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Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
All NSW	(General)	(General)	(General)

Author

Blue lake - 2011

Damien Gildea

11-Sep-2011
5:51:47 PM

I usually go out there a couple of times a year. Whether or not there is nice fat water ice present, I think it's good practice. Most mountain climbers don't die falling off WI5 pillars on a rope, they die falling while cramponing across or down easy but exposed and/or icy, ground, especially in NZ.

Being confident on this 'easy' terrain will help people get up stuff a lot quicker and safer than spending an hour hacking away at a brittle 5m high column of ice. It's good to practice this general 'climbing' here - cramponing, traversing, descending facing-out, conserving energy etc - because you can do it a couple of hours from the car park at Guthega, without having to worry about crevasses etc.

There was a couple doing some roped snow climbing above Thredbo a few weeks back. Some of those broad steep snowy gullies with rock down the sides can be good for practicing climbing with running pro on snowstakes, and over easy mixed ground like you might find on a mountain, rapping off snow bollards etc. Then when you actually get to NZ or wherever you can get straight into it and not waste good weather 'practicing'.


sbm

11-Sep-2011
9:27:58 PM

There might be snow around for another couple of weeks or so, but I'm about ready to call the end of another astonishingly mediocre Australian ski season.

I love the snowies, I really do but I can't take this sh!t anymore. The ice, the crud, the bushes and rocks and grass patches sticking out everywhere, the "guaranteed 50+ cm fronts" that turn to into 20mm of rain at the last minute, the 3 weekends a year that actually have a base. I feel the need to go overseas next year.

citationx

12-Sep-2011
8:28:46 AM

On 11/09/2011 sbm wrote:
>There might be snow around for another couple of weeks or so, but I'm about
>ready to call the end of another astonishingly mediocre Australian ski
>season.
>
>I love the snowies, I really do but I can't take this sh!t anymore. The
>ice, the crud, the bushes and rocks and grass patches sticking out everywhere,
>the "guaranteed 50+ cm fronts" that turn to into 20mm of rain at the last
>minute, the 3 weekends a year that actually have a base. I feel the need
>to go overseas next year.

I too believed it was over a while back after having trouble getting to twynam on skins due to the ice, and as you say, i stuck my hopes into the last front that arrived on Friday. Luckily, I couldn't get away from the city in the end and was told yesterday that it had only rained at thredbo over the weekend. 10 hours of driving and lots of money saved! Bring on northern winter!


Andrew_M

12-Sep-2011
9:30:37 AM

On 12/09/2011 citationx wrote:
>Luckily, I couldn't get away from the
>city in the end and was told yesterday that it had only rained at thredbo
>over the weekend. 10 hours of driving and lots of money saved! Bring on
>northern winter!

Sounds like you really need to get out of Australia. I hear they have snow occasionally in Canada sometimes - maybe you should try there.


SteveC

12-Sep-2011
3:20:37 PM

Yeah the season is short, the snow is crud and NZ or Japan represents better value for experience...blah blah and so forth. I agree, but for those who are psyched, they can punch out those 5 hours on a friday night after slaving away in meaningless employment all week, tour the range, ski something on the western slopes, or just ski the resorts for 2 days and still be back on time for meaningless drudgery by monday morning with that feeling of sweet exhaustion and a smug inner smile to carry them through.


SteveC

12-Sep-2011
3:27:14 PM

Btw-Slightly related- Perisher currently is selling next years season pass for $699, $199 up front now to book it and the rest later when you've forgotten about it or decided never to ski in Australia again because it is totally crap anyway.


Zarb

12-Sep-2011
5:03:16 PM

Way to turn me off shelling out several hundred on mountaineering hardware... thanks guys.
Whats the point if I can't just drive a few hours from my home in Canberra to give it a good run around for at least a month or two out of every year?

Excuse me.. I'm off to prowl the UK climbing website for winter climbing porn. I'm a perverted old (not nearly cold enough) man.


Andrew_M

12-Sep-2011
5:13:30 PM

As Damo pointed out, BL is actually pretty good for basic training. It's a completely different kettle of fish if you live in Canberra and can get down for the weekend easily. Kinda makes me almost want to live in Canberra....almost, but still not worth it because it's Canberra...


shortman

12-Sep-2011
5:16:35 PM

Why do ppl live in Canberra? I never got it.


Zarb

12-Sep-2011
5:33:57 PM

I am part of the "Teenagers with way too many piercings pushing prams" watchers club.

No, it's work. But I rather like it here. Even when I lived in Sydney I still drove down for the mountain biking.

I dont think I will get used to all the slab climbing here though... oh well. At least I am closer to the wintery goodness now.

Wendy

12-Sep-2011
5:44:08 PM

On 12/09/2011 a.brasington wrote:
?
>
>Excuse me.. I'm off to prowl the UK climbing website for winter climbing
>porn. I'm a perverted old (not nearly cold enough) man.
>
>
I wasn't aware that the UK had any decent winter climbing either. Aren't people struggling to get through the UK UIAA course because it has all this requisite Scottish winter climbing and Scotland hasn't had a decent season in years, thank you global warming? Actually, it could be arguable if they have decent summer climbing too, but I offend people when I start arguing that .... But it's definately arguable about if they have any decent summer.

But anyway, definately don't by mountaineering gear for Australia! Australian climbing is all about fun in the sun.

grangrump

12-Sep-2011
6:23:15 PM

On 12/09/2011 shortman wrote:
>Why do ppl live in Canberra? I never got it.
so they can deliver your bouldering mat

grangrump

12-Sep-2011
6:24:56 PM

On 12/09/2011 a.brasington wrote:
>I dont think I will get used to all the slab climbing here though... oh
>well. At least I am closer to the wintery goodness now.
Not far from Bungonia (heh heh)


shortman

12-Sep-2011
6:25:36 PM

On 12/09/2011 grangrump wrote:
>On 12/09/2011 shortman wrote:
>>Why do ppl live in Canberra? I never got it.
>so they can deliver your bouldering mat

Your purpose in life is greatly appreciated.

smiles


IdratherbeclimbingM9

12-Sep-2011
8:13:03 PM

On 12/09/2011 davidn wrote:
>Slab climbing really does suck, yes. Mikl says jamming isn't really climbing
>- well, I say slab climbing isn't either!

... but have you ever done it?

I know you havn't done aid,and I will forgive you for that, but you shouldn't dismiss the slab experience.

Wendy

13-Sep-2011
8:14:06 AM

On 13/09/2011 davidn wrote:
Just a shame granite
>doesn't often come with holds on the undersides of overhanging stuff.
>

It's a bit further than sydney, but, steep granite with features does exist:

http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/features/corsica253/index3.html

http://www.majkaburhardt.com/photos/majka-burhardt-climbing-photos/601565

http://www.planetfear.com/articles/Corsica_The_Ultimate_Climbers_Island_863.

http://www.photoglobe.info/db_corsica/corse_bolius_sep2004_001.html


cruze

13-Sep-2011
9:31:11 AM

From my experience Australian granite is generally crap - sorry, I should have said featureless and coarsely crystalline. Old, wind and water eroded blobs. There are some exceptions. I like the granite at Freycinet, Willyabrup, Mt Stuart/Castle Crag (Townsville) and Black range.

The granite over here in NZ is pretty sweet. Darrens. Glacially eroded.


Capt_mulch

13-Sep-2011
9:37:51 AM

On 12/09/2011 shortman wrote:
>Why do ppl live in Canberra? I never got it.

$90 an hour is usually a pretty good incentive.


rodw

13-Sep-2011
9:45:08 AM

And thats why you moved to the islands it was such a good incentive?


cruze

13-Sep-2011
9:48:58 AM

That must be a tradesman's rate. Sorry, I will rephrase, that must be the rate charged by a trademan who is not a plumber, electrician or mechanic. Otherwise it would be more.

There are 67 messages in this topic.