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Crag & Route Beta

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VIC Buffalo Gorge South Side Summit Rim [ Gorge Guide ]

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Home James

shiltz

14-Feb-2005
10:44:42 AM

Climbed Home James on Saturday. We abseiled the line to a small ledge with a DBB. Probably about 40m down from the block that we placed our anchors under.
It is a great climb on some amazing features. The third bolt is a bit tricky to clip (seems to be poorly placed) but maybe there is a better way of approaching this section of the climb.
Looking down from the ledge at the start on of the climb it seems like someone has added "pitch 1" (visible bolts). I couldn't find reference to this in the guide or any of the updates. We didn't have time to check it out. It would be to the left of the final pitch of Vortex. Anyone know about this?

WM

14-Feb-2005
11:08:39 AM

Yes the VCC has received the info for these (there's 2 routes there) and they're almost ready to go onto the VCC website. they are both 22 ish. Naturally one is called "And Don't Spare the Horses". The 2nd bolt at Home James' belay was added to allow a 2 rap approach for these new routes. I'm pretty sure you could also walk to their base, basically the same as for Vortex, but it'd be slower. Vortex is quite a long way (~30m) further right.

shiltz

14-Feb-2005
11:11:38 AM

Thanks Will!
Has anyone here been down and repeated them?

Superstu

14-Feb-2005
6:39:21 PM

I think we should do some "guidebook verification" next trip eh?

While we're at it we can get around to doing Vortex. Either it finishes at the start of the the original Home James, or there is another new route to do!

JamesMc

14-Feb-2005
8:02:29 PM

Vortex finishes well right of Home James, pretty much under Banana Blase. There's certainly a possibility of a route on the arete right of Home James. I just thought that the face that Home James climbs was more continous.

Be aware that Vortex is not well protected.

James

Superstu

14-Feb-2005
8:13:09 PM

We thought Home James was a fab route, on some of the best rock at Buffalo. Maybe three stars if the direct start that has been recently bolted is also good, making it a multi pitch multi-star classic! As for the grade, the first time I led it I thought the crux was straight forward and gave it an '18', but both Anthony and I had a little more trouble this time around and would believe 19 or 20. If Peroxide Blonde is the measure of a Buffalo 20 then 20 for Home James would stick.

WM

14-Feb-2005
8:28:43 PM

On 14/02/2005 JamesMc wrote:
>Vortex finishes well right of Home James, pretty much under Banana Blase.

Yep - though it is a fairly trivial (mostly hands free) rising traverse for about 20m across L from this point on Vortex to the start of Home James - the new guide will list both HJ and banana blase as finishing options for Vortex.

> There's certainly a possibility of a route on the arete right of Home James.

This was done just a few weeks ago by Kevin - see the chockstone gallery for photos. It's called Vertical Tai Chi.

>I just thought that the face that Home James climbs was more continous.

Yes again, HJ is definitely the better route, though Kevin's new one is surprisingly good too.

tundra

15-Feb-2005
9:43:51 AM

The two new routes below home james are currently graded 20/21 and 22/23, the bolt visible from the belay is the top of "back in an hour" (21ish) 5 bolts, and "don't spare the horses" starts two meters right on the same ledge 4 bolts. BIAH and HJ are a consistent link up and DSTH & Silver Shadow 22/23 ( which takes line of bolts direct to the top from 2nd bolt on HJ) is a consitent link up as well. Access to the base is not via vortex but higher via the base of the body heat block. Better to rap anyway, lets save on the foot traffic post fire in this area. If anyone wants to do the second ascent of these and confirm grades Kev and I would love to see what you reckon about quality (ie ***) and grade for the new guide. And a photo from the ledge for a topo would also be great!

shiltz

15-Feb-2005
10:34:55 AM

Thanks for the extra info. We'll have to get down and check them out next time we're up there.
So there are two routes on the lower section, "Back in an Hour" 20/21 and "Don't Spare the Horses" 22/23. On the upper section is from left to right "Silver Shadow" 22/23, "Home James" 20 and "Vertical Tai Chi" grade?
A photo from the ledge would certainly be the go. Hopefully there is a good vantage point to get most of the wall in.

WM

15-Feb-2005
12:12:10 PM

>So there are two routes on the lower section, "Back in an Hour" 20/21
>and "Don't Spare the Horses" 22/23. On the upper section is from left to
>right "Silver Shadow" 22/23, "Home James" 20 and "Vertical Tai Chi" grade?

Vertical Tai Chi is 22 and is the longest of these pitches (45m including the slab-walk at the top) so it starts quite a bit lower than HJ. The stance and DFH where VTC starts (visible in the chockstone gallery photos) is only ~6-8m higher than the low ledge from which BiaH and DStH start.

Silver Shadow is way hard for 22....

VCC new routes page now updated - http://www.vicclimb.org.au

shepp

17-Feb-2005
1:46:00 PM

I did the BIAH pitch (i think) last week and I think that if HJ is 20 then BIAH is a fair bit harder, the slab start I found pretty featureless (even for slab) and not great friction on the day I did it, the hanging arete/lip to the belay ledge of HJ was pretty nice climbing though. Well worth the effort if you are going to do HJ.
Shepp

There are 11 messages in this topic.