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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

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Author
Candlestick route info
redz
27-Sep-2013
8:06:08 PM
Hi all,
I'll be heading to tassie over Xmas and plan on doing the candlestick. Can't seem to find good info regarding getting on and off the pinnacle. Is a tyrolean an option or is it needed. If there's a tyrolean that I can do what's the details? Rope lengths, anchors etc
Cheers
Darrren
27-Sep-2013
8:56:04 PM
http://www.thesarvo.com/confluence/display/thesarvo/Tasman+Peninsula

Its in the Fortescue section. You need a 70m to rap then you tag that line and tyroleen back to the mainland from the big ledge one pitch from the top. Have fun.
dave1962
27-Sep-2013
10:45:32 PM
cool video of the candlestick http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-01/candlestick-conquerors/4048202
simey
28-Sep-2013
11:34:26 AM
Getting on and getting off the Candlestick is quite a bit more involved than the Totem Pole. I wrote down some notes but I can't find them. Hopefully someone else can help you out. The Tyrolean to get off the Candlestick (having already done one abseil from the summit to a good ledge with fixed anchors) is situated much higher on the Candlestick side than the mainland side, so you need to consider that. The overall length of the Tyrolean is a bit more than 30m as I recall.

Cam McKenzie
28-Sep-2013
11:41:17 AM
There are a couple of routes up there. The original grade 16 one (which I haven't done) which goes up a bunch of widish cracks, and a grade 18ish one which follows a couple of pitches of corners, and then a ridge to to the 16 for the final pitch to the summit.

You can tyrolean to the start of the 18 so that only one person in the party has to do the swim. Our approach was:
-Fix a 60m rope from the mainland and rap to the base of the tote.
-Send someone over to the Candlestick trailing a rope
-Rig a tyrloean (there are bolts on the land side and on the candlestick side) and get zip over to the candlestick
-Climb two grade 18ish pitches trailing the fixed rap line that's attached to the land side anchors.
-Climb a ridge pitch (needed some shenanigans here to get the tyrolean rope around a few aretes)
-Fix the tyrolean rope to the anchor here and leave it behind.
-Climb another pitch to the summit
-Get glory shot on summit
-Rap back down to previous anchor
-Rig the tyrolean
-Zip back to the mainland for victory beers.
Mangani
29-Sep-2013
1:10:31 AM
Here' s a little bit from when I climbed the candlestick about 1.5years ago;
After a wicked day on the tote with my climbing partner, we thought it would be great to take the girlfriends up the candlestick the following day. The bottom tyrolean is easy and only 10m or so but you need someone to swim out there first. We climbed as two parties of two following the grade 18 corners as this is the anchor you can see from the bottom of the chasm rap. We started late in the day expecting only 4 easy pitches of grade 16. Here's how it went.
First pitch knocked off rock and gashed friends arm doh...
Second pitch follow corner system and avoid all loose blocks yay
Third pitch climbed funky offwidth on the left instead of hand crack doh
Tyrolean rope got caught on just about everything doh
team below if taking a long time better help them instead of summiting
Looks like its getting kinda dark...
Rig tyrolean except the anchor on the pinnacle if about 15m higher than the mainland anchor doh its about 40m long
rapped down looking for another anchor, isn't one anywhere but did find the original route yay it starts behind the tote when you are standing on the chasm ledge
first person gets over the tyrolean yay its dark now doh
girlfriend gets jumar stuck and get exhausted in the middle of the chasm of doom doh (man I wish I taught her how to use it)
We all get onto the mainland yay its only 1am
Only a 2 hr walk back to camp, wish I carried more food doh
Wake up early to stich up friends arm damn thing wont stop bleeding
redz
30-Sep-2013
7:32:22 PM
Thanks for the feedback. Pretty sweet vid there. The swim looks like the scariest part ...
gfdonc
16-Feb-2015
5:21:43 PM
(& bump) We did the Candlestick last Friday, a very satisfying day out.

Info FYI:
1. The obvious way to do this route is to rap down from the anchors level with the top of the Totem Pole onto a good ledge, swim and tyrolean across to a small ledge diagonally across and left of you, then up the corners above.
2. Done this way we thought the pitches were 18, 17ish, 16, 14ish and generally well protected. I understand the original route starts somewhere further around left, and is easier.
3. There are two bolts with shackles at the bottom of the abseil, both stainless. One is a bit undersized, but they both looked OK.
4. There are two bolts with FHs on the ledge on the other side. These are visible from above when you're scoping the route from the mainland.
5. We rapped on a 70m, and there was plenty of rope in the water when I got to the bottom of the abseil. I understand a 60m is enough, but can't confirm.
6. There were two fixed wires in the first pitch. I clipped both of them, they looked OK, and are still there.
7. At the start of the 3rd pitch you go a little left up a face/corner/crack, which means your trailing line (abseil rope) now goes around the buttress/arete to the right and you might think could get stuck. It all worked out OK for us, but there's a little undercut section in the arete that the rope could catch underneath, fairly low down. If you're in a party of 2, try to flick the rope up the arete before you take off. Larger parties can send the trail line up with the 2nd person then make sure it stays free of this obstacle.
8. The rap at the very top was off slings. We added a fresh one, but some rings would be a better option if anyone is prepared to take a drill. Also left a biner to be sure.
9. The tyrolean to get back across is about 40m and is sensational. Bear in mind you'll need at least 2 ropes (some sources mention this, some don't).
10. We also used a rope to belay each person downwards as the anchors on the mainland are about 15m lower than those on the Candlestick, so the first 15-20m of the tyro are more an abseil than a tyrolean. That meant we needed 4 ropes if you think it through, which luckily we had.
11. Optionally you can rap back down to the ledge at the end of the 2nd pitch which is about level with the mainland's anchors and would be a shorter distance across. It might be less than 30m, but I can't be sure, and wouldn't rely on it. There are some slings and biners left there to set up your tyrolean, but I can't vouch for them.
12. There are two rusty steel biners at the higher tyro point. We didn't trust them, so left two old(er) aluminium screwgates there.

TR to follow ..
simey
17-Feb-2015
10:11:50 PM
On 16/02/2015 gfdonc wrote:
>(& bump) We did the Candlestick last Friday, a very satisfying day out.
>
>Info FYI:
>1. The obvious way to do this route is to rap down from the anchors level
>with the top of the Totem Pole onto a good ledge, swim and tyrolean across
>to a small ledge diagonally across and left of you, then up the corners
>above.

Keep in mind this is not the Original Route. The Original Route in theory is easier than the route you are describing and it also involves less stuffing around with regard dragging up the abseil rope from the mainland (required later for the tyrolean back to the mainland).

>2. Done this way we thought the pitches were 18, 17ish, 16, 14ish and
>generally well protected. I understand the original route starts somewhere
>further around left, and is easier.

The Original Route starts to the right of the route you are describing (not to the left) and from a ledge almost directly behind the Totem Pole. There are no bolts on this ledge despite what the guidebook says (good natural gear is available).

>3. There are two bolts with shackles at the bottom of the abseil, both
>stainless. One is a bit undersized, but they both looked OK.
>4. There are two bolts with FHs on the ledge on the other side. These
>are visible from above when you're scoping the route from the mainland.
>5. We rapped on a 70m, and there was plenty of rope in the water when
>I got to the bottom of the abseil. I understand a 60m is enough, but can't
>confirm.
>6. There were two fixed wires in the first pitch. I clipped both of them,
>they looked OK, and are still there.
>7. At the start of the 3rd pitch you go a little left up a face/corner/crack,
>which means your trailing line (abseil rope) now goes around the buttress/arete
>to the right and you might think could get stuck. It all worked out OK
>for us, but there's a little undercut section in the arete that the rope
>could catch underneath, fairly low down. If you're in a party of 2, try
>to flick the rope up the arete before you take off. Larger parties can
>send the trail line up with the 2nd person then make sure it stays free
>of this obstacle.
>8. The rap at the very top was off slings. We added a fresh one, but
>some rings would be a better option if anyone is prepared to take a drill.
> Also left a biner to be sure.
>9. The tyrolean to get back across is about 40m and is sensational. Bear
>in mind you'll need at least 2 ropes (some sources mention this, some don't).
>10. We also used a rope to belay each person downwards as the anchors
>on the mainland are about 15m lower than those on the Candlestick, so the
>first 15-20m of the tyro are more an abseil than a tyrolean. That meant
>we needed 4 ropes if you think it through, which luckily we had.
>11. Optionally you can rap back down to the ledge at the end of the 2nd
>pitch which is about level with the mainland's anchors and would be a shorter
>distance across. It might be less than 30m, but I can't be sure, and wouldn't
>rely on it. There are some slings and biners left there to set up your
>tyrolean, but I can't vouch for them.
>12. There are two rusty steel biners at the higher tyro point. We didn't
>trust them, so left two old(er) aluminium screwgates there.
>
>TR to follow ..
>

Unfortunately the guidebooks describing the routes up the Candlestick provide very little information and the information they do provide is all messed up as it confuses the two routes. It's all very annoying, especially as the Candlestick is quite a serious undertaking (arguably more serious than climbing the Totem Pole even though the climbing isn't as difficult).

gfdonc
18-Feb-2015
9:10:41 AM
On 17/02/2015 simey wrote:
>The Original Route starts to the right of the route you are describing
>(not to the left) and from a ledge almost directly behind the Totem Pole.
Thanks for that. We would not have worked that out from the existing material.

>Unfortunately the guidebooks describing the routes up the Candlestick
>provide very little information and the information they do provide is
>all messed up as it confuses the two routes. It's all very annoying, especially
>as the Candlestick is quite a serious undertaking (arguably more serious
>than climbing the Totem Pole even though the climbing isn't as difficult).

Agree. The Tote did look 'convenient' by comparison, and the climbing up the (partly bolted) 24 up the front looks good.

nerm
18-Feb-2015
9:55:57 AM
The thesarvo guide is editable if you want to help improve it. It probably needs the 18 listed as a separate route as it's commonly done and mistaken for the normal route:
http://www.thesarvo.com/confluence/display/thesarvo/Fortescue+Bay

Also needs the info here incorporated:
http://www.thesarvo.com/confluence/display/thesarvo/2015/01/21/The+Candle+Stick
http://www.thesarvo.com/confluence/display/thesarvo/2009/01/10/Candlestick+routes
http://www.thesarvo.com/confluence/display/thesarvo/2005/12/21/Candlestick+new+route+info
gfdonc
18-Feb-2015
11:19:13 AM
Thanks Jon. I hope to get some time for that before I forget.
FYI I also took notes on our ascent of The Sydney Route (direct) a few days prior, including remeasuring and grading most of the pitches. It would be worth updating that description also.

nerm
18-Feb-2015
11:42:55 AM
Cool. Either edit it directly, or post the changes here and i'll get them into the guide. Cheers.
gfdonc
18-Feb-2015
12:02:49 PM
Hi again.
I have a login, added the route description ("Direct") and hit Save but don't see it. Does it go via you for approval?


IdratherbeclimbingM9
18-Feb-2015
12:11:50 PM
On 18/02/2015 gfdonc wrote:
>Thanks Jon. I hope to get some time for that before I forget.
>FYI I also took notes on our ascent of The Sydney Route (direct) a few
>days prior, including remeasuring and grading most of the pitches. It
>would be worth updating that description also.
>

... with this one gfdonc does 3,000!
~> so another Chocky milestone gets posted...
Foreezajollygoodposter, foreezajollygoodposter, foreezaetc.
Hiphophooray andallthatstuff!

ajfclark
18-Feb-2015
1:53:21 PM
On 18/02/2015 gfdonc wrote:
>Hi again.
>I have a login, added the route description ("Direct") and hit Save but
>don't see it. Does it go via you for approval?

No, it went into the wiki markup but wasn't being rendered.

I had a look and it seemed to be missing the id attribute somehow? The pitches were also formatted differently to the route below (in the markup, not the rendered form).

I've fiddled with the wikimarkup a little and it seems to be rendering now.
gfdonc
18-Feb-2015
2:54:11 PM
Thanks, all fixed up now.
Any reason not to give this 3 stars? Even ignoring the position, we thought the climbing was good the whole way.
sgodwin
31-Mar-2015
11:00:30 PM
We climbed the original route on the Candlestick a few weeks ago. I hadn't seen this thread at the time, but I was able to get some useful beta from the forums on thesarvo. You can read the thread here:

http://www.thesarvo.com/confluence/display/thesarvo/2015/03/04/Candlestick+-+looking+for+beta

As Simon mentioned, the original route starts to the right, on a big ledge behind the totem pole. It follows a system of well protected chimneys for three pitches to arrive at the big ledge, then follows a series of cracks in good clean rock to the summit.

We fixed a 60m static to the bolts on the mainland, and climbed the route on double lead lines. I did the swim with one of the two lead lines and set up a tyrolean (gear anchor) to bring the other two members of our party across. The 60m rap line doesn't quite reach across to the ledge, so we tied it to the other lead line to tag it over.

There is a newish looking double bolt belay (rings) on a ledge at the top of pitch two of the original route. This is a couple of metres below the top of the tote, and roughly level with the rap anchors on the mainland. We tied off our tyrolean line here before continuing to the summit. We saw the sketchy looking abseil tat mentioned above, but we didn't use it because there are rap bolts about 20m to the right (when looking north across fortescue bay). The steel biners on these bolts were very rusty. We didn't trust them but the gates were too badly corroded to get them off. If someone feels like carrying a small hacksaw up there they could do some public service by replacing the rusty biners. We managed to get a couple of small wiregates through the hangers beside the dodgy biners and left them behind.

From the summit rap anchors you rap back to the big ledge, where there is another set of bolts with rusty biners. It would be possible (and maybe preferable) to tyrolean from here on a downwards angle back to the mainland, but we rapped down another 20m or so and used the new bolts that are sort of level with the mainland anchors. This works pretty well, but the rope rubs on an arete in a fairly alarming way, so some sort of edge protection is pretty essential.
tkilla
12-Jun-2015
8:29:28 PM

>The Original Route starts to the right of the route you are describing
>(not to the left) and from a ledge almost directly behind the Totem Pole.
>There are no bolts on this ledge despite what the guidebook says (good
>natural gear is available).


are you sure the original route starts to the right of the other route (that has the anchor on the ledge)? If you watch the abc video it looks as if they are climbing on the northern most point which would be to the left of the anchors I would have thought

There are 19 messages in this topic.

 

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