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VIC Buffalo Back Wall (General) The Second Cliff [ Mt Buffalo Guide | Images ]

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Three Men and a Dyke (Don't Look Back)

Superstu

25-Nov-2010
12:20:37 PM

The topo in the 2006 guide shows three hangers before the horizontal break, and two after as you move R off the dyke line.

Standing at the bottom of this route (on the ledge), I could only see one hanger before the horizontal break. It's a long way up (12m or so) and the route looks quite a necky lead. There is a broken hold at about 5m and a possible marginal small cam placement at 7m. Is this right or has something changed since 2006 fires?

Also, the Crun/Bonaparte route (which is essentially the bottom 100m of the same dyke) offers excellent sustained climbing but is hopelessly run out as the trees originally used for anchors are now burnt stumps. You have to run pitches 1 & 2 together for 50m of climbing to a suitable belay anchor, no pro after about the 20m mark.

gordoste

25-Nov-2010
1:59:55 PM

Bolt it!!!

Cue flamewar

Mark R

25-Nov-2010
3:14:56 PM

Three Men and a Dyke is brilliant... one of the very best routes on the mountain and one of the best of its genre that Ive climbed anywhere. Its named dont look back for a reason... the crux is well above good gear (you would probably get about 7-10m of air depending on your belayer and rope)... but its way up there and I reckon safe if not a wee bit electrifying. I remember gear being good (if occasionally small) for the rest of the route and was absorbed rather than worried. Still... wouldnt advise it as a first 21! The route is a fair hike to get to but very worth it. Cant remember how many bolts it had when I did it Im afraid.

The above reply re retro is obviously fishing... but please dont be tempted. There are plenty of bolts that do need to be replaced on the mountain (like the scarily small numbers on A3 sport route... which probably make it more than A3 cos I dont reckon theyd hold if you ripped at the top... sure someone will prob disagree on that too. Theres also still plenty of very dodge old bolts around).

Godless

25-Nov-2010
4:21:43 PM

(You can't run, you can't hide, you can't run, you can't hide)

Superstu

25-Nov-2010
4:34:02 PM

I wasn't proposing to retrobolt 3 Men & a Dyke, I was only wanting to clarify its original condition, as its current condition does not agree with the 2006 guide.

Superstu

25-Nov-2010
4:37:29 PM

Route 16: Three men and a dyke
The Crun/Bonaparte combo starts around 12 and follows a direct line up to 3M&AD as its the same dyke formation.

Fish Boy

25-Nov-2010
5:09:28 PM

Mark R, I read you comments regarding the last pitch of strange ritual (M5 sport route), and will add that if someone popped the last hook move, or the move off it, they would hit the deck. The last rivet is at the half way mark, and then it is just hooks. The last bat hook is the worst, the edge wont hold a narrow leeper too well.

Re bolt it? That wouldn't change anything as you cant fall off the first few hooks after the last rivet unless you're drunk. The only way to make the route any different, would be to add a bolt. The topo in the guide is wrong about bolt placement.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

25-Nov-2010
9:44:27 PM

Mark R wrote;
>The above reply re retro is obviously fishing... but please dont be tempted. There are plenty of bolts that do need to be replaced on the mountain (like the scarily small numbers on A3 sport route... which probably make it more than A3 cos I dont reckon theyd hold if you ripped at the top... sure someone will prob disagree on that too.

On 25/11/2010 Fish Boy wrote:
>Mark R, I read you comments regarding the last pitch of strange ritual
>(M5 sport route), and will add that if someone popped the last hook move,
>or the move off it, they would hit the deck. The last rivet is at the half
>way mark, and then it is just hooks. The last bat hook is the worst, the
>edge wont hold a narrow leeper too well.
>
>Re bolt it? That wouldn't change anything as you cant fall off the first
>few hooks after the last rivet unless you're drunk. The only way to make
>the route any different, would be to add a bolt. The topo in the guide
>is wrong about bolt placement.

I tend to agree with Fish Boy.
In my opinion the last bolt (not rivets!), is actually just above half way, but I reckon that you would bounce on Wilkinson Ledge with rope stretch if you fell on the topout move. ~> This would mostly be gnarly because of the scrubby bush/tree growing at the base of that pitch...
There used to be a bolt (possibly two??), higher on the pitch but it was removed (by first ascentionist?), and the hole cemented up.

The last time I did it, I reckon it needed a spanner to tighten the nuts that had loosened on the bolts...

It is 'sporting', as intended, as it is. You won't die, but you will know that you are there.
~> I can respect that.

bl@ke

25-Nov-2010
9:50:26 PM

What was I thinking when I bought my aiders....

scooby

25-Nov-2010
10:10:49 PM

You were thinking of selling them to me, mates rates ah!

bl@ke

25-Nov-2010
10:29:08 PM

Yeah how much? Ill sell them to you for ten jks. I was thinking about selling them but with my photography company taking off and all I decided to keep them.

Fish Boy

26-Nov-2010
2:58:01 PM

I remember those metal things being damn small, like 6mm, so I thought they were rivets, but you're right, they have nuts on the end so are expansions.

There used to be a bolt higher Rod? I hope Eberhard (?) has also led it without that bolt, not that it would be anything for him I'm sure....

There are 12 messages in this topic.