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Blue Ruin 1 - Three Amigos 0 7-Apr-2011 At 10:45:20 AM f_ladou

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We got our butts kicked. Badly.

It all started with this post from hipster (Ado):

"The next route you must do is Blue Ruin. You get phone reception on route so give me a call and I'll bring sleeping bags and beer if retreat is the only option!"

So we had to do it right? Hence, last week, I sent the following presumptuous email to Alex and Dominik.

Hi guys,

Here's the plan for Monday. No grumbling, please.

1. Dominik to pick us up at 7:00 in his brand new Q5.
2. Pit stop at the bakery in North Richmond at 8:00.
3. Gearing up at lower car park, Pierce's Pass 8:45
4. Pitch 1 (40m, 22): Alex, to work on his laybacking technique in the meanwhile.
5. Pitch 2 (40m, 24): Dominik cos he owns 15 quickdraws.
6. Pitch 3 (30m, 21): Alex again, since we love him.
7. Pitch 4 (30m, 18): You guys flip a coin.
8. Pitch 5 (45m, 24): François, that pitch is mine, MINE.
9. Pitch 6 (10m, 10): whomever lost the coin toss.
10. Celebratory beer at Kurrajong Heights.

How does that sound?

Can't wait.

François

We were all stoked and the weekend was gearing up to be an excellent one. You see, Saturday night was to celebrate Alex's last night as a single man (yes, hard to believe, I know). He wanted to hit the town hard, which we did. I knew that old chaps like us needed more than one day to recover from late nights, hence Sunday was designated as do-nothing day and Monday was climbing.

Unfortunately, we're even older than anticipated (especially me) and when Dominik picked us up at 6:00am, the mood in the car was, let's say, less than enthusiastic. Someone, and I won't say who, even mentioned that perhaps, we should do single pitch climbs at Shippley Upper instead. That didn't float.

So, we carefully examined the topo, Blue Ruin, 195 meters, max grade 24, rap in from Mirrorball, escape ledge after pitch 3, plenty of time ahead of us. Worse case scenario: we can't make it, we rap back down and exit via West Face of Mirrorball or choose another route like Bergermiester. Let's do it!

So back we were in the Grose. Alex roped up for the first pitch and launched into it. The temperature and conditions were ideal. This is a great pitch; have a look at Alex at the crux

Alex at the crux of pitch one (40m, 22) just about to reach the sandy part.

He took care of it in no time. In fact, he did it in 22 minutes and the three of us we on the belay ledge within 40 minutes. This is great climbing: most of it is spend laybacking along within the corner with protection strategically placed. One complain perhaps is that the crux is still quite sandy.

Dominik was looking forward to the second pitch and didn't know what to expect. The beginning is a hard slab -- that suits Dominik well and he deftly made his way up to the small roof about 8 or 10 meters above the belay ledge. That's where the shit hit the fan. In fact, the shit hit the fan continuously for 58 minutes (in case you wonder, we were timing ourselves for fun). Dominik really tried hard to crack that one. Here he is on his n-th attempt:

Dominik trying to beat the roof.

After many such tries, I suggested to aid the move by putting a sling into the ring bolt and stepping into it. That almost worked. Dominik stepped in, grab a high hold (he's 1.90m) pulled through, stepped up both feet on the wall and then, in a moment of inspired panic, grabbed the bolt desperately seeking for another hold for his left hand. I knew things would get worse before getting better as he now was trying to match hand on the bolt (!?!) saying all sorts of untranslatable things in German. Air time followed as surely as night follows day. Exhausted he came down to the belay ledge.

Alex suggested that perhaps we could rap down and climb up Mirrorball instead but I wanted to have a go. "It not always about what you want, dude" Dominik said to me. Sometimes, he says incomprehensible things. Very curious. So up I went, reached the roof, had a couple of goes before making the sling shorter which allowed me to sit on my heel and, filled with adrenaline, with the draw in my mouth, I stepped up, grabbed a high hold, painfully jammed my hand in a groove and quickly clipped in. Yoohoo! This constitutes my very first aid move. M9 would be proud of me.

The rest of the pitch was not easy either. It follows a long seam up to the belay ledge. After 30 meters of strenuous climbing, I reached what could be a hanging belay with a second ring bolt about a meter above the last one and placed inside a cave. I asked Alex if that could be it but we agreed that I was just pass the halfway mark on my 60 meter rope and that the topo states that pitch 2 is 40 meter long. I looked up and saw a ledge at about the right distance. So up I went.

Of course, you'd probably guested it, that was the belay station and I was now on the third pitch, running out of oomph and quickdraws. I started to ask to be lowered down to grab some of the draws I already clipped. I did this until I reached the end of the rope which happens to correspond exactly to the end of pitch 3... just short of the belay ledge. By then I was completely rooted, tired, pumped, call it what you will. I didn't help that Blue Ruin probably sees no traffic (hands up those who have been on it) and that I badly injured my shin when a foothold broke (had to see a doctor yesterday). I don't know how many times I shouted "rock!" during the hour and twelve minutes I spent climbing those two pitches with the broken pieces falling dangerously close to Alex and Dominik.

I belayed Alex and Dominik one at the time from a single bolt and a sling passed around a rocky outcrop and two hours later we were on the halt-way ledge. This was the way out and it was time to go home:

The halfway ledge and our way out to a well deserved beer at Kurrajong Heights.

So, Ado, we didn't have to ring you but we sure appreciate the offer!

Cheers, François