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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
VIC Buffalo	Gorge	South Side	Burston's Creavasse	[ Gorge Guide ]

Author

Stonking Big Offwidth Finish to Caligula

kieranl

11-Feb-2015
8:47:08 AM

On 11/02/2015 Wendy wrote:
>I struggle to imagine it hasn't been done given the style, what has been
>done and where it is. But the only thing left of Caligula I can find that
>might remotely be it is Monarch Variant Start which says the obvious off
>width left of Caligula to tope of flake and L to Monarch, although there
>is no way that route would go into Monarch! That doesn't necessarily mean
>much with the old Buff guide though.
>

It wouldn't surprise me at all if it hasn't been done. While it is very obvious, that style of climbing has never been very popular and it looks quite dirty and hard to protect.

It's definitely not "Monarch Variant Start" (which originally had a name but some guidebook dropped it). You can see that line in the photo in Will Monks Reocities link. It's a diagonal going left from below the start of Caligula into Monarch.


Miguel75

11-Feb-2015
8:49:15 AM

That pic of Mikl makes the climb look so inviting...


ajfclark

11-Feb-2015
8:59:26 AM

On 11/02/2015 Miguel75 wrote:
>That pic of Mikl makes the climb look so inviting...

Added a caption for you... ;-)

kieranl

11-Feb-2015
9:23:27 AM

On 11/02/2015 Miguel75 wrote:
>That pic of Mikl makes the climb look so inviting...

He hasn't got to the horizontal body-chimneying yet!


IdratherbeclimbingM9

11-Feb-2015
10:38:28 AM

On 10/02/2015 kieranl wrote:
>It stops at a big roof. I think you can squeeze through to the top of the
>buttress from there. I believe Mikl did the traverse left along the horizontal
>under the roof from the finish of Caligula back in the mid-70s.
>
>Caligula's in the top right here :
>
>http://www.reocities.com/Yosemite/9987/buffalo_gorge.htm

The Monarch variant start is clearly visible in Will's photo referred above.

I remember Matt Roper (a prominent Border climber at the time), telling me back in 1998 that when he first did Caligula (some years earlier), he didn't have enough of the right size gear and so had no idea where he could belay on it without the necessary pro.
He ended up chimneying into-along the base of the proposed new climb slot, till he could sling a chockstone to belay off...
The conversation went on, and he told me he was a long way in and said it goes all the way through and forms a T intersection with the depths of Monarch, as well as going on till you can look out over Hard Rain area.
~> I got the impression that he and his partner explored the subterranean aspects of it at the time...

In The Good Dr's photo, chockstones are clearly visible in the upper slot.

The Watling cover-shot really makes that slot look appealing...

Heh, heh, heh.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

11-Feb-2015
10:46:07 AM

On 11/02/2015 ajfclark wrote:
>On 10/02/2015 MattJ wrote:
>>Well I'm satisfied it hasn't been climbed. I'll stick some bolts in it
>>next weekend and let you all know how it goes.
>
>That would generally be frowned upon by a lot of the climbing community.
>There's a 14 page thread on here about bolts at the horn for example.

I agree with macciza too, ie try it on gear first.
To save it from being bolted, I am happy to loan a gold (largest size) bigbro to go with superstu's blue one offered.

Be inspired by onsight's Monarch photo...
>Mark Davies sans pro high on pitch two Monarch (22), 75-metres. The Gorge, Mt Buffalo.
~> Good technique is key!


Miguel75

11-Feb-2015
11:00:29 AM

On 11/02/2015 ajfclark wrote:
>On 11/02/2015 Miguel75 wrote:
>>That pic of Mikl makes the climb look so inviting...
>
>Added a caption for you... ;-)

Thanks Andrew;)


nmonteith

11-Feb-2015
11:26:55 AM

On 11/02/2015 Wendy wrote:
>My other thought is that is a long way off 24. Have you done Monarch?

Country Road is the benchmark 24 in those there parts!


Superstu

11-Feb-2015
11:30:55 AM

Comparing the old guide front cover shot versus the Good Dr's shot, clearly the slot has got thinner in the intervening years. I suspect the countless desperate tiring leaders leaning back on the Caligula layback are to blame.


Superstu

11-Feb-2015
11:42:59 AM

You should put a bolt in if there are no good chockstones. Not many people own stupidly large big bros (and they suck anyway) and plus, after you've put a bolt in, you'll look silly if you don't end up climbing it.


ajfclark

11-Feb-2015
12:04:38 PM

Obviously shot from slightly different perspectives:

Photosynth would probably do a better job of compositing them together.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

11-Feb-2015
12:05:42 PM

On 11/02/2015 Superstu wrote:
>You should put a bolt in if there are no good chockstones. Not many people
>own stupidly large big bros (and they suck anyway) and plus, after you've
>put a bolt in, you'll look silly if you don't end up climbing it.
>
... Not as much as gravity does, while struggling in a seemingly bottomless slot.
;-)

I actually like mine, indeed almost revere it, on the occasions that I have used it.
Heh, heh, heh.


shortman

11-Feb-2015
3:12:21 PM

On 10/02/2015 MattJ wrote:
>Well I'm satisfied it hasn't been climbed. I'll stick some bolts in it
>next weekend and let you all know how it goes.

I reckon this is a bit presumptuous. Wacking something on Chockstone and declaring after a day that you're satisfied is hardly doing your homework.


Macciza

11-Feb-2015
3:28:31 PM

On 11/02/2015 Superstu wrote:
>You should put a bolt in if there are no good chockstones.
Are you saying this Chockstone isn't good enough?
And what taking your own chockstone up??was good enough back in the day??
An given its short stature it probably got bouldered, or practice climbed, back in the day also


Superstu

11-Feb-2015
4:15:31 PM

So, if he thinks nobody has done it, and then puts a bolt in and climbs it, then later some old fart from the dark ages comes forward and reveals they did it with nothing but cojones back in the day, what punishment is thus due?


The good Dr

11-Feb-2015
4:17:56 PM

On 11/02/2015 Superstu wrote:
>So, if he thinks nobody has done it, and then puts a bolt in and climbs
>it, then later some old fart from the dark ages comes forward and reveals
>they did it with nothing but cajones back in the day, what punishment is
>thus due?

Dunno, but I bet that old farts cajones probably got a bit scratched up and sore ... isn't that punishment enough!

Wendy

11-Feb-2015
4:42:59 PM

On 11/02/2015 ajfclark wrote:
>Simon Carter recently posted a copy for a black and white thing:

>Mark Davies sans pro high on pitch two Monarch (22), 75-metres. The Gorge, Mt Buffalo.

yeah, that's it! So this is the grade 17 second pitch ... showing the style and standards of squeeze chimneys at Buffalo.

Country Rd is narrower, 4-5 camalot size, goes through a bodylength roof and meaners up an over hanging wall. That being the style and standards of 24 off widths at Buff ... Or you could have a look at Cindarella. A boxing glove sized roof crack of 25.

Ithomas

11-Feb-2015
6:50:39 PM

Along with Keith Bell, John Fantini and Peter Jacob, I climbed the alternative start to Monarch as a first ascent late in January 1974. We called the slanting flake 'Grandstand' because just before the flake merges with Monarch it is possible to turn face out to the Gorge and by gripping the edge of the flake, peer over the edge and obtain a grandstand view of the North Wall and all of the valley.
I think we somehow contrived to all end up behind the flake at the same place so that our four heads could pop over the edge and take in the view at the same time. We were easily amused. After completing that novelty we all thrutched our way to the top of Monarch via it's second pitch.

As far as I know, the chimney which spears up from high on Caligula was never climbed. Maybe it was claimed later in the 70's?
It probably looked too easy for we pioneers with our gigantic cojones.

By the way, all of those intersecting tracks around Lake Catani were created by Nick Taylor and Kevin Lindorff both of whom had an extremely poor sense of direction coupled with enormous balls (which literally reached to the ground). We would often hear them late at night dragging their burden through the forest.

From my experience anyone who wanted to climb the chimney in question should eat healthily, wait for their cojones to grow and then make an attempt. There is a long global history of unprotected chimneys and poorly protected off-widths and long may it be so.


Macciza

11-Feb-2015
8:49:45 PM

Well first hand account from a nearby first ascentionist from 40 years ago that it looked too easy for big cohoned pioneers, but that maybe it was done later as the meek were left with the dregs, pretty much seals it imho, try it on trad...


IdratherbeclimbingM9

12-Feb-2015
9:14:05 AM

On 11/02/2015 Wendy wrote:
>>Mark Davies sans pro high on pitch two Monarch (22), 75-metres. The Gorge, Mt Buffalo.
>
>yeah, that's it! So this is the grade 17 second pitch ... showing the
>style and standards of squeeze chimneys at Buffalo.
>
>Country Rd is narrower, 4-5 camalot size, goes through a bodylength roof
>and meaners up an over hanging wall. That being the style and standards
>of 24 off widths at Buff ... (snip)

&

Ithomas wrote:
>There is a long global history of unprotected chimneys and poorly protected off-widths and long may it be so.

Not only has the precedent for this been set world-wide, but is reinforced for the Buffalo Gorge in particular, the classic case being the climb Emperor, the first climb to tackle the North Wall. It's crux is a long unprotected chimney slot that dispelled the first attempt to climb it and required that ascent team to return at a later date (after they had cajoned up), to tackle it back in the '60's.

Try it on trad.
~> Your sense of achievement will be much greater reward for the effort when it is measured against the yardstick of history...

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