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16-Oct-2013 9:16:55 AM
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Hi,
Thinking of taking a few Trad first timers down to Araps sometime in the first three weeks of December. I have been there during the first week of December and the weather was perfect, is this normally the case? What can I expect up until a week before Xmas? Remember we are from Darwin and heat is relative.
Is the gramps a better option?
Cheers
Jason
Jason
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16-Oct-2013 9:40:15 AM
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It should be pretty good, especially as you're from Darwin. Average daily max is just under 28. Usually don't have the runs of days above 30 that you get in January and February.
Arapiles would be the best place for first-time trad climbers and you can easily go down to the Gramps for a day or two.
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16-Oct-2013 9:49:48 AM
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The weather will probably be great - expect it to be hot and dry. Summer climbing at Araps usually follows a pattern of climb in the morning then sit in the fire dam for a few hours and climb again once everything moves into the shade. You can't go wrong.
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16-Oct-2013 9:51:39 AM
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Thanks mate. Just looked up some historical weather observations from BOM and it confirmed what your saying. After travelling around the states for 3 months, I still think Arapiles is one of the best crags in the world.
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16-Oct-2013 10:50:08 AM
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Just do it. Ive been there 3 times in January for week + periods; never run out of things to do. Watchtower face can be a fryer but just pick your day or time of day.
I remember the 'code red' in Jan 2010 when it hit 46 in Horsham we had to evac the campground so we went to the pics at Horsham. Great theatre, shame about the A/C it was nearly 40C inside!
Cool change came through that night, next day was 21 max and it climbed 1 C a day toi 28 over the next week- perfect days.
You can get some unusual side effects though, in 2009 we were cookign dinner when this amazing wind blew 10 million (+/-) mini beetles through the pines. My kids still reminisce over the Arapiles beetle pasta.
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17-Oct-2013 12:48:31 AM
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On 16/10/2013 argos44 wrote:
>Thinking of taking a few Trad first timers down to Araps sometime in the
>first three weeks of December. I have been there during the first week
>of December and the weather was perfect, is this normally the case? What
>can I expect up until a week before Xmas? Remember we are from Darwin and
>heat is relative.
It'll feel dryer than Darwin. My folks lived up your end for two years, so I've done Xmas in both places...
At Araps you get your scorchers and your windy days, some days it's both.
The sun is killer with little shade other than directly in the pines (other than the crags which are described as shady of course)
We were there one New Year's eve when out of nowhere it stormed for about half an hour, drizzled for a further hour and then dried up the next day.
Beginners will love both Araps and the Gramps - it's an amazing place to learn to place gear, hopefully they'll be awe-inspired.
Make sure to bring lots of water on multipitches - pop "Syrinx" into the search on the left.
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17-Oct-2013 12:56:15 AM
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PS I haven't been since the drought broke, so listen to Kieran et al.
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17-Oct-2013 9:00:26 AM
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I avoid climbing in the sun like the plaque, but then I'm old. If it's hot you'll enjoy it most by doing the same.
The cliffs predominately face North-east and a lot of the shady areas (Left-side central gully, Mysteries wall, Henry Bolte Wall etc) face south-east.
In December those south-east faces get the sun in the morning and anything that takes a right-facing corner on the north-east facing cliffs will be in the shade first thing. From mid-late morning the south-east faces come into the shade and the north-east ones are in full sun.
e.g. The Watchtower faces bake until late afternoon but Watchtower Crack can be climbed entirely in the shade if you start early and the cool breeze in the crack is really nice.
edit : Back of the Pharos (Lamplighter) comes into the sun mid-afternoon so make this a morning climb.
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17-Oct-2013 9:30:31 AM
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Thanks for this input guys. I have been to Araps a number of times, the last being the first week of December. The day we got there it was stinking hot and still over 30 deg at 9:00pm. That night we got a massive storm and from then on the weather was perfect. Looking at the temp graphs it looks like its commin to cycle through a hot few days and then get cooler again.
Kachoong is on the list for me this time :-)
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23-Dec-2013 4:38:23 PM
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>Kachoong is on the list for me this time :-)
>
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Tick! :)
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