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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

Camping and climbing at Buffalo 28-Oct-2008 At 2:51:02 PM shiltz

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I'll almost certainly be going up again this summer. Much better than the Grampians or Arapiles once it starts to really heat up. That said, now is also a nice time to be up there so long as you watch the weather forecast.

Outside the peak weekends you shouldn't have any problems getting a camping spot at Lake Catani. You need a car (or a bike I suppose) to get to some places like the Cathedral, the Hump or the Horn. You can walk to the Gorge from Lake Catani if you don't have a car. There are some other places nearby that are worth checking out as well like Chalwell Galleries.

Don't expect to meet up with climbers up there like you can at Arapiles or Stapylton. The climbing is spread out and there are a lot less people climbing there in my experience, it doesn't suit everyone's tastes. I'd suggest long pants and a long sleeve t-shirt for a lot of the routes. Taping your hands can also be a good idea where you know there will be lots of jamming.

The Hump is probably the most pleasant place to get into some Buffalo slabs and generally get acquinted with the rock. You can rap into many of the routes and pre-clip the bolts. There are also longer trad routes like Initiation.

The Cathedral is good to check out next, lots of variety in the climbs there. The Horn is also well worth a visit early on and don't forget to check out Dreamworld while you are up that way.

After that, I would get into the Gorge and do some of the classics to learn your way around. The Gorge is a complicated area and finding the climbs isn't always easy but there is so much to do! Prepare to be very tired at the end of the day. That's when the lake and the hot showers really come into their own. It's just a shame you can't get a milk shake at the Chalet anymore.