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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
VIC Northwest	(General)	(General)	(General)

Topic Date User

has anyone been intimate with this crack? 25-Nov-2004 At 2:45:05 PM Kanya

Message

Fish Boy, I bolted the 2 slab routes you are talking about (on the boulder above Kent's climbs). The one
on the right has 4 bolts and I originally graded it 19 when I lead it back in 1993. Steve tried it sometime
later, fell off above the first bolt, left his foot behind as he fell, broke his ankle and pronounced the grade
to be 21! I must give a plug to a hero at this point. Steve was climbing with Sam North from Deniliquin.
Sam piggybacked Steve directly up the hill behind the slab to the car. Anyone who has approached
Scorpion Rocks directly from above, and who knows Steve Morris, will appreciate the enormity of the task
completed by Sam. I think Sam was sworn to secrecy, but the story got out. I repeated this climb a
month ago and feel it is 19 starting off the log below the climb. There was no log for the first ascent so a
reasonable rockover was required to get off the ground and maybe it was harder than 19 (I was fit at the
time). Phil Robertson led it shortly after the first ascent, coming in from the left, and thought 21 was about
right. While the log is there, 19 seems reasonable. The climb to the left of this has 2 bolts I placed early in
October. I didn't have a chance to get back to lead it, so you have yourself a first ascent. I thought it was
about 16.

The arete called Steve's project wasn't his project at all. I put the bolt on top of the boulder in 1993 and
cleaned the holds. Two wonderful children intervened and I didn't get back to the climb until recently when
I added another bolt on the top of the boulder to make toproping a bit safer. I can't do the move after the
obvious 'jug' just off the ground. If Steve ever leads it I will bear my bum in the Bendigo Mall (Steve is a
friend of mine so no malice is intended). So I consider this climb an open project. Go for it boys and girls.