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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 36
Area Location Sub Location Crag Links
VIC Buffalo Gorge North Side Pulpit Rock / Comet Ramp [ Gorge Guide ] 

Author
Defender of the faith
brendan
22-May-2009
1:46:34 PM
I am looking at some route info for climbing "defender of the faith" in aid mode, Any special gear required (cams larger then number 4, hooks etc)? Are the belays "OK" etc etc cheers

nmonteith
22-May-2009
1:52:23 PM
Belays are all good solid new bolts. No need for big cams, but you will need at least doubles of #4. RP's are really useful for the first pitch - you will place quite a few of them in a row but they are all sinker.
brendan
23-May-2009
8:01:33 PM
i think the grade is M5/14, which pitch is the free climbing, sorry i don t have a buffalo guidebook here. Isnt M5 A2+/A3??

nmonteith
25-May-2009
8:32:00 AM
On 23/05/2009 brendan wrote:
>i think the grade is M5/14, which grade is the free climbing, sorry i don
>t have a buffalo guidebook here. Isnt M5 A2+/A3??

Yes M5 = A2+, but the section of hard stuff is quite short and pretty safe. I did it as one of my first ever aid routes and didn't have any problems. It's much much easier than Ozy.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
25-May-2009
9:10:23 AM
Warning:~ Beta alert. Stop reading now if you don’t require beta ...

brendan wrote:
>special gear required (cams larger then number 4, (snip)

3rd pitch off the deck (Fuhrer ledge), takes a No.6 BD cam nicely if you don’t want to feel uncomfortable running it out in an offwidth-ish crack that starts off a block with a healthy shrub/tree to negotiate.
My partner at the time wished they had one, and found the No.5 BD cam only good for bodyweight, due it being on two lobes.

>i think the grade is M5/14, which grade is the free climbing, (snip)

I reckon the actual climbing is more like M4 at the crux (1st pitch off the deck), and is due to the reachy (hard if you are short ~> M5 for sure in that case☺) nature of it, to negotiate a change from a crack/groove leftwards as it peters out, to another crack further left and slightly out of sight around a vague rib/arete. There is probably only 10 m of climbing at the grade and much of the rest of it is M2 with a bit of M3 in places.

You are right that the ‘14’ refers to the free climbing.
However that grade would vary considerably depending on how you decide to top-out the climb. 14 is for the original finish and in dry conditions. This area is often seeping and the protection crack has a lot of moss in it. My partner opted for the virtually protectionless slightly lower version of this topout at a harder grade ...
There are at least two other alternative finishes to this climb, both of which would be problematic in my opinion if you are hauling a wall-bag, though they could easily be drier/safer.

nmonteith wrote:
>RP's are really useful for the first pitch - you will place quite a few of them in a row but they are all sinker.

Useful yes, but I don't remember it as being particularly thin. Several in a row maybe ...
brendan
25-May-2009
10:05:41 AM
after abit of research i have heard from a couple of sources that it is a "mossy, wet, slimey" climb

IdratherbeclimbingM9
25-May-2009
10:12:43 AM
The top pitch can be, but I wouldn't let that stop you from doing it though.
It is an adventure!

If you don't like that kind of adventure, then do one of the alternative finishes; ... as the lower pitches are very/really good, and the climb as a whole is a worthy undertaking in a magic location, albeit one that requires commitment.

nmonteith
25-May-2009
10:18:05 AM
On 25/05/2009 brendan wrote:
>after abit of research i have heard from a couple of sources that it is
>a "mossy, wet, slimey" climb

All of the North Wall is a bit like that after rain - or in winter. The bottom 3 pitches are awesome - as a free route or and aid route - and are quite clean. The last two-ish pitches are pretty crap really, but make for an excellent mountaineering challenge depending on where you go!

nmonteith
25-May-2009
10:29:45 AM
Here's a little youtube clip i made several years ago about an ascent of the route
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzABEZQ7Jqg
and some stills from a later trip
http://www.neilshaulbag.smugmug.com/gallery/1199119_p8Hes#56094651_k36hE
and an ancient trip report
http://www.neilshaulbag.com/reports/311098.html

IdratherbeclimbingM9
25-May-2009
10:48:31 AM
I enjoyed seeing that again nm. Love the bit where the wire pops while cleaning just below the belay/bivy.

Did not note it first time around but this time I see that you abbed Fuhrer on a 200m rope to access Defender.

Your rope?
Your BD double and fly?

It is a magic place, and your vid brings back good memories for me.
Kudos to your additional photographers for the expanded footage.

nmonteith
25-May-2009
10:54:52 AM
On 25/05/2009 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>Did not note it first time around but this time I see that you abbed Fuhrer
>on a 200m rope to access Defender.

It was actually Marcel and Jacqui in the video - i just shot and edited that video on rap nearby and on the far side of the gorge. They were the stars, i was merely the director!

>Your rope?

No, they used the rope that the guiding guys had left there! (with permission)

>Your BD double and fly?

Yes. That piece of kit has served is well over the years. Very comfy and waterproof.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
25-May-2009
11:18:08 AM
On 25/05/2009 nmonteith wrote:
>>Your BD double and fly?
>
>Yes. That piece of kit has served is well over the years. Very comfy and
>waterproof.

I assume this was also used at Baffin Isl?

Have you ever felt the need to seam seal the fly, or have you found it waterproof enough as standard?

nmonteith
25-May-2009
11:21:24 AM
hmm can't remember if we ever seam sealed it. it was bomber dry when we had it pitched directly under a waterfall at baffin island, so i reckon it passed the test with flying colours!
brendan
25-May-2009
1:53:03 PM
i was looking at ledges, for my next mission. It seems the new BD Double with a "simple fly" would be the way to go.

nmonteith
25-May-2009
4:27:29 PM
i like the idea of the little windows in their Deluxe Flys... the older BD flys like mine were yellow in colour - which sort of made you think it was always sunny and warm outside - even though you were trapped in a horrible blizzard.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
25-May-2009
4:37:14 PM
On 25/05/2009 brendan wrote:
>i was looking at ledges, for my next mission. It seems the new BD Double
>with a "simple fly" would be the way to go.

There is a ledge for sale over here, but it does not have a fly.

Something to consider re getting wall gear, ... if you have a crystal ball use it!!
I have found that gearing up for oneself is a different criteria to climbing with other (or different) partners down the track. I have a single ledge and fly. I have not used the fly in particularly bad weather (yet), due to the partners I have teamed up with have been on 'fair weather' trips and not geared up for anything much worse.



nm wrote:
>and some stills from a later trip
>http://www.neilshaulbag.smugmug.com/gallery/1199119_p8Hes#56094651_k36hE
>and an ancient trip report
>http://www.neilshaulbag.com/reports/311098.html

Good stuff. I enjoyed reading/seeing them.
It never ceases to amaze me how many different experiences can be had on the 'same route' by the various peoples who do them.

Organ Pipe
25-May-2009
4:50:42 PM
I've got a BD ledge and double delux fly.

The windows are ace and the strength / abrasion resistance of the fly is amazing.
I'd definetly advocate the delux, if you're tossing up between the two Brendan.

Obviously there are weight / pack down size / price differences though.
brendan
25-May-2009
5:04:34 PM
i just ordered the simple fly, i figure most of the stuff i will be doing will be in Oz/U.S. i could always upgrade at a later date,

nmonteith
25-May-2009
5:10:00 PM
On 25/05/2009 brendan wrote:
>i just ordered the simple fly, i figure most of the stuff i will be doing
>will be in Oz/U.S. i could always upgrade at a later date,

Don't under-estimate the storms you get in the USA! El Cap can smash you to pieces with snow and ice - even in summer. We got snowed out of the park for a couple of days in late May and camp 4 was plastered with knee deep snow. :-)
brendan
25-May-2009
6:05:29 PM
i think the fly is very similar to the one you have in the movie, nice footage

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 36
There are 36 messages in this topic.

 

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