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Chockstone Forum - Trip Reports

Tells Us About Your Latest Trip!

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 34
Author
Grampians Mini Weekend

Super Saiyan
5-Sep-2005
2:07:53 PM
Good weather and no weekend work! Off to the gramps!

Kezza was working at Cliffhanger til close friday so it was close to 11pm when she arrived at my place in geelong. Off to the supermarket to pick up a few essentials (Frosties cereal, Red Bull, Lolly snakes) and a few bargains. Some dude was marking down all the bread prices and I jokingly threw a foccacia his way and said "dont wanna mark this down do u?" and he did! Half price. Very chuffed! :) After several more "late night shopping bargains" we were off cruising to Snoop Dogg, Pete Murray and Xavier Rudd on Jimbo's Special Mix. 130km/h had us turning into the gramps in just 2 and a half hours from geelong to engage in a refreshing game of "Dodge The Animals"

The rules are simple:

No more than 70km/h to keep it fair
No swerving to hit them (I get smacked in the head from Kerryn if I do)
If I'm braking and hit them, I dont get a smack in the head
Rabbits dont count

I win if I dont hit anything.
They win if they smash my car (or is that lose?)

James 1 Animals 0 but i swear they are getting more organised!

So we get to Stayplton and realise that yes we have left the tent pegs at home! Doh! So we set up the tent at 3am and peg everything out with esky's, packs, boots and pile into bed!

After a bit of a sleep in (we are sport climbers after all) we're packed up, buzzing from Frosties and headed to Bad Moon Rising Wall, neils newly developed crag. We pick up a few stragglers on the way who arehaving trouble navigating to Van Diemans. We arrive at the crag to find a few traddies working Raunchy Rooster and bagging its bolting (even tho the guide says the second bolt is a scary clip and if they put a long draw on it would be fine!) They dont shaddup for another hour! So we decide to have a crack at "All the Way to Eleven" a nice 22 next door. I tie in and Im off, working my way past the first 3 bolts on the thin face til I get to a crux highstep, which proves to be too much when my very cold fingers cant crimp to save themselves! Kez is up next and has to find a very alternative sequence between the 2nd and 3rd bolts because of her dodgy knee... So she dogged a new sequence to the third bolt, then cleanly climbed through the crux and to the top! Next time for sure!

After a bit of lunch we wandered down to scope out De La Soul again, a route I had first tried in March and was keen to get back on. But first, back to BMR Wall.

I tied in again and climbed smoothly through to my previous high point, finding a sensational sharp crimp at the crux, got my foot up on the thin rail, and tagged the best side pull I have ever found! I managed to get through to the second last bolt, before pumping out while trying to find some good holds! Off I come! Doh! SOOOO close!

Kez is up again, nails the new sequence, makes the most of the newly found crimp and cruises to the top in a brilliant epic effort, fighting the pump and the cold! Another 22 redpoint falls to Little Miss Foot Technique! :)

I'm up again for a final shot and to get the draws off, but run out of skin shy of the 3rd bolt and dog the rest of the way! Bring on summer! We retire for the day, leaving a few tourons at the way up to Hollow Mountain, who proceed to coo-ee and yell out to each other all over the mountain!

Chicken Ceaser salad, sandwiches and aero bar washed down with Staminade for dinner then crashed into bed....

We were SUPPOSED to leave for home at 11, but the weather was just too nice so we headed up to Sentinal Cave to work on an old nemisis, Stepping On Snakes. Putting the draws on got me just past the traverse then off I came, and Kez was up. Having trouble remembering the sequence, Kez came up just past the crimp traverse while going for the jug. I then got to witness the infamous tanty i'd heard so much about! lol

Second shot for me, and I cruised through to the dyno, popped to an intermediate crimp in the dyno, then popped again but didnt quite catch all the lip, only getting a pad's worth, and couldnt readjust! Off i come! Bugger! It was the end, you only had to clip the anchors! You idiot! Although, props to Magic Chalk. That stuff rocks my world!

Second shot for Kez, cruised through the crux, and fell trying to readjust her hands 3 holds from the top! Next time for sure!

We were running out of sun, so we decided to pack up and head for home... Bit of KFC in Ararat topped off the weekend nicely.

Til Next time

Peace

nmonteith
5-Sep-2005
2:18:24 PM
Glad you guys had fun on these routes!

Super Saiyan
5-Sep-2005
2:22:25 PM
Yeah All the Way to Eleven is choice! Wasnt a fan after the first effort, but after finding the crimp, I loved it!
robin
5-Sep-2005
7:04:08 PM
I guess as a traddie I kind of expect to be able to climb to the second bolt, not have to climb something else to abseil the route first. All the Way to Eleven is a very good climb. Raunchy Rooster is a little less consistent but still has some good moves. Second bolt should be lower but I guess we don't always get our bolt placements right either.
SBW
5-Sep-2005
7:56:01 PM
Once a route has been bolted , it should be safe to do a ground up ascent with out facing a grounder . other than that i thought the route was quite good.

nmonteith
5-Sep-2005
8:16:44 PM
Did anyone do the original (and the best) Rage And Ruin??
KP
5-Sep-2005
8:37:30 PM
raunchy rooster should ALWAYS be approached with caution.

Super Saiyan
5-Sep-2005
8:43:10 PM
The guide says straight up "the second bolt is a scary clip". I dont see why u would get on the route expecting anything else. If it does worry you, get a stick and stick clip a long draw on it. Its a sport route, if its scary/dangerous u can fix it, so to speak.

For the record, I havent climbed this route
SBW
6-Sep-2005
7:16:39 AM
On 5/09/2005 obsessedclimber wrote:
>The guide says straight up "the second bolt is a scary clip". I dont see
>why u would get on the route expecting anything else. If it does worry
>you, get a stick and stick clip a long draw on it. Its a sport route, if
>its scary/dangerous u can fix it, so to speak.
>

yes the guide does say it's a scary clip , so what is the purpose of placing the bolt in the first place if it doesn't protect you ?

Super Saiyan
6-Sep-2005
8:29:16 AM
It means you have to climb through some moves before clipping, not "im standing with the first bolt in front of my eyes, i should be able to reach the next one"
WM
6-Sep-2005
8:45:57 AM
I was there when the 2nd bolt position on Raunchy Rooster was being decided, and have also lead it since. Plenty of thought went into the bolting and I don't think it could have been done better. The first bolt is as high as it could safely go. There are no lower holds from which you want to stop and clip the 2nd bolt - they are tiny. You are not on a grounder when placing the 2nd draw - it is only if you place a short draw and need to reef out yards of slack to clip it that you might get into a groundfall situation (and I stress 'might' - the first bolt is pretty high, and an alert belayer can do good things).

Hence: put a long draw (1m+) on the 2nd bolt so that you clip the rope in at waist height, and you will be fine. IMO it is the climber's responsibility to keep this option in mind and make an assessment of whether it is required before leaving the deck.

The dangers of clipping second draws high above your head and pulling out an extra 2-3m of slack (compared to clipping at your waist) have been well publicised.

PS thanks for the TR (but since when was BMR "Neil's crag"?! ;)

nmonteith
6-Sep-2005
8:55:10 AM
On 6/09/2005 WM wrote:
>PS thanks for the TR (but since when was BMR "Neil's crag"?! ;)

Since I bought the title last weekend! NOT.

kp
6-Sep-2005
2:31:22 PM
Sorry William (and Mick !!) but 'the rooster' is badly bolted IMO. The 2nd bolt should have been put a foot lower so you can clip off the good crimp (3 fingers one pad). In its present state its 'unpleasant' or 'scary as hell', depending on your viewpoint, to clip the 2nd bolt.

bye bye


nmonteith
6-Sep-2005
2:43:17 PM
It was an attempt by Mike to make the bolt clippable from my original top-roped version of the climb that
came in as a traverse after the first bolt on Rage And Ruin. I might actully still bolt the traverse version...
it seems people don't like Mike Files direct 'stolen' version of my original climb!
kp
6-Sep-2005
2:47:00 PM
he stole the name too.

Lesson of the day, never get drunk with Mike File...

kezza
6-Sep-2005
2:48:53 PM
Kent it was never said it wouldn't/couldn't be a grounder. You can see before you set up the climb the second clip could be a potential grounder. Not only by looking at the route, but also reading the guide..
Like WM said, and I had also mentioned on the day, why not just put a longer draw on it... Why not?
I mean they did climb up All the way to 11, why not swing across and put a longer draw on before they even left the ground..?
Little (big?) complaints like this is annoying.. Ruins your day of climbing for yourself and those around. Next time you think a clip will be too scary, either come up with a solution (long draw) or leave the climb, and jump on something else that hasn't got the scary clips. There is PLENTY of climbs at this crag and Van Diemans to get your kick for the day.
No need to complain, and there is definately no need to have a go at the bolter.
If the bolts weren't there, you wouldn't be climbing there at all. Be thankful for what you have, and use it to the best of your ability.

Climb Safe Everyone
kp
6-Sep-2005
2:55:42 PM
sorry kez,
i like things to be bolted for the onsight climber. Its the way i prefer to do routes... rapping in and putting a draw on somthing takes that option away from me.

Maybe im just bitter that i flailed around on the 1st bolt for around 10 minutes !!

later.
\

kezza
6-Sep-2005
3:02:12 PM
Understandable Kent, but I guess you just can't have everything.

*sigh*

nmonteith
6-Sep-2005
3:06:01 PM
The best way is to climb Rage And Ruin first - then when you lower-off preplace the long draw on the
second bolt of Raunchy Rooster. This saves the onsight and makes it safe!
dalai
6-Sep-2005
3:13:25 PM
On 6/09/2005 kezza wrote:
>No need to complain, and there is definately no need to have a go at the
>bolter.
>If the bolts weren't there, you wouldn't be climbing there at all. Be
>thankful for what you have, and use it to the best of your ability.


>Climb Safe Everyone

That's the point exactly, climbing safe!!

Sorry Kezza I have to disagree with your post. If it were a run out trad route, there is the responsibility of the repeat ascensionist to decide whether the route is within their ability/comfort zone.

As soon as bolts are placed, it's the responsibility of the equiper to make the climb safe! It appears the second bolts placement was a compromise as Neil states to allow clipping from the traverse, and sounds like it would have been better placed near the crimp as KP suggests.

Having bolted a few climbs over the years, I too have had some of my bolting efforts negatively commented on and have made amends (as I don't get onto routes anymore - fixes have been kindly done by SaferCliffsVictoria).

Without people out there putting the effort into establishing the new routes, there wouldn't be the new climbs as you say. But feedback (critical or not), is important and in the FA's interest to improve on if necessary with the next climb.

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 34
There are 34 messages in this topic.

 

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