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Testpieces at the grade

joemor

7-Jul-2003
11:53:30 PM

what about checkmate for 17?


Paulie

8-Jul-2003
12:29:11 AM

IMO 'Tannin' is average at the grade, there are harder grade 18s around (eg: the crux move on 'Eurydice' is harder) There is a grade 19 corner at Araps that I found quite hard for the grade (It's been ~10 years since I climbed it, but the name has something to do with Centipedes or something??).

At Bundaleer I (among some other NS-Welshpeople) think that the original 'Angular Perspective' would be a really hard testpiece at grade 26 (though IMO it's a good grade at 27 - what a line too!!).

In terms of solid single pitch routes at Buffalo, 'Peroxide Blonde' is a very solid grade 20 (The Horn), that crux move is always squeaky. And 'Beowulf' (Oval Area-ish) is a real testpiece at the grade, I always seem to find the top section greasy and hard (or maybe I'm doing it on really hot days?!?).


Mick

8-Jul-2003
8:57:51 AM

I think the grade 19 corner you are refering to is Tarantula, I certainly found it to be the hardest 19 I have been on at Araps. As for the grade 20 I think Taste of Honey direct start is pretty damn good as is the grade 20m crack up on the bluffs. Incidently I found TOHDS much harder than Pathos considering I thought they were a similiar style of climb.


nmonteith

8-Jul-2003
9:25:53 AM

ha ha Tarantula is such an easy tick for 19 if you have any experiance of corner crack routes. Go to Frog/Ben Lommond and try some of grade 19's there! They are much harder than Tarantula....


Mick

8-Jul-2003
10:01:51 AM

Can,t remember doing any of the corners at Frog but I think it certainly stacks up against Infinity at Frog (much more slippery anyway). But you are proabably right, don,t tend to get alot of bridging experience up at the Blueys

(removed)

8-Jul-2003
10:40:13 AM

Actually I thought Tarantula was pretty straightforward too ...
Taste Of Honey Direct Start is a gem and should be required climbing in order to get up to TOH itself.
Tannin's given 19, not 18, and I still think it's pretty good (harder than Tarantula I thought, anyway)
Anybody got any better suggestions at 17 ? everyone's keen to dis' Missing Link, but the alternatives haven't been any better. Checkmate was originally 16 and would have stayed that way if it weren't for the loose rock on pitch 3.

(removed)

8-Jul-2003
10:43:34 AM

And lastly, in regards to what I was trying to achieve Paulie - not testpieces per se (despite the topic, look through the posts to see more discussion), but rather "Benchmarks". Something that defines the grade, not the hardest, nor scariest, nor necessarily even best route at the grade, although if it were good that would be nice.

Anyway, thanks for your contributions, it makes the day here at work tick over just that little bit faster.


nmonteith

8-Jul-2003
10:47:04 AM

Mari at Arapiles is 17 isn't it? It is a strong line with some varied moves. It certianly isn't easy for the grade in my opinion. I think Kent took a ground fall on this one a few years back....

joemor

8-Jul-2003
10:58:25 AM

ah yeah mari is a good one for 17... its got it all in it.


phil_nev

8-Jul-2003
1:25:34 PM

In the selected guide, there is a pic at the start with Noddy on the F.A of checkmate, graded at 18. I reckon its a pretty darn good route at 17.

(removed)

8-Jul-2003
2:36:42 PM

Surely that's a typo. I still have Carrigan's updates from the 1983 guide (although it's not in the best condition now) and it clearly says "16". Still, one of my faves though, although that would give 12, 17, 18 and 19 all from the same block and in the same style, probably something I want to avoid.


Paulie

9-Jul-2003
2:58:22 AM

Tarantula is it! I'd like to go back and do that one again. It was 10 years ago and I was probably used to nice scratchy granite jambs :P

Benchmarks...Didn't Rock do something on benchmarks a while back?

'Countryroad' - grade 24 roof offwidth at Buffalo (has that thing even been repeated?!?!).


nmonteith

9-Jul-2003
8:44:56 AM

Rocks article was the first of each grade done in Australia.


A.K. Dancer

14-Jul-2003
8:32:31 PM

i remember reading an old guide book way back when i first went to arapiles and it had a list of climbs that were supposed to be definitive at the grade. much later the guidebook to djurite came out and as i recall almost all the climbs on that definitve list were regraded (any guesses as to which direction?!). for a long time this book held some sway over people's idea over what grades were what, particularly during the time of the climbing explosion of the late nineties where a lot of beginners went to araps and learnt about the grading system. i reckon we are still suffering from the hangover of that horrible little book. victoria has a reputation for soft grading and a lot of people seem to have no idea of true grades, and are content to believe their guidebooks like george dubbya believes his bible!! what silliness!!

anyways, some climbs I think are somewhat definitive:

9 Conifer Crack (all the way to the top of the spire mind you)
10 Threadneedle
11 Mixed climb
12 Bard (the whole thing is great, what kind of drugs are you guys on?)
13 Muldoon
14 Trident
15 Debutante (cos i couldn't think of a real 15 and most people are now calling this 15)
16 Watchtower Crack (brolga is too slabby)
17 Diane (the way it normally gets done)
18 Simpleton (i've already included half of the skink experience)
19 Wall of the Afternoon Sun (an arbitrary choice after much deliberation)
20 Gollum (cos its not really that hard and the runout is above bomber cams and a clean fall)
21 Pathos (absolutely spot on the grade)
22 The Last Act (OMFG!)
23 Sandanista (cos i don't sport climb, anything pumpy is hard)

well thats my quick pick!!

kieranl

14-Jul-2003
8:59:17 PM

Dancer, I still think that Little Thor or New Image would be better stanard 20's. I thin new image is probably the better pick. I have fond memories of Gollum. I climbed it with Keith egerton in the late seventies, probably the 4th or 5th ascent. Kevein Lindorff and Natalie Green did it ahead of us and all of Kevin's runners fell out as he moved passed them.
Keith led the pitch making complex placements so nuts wouldn't be pulled out under directional forces. At the end of the crux, his foot slipped on a patch of moss and he fell 10m. One of the "keeper" nuts had held the fall. Keith's harness was several turns of seat-belt webbing around the waist. My belay device was a waist belay. Keith swung over to a ledge on Watchtower Crack for a rest . After a rest he traversed back out and completed the pitch.


A.K. Dancer

14-Jul-2003
9:18:34 PM

ah, those were the days, when men were men and the moss was two foot thick!! (i'm smiling you know!!) i considered both new image and little thor, but and rejected the former because i don't like it, and the latter because its so short and most people outside of instructed groups don't get to have a go at it (its been 5 or 6 years for me despite numerous trips out to dec crag). probably blimp would be a better 20, or even XI, or thunder crack if its gone back to 20? oh and i'm dumping the last act for squeakeasy at 22.


A.K. Dancer

14-Jul-2003
9:20:49 PM

20: how about debutante direct start?


Mick

15-Jul-2003
9:21:25 AM

I would have to agree with Keiran about New Image, couldn,t rate this route highly enough. Looks like 23+ from the ground below but all the hold and gear just appears in front of you as you climb. Clean climbing without to many extra holds, quite often found on harder routes but not often at this grade.

As for Pathos being definative at the grade I would have to say it seems at least a grade easier than any of the 3 star 21's at Araps. Maybe Chinese Algebra would be a better choice?


hex-TROLL

29-Apr-2004
12:06:46 PM

On 14/07/2003 A.K. Dancer wrote:
>i remember reading an old guide book way back when i first went to arapiles
>and it had a list of climbs that were supposed to be definitive at the
>grade. much later the guidebook to djurite came out and as i recall almost
>all the climbs on that definitve list were regraded (any guesses as to
>which direction?!). for a long time this book held some sway over people's
>idea over what grades were what, particularly during the time of the climbing
>explosion of the late nineties where a lot of beginners went to araps and
>learnt about the grading system. i reckon we are still suffering from
>the hangover of that horrible little book. victoria has a reputation for
>soft grading and a lot of people seem to have no idea of true grades, and
>are content to believe their guidebooks like george dubbya believes his
>bible!! what silliness!!
>
>anyways, some climbs I think are somewhat definitive:
>
>9 Conifer Crack (all the way to the top of the spire mind you)
>10 Threadneedle
>11 Mixed climb
>12 Bard (the whole thing is great, what kind of drugs are you guys on?)
>13 Muldoon
>14 Trident
>15 Debutante (cos i couldn't think of a real 15 and most people are now
>calling this 15)
>16 Watchtower Crack (brolga is too slabby)
>17 Diane (the way it normally gets done)
>18 Simpleton (i've already included half of the skink experience)
>19 Wall of the Afternoon Sun (an arbitrary choice after much deliberation)
>20 Gollum (cos its not really that hard and the runout is above bomber
>cams and a clean fall)
>21 Pathos (absolutely spot on the grade)
>22 The Last Act (OMFG!)
>23 Sandanista (cos i don't sport climb, anything pumpy is hard)
>
>well thats my quick pick!!

My 'alter-ego' ? suggests using this thread , BA...


Damietta

29-Apr-2004
3:13:55 PM

Integral Crack at Booroomba, is a solid lead at 19 (50m high), with a delicate crux and balancy climbing allthe way up. There is a legend of local hardman Tony Barten soloing the route, stopping within 3m of the top and freezing, screaming for a toprope, but by the time people had scampered to the cliff top he had regathered compusre and completed the solo. Knowing the route, and having taken a big whipper on it as a youngster, I can only stand back in awe at that acheivement

There is a 16 at South Central (Nowra) that is more like 21.

There are 94 messages in this topic.