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bl@ke and Hargs. Ozymandias. TR

bl@ke

30-Sep-2010
4:19:37 PM

So after lots of emails and PM's and other stuff Michael and I were off to Mt Buffalo to do Ozymandias.
We arrived at the car park at around 10 on saturday morning and went for a walk to the various lookouts around the place and slowly started getting organised. We put everything out on the table and started packing it into Britney the pig. This pig when full was a beast. "Whats in there?" says a tourist, "A couple of bodys" was my reply and I kept walking. We quickly had it filled and we had to pack our rack into a large daypack.

So after lunch we wandered down the south side track with two very heavy packs making the going difficult. Nick was up on the north wall soloing She so we got to see him whenever the track allowed us a view. Hard we though.
We got lost a few times along the way but this was not the worst part. Carying a pig down was horrible (my left knee is still swollen from all the droping down from rocks). Michaels pack was just as heavy but mine was bigger so I just pretended it was heavier.
After a while we came to the first section with a fixed rope. Michael zips across while I take my pig off and clip it to the fixed line so we can rope it across. I stick my guide into my mouth while I but slide a little bit to a little ledge thingy. For some reason I open my mouth and my guide drops onto the ledge, bounces off the ledge flaps about in the air and bounces down the cliff. I hear it bounce and flap and bounce and flap until I think it has hit the ground until we both heart a loud slap sound as it finaly hits the ground. There goes 50 bucks.
We got the pig across and then lowered it down a wet and mossy gully waterfall thing that was full of giant worms, juming jacks and most likey lost Viet Cong. It was getting late in the day so we picked up the pace a bit but another section with fixed ropes slowed us down.
We finaly got to Crystal Brook just on dark. I filled my drink bottle and skulled most of it, I was so thirsty. Then we had a quick sniff around for a spot to camp. The only spot was a boulder just big enough for both of us to sleep on. We added some sticks, leaves, our ropes and my belay seat for extra comfort had tea and sttled down for the night. The constant noise of the waterfall made it hard for me to sleep but I got enough so I wasnt too grumpy the next day.

More soon.


climbau

30-Sep-2010
5:01:18 PM

Tell us some more Uncle Bl@ke!

bl@ke

30-Sep-2010
6:53:00 PM

Ok. So I woke up early the next morning and lay in my bivy bag until the sun rose. Then we both got up and had some breakfast and sort of discussed what we should do. I had a tiny bit more motivation to do the climb that morning than I did last night. So we walked to the base just to check it out. On my way I found a rusty number 4 kong nut in a pile of slime. At the base we had a look at the route and decided that if we tried it we would probably get up a pitch or two and then bail. So we would lose half a day on the climb and then have to walk the south side track and maybe face a bivy along the way.
So we walked back to our rock in the river, packed up our gear and headed up the dreaded walk of shame. If there is one reason alone why you should not bail from the north wall its that track!
After a long and very tireing walk and scramble up the track we finaly emerged at the car park. It was such a relief to take off our packs and sit down.
Then we walked to Michaels car and next to his car was a scary creature lying down and eating food in a mass of big wall gear. It was Nick. So out popped his magical ledge for us to drool over.
After a few swapped tales of terror we parted ways and I had myself a nice bong and a crusty old guide book that had bats living in it.
After a failed attempt to find a bivy site out of the way we plonked at the oval and had some fud. Then it started raining so we moved to a very cold stone hut. For just a tad more warmth that night I stuck my legs in my pig.
The next day Michael led that M3 under the disabled lookout and then we did Banana Blase'. That was a wicked as climb !
And then facing another cold bivy we bailed to Wagga Wagga for a nice nights sleep and then a climb at The Rock on some 12's that were harder than Banana Blase'.

There are quite a few things that would make an attempt at Ozy a fair bit easier that I will do next time. Abseiling in is one of them. But if we had abseiled in and then bailed it would be a very long and lost walk out.
I am even more keen to climb Ozy now because, well, I cant let a rock beat me haha.

The End

simey

30-Sep-2010
8:37:58 PM

On 30/09/2010 bl@ke wrote:
>There are quite a few things that would make an attempt at Ozy a fair
>bit easier that I will do next time. Abseiling in is one of them.

If you think abseiling to the base of Ozy with haul sacks is easier than walking down South Side then think again.

bl@ke

30-Sep-2010
8:58:19 PM

I have never done that abseil but I have abseiled with my haul bag and found it ok. Whats the rap down defender like? I would think the only tricky bit would be down fuhrer ledge?

widewetandslippery

30-Sep-2010
9:29:03 PM

Why are you using a haul bag on a short route?

bl@ke

30-Sep-2010
9:46:02 PM

I like to eat well ok.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

30-Sep-2010
10:25:57 PM

bl@ke wrote;
>I am even more keen to climb Ozy now because, well, I cant let a rock beat me haha.

Knowing your keeness, I will not be at all surprised if the thought of doing Ozy continues to gnaw away at your consciousness.

Did you consider the option of doing the first pitches of Ozy and then bailing while within abseil distance of the ground, to then bivvy, and eat food from your load that evening to lighten it for the hike out next day?

>Whats the rap down defender like? I would think the only tricky bit would be down fuhrer ledge?

There are a couple of overhanging 'slots' on the Comet Ramp abseils, where a tether attached to the bottom of the haulbag is useful to manipulate it in the desired direction while abseiling, if it becomes obstructed.

Fuhrer Ledge is actually quite undulating. You will be surprised to know that you actually have to carry your haulbag uphill for part of it!

simey

30-Sep-2010
11:01:54 PM

On 30/09/2010 bl@ke wrote:
>I have never done that abseil but I have abseiled with my haul bag and
>found it ok. Whats the rap down defender like? I would think the only tricky
>bit would be down fuhrer ledge?

There is a lot of faffing with abseiling. When Malcolm Matheson soloed Ozy and Lord Gumtree in a day, he scuttled down South Side as opposed to rapping in. And with two of you the walk-down becomes even more efficient as you are moving together (as opposed to one person abseiling at a time).

bl@ke

1-Oct-2010
9:34:57 AM

Yes I saw the vid of HB doing his thing on the north wall but he had a tiny amount of gear. It took a lot longer than 45min to do, it was more like 5 hours. Even if you are faffing about abseiling you arnt wasting yourself physicaly. Anyway next time Im giving the rap a go so I can compare the two then.

bl@ke

1-Oct-2010
9:48:21 AM

On 30/09/2010 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>
>Did you consider the option of doing the first pitches of Ozy and then
>bailing while within abseil distance of the ground, to then bivvy, and
>eat food from your load that evening to lighten it for the hike out next
>day?
>

We did, sorta. We didnt realy want to spend another night bivvyed down there. And it seemed like a hassle to go up and then bail and leave gear behind and stuff like that.

We did two loads for the first section of the walk back up and then the terrain made it easier to walk with everything in the bag.


nmonteith

1-Oct-2010
9:56:01 AM

The walk down is way easier than rapping down Comet Ramp or down Defender. If it takes you 5 hours your bag is WAY too heavy! Should take about an hour - even with haul bags. Consider ditching stuff that really isn't required. Stoves, extra clothes, water should all be left behind. Every bigwall i've done i have ended up taking less and less clutter. Makes for a much more pleasant experience when you can you hand over hand up a haul-bag rather than rigging some retarded 3way pulley hauling system.

egosan

1-Oct-2010
10:18:01 AM

Get a smaller pig, Blake. That way you can still walk with it when you have stuffed it full.


nmonteith

1-Oct-2010
10:29:56 AM

On 1/10/2010 egosan wrote:
>Get a smaller pig, Blake. That way you can still walk with it when you
>have stuffed it full.

Very true! Buy a big pack and you will always fill it. Buy a small one and you will be forced to go minimal!


ajfclark

1-Oct-2010
10:44:36 AM

On 30/09/2010 bl@ke wrote:
>I had myself a nice bong

Does your mum know you're smoking weed?

jacq

1-Oct-2010
12:09:22 PM

On 1/10/2010 ajfclark wrote:
>On 30/09/2010 bl@ke wrote:
>>I had myself a nice bong
>
>Does your mum know you're smoking weed?

Oh bl@ke proudly showed me his new (2nd hand) bong. Thanks for that FB! Walked around my flat for a while with it and his piton hammer, making it go "bong bong bong"...

bl@ke

1-Oct-2010
12:15:52 PM

We got lost on the way down thats why it took 5ish hours. Maybe 4 now that I learnt to count. I really find it hard to think that the walk down is easier. We maybe took too much food but we didnt walk down with any water in the pig or rocks are anything. We took what we needed. Im only a bit over 70 and fairly tall for my weight I guess so it was really hard work for me to walk down. We could hand over hand the pig, we did not set up a 3 way haul.
Getting down the track in an hour with pigs just sounds impossible, do it with me timing. If you do it ill give you a kit kat.

bl@ke

1-Oct-2010
12:19:18 PM

And getting a smaller pig is stupid. Maybe if you could be bothered getting a metolius from somehwere but BD are the ones easily available and fitting all your gear in a 70 would be a bit tricky.

Fish Boy

1-Oct-2010
12:45:22 PM

Do the raps, unless you are retarded they are quicker and less energy sapping. Walking down the track is hell on knees.

Blake, a 70 is big enough for two people in summer for several days. Two bags, ignoring the size is a better option than one so things can be split up and used during the day etc...


nmonteith

1-Oct-2010
1:22:25 PM

Best bet is to hitch a ride on a commercial groups 200m static rope!

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