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what's a "must have rack" for Mt Buffalo? |
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20-Oct-2009 12:48:30 PM
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Planning at least a week's siege of various areas, TBA on arrival. Anything classic or simply awesome looking in the teen grades, maybe venture slightly higher if feeling good (unlikely but you never know, aim for the sky=hit the top of the tree).
I understand I need to be a little more specific with the area, but I guess I won't know til I get there myself.
Since I'll be more than likely flying/train-ing/hitching up to it, I'd like to keep my weight to a minimum and will appreciate any advice on what I MUST and should have..
bueller?
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20-Oct-2009 12:51:38 PM
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big cams and more than one of each if you are doing any of the classic trenches.
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20-Oct-2009 1:05:55 PM
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If the rock's anything like Booroomba (which I believe it is) you clearly need a rack of wires and a stack of cams. And as Monty says, big ones are often useful on granite. I also like to have brass wires and slung hexes. Not necessarily on all routes, but near by.
But MUST have, I guess just cams and wires. And extendable draws. But anyone climbing trad who doesn't have those already needs their head examined.
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20-Oct-2009 1:07:01 PM
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Tape or crack gloves!
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20-Oct-2009 1:11:50 PM
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On 20/10/2009 climbau wrote:
>Tape or crack gloves!
>
>
Weakness! I used to subscribe to this view, but as my jamBing technique has improved I use them less and less. As they say, it's like using a condom. Sure it's safer, but it doesn't feel as good, not as tactile.
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20-Oct-2009 1:14:53 PM
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You all forgot: lots of bolt plates. I take more to Buffalo than anywhere else.
Otherwise a standard rack with a set of cams (maybe doubles in the mid sizes) will see you right on most routes. Hexes are sometimes useful.
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20-Oct-2009 2:36:26 PM
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On 20/10/2009 evanbb wrote:
>On 20/10/2009 climbau wrote:
>>Tape or crack gloves!
>>
>Weakness! I used to subscribe to this view, but as my jamBing technique
>has improved I use them less and less. As they say, it's like using a condom.
>Sure it's safer, but it doesn't feel as good, not as tactile.
I can see the new sexual health campaign " prevent STI's, do it better!"
;)
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20-Oct-2009 2:39:29 PM
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On 20/10/2009 gfdonc wrote:
>You all forgot: lots of bolt plates. I take more to Buffalo than anywhere
>else.
More than the Bluies? Lugging up 16+ plates on Hotel California or Smegadeath surely beats the handful
of bolts on a Buffalo slab! :-)
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20-Oct-2009 2:43:49 PM
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On 20/10/2009 russianSpy wrote:
>Planning at least a week's siege of various areas, TBA on arrival. Anything
>classic or simply awesome looking in the teen grades, maybe venture slightly
>higher if feeling good (unlikely but you never know, aim for the sky=hit
>the top of the tree).
>I understand I need to be a little more specific with the area, but I
>guess I won't know til I get there myself.
>
>Since I'll be more than likely flying/train-ing/hitching up to it, I'd
>like to keep my weight to a minimum and will appreciate any advice on what
>I MUST and should have..
A sense of adventure and preferably a guide book, or team up with local climber/s.
Buffalo is quite spread out for its climbing. Without transportation you will be limiting the climbing day by uncertain lift arrangements. This could be a worry if undertaking long routes like Where Angels Fear To Tread, or longer access routes like those out at Back Wall...
Some areas are quite short length climbing, and this includes many good routes around the Gorge rim. A normal (read granite climbing), trad rack supplemented with a half dozen bolt brackets would suffice for almost all of those.
A second rope, or using double ropes can be handy as many of the gorge routes are abseil in & climb out affairs. Prusiks are a sensible item to carry for those just in case...
Teen grade climbs rules out aid, so your rack will be lighter for it!
A tent etc, for the campsite wouldn't go astray.
Hopefully you won't require a raincoat or a fire-blanket.
Minimum rack for Buffalo teen grade climbs in my opinion would consist of;
Full set of nuts (say 10).
Small-medium to medium-large slcds (say 6)
Bolt brackets (say 6)
Long runners (say 2)
Medium runners (say 4)
Quickdraws (say 6)
Rope (preferably 60m)
Prusik cords (minimum of 2)
Harness
Belay device.
Shoes.
Optional items … (in one persons order of preference!)
Second rope.
Larger slcds
Helmet.
More small-medium slcds or equivalent in tricams/hexs
Set of RP's.
Tape
A few more medium slings.
A few more quickdraws.
A few more bolt brackets.
evanbb wrote;
>If the rock's anything like Booroomba (which I believe it is)
You have mentioned this before.
It is a myth.
Buffalo generally is a much coarser granite than Booroomba.
☺
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20-Oct-2009 3:13:39 PM
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On 20/10/2009 nmonteith wrote:
>More than the Bluies? Lugging up 16+ plates on Hotel California or Smegadeath
>surely beats the handful
>of bolts on a Buffalo slab! :-)
Umm, yep, agreed. I just don't climb in the Bluies that often. Now Mikl is back, maybe ring bolts on HC is the nexy project?
Tried to get some Ti bolt plates made a few years back, need a fairly large commitment to make it cost-effective.
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20-Oct-2009 3:16:20 PM
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There's some good teens climbing around the horn area, cant remember any names offhand but Where Angels Fear to Tread is a classic, it took us most of the day. Bring large cams and be prepared to leave skin behind
Andy
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20-Oct-2009 3:20:02 PM
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Yes it is sometimes handy to have a spare rope to leave behind on those rap-in routes - but if you're travelling light you're not so likely to have one of those.
And if you're climbing multipitch routes in the Gorge, I reckon walkie-talkies are close to essential if you want to communicate. But that's just me. Lots of climbers I know seem to enjoy yelling WHAT? at each other.
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20-Oct-2009 3:23:08 PM
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if you're looking to trim down the rack, don't bother with hexes and RPs. gfdonc made a good point about bolt plates.
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20-Oct-2009 3:45:10 PM
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On 20/10/2009 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>Optional items …
>Helmet.
Hmmmmm? I'll have to respectfully disagree. i wont say i haven't forgotten it before but i'd still put it in the essentials.
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20-Oct-2009 3:47:46 PM
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On 20/10/2009 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>evanbb wrote;
>>If the rock's anything like Booroomba (which I believe it is)
>
>You have mentioned this before.
>It is a myth.
>Buffalo generally is a much coarser granite than Booroomba.
>☺
I'm choosing to play semantics over this one. Chemistry's the same; cooling regime slightly different, and erosion patterns will be very similar, since the chemistry is similar. So the broad shapes of the rock should be the same, even if the crystals are the different.
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20-Oct-2009 4:05:03 PM
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like someone else said, it's better to have some kind of transportation up there because it is very spread out. Usually you do one or two routes in one place and then move somewhere else which could be a 10 minute drive (e.g. from the gorge to the upper plateau).
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20-Oct-2009 6:07:32 PM
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On 20/10/2009 evanbb wrote:
>On 20/10/2009 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>>evanbb wrote;
>
>I'm choosing to play semantics over this one. Chemistry's the same; cooling
>regime slightly different, and erosion patterns will be very similar, since
>the chemistry is similar. So the broad shapes of the rock should be the
>same, even if the crystals are the different.
then, playing semantics, shouldn't you say that the rock is exactly the same as booroomba? (granite)
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20-Oct-2009 7:38:37 PM
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On 20/10/2009 citationx wrote:
>then, playing semantics, shouldn't you say that the rock is exactly the
>same as booroomba? (granite)
Nah, cooling regimes are very important.
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20-Oct-2009 7:45:45 PM
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Off set wires are the bomb!
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20-Oct-2009 8:52:04 PM
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On 20/10/2009 evanbb wrote:
>Weakness! I used to subscribe to this view, but as my jamBing technique
>has improved I use them less and less. As they say, it's like using a condom.
>Sure it's safer, but it doesn't feel as good, not as tactile.
Christ you can be a douch Evan!! You've never even been to the farking crag and here you are spraying about what the rock's like and how you wouldn't tape up. HB has been known to tape up there, are you tougher than him?!?
I don't tape at Booroomba cause there's almost no jam cracks, instead face climbing and laybacking predominate. Buffalo is massively more toothy, heaps more front on jammy and much more up to your shoulder in the crack style climbing..........why don't you go down there, do Angel's in stubbies and a tank top (sans tape), post photo's of your bloody carcass, then retract your bullshit advice?
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