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VIC Grampians (General) (General) (General) [ Grampians Guide | Images ]

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Two days in the Grampians - What to climb?

aussiedave

23-Dec-2010
5:38:03 AM

My wife and I will be heading back to Australia in Mar/Apr for predominantly a family visit, but we may have a little time spare to visit and climb in the Grampians. Where should be concentrate our plans?

Considerations:
-These days she follows up to about 17 and I could lead up to about a bolted 19 or 17 trad.
-Would be great to find grades 14-17 at the one crag/wall.
-We will have minimal gear (harness, shoes, small rack and rope) and may even just bring draws if there are ample good bolted lines.

If you had just two days to climb in the Grampians where would you go and which lines would you concentrate on to get the most of your short stay?

Thanks in advance!

nmonteith

23-Dec-2010
7:20:45 AM

With a minimal rack you are limiting yourself a bit as there isn't much in the way of easy sport. Summer Day Valley is great for easy trad stuff - a bit like Arapiles - quality rock and abundant trad gear. After 'warming up' there walk further up the hill to Hollow Mountain area on the back side of Stapylton. Crags with suitable sport routes include Amnesty Wall (only one route), Tribute Walls (several good routes) and Bad Moon Rising Wall (a couple of routes). The walk is spectacular to these crags and you pass by some of the hardest routes in the Grampians (Sandanista Wall).

Summer Day Valley Guide
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=crag&crag_id=380

Hollow Mountain Guide (inc Tribute etc)
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=crag&crag_id=79

Another crag with easy sport routes is Wave Wall/Sundeck.
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=area&area_id=926

aussiedave

23-Dec-2010
7:27:35 AM

Thanks Neil, I'll look into those areas a little. I suspect that not taking any trad gear will be severely debilitating, so I think a set of wires and some small cams shouldn't add too much weight. We'll be traveling by car after all but flying in from the States with probably two bags each.

nmonteith

23-Dec-2010
10:40:23 AM

Grampians and Arapiles sandstone eat up small to medium wires - so bring plenty of those! Small and medium cams as well - just leave the big cams at home.

widewetandslippery

23-Dec-2010
10:50:07 AM

Post here asking to borrow or rent a bouldering mat and go bouldering.

torque

23-Dec-2010
7:02:29 PM

I vote "the sun deck" on climb.org.au. As far as I know the easiest sport in the gramps. 6/7 lines from 17/18 to 21 (I think). Would be good for a day at least. All single pitch. If ur leading 19 on bolts there's at least 3 lines for u and a couple of harder ones to push it a bit. Well bolted too.

Watchtower crag near halls gap could be a good second day. Not the cream of the gramps,but some fun to be had and some trad lines that are doable at your grades and with a small rack.

Both easy walk ins too. But as said above, some other areas have lovely walk ins, so could be a consideration too.

Ideally you'd bring a full rack and head out further, get some good multi, like mt rosea. Just an idea.

Have fun!

nmonteith

23-Dec-2010
9:30:26 PM

I wouldn't travel from the afar to climb at the watchtower. Very unspectacular and nothing of worth below 20 as sport routes.

Stapylton is an amazing place just to walk around.

aussiedave

24-Dec-2010
5:03:13 AM

Appreciate all the advice and tips, fellas! I do love the look of the Wall Of Fools. Some longish routes and the area there looks like it has great views.

Obviously with that area we may have the possibility of crowds. At this stage it looks like we may be heading through the Gramps during the week of 11th-15th April, so may catch a school holiday period? Not sure.

Mostly interested in single pitch stuff. Mt Rosea looks awesome but will save that for another trip. I think I will bring one and a half sets of nuts and probably C4's 0.3-3 plus TCU's blue through red. That's already 11 cams, but only around 3kg or so.

There's a chance we may stop at Araps for a day but I've been there a ton and never ventured into the Gramps before.... so it's about time I did. We want to do a few hikes too, so not just there to climb. I think two days of routes would be perfect though.

Again, thanks guys!

Wendy

24-Dec-2010
8:56:13 AM

that rack should be fine for a bunch of stuff at summerday. It's probably good if that week is the school holidays, as at that time of year, I've been working in summerday with 7 other school groups squished into the valley. it's pretty bloody awful then. but you can always go for late afternoon if that's the case, after walking up stapyton and over to hollow mtn - a must do if you are into walking. maybe take a short rope and slings if either of you are nervous about scrambling near voids. Trident is a single pitch 14 in the amphitheatre that is also worth doing if summerday is busy. there's a couple of easy multis there - threadneedle and molar buttress. Spectacular location.

The sundeck is fun steep jug hauling once you get over ther rock quality, but if your partner is only following 17s, unless she is good at steep stuff at her limit, she won't get up much there. I wouldn't bother walking up to tribute for the approximately 2 routes she could do there - the "17" is desperate - although i supposed you could take the rack and do a couple of the trad routes on bad moon rising as well in the 11-16 range.

i only live an hour from the watchtower, and I wouldn't even travel that far to go there! if it's hot, bundaleer has scarab, the frog and gerontian, 1-2 pitches.

nmonteith

24-Dec-2010
4:29:55 PM

Summer day Valley in the morning and Tribute/Bad Moon for the afternoon. Perfect combo.

mikllaw

25-Dec-2010
8:24:19 AM

I have a massive loaner rack you are welcome to borrow for a bottle of wine. But it is 10 minutes from sydney airport.

There are 11 messages in this topic.