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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

 Page 2 of 3. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 43
Area Location Sub Location Crag Links
VIC Buffalo (General) (General) (General) [ Mt Buffalo Guide | Images ] 

Author
Cleaning and such
grangrump
12-Jan-2011
8:55:25 AM
On 12/01/2011 One Day Hero wrote:
>Go develop Bendora Dam! George and Sara Fieg put up a handful of short
>routes on very good Quartzite, there are big cliffs around, might be proper
>good 1st ascents to be had........or not, who knows?
definitely, but tread very carefully with the rangers etc:
its water catchment and this is what put paid to original development...
One Day Hero
12-Jan-2011
9:00:28 AM
Well, that and the 2hr approach for 8m routes..............and the mega bushbashing involved in crag scouting before the bushfire sorted it all out! If only I owned a helicopter
widewetandslippery
12-Jan-2011
9:11:27 AM
Rung it davidn rung it
widewetandslippery
12-Jan-2011
9:35:15 AM
you don't know how much fun puting a via ferrata is until you do it. Put up a via wood last year. 2x5m lenghts of hardwood for the uprights soft wood rungs. Lowered the uprights in. lowered g the builder in on a gri gri and he screwed rungs in as he climbed the ladder. bolted the ladder in top and bottom to the rock. Its a ripper.
One Day Hero
12-Jan-2011
9:59:07 AM
On 12/01/2011 davidn wrote:
>
>It's 20-30 minutes approaching from the sewerage plant (I live in belco),
>although you have to go down the death ramp. Which goes back to my idea
>of planting two big trees up top to abseil down from...

Dave, keep up, we were talking about Bendora

Now back to sewer wall

Are you including the drive? It was an hour of driving from down south. If I could get from my place to Sewer Wall in 30mins, I would rebolt and clean it, no question. Can't you get in from down at river level? Maybe that only worked in the drought. I remember a big pool under the left side of the crag but pretty sure I could access from the right........its been a while.
One Day Hero
12-Jan-2011
10:34:39 AM
Yup, pretty close for you, I'd do the renovation work then. Maybe a star picket anchor is the way to go (see anchoring into gravels) for a short rap to reach the top belay in the middle of the cliff. Then re-anchor and rap to the water.

On 12/01/2011 davidn wrote:
>Yeah Bendora looks like a bit of a hike. Not too far though, given getting
>to Tidbinbilla itself takes me a fair wack anyway.
>
Are you going to approach Bendora via Tidbinbilla? Enjoy the vertical km of walking you'll do that day!
singersmith
15-Jan-2011
4:22:05 PM
@Lee C - I'll post some photos to my blog soon rather than downsize them and clog up Chocky. Marketing is indeed key; I was surprised SQ had never been suggested to me. I guess even Sons of Yesterday was a vertical dirt and munge sculpture sitting right above Serenity Crack until 1986.

@simey re: Defender "almost not worth climbing now" - 10-4, copy that 20, will advise, over.

@Wendy, et al - I've switched to fingerless leather gloves (although I do consider it aid) for Buffalo and have really gotten to like it. Being able to take them on and off is really handy and it's way better on stuff like Angel's where your palms and knuckles can get mangled too. Do up the seams around the cut off fingers with Seam Grip so they don't fray.


climbau
15-Jan-2011
8:03:33 PM
On 8/01/2011 Lee C wrote:
>Maybe It needs galvanized hand railings above all the routes! It seems
>to do wonders at the south side lookout.

Or copper pipe layed across the top of the route.
singersmith
21-Jan-2011
3:01:09 PM
Dudes and dudettes,

As requested by LeeC, here are some images from our new route as well as some fun little things I did on Corral Peak, which should also be of interest to the fellow who posted the top-roping thread:

http://susysingerinavan.blogspot.com/2011/01/buff.html

Also, this week I put significant (30 or 40) gallons of water down the Status Quo and dug out the buried cracks on the first pitch. There's kind of two ways to go down there, straight up the bushy corner on the left or linking up the cracks and dykes halfway between there and Hard Rain (10 or 15 meters until you enter the corner proper). That's what I dug out as there was ancient fixed gear, the climbing is more fun, and I didn't want to trim hedges. There's quite a lot dirt on the lower slabs right now (Hard Rain had some grass and dirt filled sections up high) and will need a few good storms or even a winter to really sort out properly. My hope is that people get up there and experience enjoyment. Oh, and if it matters to anyone, the top of the first pitch of Hard Rain is currently spooging some nasty looking brown slime so either give it a miss or be prepared to aid through that section... Also I'm curious as to how these routes are listed as being 118 meters (and 117, I think) when I can rap straight to the base on a 70m and walk away? I haven't come in from the bottom so maybe there's some climbing up the ledge system that's fifth class?

Simon, didn't make it over to Defender yet as planned. Was losing sleep from the lichen and dirt stuck in my eyes and retreated back to Shepp to clean up.
Lee C
22-Jan-2011
5:54:37 PM
Nice work Singer. That thing looks awesome! Now we'll have to see if the photos work their wonders at getting people out there.

Paulie
23-Jan-2011
9:05:09 PM
On 21/01/2011 singersmith wrote:
>Also I'm curious as to how these
>routes are listed as being 118 meters (and 117, I think) when I can rap
>straight to the base on a 70m and walk away?

Last time I rapped in there we went in on 2 x 50mtr abseils with the rope tied off on the tree above the finish, from memory (this is at least 15 years ago mind) the 2nd abseil wasn't a full 50mtrs. The traverse left across the slab between the cracks and then the traverse right (crack) below the top would have to add another 10mtrs at least I would have thought?

Paulie
23-Jan-2011
9:12:41 PM
On 6/01/2011 singersmith wrote:
>The Pimp Hand New route cleaned and bolted with Geoff Gledhill

Looks nice, 'cept for the finish :-P

There're some seriously hard potential routes all over the hill hey! It's amazing what hasn't been climbed, even right in front of some of the most popular trade routes!
Wendy
31-Jan-2011
9:10:01 AM
Did Status Quo on Saturday, really good route and the cleanest route on that wall at the moment - there is so much moss and grime at Buffalo this year.





On 21/01/2011 singersmith wrote:
>
>Also, this week I put significant (30 or 40) gallons of water down the
>Status Quo and dug out the buried cracks on the first pitch. There's kind
>of two ways to go down there, straight up the bushy corner on the left
>or linking up the cracks and dykes halfway between there and Hard Rain
>(10 or 15 meters until you enter the corner proper). That's what I dug
>out as there was ancient fixed gear, the climbing is more fun, and I didn't
>want to trim hedges.

Was this bit worth doing? We rapped in until the corner went bushy and started climbing from there.

Also I'm curious as to how these
>routes are listed as being 118 meters (and 117, I think) when I can rap
>straight to the base on a 70m and walk away?

Where are you rapping from? We fixed a 60 from the 2 trees which got us to the bolt and piton which i assume is meant to be the first belay, supplemented the anchor then rapped again. Defo not 117m though. You'd still get most of the good climbing in if you toproped out on a 60m.

>Simon, didn't make it over to Defender yet as planned. Was losing sleep
>from the lichen and dirt stuck in my eyes and retreated back to Shepp to
>clean up.

Did the variant finish to Defender as well, also bloody fabulous route, not really that dirty until the exit crack, which is green spoogy moss heaven, but it's pretty easy there. Easy to fix a 60m off the trees and rap into ledge at the start of the last pitch, or can even just top rope out. Ditto for Banisters Rush (minus belay ledge, build hanging one), although I'd avoid the first few metres of the climb, scary and desperate. Really nice top corner at 19ish.

I also couldn't rave enough about Silk and Satin. Guidebook access description rather woeful, look for the cairns from the last turn off to Wilkinson's, follow them down some big slabby boulders, a little gully heading right, east along the cliff again and bit of a scramble to two large trees at top of gully. Fix rope and head down gully, then rap down slabs to the east and into square notch. A 60 does all that fine. You could even top rope out again. I can't believe how much top roping i'm suggesting, anyone could have a fear minimalist trip to Buff with all this, but if it keeps the routes cleaner ... The route is very clean, just a bit of crap low down.
singersmith
31-Jan-2011
12:32:45 PM
Super cool, Wendy. That's a big happy face in the photo.

I skipped the start a half a dozen times but would definitely rate it as worth doing. More varied than the rest of the climb. Was buried in choss, and still is a bit, but it'll come around.

I fill the horizontal crack with gear a bit farther down from the tree because the rope drops straight down the corner from there (for shameless top-roping) and it gives you another 5 meters or so. Indeed, a 60m accesses all the best climbing.

>I can't believe how much top roping i'm suggesting
John Bachar sold me on top roping as the supreme method of climbing because when you're not afraid you can focus on climbing your best and honing your technique. Thus, somewhat ironically, top roping is the path to free soloing.

Thanks for the Silk and Satin approach beta, I've been confused about that.
simey
31-Jan-2011
1:04:24 PM
On 31/01/2011 singersmith wrote:
>John Bachar sold me on top roping as the supreme method of climbing because
>when you're not afraid you can focus on climbing your best and honing your
>technique. Thus, somewhat ironically, top roping is the path to free soloing.

I would disagree with that concept as leading teaches you to stop, shake-out, analyse your situation and judge your relative safety... all of which are crucial to safe soloing.

Top-roping doesn't teach you any of that. Leading also develops stamina (both mental and physical).

Soloing often forces you to use different sequences and different holds compared to top-roping.

I think top-roping is great fun and I don't see why we bother with psuedo leads on pre-placed gear given that such ascents hardly differ from top-roping anyway. But if you want to become an accomplished all-round climber then you can't beat going ground-up on trad at your limit.
Wendy
31-Jan-2011
1:19:16 PM
On 31/01/2011 simey wrote:
>On 31/01/2011 singersmith wrote:
>>John Bachar sold me on top roping as the supreme method of climbing because
>>when you're not afraid you can focus on climbing your best and honing
>your
>>technique. Thus, somewhat ironically, top roping is the path to free
>soloing.
>
>I would disagree with that concept as leading teaches you to stop, shake-out,
>analyse your situation and judge your relative safety... all of which are
>crucial to safe soloing.

I'd guess bachar knew a thing or 2 about soloing though.
>
>Top-roping doesn't teach you any of that. Leading also develops stamina
>(both mental and physical).
>
>Soloing often forces you to use different sequences and different holds
>compared to top-roping.
>
>I think top-roping is great fun and I don't see why we bother with psuedo
>leads on pre-placed gear given that such ascents hardly differ from top-roping
>anyway.

I love a good tangent ... now tell me how sport climbing hardly differs from toproping given all the bolts are preplaced ...

>But if you want to become an accomplished all-round climber then
>you can't beat going ground-up on trad at your limit.
>
I had a bloody fabulous week doing more onsights than I have since the states. It is a pleasant change from all the projecting I've been doing around here. Still, i'd love to have a few on sight opportunities left slightly less exciting than rapping into the gorge and pulling the ropes. Half way through the week i insisted on finding some things to do for a few days that did not involve so much air beneath me as my brain was fried.
simey
31-Jan-2011
2:23:51 PM
On 31/01/2011 Wendy wrote:
>I'd guess bachar knew a thing or 2 about soloing though.

Bachar did a shit load of leading, including ground-up first ascents placing bolts on lead. I find it hard to believe that top-roping did much to improve his ability at soloing. If that was the case, then climbing gyms would be producing a stack of world class soloists.

>I love a good tangent ... now tell me how sport climbing hardly differs
>from toproping given all the bolts are preplaced ...

Well in many cases it doesn't differ that much. Unless you are onsighting a sport route where the bolting is spaced and where 40 or 50m of rope might be weighing you down near the end of the pitch.

tnd
31-Jan-2011
2:40:55 PM
On 31/01/2011 simey wrote:
>...Unless you are onsighting
>a sport route where the bolting is spaced and where 40 or 50m of rope might
>be weighing you down near the end of the pitch.
>
Like the pic of the week! ;-)
mauvepeas
31-Jan-2011
5:22:55 PM
This made me think of the old 'That's Incredible' video (probably posted already here somewhere)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03udLvtNR6Y

particularly the bit of him training at the beginning.
singersmith
1-Feb-2011
10:34:01 AM
There'll be limitless opinions about that topic as climbing is entirely subjective and I'm not about to talk anyone into soloing. All I can say is that JB was the big JC of the FS, it certainly wasn't what I expected to hear, and it did change my scene completely - actually converted me from aid to free. I almost never lead routes that I might actually fall off [scary, dangerous] and have fallen free climbing less than five times. Monkey around third class probably 50% of the time and downclimb at least 30% of routes. But then I wouldn't call myself as an accomplished all-round climber either; I'd be quicker to use the word embarrassing to describe anything I do that's not a crack. Climbing sure is fun though, I took most of eight years off and had almost forgot.

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There are 43 messages in this topic.

 

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