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New non-select megacrags at Arapiles |
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5-Apr-2016 4:05:32 PM
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You've heard the rumours ...
Courtesy of yet another shoulder injury, I spent the summer exploring obscure places in search of moderate things I hadn't done to death and not only found some perfectly good existing routes, but a bunch of new ones. So if you too have done all the select guide's routes below 24 to death, these are actually worthwhile.
Garden Wall:
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/arapiles/upper-central-gully/area/11963443
Simey is almost the only local not to have climbed there, and they have all liked it. Most of them went back a second time. If you are sick of Preludes Wall and Major Mitchell Gully, try this on a summer's day. 2 minute access from the summit. Basically everything is worth doing so it's easier to list the worst routes on the wall, they'd be Pitchfork, Blue Toes and John Thomas. And even I couldn't quite get up the enthusiasm to clean Gethsemane.
Feel free to post a trip report raving about it just to rile Simey up.
Shiralee Wall:
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/arapiles/northern-group/area/11972617
Kieran's direct on Shiralee is really good and everything to the right of it is worth doing whilst everything to the left isn't. I'll probably lob a few more routes up in the area in the coming weeks. Nice and sunny and the walk up is not even a bush bash.
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/arapiles/colosseum-wall-area/area/11962195
Ok so Comic Strip is not really an obscure crag, but it did have a broad swathe of unclimbed rock in the middle that now has 2 good routes in a similar vein to the rest of the wall. Plus Douglas did one of his famous link ups that turned out easier than any of the original routes and we rebolted Failing New Romantic and Slime Time. As the tree the FNR originally started up is long gone and it would be about 48 to free it, there is now a bolt to stick clip and batman to the first hold.
And just in case you think (along with Simey) that my judgement of route quality is impaired by new route fever, let me assure you that this route and it companion I Can't Believe it's Not Chaconne are crap and I wouldn't suggest that anybody bothered seeking them out even though I was the not very proud first ascentionist. The other routes I'm recommending are actually worth your time.
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/arapiles/central-gully-right/route/619580811
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5-Apr-2016 6:33:31 PM
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Hi Wendy,
I think you are lovely, but I feel a disparate set of emotions for Garden Wall. I don't think any of the routes deserved a star and I will never climb there again if my life goes to plan. The other local who I was climbing with had a similar opinion of the crag.
From your post I'm not sure what you do actually think of "Failing New Romantic", but I can remember that I tried it and after that horrible experience I referred to it as your "Stinky Project", because I felt this reflected on the quality of the route.
Other than those routes, I haven't done any of those that you've mentioned, so perhaps they will live up to the rumours. But I can't help but be skeptical.
All the best with the shoulder!
Love from your favourite contrarian,
Grumpy and Spiteful Ben
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6-Apr-2016 7:54:52 AM
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You guys are the odd ones out ... Geoff, Maureen, Ray and a cast of thousands were there for about the 3rd time on Friday having a great time and being really positive about all the routes. Lou and Kane have been back a couple of times. Caela. Kate. Zoe. Kieran. Noddy turned up and promptly did another new route. Did you do Wild Mtn Thyme and Babylon? They are really nice. Pork Chop and Pet Parsley have been getting good feedback. Maybe you should look at it like Preludes Wall. How often would you go to Preludes Wall? Go there when you have someone you need to climb 15-18 with and see how it goes down then. Same with Shiralee Wall.
You are also the only person who didn't like Stinky Project! Esther, Bec, Douglas and I all liked it. You only had 1 run on it and chucked a tanty! It might be short but it has sustained funky moves on nice rock.
Remember that 2 star classic at Barbican Rocks? How good do FNR Garden Wall look in comparison:)?
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6-Apr-2016 8:06:33 AM
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On 5/04/2016 ben wiessner wrote:
>I don't think any of the routes deserved a star and I will never
>climb there again if my life goes to plan.
Thank you Ben for being the voice of reason and for saving so many people from unnecessary suffering.
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6-Apr-2016 9:05:55 AM
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From what I've seen they R short an scarily overbolted 4 the most part, unless U have a short reach, in which case they R simply overbolted.
Not being a shortarse whats whiff all the bolts?
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6-Apr-2016 10:23:11 AM
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Bolted by people who could climb?
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6-Apr-2016 10:24:31 AM
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PS: Loving this argument.
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6-Apr-2016 11:30:56 AM
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On 6/04/2016 hero wrote:
>PS: Loving this argument.
I even named one after you.
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6-Apr-2016 11:46:01 AM
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On 6/04/2016 simey wrote:
>On 5/04/2016 ben wiessner wrote:
>>I don't think any of the routes deserved a star and I will never
>>climb there again if my life goes to plan.
>
>Thank you Ben for being the voice of reason and for saving so many people
>from unnecessary suffering.
>
>
I will be laughing when you finally reprint in another 10 years and my routes replace such mega classics as Pulling on the Yorkshire Pudding, Bung. Gulp, Fox and the Rocks, Calypso, Next Horizon, Dodgy Brothers, Mohawk hanky, Metranome, Radish, Shakin Stevens ... I have done so much suffering out of that select guide ...
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6-Apr-2016 11:58:02 AM
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On 6/04/2016 gnaguts wrote:
>From what I've seen they R short an scarily overbolted 4 the most part,
>unless U have a short reach, in which case they R simply overbolted.
>Not being a shortarse whats whiff all the bolts?
>
Everybody loves overbolted micro routes. That's why they will become megaclassics.
I'm afraid the tall person not reknowned for his wussiness was responsible for the sport routes. And generally I think of 30m as a reasonable size pitch.
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6-Apr-2016 1:03:21 PM
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Hi Wendy, Garden Wall, handy get to, shady in the summer, and yes is in need of a bit of gardening. While we are at it, the V.V.C. Inc used to assemble all the New Routes published in ARGUS annually from the previous year. The most recent being 2000. Not a guide as such, more a collection of crags and routes from all over. A handy addition to aging guide books before The Crag came along. With such a great information resource as The Crag, one would wonder why take things any further? What with apps and guide books evolving, have all the gaps been addressed? What routes and crags have been locked away in the bowels of ARGUS for the last decade plus? My thoughts. Create a new New Routes for this period. Not to compete with but to work with existing information resources. Food for thought. Cheers All.
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6-Apr-2016 1:55:56 PM
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On 6/04/2016 robbie wrote:
>Create a new New Routes for this period. Not to compete
>with but to work with existing information resources. Food for thought.
I tend to agree. There's so many guide books for Arapiles now, we need a guide book to the guide books.
A list of routes would be a great idea. It doesn't need topos, or boring crap. All it needs to say is "it goes up here", and in conjunction with any of the preexisting guides, would provide a definitive list of all routes at the mount, good, bad or indifferent.
P.S. I like Garden Wall. I climbed there a couple of weeks ago and haven't had my ego stroked so convincingly since I was last in Thailand.
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6-Apr-2016 3:17:59 PM
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Just about everything I've done at araps has been fun, and miniaturisation is a wonderful thing
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6-Apr-2016 3:24:25 PM
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Beautifully put Eduardo Sir, (a definitive list of new routes). I'm calling it, "The Bare Bones list of New Routes." Not guide. "Oh silly me now I have let the cat out of the bag!" To app or not to app? Time will tell. "Now where was I?" "Where exactly is, Little Joe Hill?"
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19-Apr-2016 8:47:56 AM
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And the campaign to outdate the new guide continues with
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/arapiles/northern-group/area/853967586
2 minute access from the top, most of the old routes are goey leads, the new routes are still a little exciting, but better protected, good climbing on good rock, easy to set up top ropes and have a quick training sesh as well if you are sick of the usual get a quick pump areas.
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20-Apr-2016 8:49:00 PM
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On 19/04/2016 Wendy wrote:
>And the campaign to outdate the new guide continues with
>
>https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/arapiles/northern-group/area/853967586
>
>2 minute access from the top, most of the old routes are goey leads, the
>new routes are still a little exciting, but better protected, good climbing
>on good rock, easy to set up top ropes and have a quick training sesh as
>well if you are sick of the usual get a quick pump areas.
Or you could go to the Plaque Area... better access, better routes, better rock, great variety of grades, quick and easy to rig top-ropes. I'm amazed how most climbers have done very little at the Plaque Area.
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21-Apr-2016 7:51:28 AM
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oh the plaque area .... how could I have missed that for 25 years? I will rush out and find some new routes on it tomorrow as I have done every existing route on it.
Still, I guess you have been to the plaque more than any other part of Arapiles for the past 10 years or so. If you get bored of it, you could try the route Jess and I did yesterday instead.
https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/arapiles/upper-central-gully/route/863681289
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21-Apr-2016 10:02:20 AM
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I confess, I've never done Tis-sa-ack.
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21-Apr-2016 10:19:11 AM
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Is that the traverse? Aren't they your specialty? Actually I lied, I haven't done the traverse either. I should rush out and do it because I'm sure it is infintessimally better than all that stuff I've been doing that simey hasn't. After all he climbs so much these days, he really has his finger on the pulse
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21-Apr-2016 12:45:49 PM
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Whilst you're at the Plaque Wendy, you might like to check out other undiscovered routes nearby on Fang, and around Alis.
Thibenzol, A Bit on the Side, I'd give Both My Ankles to do a route this close to camp, Liver Little, A Group of Thrutching (Thracian) Women, and The Munchkins Stole My Water Bottle The top of which makes a nice 18 Variant Finish to Bygone. All on thecrag.com
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