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10-Jan-2010 3:07:16 PM
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Just returned from a week at Araps - what an awesome crag - I won't leave it 11 years between visits again.
My mate did take a Borris Becker (Decker) on an obscure little route called Cheepers up near Dreadnaught Gully. Adz had clipped a dodgy carrot bolt (positioned so the load was right across the straight gate) then clipped a fixed sling at the lip. He took a small fall and the sling snapped sending him swinging into the boulders below just as the rope was taking up - thankfully the bolt/biner held.
I was lucky as only moments earlier I had clipped the sling declaring it a little worn and bleached but propably ok. Poor judgement in hindsight - sorry Adz. I was wandering if anyone knew how long this sling has been there? I reakon I have clipped lots more manky slings in various canyons in the blues.
It is not a bad route - very short but nice photos (better than the uber popular Pilot Error). Don't want to ruin the crag but would the Natimuk Bolting Fairies accept a donation to replace the dodgy carrot and maybe place a bolt instead of a fixed sling (very ugly)? Don't want to start a bolting war - just a (sensible?)suggestion me thinks.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/karry327/bazcheepers2-1.jpg
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10-Jan-2010 3:12:16 PM
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The dangers of crappy fixed gear. Glad your mate got out of it OK.
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10-Jan-2010 3:15:50 PM
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It was poor judgement on my behalf. Just want to put it out there so others are more cautious with fixed gear. (I could have backed it up with a new sling if I was stronger and could hang around at the lip)
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10-Jan-2010 6:58:39 PM
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On 10/01/2010 porkpie wrote:
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>I was lucky as only moments earlier I had clipped the sling declaring
>it a little worn and bleached but propably ok. Poor judgement in hindsight
>- sorry Adz. I was wandering if anyone knew how long this sling has been
>there? I reakon I have clipped lots more manky slings in various canyons
>in the blues.
There's a lot more force put on the sling when you fall on it than abseil on it. I read something somewhere about tests on a bunch of manky slings retrieved from abseil stations and they all survived a 100kg load. Of course, if you have a little bounce, even the sort that you get if your device locks up and you have to get it running smoothly again, or if your foot slips and you go for a swing, you put more than just your static weight on it. I expect Andrew will come along with a link to the report any moment now.
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>It is not a bad route - very short but nice photos (better than the uber
>popular Pilot Error). Don't want to ruin the crag but would the Natimuk
>Bolting Fairies accept a donation to replace the dodgy carrot and maybe
>place a bolt instead of a fixed sling (very ugly)? Don't want to start
>a bolting war - just a (sensible?)suggestion me thinks.
I suspect it's the same sling that I clipped in the early 90s. Could you place your own on lead? I can't remember. I don't have any great issue with it being turned into a proper sport route. It'd be rather like Strombeante really. Otherwise, at least without the fixed mank, it'll be obvious to place your own.
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>http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/karry327/bazcheepers2-1.jpg
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>
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10-Jan-2010 9:30:11 PM
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Sorry to hear about the accident, glad your mate is okay.
Jeepers definitely needs some fixing up. In my opinion it simply needs another bolt placed further up and left from the original bolt. (The original bolt is placed in a stupid position). Such a bolt would still be relatively easy to clip and should protect the moves up higher.
I will place a bolt under my pillow and hope the Arapiles bolting fairies come and weave some magic.
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11-Jan-2010 11:14:35 AM
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Did jeepers used to have a fixed sling? I recall placing one on the jug on the lip.
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11-Jan-2010 10:07:46 PM
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I would be happy to replace the bolt myself next time I am down there - just not sure how the locals would feel when they saw a NSWman heading up Central Gully with a drill.
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11-Jan-2010 10:23:11 PM
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If it's not done next time you are down then it wouldn't be unreasonable to do the job yourself. One bolt better positioned than the original is all it needs. You may as well leave the original bolt there as back-up (plus the fact that it's hardly noticeable). If you want some extra protection up higher, you can place your own sling on lead (as WideWet&Slippery pointed out - it's a bit funky but it is adequate).
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14-Jan-2010 12:59:35 PM
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So was this a ground fall or did your partner swing into the wall/boulders on one side?
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14-Jan-2010 1:27:11 PM
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The rope was just taking up as he hit the deck(which is boulder strewn). A foot left or right would have seen him land on top of one of the boulders from about 6m. Certainly not a critical fall but would ruin your day. It would have been a difficult spot to absiel out of with a broken ankle.
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14-Jan-2010 4:45:01 PM
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ONSIGHT ALERT!!
I had always heard about this route that if you place the sling over the shoulder of the hand that goes onto the jug over the lip it is nice and easy to pull the sling down over your hand and onto the flake, good gear and done quick and easy, unless.... you put the sling on the wrong arm, then your'e stuffed. :)
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15-Jan-2010 9:59:04 AM
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Was jeepers the route described in one of the araps updates in rock as the epitome of an arapiles climb?
I had heard the word epitome previously but did not realise this is the way it was spelt. I thought the word was like epic tome. It took me a while to figure out the arapiles epic tome was a 4m route.
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15-Jan-2010 1:52:16 PM
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was the sling worn through at one spot or degraded generally? Do you still have it?
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15-Jan-2010 2:02:00 PM
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Why do I get the feeling you want to break it more?
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15-Jan-2010 4:06:32 PM
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Sorry Mikl I don't have the sling. I noticed maybe 5% wear around the knot (it was 25mm tube tape tied with a tape knot). It was white tape but I could tell it was quite old and weathered.
The sad thruth is I would have backed it up if I could have stopped and done the job easily (as mentioned earlier have a sewn sling set-up on the left shoulder). More worrying is that I have clipped dome old slimey rotten slings in canyons because I thought tape/webbing was bombproof.
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16-Jan-2010 2:33:29 PM
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On 15/01/2010 widewetandslippery wrote:
>Was jeepers the route described in one of the araps updates in rock as
>the epitome of an arapiles climb?
>
>I had heard the word epitome previously but did not realise this is the
>way it was spelt. I thought the word was like epic tome. It took me a while
>to figure out the arapiles epic tome was a 4m route.
An epitome of Arapiles routes with dodgy fixed gear perhaps.
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