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Author

Mt Pilot

bl@ke

3-Aug-2009
8:40:59 PM

Last sunday Rod, Mum and I found ourselves at the carpark of mt pilot gearing up for our first trip out (mum and my first trip ).
First stop: yeddonba wall. After thrashing our way down we reached the base of "Yeddonba wall" 40m "easy" (under grade 12). Before we got climbing Rod showd me some aid climbing gear as i have a bit of interest in learning to aid. After that we decided to split the climb into 2 pitches so mum could learn to place pro in the crack on the top half of the climb. Rod quickly zipped up the first half after a bit of effort getting the bolt plates onto the bolts.
After Rod set up the belay Mum started off on the climb, after a bit of trouble and pack swapping she got up.
Now it was my turn, I also get the fun job of getting the bolt brackets off the slightly too big bolt heads. But i get up the first part well and also found a new love for slab climbing. I clip into the belay and then belay rod up. then rod abseilked back down and set up a toprope for mum so she could practise placing pro.
I was then left alone all lonley and cold while Mum and Rod climbed the crack, Rod teacging mum to place pro and all that stuff. After a while they were finished and i got to climb. it was a wicked climb, up up i went along the crack, hand in foot in hand in foot in, with a few slab moves in between. I top out with legs burning.
Lunch time.
After lunch we head over to Bakery wall Which is a pretty cool cliff.
At the top Rod tells us of a very rare/endangered orchid that finds its home at the top of the cliff so anyone Who is around the area watch out for them. Rod then gives us a tour of the area showing us the good climbs and hiving us some history. I decide i like the look of "little fatty" Grade 17 so i decide after a bit of umming and ahhing decide to lead it.

This is my hardest lead so far. I get up most of the route fairly easily placing two nuts and clipping the one bolt on the climb. Now the route is just ever so slightly overhung just enough to make it a bit of a pain. I go off line a bit to the right and sus out my next moves but i procrastinate to long until im to pumped to do the next moves so i down climb and rest on a bolt repeating this twice not game enough to comit because i dont want to do the big pendulem fall that will happen if i fall. i lower to the ground and pull the rope and rest for a few minutes.
After those few minutes i start up the climb again going up to where i was getting stuck again i decide to clip the bolt of Big fatty which gives me the courage to climb on. ahh finished it finaly. Next Mum top ropes it but dosnt manage to do it and then Rod cruises it on top rope. Its getting late now so we head off and depart. All in all it was a good day and a good crag to have a cli8mb at.

Thanks for reading
Cheers

ajfclark

3-Aug-2009
9:12:04 PM

On 3/08/2009 bl@ke wrote:
>Thanks for reading

Thanks for writing.

Olbert

4-Aug-2009
10:03:21 AM

On 3/08/2009 bl@ke wrote:
>Before we got climbing Rod showd me some aid
>climbing gear as i have a bit of interest in learning to aid.
QUICK SOMEBODY HELP THIS KID BEFORE HE FALLS TO THE DARKSIDE!!!

Nice trip report! Did you get any cool pics?

Organ Pipe

4-Aug-2009
10:57:31 AM

Good work Blake, we don't see enough TR's here on Chocky - keep em up.

widewetandslippery

4-Aug-2009
11:04:04 AM

Blake thanks for the trip report.

Rod as in M9? top fella.

Good work on getting on the sharp end.

bl@ke

4-Aug-2009
6:55:59 PM

Yeah Rod = M9 he is a top bloke and has so much info and history in climbing! I think we got a few nice pics so i will get someone to load them up for me as i have no idea how too heh heh heh. I love going for a bit of leading but im getting worried that i am enjoying the security that comes from clipping bolts too much HELP. Aiding would be a cool thing to be able to learn, but yes it could result in me buying all of bogongs rock climbing section :)

gordoste

4-Aug-2009
7:32:45 PM

nice to hear someone got out on the weekend, the weather wasn't too great. little fatty and big fatty are both harder than they look, but are pretty good fun! i'll let you know when we head out there next

bl@ke

4-Aug-2009
8:20:11 PM

Talk about harder than they look! they look like a jug haul but pump like a ..... something? :)

Sarah Gara

4-Aug-2009
9:50:06 PM

On 4/08/2009 bl@ke wrote:
> I decide i like the look of "little fatty" Grade 17 so i decide after a bit of umming and ahhing decide to lead it. This is my hardest lead so far. I get up most of the route fairly easily placing two nuts and clipping the one bolt on the climb.

good lead well done. x

jacq

13-Aug-2009
10:09:03 PM

Some photos to go with the trip report.

Rod is fab! Dig those volleys...

Blake on Big Fatty

Rod on Big Fatty in those volleys...

IdratherbeclimbingM9

18-Aug-2009
5:54:16 PM

I shall have to watch out for this Rod fella (sic). He sounds like the kind of bloke that would be good to climb with, even if he has been known to lure folk to the dark side. I have also heard that he only ever wears volleys when going out with new climbing partners so as to intimidate them regarding their footwork, heh, heh, heh.

Yes, it was an enjoyable day, and is a good trip report bl@ke.

>I was then left alone all lonley and cold while Mum and Rod climbed the crack,

I thought that perhaps you would have been too busy managing simul-belaying to notice the cold? ☺. Consider yourself now gently introduced to the art of climb-suffering, from which an over-night epic is but a short experience away!

>I also get the fun job of getting the bolt brackets off the slightly too big bolt heads.

After I have checked out how some other brands of brackets place on those bolts, and maybe as a consequence sorted them to be more user-friendly, you shall have to lead it (~> in which case I doubt you will notice the weather!), as it is one of the classics of the Mt. and as you have found, is a very different style to the Bakery area.

>After those few minutes i start up the climb again going up to where i was getting stuck again i decide to clip the bolt of Big fatty which gives me the courage to climb on.

That was an interesting variant, and the first time I have seen Little-Big Fatty climbed that way!

rod

18-Aug-2009
6:17:47 PM

good pics, looks like nice climbing. as a young fella i used to go bouldering in volleys though at the time i had no idea that 'climbing' existed.

bl@ke

18-Aug-2009
8:31:36 PM

Hey! M9 your back! I will hopefully get to lead it some day although i might just wack a nut with the head pulled down the wire a bit over the bolts which might save me a bit of time ;) heh heh. I have got a few aldi krabs for some aid shenanagans now all i need to do is find/scab/make some aiders and ill be set.... almost.
People who climb in volleys are wicked, im lost on a grade 8 without my chili's.
thanks to all who have read, theres another TR on its way.......

WM

19-Aug-2009
8:52:33 AM

hey M9, the first time I climbed with that guy Rod I didn't see him whip out the volleys when trying to free Ozy p4-9!

ps keep the TRs coming bl@ke

IdratherbeclimbingM9

19-Aug-2009
10:52:15 AM

That's because I heard he was in darkside mode that day and only jugging after belay duty. I think he was also distracted by detaching a rib from its cartilage too, if I recall correctly; but may have had them in his pack, as I have also heard he is known for carrying too much stuff with him.

bl@ke

19-Aug-2009
5:47:28 PM

On 19/08/2009 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
> I have also heard he is known for carrying too much stuff with him.

No such thing as "too much stuff"
you can never have too much stuff ;)

Paulie

9-Sep-2009
6:14:13 PM

Good work mate, those holds on both routes are less useful than they look hey :)

There are 17 messages in this topic.