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General Climbing Discussion

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climbing epics 13-Feb-2007 At 12:38:22 PM andi nismo

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Details are sketchy but here goes. It was about 1989 and my first trip to Araps. Previously I'd done one lead at Western Bloc in the Gramps. The guy I went to Araps with was a mate of a mate. (Should've known there and then should'nt I?) So I ask Jimmy what he thinks I should get on first. I'd heard a bit about the organ pipes and thought he'd suggest that. So, off we go in the opposite direction and end up standing beneath Watchtower crack. This, he told me, is the best route for you to get to grips with Mt Arapiles. To cut a long story short, my rack was tiny, the biggest piece being a large hex, 1 set of wires, and 3 cams up to size 1. I missed the third(?) belay and ended up with one wire in the rock and my body wedged into the crack, THAT WAS IT! At one stage Jimmy fell on the rope and I discovered what an effective though painful 'wedge' the body can be used as. 5 hours later we were up. It's not the best epic I've heard of, but when you consider it was my second lead ever, and the state of my rack, well, I still feel sick when I think about it. Oh god, where's my Zanax!!!!!!