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TR: Ozymandias Direct 16-19 March 2020 8-Apr-2020 At 7:57:52 PM IdratherbeclimbingM9

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On 8-Apr-2020 Nick Roach wrote:
>Thanks for the responses!
>Dave: I knew I wouldn't have been the first to invent that way of hauling,
>but now I know what it's called! Space hauling 100% in future. It seems
>to make sense to carry spares of critical gear. The trouble is that so
>much of the gear is critical!
>
>I think it's worth mentioning that 2.5 litres was the total volume of
>water that we each had for the last day, not the volume of each bottle.
>We started with about 17 litres between the two of us and we discarded
>about 5 litres and finished with a litre or so to spare, so we actually
>only used about 5.5 litres of water each, or 1.8 litres per day.
>I know that the normal recommended amount is a lot more than that and
>I think that the reason we used so little was because we were doing it
>in autumn when the weather is relatively cool and the sun doesn't get the
>wall very much.

I too very much enjoyed reading your Trip Report, and I continue to find it an endless source of fascination reading of others accounts of their experiences in the Ozy environment.
It's one that I'm well familiar with, so marvel at the subtle differences in approach to the common problems experienced on it.

Regarding March being a good time of year to climb it, I agree, though one can still find themselves in unseasonable weather sometimes even then!

Regarding Space-hauling; what you were actually doing is counterweight hauling; ie when you use your body-weight to lower down off the anchor assisting the load to rise simultaneously. I have found this to be most efficient if you attach two etts end to end off the anchor, and have your rope waist tether tied off at a length commensurate with finishing the lower-off where you can stand in the last step, then reclimbing the etts back to the anchor, and repeat.
Another variation is to tether off even shorter, and simply do multiple squats with feet in one spot on your etts, while a jumar off the waist short-stroke hauls the bag.

True space hauling is where you are totally on the counterweight side of the hauling rope (with a back-up tether to the anchor), and you jumar the hauling rope while effectively remaining stationary relative to the wall, as the haulbag rises on the load side of the system.

You say that you jugged back up the haul rope, so it would seem that your load plus friction was 'heavier' than your body-weight, otherwise the load should have risen while you did that...

It is good to know that the possums are still providing interest at the ground bivy location(!), and your comment about star gazing from a portaledge brought back great memories too, along with sleeping the sleep of the dead!

Well done with topping out from Big Grassy in a day, given your hauling and setup off Wilko ledge shenanigans! When I first read that comment I thought to myself that it was ambitious given that you still had to negotiate the main roof and also the Fang...

A dry mouth while aiding brings back memories - usually much better in hindsight! As an aside, I have not yet used the luxury of cam hooks on that short section between turning the roof and arriving at Gledhill Bivy, as it is C1 on gear, though appreciate it'd be quicker on cam hooks.

A lot of parties haul to an anchor near the base of the chimney that leads to Wilko Ledge, and then haul from there to the top which avoids faffing with loads in the chimney.
An equally good alternative is to use a zip-line and get your haul rope up the outside of the chimney to the anchor on Wilko Ledge above the chimney, where it's possible to haul straight to Wilko Ledge, or, if your haul rope is long enough, go the extra distance to top-out and haul from there.

Aah water... 'Tis easy to guzzle a litre when dehydration starts setting in!

Thanks for posting your Report.