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Chockstone Forum - Trip Reports

Tells Us About Your Latest Trip!

Author
TR- battling the wind
mikllaw
27-Jun-2011
12:47:33 PM
Walking out along Fortress ridge (nsw) to look at a route next to the fabulous Tom Thumb. I'm here with an American friend Brian pointing out the cliffs all around, Fortress canyon, and the side track to dr Dark's Cave (which I've never visited).
Gentle puffs of wind increased as we reached the edge of the fortress and once we started rapping, the wind howled, I'd guess there were some 80 kph gusts (the BOM website said gusts of 76 kph at Mt Boyce), rapping with 60m of rope below was impossible and i short stacked it into 3 small coils, and still had epics with tangles rapping around ironstone and bushes.
Rapped the route trundling some loose rock and adding some bolts, the wall is like 5 Cosmic County's stacked up with good rock and lots of cam breaks, and some spots where there are no breaks, so "blue Mountains trad" mixed bolt and gear, seemed appropriate- the same as Tom Thumb.
The wind speed dropped briefly and we pulled the ropes down the windiest rap without any of the death tangles I'd gotten all the way down the rap. Two more raps to the ground. Repeats should do the Tom Thumb raps and first pitch (8) of Tom thumb, then walk 10m right to where we started.
Up a choss block and layback to get onto the wall then interesting climbing on good edges, and even a runout to a hidden cam and a wierd mantel, belay in a wide break from bolts. 45m 18
The second pitch is thinner and steeper into a small corner, then a steep runout wall, starts hard and jugs just keep increasing as does the angle, just when it's getting a bit airy (and the wind is howling too) you pull onto a slab and belay off 5 cams in a letterbox slot, 35m 19

starting the steep wall on the second pitch

A long easier pitch (17?) followed by a walk left in a cave (a direct finish would be possible) and a final 50m pitch, a bolt to start around a bulge then easy climbing, a steep section past 2 average cam breaks and 2 average slings, then mega jugs up an easy arete, scramble to the top.
Amazingly the wind eased as we approached the top of the wall, we got off just as the sun set, and walking out could see the track better in the dark than by torch, arrived back at the car at 7pm.
It was Brian's wedding anniversary and he was missing his wife Mary back home in Colorado so he suggested calling it The wind cries Mary (tho screams might have been more appropriate).
It's pretty sustained and mostly well protected, many perfect cam breaks except for the last pitch. there are a few 3 and 4m runouts, the rock is pretty good, I'd give it 2 stars out of a possible 3. A nice route to do if your mates are on Tom Thumb, it really is a grade 19 version of Tom Thumb. I think it would take an average party about 5 hours.

I should have a description on the SRC site soon, and this is on the ACA
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=area&area_id=1542
strerror
27-Jun-2011
1:26:31 PM
Looks good, I might give this a shot soon.
White Trash
27-Jun-2011
9:26:21 PM
You shouldnt have posted the details of your new climb Mike, cause now king335, M9 and Kuu are going to repeat it and leave tatt all over it.

kuu
28-Jun-2011
8:44:27 AM
On 27/06/2011 White Trash wrote:
>You shouldnt have posted the details of your new climb Mike, cause now
>king335, M9 and Kuu are going to repeat it and leave tatt all over it.

We won't leave any tat on it but subsequent parties may find it despoiled by white trash.
;-)
mikllaw
28-Jun-2011
8:54:52 AM
The corner/gully between it and Tom Thumb is the Great Rum Beer Chimney, which looks quite scary and old fashioned. I've heard of one repeat where 2 empty rum bottles were found in a cave near the top.
grangrump
28-Jun-2011
11:59:13 AM
So rack = one or two sets of cams?
mikllaw
28-Jun-2011
12:02:21 PM
My normal Grose rack is a single set of wires and small cams, and doubles from thin hand to fist as there are normally lots of wide breaks.

This climb had lots of thin horizontal breaks and used double cams from finger to hand, and a single fist size, a few slings, wires, and bolt plates.
grangrump
28-Jun-2011
12:44:54 PM
Thanks Mikl. (I was assuming the wires. I feel naked without them!)

E. Wells
7-Jul-2011
8:37:20 PM
Dr Darks cave is a nice little doddle, and lands you on a cool ledge above and below a sea of rock! , check out the old gear in the crack near the cave.
mikllaw
12-Sep-2011
12:02:08 PM
Sunday, I lied to Ness about the weather (she no climb <10C) and Mark Wilson, Ness, and I walked out on Fortress ridge to do The Wind Cries Mary (19) and add a better finish.

Light winds this time (20kph vs 90 kph last time) but a wee bit chilly. Ness stayed in her downie even on the longest leads and I was wishing I’d bought gloves for belaying. The climb goes up Tom Thumb for a pitch then walks right and up 10m.

Ness led the first real pitch (P2) quickly to a cramped 3BB (3 people on multi-pith is always a mistake).


Me seconding Ness on the long pitch

Mark headed up P3 which I thought was hard 19 on the FA, and he thought was an exciting 17 this time, sandbagger.


Mark starting up the exciting corner on P3

The belay at the end on this pitch was originally a cramped belay on cams, as there were 3 of us I added a 3BB on the large ledge 2m higher.

The next pitch is easier (17?) and a bit run out on easy ground to a big ledge.

Looking down at Ness on P4

At this point on the FA we did an inexplicable traverse off left (beflustered by the howling winds perhaps) and finished up a loose wall which was not fun. This time I’d rapped and bolted a set of small overhangs up to the right that made a better finish.

As you pull through the first little wave there are some loose blocks that none of us kicked off, feel free to liberate these in future. The next wave has another flat mantle, walk right and find an ancient random bolt from 1962; Bryden Allen’s Grand Central Route (12) where the route does a 30m walk across these ledges looking for a break in the waves of rock.


Picture of the top. The yellow line is the old finish. The red line shows the line of Grand Central Route. The black line is the new finish.

From here a short, steep, and very juggy arête takes you to the top. Though I think the pitches are 18,19,18,19, the whole route should probably be 20. The gear is about 70% bolts with good cams between them. I reckon the climb is worth 2 stars, and it’s in a great spot and would be good to climb it while friends are on Tom Thumb.
http://routes.sydneyrockies.org.au/display/nswrock/The+Fortress
simey
12-Sep-2011
12:10:24 PM
On 27/06/2011 mikllaw wrote:
>Walking out along Fortress ridge (nsw) to look at a route next to the fabulous Tom Thumb.

I don't think I would use the word 'fabulous' in relation to Tom Thumb.
grangrump
12-Sep-2011
1:21:24 PM
On 12/09/2011 mikllaw wrote:
>as there were 3 of us I added a 3BB on the large ledge 2m higher.
I'm curious: what gear do you take multipitching if not planning to place a large number of bolts?
If placed and immediately used, presumably not glue ins?
mikllaw
12-Sep-2011
1:47:18 PM
On 12/09/2011 grangrump wrote:
>I'm curious: what gear do you take multipitching if not planning to place
>a large number of bolts?
well, mostly trad gear. if placing bolts, mechanical bolts of some sort normally. in hard rock expansion or sleeve bolts are great. Not so good in soft rock. So in Blueys sandstone, normally carrots.
>If placed and immediately used, presumably not glue ins?
correct
grangrump
12-Sep-2011
2:02:10 PM
Thanks.
(Poorly worded query. I was thinking more of the bolting gear.
I was given an Aldi lithium ion cordless hammer drill recently; takes SDS bits and will actually drill a couple of 10 mm holes in granite.
It is light enough to be considered as emergency kit: comparable to a hand drill + hammer?)

BundyBear
12-Sep-2011
3:44:02 PM
On 12/09/2011 grangrump wrote:
>SDS bits and will actually drill a couple of 10 mm holes in granite.

If it does a couple of 10mm in granite, you could probably bolt an entire route in Blueys stone !
grangrump
13-Sep-2011
11:49:12 AM
Okay to quanitfy:
cheapo Li hammer drill = 1.3 kg (cost nearly same as ROCPEC)
vs old Chouinard hammer = 0.7 kg + Petzl ROCPEC hand drill 0.2 kg = 0.9 kg
(neither including drill bits)
so power is about 50% heavier (and can run out of juice)

nmonteith
13-Sep-2011
12:00:14 PM
You'll still need the hammer when you use the power-drill. Or in desperate times a lump of rock will suffice.
mikllaw
13-Sep-2011
12:06:16 PM
hand drilling is ok in the blueys, but doesn't produce bolts that are quite as 'good' as machine drilled carrots.
Neil and I added one each to a rap in about 4 minutes each. Pumpy
grangrump
13-Sep-2011
12:08:54 PM
On 13/09/2011 nmonteith wrote:
>You'll still need the hammer when you use the power-drill. Or in desperate
>times a lump of rock will suffice.
Depends on the rock? Although even with expansion bolts some tapping can be required.
(No, I'm not recommending expansion bolts for sandstone: slight thread drift)

There are 19 messages in this topic.

 

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