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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
VIC Buffalo	Gorge	South Side	Burston's Creavasse	[ Gorge Guide ]

Topic Date User

Stonking Big Offwidth Finish to Caligula 11-Feb-2015 At 6:50:39 PM Ithomas

Message

Along with Keith Bell, John Fantini and Peter Jacob, I climbed the alternative start to Monarch as a first ascent late in January 1974. We called the slanting flake 'Grandstand' because just before the flake merges with Monarch it is possible to turn face out to the Gorge and by gripping the edge of the flake, peer over the edge and obtain a grandstand view of the North Wall and all of the valley.
I think we somehow contrived to all end up behind the flake at the same place so that our four heads could pop over the edge and take in the view at the same time. We were easily amused. After completing that novelty we all thrutched our way to the top of Monarch via it's second pitch.

As far as I know, the chimney which spears up from high on Caligula was never climbed. Maybe it was claimed later in the 70's?
It probably looked too easy for we pioneers with our gigantic cojones.

By the way, all of those intersecting tracks around Lake Catani were created by Nick Taylor and Kevin Lindorff both of whom had an extremely poor sense of direction coupled with enormous balls (which literally reached to the ground). We would often hear them late at night dragging their burden through the forest.

From my experience anyone who wanted to climb the chimney in question should eat healthily, wait for their cojones to grow and then make an attempt. There is a long global history of unprotected chimneys and poorly protected off-widths and long may it be so.