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The Ultimate trip...


meinmuk

5-Dec-2008
6:16:24 PM

Flying business class would be important research for your job, Jimbo. On those grounds your employer should really buy the ticket. Failing that I'd be trying hard to claim the whole trip as a tax deduction. ; )


wallwombat

5-Dec-2008
6:19:16 PM

I think it costs a bundle to get a permit to climb Kilimanjaro.

adamk

5-Dec-2008
6:25:48 PM

Be aware that although Mt Kenya is only grade 17 it is at some pretty hefty altitude (5200metres similiar to everest base camp). So you need to factor that into your planning. Having said that i would be keen to do it with u Jimbo!

rod

5-Dec-2008
6:28:53 PM

Idea's unlimited: Madagascar, Jordan, Mali, Atlas I'm curious about Venezuela but I've still not met anyone who's actually gone climbing there...I'm starting to realise I'd need at least 2 years on most continents to tick everything that's already on my list.

Alpine Europe: Mönch you can be done in 8 hours and its a fun outing, or just head up to the Aiguille de Midi and walk around for an hour then you'll never have to put up with all that crampon and piolet stuff ever again :)

Eduardo is bang on with the European weather: be prepared to move around and take advantage of the Alps ability to block systems. Often you can drive 3 hours to the other side of the Alps or to the North or South of where you're at and find dry rock in the sun. Weather radar websites are a godsend on that front.


JimboV10

5-Dec-2008
6:38:14 PM

On 5/12/2008 meinmuk wrote:
>Flying business class would be important research for your job, Jimbo.
>On those grounds your employer should really buy the ticket. Failing that
>I'd be trying hard to claim the whole trip as a tax deduction. ; )

Well its worth a shot eh? Business Class around the world will prob set me back about $11,500 which is awesome considering a MEL - LAX return with Qantas is about the same price... and I get about 34,000 miles for that!


JimboV10

5-Dec-2008
6:39:22 PM

On 5/12/2008 adamk wrote:
>Be aware that although Mt Kenya is only grade 17 it is at some pretty hefty
>altitude (5200metres similiar to everest base camp). So you need to factor
>that into your planning. Having said that i would be keen to do it with
>u Jimbo!

Yeah true that.. I figure that Kota and Kili will help get me used to altitude (but not much) beforehand and then just train like a mofo to get the aerobic capacity up...

With all these suggestions, apparently I'm a mountaineer now! lol


nmonteith

5-Dec-2008
9:43:45 PM

On 5/12/2008 JimboV10 wrote:
>Well its worth a shot eh? Business Class around the world will prob set
>me back about $11,500 which is awesome considering a MEL - LAX return with
>Qantas is about the same price... and I get about 34,000 miles for that!

!! $11,500 sounds friggn insane! Just suffer it out for the 14 hours max in cattle class to wherever you need to go. Every grand saved is at least another month on the road...


Cookie

5-Dec-2008
9:44:40 PM

On 5/12/2008 mikl law wrote:
>On 5/12/2008 Cookie wrote:
>>3rd from the right, 2nd from the bottom RH corner please.
>The Hoffman is a good choice

we actually have a framed err.. un-dipped sheet on our wall in the pc room, some of them can be absolutely gorgeous. My SO has told me about an Alice through the looking glass double sided sheet one side she is stepping in, the other stepping out of the looking glass, you would probably have to buy 2 to display it properly tho.. damnit... now i have a hankering.


atreyudelacy

5-Dec-2008
11:51:28 PM

Did you have like two whole days of cancelled appointments james!!? get back to work :)

prb

6-Dec-2008
1:42:39 AM

On 5/12/2008 wallwombat wrote:
>I think it costs a bundle to get a permit to climb Kilimanjaro.

It costs a bundle to climb Kili if you organize it from Australia.

The park fees were US$60-70 per day when we were there last year plus it's compulsory to be guided. The climb (on the main tourist routes) takes 5-6 days. We got lucky in Nairobi. We stayed at a hostel called the Bush House and Camp run by a woman called Zipporah. We told her we wanted to climb Kenya. She made a couple of calls and organized transport to the mountain and a porter each for the haul up to Shipton's hut. We called her on the way down and she had transport ready and waiting to pick us up at the park gate! Back in Nairobi we asked her about Kili. A couple more calls and she'd organized Nairobi -> up Kili -> back to Nairobi for an even US$1000. We were well looked after and had no hassles. Companies here can ask 5 times that. I have her details at work, I'll post them next week if you like.

On 5/12/2008 adamk wrote:
>Be aware that although Mt Kenya is only grade 17 it is at some pretty hefty altitude (5200metres similiar to everest base camp). So you need to factor that into your planning. Having said that i would be keen to do it with u Jimbo

We thought Mt Kenya and vicinity were great. With the giant lobelias, groundsels and rock hyrax, it was like being on a different planet. Very, very photogenic. Overall the rock was pretty good compared to that in the European and NZ Alps. A day or 2 acclimatizing at or above Shipton's (if you choose that side) and you should be good to go. I might write a short TR with a few pics.


pmonks

6-Dec-2008
7:27:01 AM

East to West:
1. Popplewell Park, Coogee
2. Central Station walls, Darlinghurst
3. Vernon St, Balmain
4. Footbridge Theatre Wall, Sydney Uni
5. Old Ryde Railway Bridge, Rhodes
6. Wedderburn, Campbelltown

You'll want to retire from climbing after accomplishing ascents at all those crags!

6-Dec-2008
9:01:08 PM

I'd skip NZ & Aus crags because you can do them regularly on short holidays if you live in Aus. I'd also skip SE Asia because its easy to arrange a stopover there if you've been somewhere else. OTOH it can be tricky to get back to Africa/Americas/Europe so I'd spend the full 52 weeks there.

In the US I'd put Tahquitz, Toulumne and Utah (and maybe the Needles too but haven't been there) above Joshua Tree. IMO the only reason to go to Joshua Tree on this sort of trip is if you need a belayer outside yosemite season ... J tree routes and rock aren't world class. Smith Rock and Wild Iris seem popular with sporties but probably no loss if they stay off the list.

South America - Rio for sure. Carnivale is not the best friction season but totally ok in the cooler times of day and there's lots of other stuff to do (!!). Central & south America are easy to get around if you can pick up 10 words of spanish (ie don't necessarily go for the tour). Potrero Chico sounds good but haven't been there. Cuba has a reasonable amount of excellent routes but also some average ones, but is awesome to visit for lots of other reasons (same goes for Morocco) (esthercv2551@cubarte.cult.cu ph 53 7 8 62-04-01)

just food for thought...

deadpoint

7-Dec-2008
1:12:19 PM

On 6/12/2008 pmonks wrote:
>East to West:
>1. Popplewell Park, Coogee
>2. Central Station walls, Darlinghurst
>3. Vernon St, Balmain
>4. Footbridge Theatre Wall, Sydney Uni
>5. Old Ryde Railway Bridge, Rhodes
>6. Wedderburn, Campbelltown
>
>You'll want to retire from climbing after accomplishing ascents at all
>those crags!

All below sea level ??


freesolo

8-Dec-2008
6:39:51 PM

I managed to get all my hardware into my carry on bag, and then my one checked bag, was 20k. so i flew economy everywhere.

just break down all your draws/cams, and you can cram a lot of nuts, biners, and cams into carry on. i got at least one full rack into my carryon. unless you like offwidths, a camalot 3 is the biggest you need in various places. then strap your helmet and one pair of shoes to the outside of your carry on.

you have to dump it out everytime you board, but you save lots of money just putting a rope, tent, sleeping bag in your rucksack. don't bring any clothes, just go to op shops everywhere.

you can bring a summer tent, and just buy a cheap tarp to put over it, when it gets colder.

i carried a light sleeping bag and scrounged for blankets,and extra sleeping pads and whatever in araps, yosemite, squamish, golden bay

it's easier to hitchhike if your rucksack isn;t enormous


freesolo

8-Dec-2008
6:43:58 PM

in the western US, you can go north to south, or south to north depending on when you arrive and have pretty good weather most of the time.


nmonteith

8-Dec-2008
9:43:02 PM

On 8/12/2008 freesolo wrote:
>I managed to get all my hardware into my carry on bag, and then my one
>checked bag, was 20k. so i flew economy everywhere.
>just break down all your draws/cams, and you can cram a lot of nuts, biners,
>and cams into carry on. i got at least one full rack into my carryon. unless
>you like offwidths, a camalot 3 is the biggest you need in various places.
> then strap your helmet and one pair of shoes to the outside of your carry
>on.

Was this post Sept 11??? There is no way they'd let you take a full rack as hand luggage these days. I've had them knock back a single biner (that makes a great knuckle duster) and even ropes (you can tie up a lot of people with that sir).

If you buy a round the world ticket with a US carrier and fly via the USA you get a 32kg baggage allowance world-wide (well, you used to a few years ago). Anything more than 32kg is EPIC to drag around the world anyway.

mikl law

9-Dec-2008
9:06:33 AM

Light rack is the go for travelling - for climbing in Rio and Frey we had an old 9mm as a single rope (only got scared once), 8 wires, 4 cams 4 hexes, 5 thin slings 5 draws, Which is about the weight of a 10mm x 60 m rope alone. (Weight was imprtant as we had snowboarding gear)

BTW Frey in Argentina is awesome, people say it's the best cragging in Sth America


JamesMc

9-Dec-2008
3:10:33 PM

On 5/12/2008 JimboV10 wrote:
>I'm also toying with the idea of flying the round world fare in Business
>Class

If you fly economy then it's hardly the ultimate trip.....

One of the things I love about Business Class is the airport lounges - all except American ones have free drinks and showers.

JamesMc
New Zealand
(got here on Business Class)


Capt_mulch

9-Dec-2008
3:18:38 PM

Brisbane airport has free showers no matter how you're traveling (in the bathrooms after you check in after customs) - the towels are big blue rolls of tear-off super absorbo paper. Excellent after having to hang around the airport for 12 hours like I had to once.

ohrabanek

10-Dec-2008
11:52:13 AM

Far out! $10K just to fly business class. Don't you guys have anything better to spend all those hard earned $ on?
How about just fly economy and have a few extra drinks to take the edge off - or Nightol works a charm. Then spend the $$$ you save on something else that lasts longer than a few hours of sitting in a seat!! Or how about eat fat juicy steaks of beef or good seafood for dinner when travelling instead of 2 minute noodles!

There are 45 messages in this topic.