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General Climbing Discussion

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Mt Arapiles Camp Ground Users Group


phillipivan

10-Sep-2015
7:24:33 AM

It's not just the piton. There is also a euro in absurd clothing, and a large crumbling limestone face. Harder to see, but still important, is the guy on the summit selling cans of beer for 1 euro, from a slab he carried up there. We need the whole package: large piton, weirdly dressed guy sporting bandanna and 'action' pants, bad rock, cheap summit beer.


phillipivan

10-Sep-2015
10:39:58 AM

On 10/09/2015 martym wrote:

>Do you still bash in pitons?

At Arapilies, no. Elsewhere, yes.


Robbie

10-Sep-2015
1:10:42 PM

From my understanding, all revenue derived by Park's goes into central revenue! Don't be sorry, they are doing a job they are paid to do! We are the public who help fund Parks through our taxes and the annual fee if we are a home owner. At the end of the day we have a democratic system in place that enables debate and process to be engaged in! Yes? The days of the Dirt Bag living on the dole at The Pines for indefinite periods are in the past. However, this culture some what lives on in funny ways. Are yes, the weekend warrior hanging out for their next opportunity to live the dream, and, vicariously get their fix by reminiscing the lifestyle of days gone by. Climbers needs were simpler then! Doing their own thing putting little demands on the system, keeping a low profile whilst getting unemployment benefits and dodging military conscription . "Get my drift!" That was then this is now. Industry and commerce has grown out of this. Good. A natural progression as I see it. I don't see why other things can't move forward as well!

Parks Victoria - Healthy Parks Health People

martym

10-Sep-2015
2:57:40 PM

kieranl

10-Sep-2015
3:23:29 PM

On 10/09/2015 Robbie wrote:

>...The days of the Dirt Bag living on the dole at The Pines for indefinite periods are in the past.

But hopefully not the days of the Dirt Bag living in the Pines on the oldage pension (as pioneered by Denis Kemp).


IdratherbeclimbingM9

10-Sep-2015
4:38:00 PM

On 10/09/2015 martym wrote:
>On 31/08/2015 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>>On 30/08/2015 phillipivan wrote:
>>>We need one of these:
>>>
>>Hmm.
>>I am not too sure about the new generation bouldering brigade (what has
>>climbing become?), being too enamoured of a monument to aid, especially
>>at Arapiles...
>>~> and besides, who needs monuments when we still have living practitioners
>>of the dark art?
>>;-)
>
>Do you still bash in pitons?
>
>There's a fair few at Araps so I don't think the monument would go unappreciated
>- though Dec Crag is probably considered a monument in it's own right...
>Then there's Plaque wall and the Gums toilet door!
>And of course coming from Sydney, we always stop at the dog on the tucker
>box and big koala...
>I'm sure Dave Jones has considered something in the past - he's probably
>collected enough booty to sculpt a whole climber statue with moving joints..

I second DJ doing a sculpture!

Warning: thread hijack ahead.
Re
>Do you still bash in pitons?

These days a more specific definition of piton is required as things have evolved considerably since the days of the lost arrow as depicted in pi's posted pic...

The truth for me is a qualified yes.
The qualification is as follows;
I strive (extremely hard) to climb clean-aid where-ever possible, as that is the personal challenge I set myself some 25 years ago.
As an example, I can only think of 4 occasions in the past since then, that I have driven a piton by hammer.

1. I set two consecutive rurps on a new route at Buffalo, when I wimped out due to the numerous clean-mank placements hand placed below me and a groundfall potential result if I fell from that height...
A post (PM?) by an original attemptee of that route (congratulating me on my ascent), indicated to me that they took a groundfall off the same route years earlier from the crux(?), with driven aid below, without finishing that ascent, and they lost their pitons due to them pinging out into the scrub...
2. I placed a knifeblade in a rotten flared crack at the base of a roped-solo climb I did at Buffalo as a ground anchor, after I could not get any new-fangled clean gear to stick at that point for that subsequent ascent.
3. I demonstrated to a Buffalo Aid Weekend participant the art of 'setting' a piton, in a non-worthwhile-climbable bit of rock, ... read less than two metres high.
4. I set a piton as a temporary bail item on a climb at Buffalo during an ascent once. This piton was subsequently cleaned when my second and myself re-ascended to that point, and subsequently completed the climb.

I often still climb with my Chouinard hammer as it is an excellent nut tool!

The new equivalents of pitons are beaks of various brands, and although they can be driven by hammer, I have found that they are equally effective for height gain when hand placed...

PS If you want an example of non bolt/non piton use on my part, look up 'Lizards And Talons Are Your Friends', put up at Buffalo on an Aidfest weekend with Ben_E some time back; ~> I seriously doubt it will receive a second lead-ascent any time soon...
;-)
... end of thread hijack.


robbie

11-Sep-2015
9:37:55 AM

No worries M9, every good topic deserves a healthy diversion. "Carry on!"

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