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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
VIC Buffalo	(General)	(General)	(General)	[ Mt Buffalo Guide \| Images ]

Topic Date User

what's a 13-Dec-2009 At 5:31:37 PM jgoding

Message

Howdy, some of my suggested routes if you haven't been there much before, are:

Mackey’s Lookout: (see ACA for latest topos etc):
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=area&area_id=1202
Noblese Obliege 13**
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=crag&crag_id=415
A fundamental difference of opinion (16*). Great slabbing in a lovely area. not your usual run out! - need lots of bolt plates.
No Ego similar to above.

The Gorge:
Fantasies Of Gail (15*) in the waterfall area is supposed to be very nice
Home James (20**) – excellent, clean, appropriately protected, easy access. A pommie visitor the summer before last reckoned it deserved three stars
Fat Wall Ordinaire Banana Blasé (16**) – perhaps a bit on the short side, but one of the few routes of that sort of grade at Buffalo that is good quality, clean and easy to access.
Breathless (26***) - reputedly one of Ferret’s very best (and that includes some stiff competition indeed)
Pretty Girls with Long Knives (23***) – reputedly one of the best, maybe even THE best dyke route on the plateau (if you can find it!)
Hard Rain (22***) – Kevin Lindorff’s favorite route on the whole plateau
Beouwulf (18**) a good introduction to buffalo cracks
Vanity Fair (25***) Face climbing at it’s best
Vertical Tai Chi (25**) Classy steep wall climbing
Silk and Satin (21**) having had so many fantastic comments of late (and so many ascents) this surely must be a megaclassic.
Bannisters rush (21**) Sensational sustained well protected corner climbing / laybacking up immaculate rock in an outrageous position! A pants filler!
Where Angels fear to tread (17**) You’ll either love it or hate it!
Ozymandias (270m M4)
Lord Gumtree (284m M7)

The Cathedral: Sultan (20***) Maharajah (17***)
Fire in the foothills (19*) good face climbing with good pro, Shell Shock (19*) good face climbing
Bloodnock (17*) Good and clean and deserves two stars. Do the direct start - it looks really good.
Something under the bed is drooling (19) really deserves at least one star. A bit exiting at the top, but ok.
Edge of pleasure (21**) Just do the top pitch by abseiling in - you will need 2 ropes, as it's about 40m. Fantastic arête climbing on perfect rock, which is well bolted.
Aerial (17*) great face climbing
The Dreaming (23***)
Substance Abuse (24***)

The Hump:
Chickens in Choppers (19**) easy to get to, lovely introduction to slabbing at Buffalo.
Run Free with the Buffalo (19**) more superb slabbing right next to Chickens in Choppers
Cows with Guns (20**) just awesome slabbing. I’ve heard it said by some that this is a 3 star route!
The Initiation (18**) brilliant introduction to crack climbing at Buffalo. (How could this not get 3 stars?)
Icing on the Cake (22**)
Glossip Skins(25*), Glossip Skins Direct(24**)
They Might be Giants
Redbacks (23**)
Whitetails (24**)

The Horn:
The Pintle Left Hand Variant (16***) excellent crack climbing. Not much pro at the top where it’s easier (15m run out on the last bit, which while not hard would be daunting for anyone doing their first grade 16!).
Big Fun (15**) Just plain fun. I've heard of people having trouble finding the start so just take care.
Peroxide Blonde (20**) excellent arête climbing. The bolts are a little spaced to keep it exiting in places.
Hoi Polloi (16*) last pitch only deserves a star- great fun arête climbing, which is well bolted.
The Mothballs:
The biggest thing here (16*) - a tricky start but lovely well protected arête climbing above. Super easy access. Beginner friendly.
Waiting for a princess (19*) – gets grade 20 in the guide but is more like grade 19. A tricky weird bridgefest corner start but lovely well protected slab climbing above. Super easy access.

PS Not sure if you've seen them, but there are some updates to the current (V5) guide here:
http://www.vicclimb.org.au/index.php?location=publications
(if anyone has anything to add in the way of new routes or further corrections please feel free to e-mail me (buffaloguide@vicclimb.org.au or jgoding@aanet.com.au) with them and I'll update the update and send to the VCC to replace on their publications page so all can access).

I hope you have a great trip.

Joe