Too much negativity in the world, so reading of a positive instance,
>to start my day, is appreciated).
I'll say! I read the topic name and assumed it must have been sarcastic!
Does that say more about me, or Chockstone?
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1-Feb-2014 12:56:07 PM
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On 31/01/2014 martym wrote:
>On 31/01/2014 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>>(* Too much negativity in the world, so reading of a positive instance,
>>to start my day, is appreciated).
>
>I'll say! I read the topic name and assumed it must have been sarcastic!
>Does that say more about me, or Chockstone?
Both, too much time on chockstone's probably warped your outlook.
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1-Feb-2014 4:18:18 PM
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On 31/01/2014 Lex wrote:
>I would like to suggest one addition for the next edition though if I may?
>On Watchtower Crack you say "...still echoes with the whimpering cries
>of a thousand struggling leaders." Can you make that "a thousand and one"?
>Speaking of which, the main cause of my whimpering was the prospect of
>falling on that small, slightly rusty looking bolt just after the roof
>on pitch 3. I just didn't trust it at all.... Until I got my largest (but
>only just large enough...) friend in, and stopped trying to squirm up the
>crack and started to climb the immaculate wall instead, I was a gibbering
>wreck :-).
Yes, a superb pitch of quality moves combined with terror, but with enough space beneath your feet that you would struggle to die on it.
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12-Feb-2014 9:01:10 PM
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On 31/01/2014 patto wrote:
>On 31/01/2014 Lex wrote:
>>My pleasure during the week was also increased by Simon Mentz's and Glenn
>>Tempest's excellent guidebook. A great and humorous read for its own
>sake,
>>and spot on for finding the route and getting up it.
>>
>
>I completely agree. Having travelled through some great climbing places
>world-wide, I've never had a guide book that was even close to as entertaining.
Aaaay; with the above post patto achieved the 1,000 post milestone contribution to Chockstone!
Foreezajollygoodposter, foreezajollygoodposter, hiphophooray and all that kind of stuff!
;-)
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12-Feb-2014 11:26:06 PM
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Totally with ya on the excitement levels M9 ;)
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