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Routefinding at Mount DIfficult |
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23-Feb-2009 11:53:11 AM
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Took some beginners to Mount Difficult yesterday, hoping for some relaxed multipitching. The routefinding wasn't relaxing, and I think the Grampian Select Guide had a lot to do with that. Don't get me wrong, the guide is great and the araps select guide even better, but I thought the route descriptions of the climbs on Mount Diffucult's main face were confusing.
The Beeline(13)* description (first pitch) says "Take the obvious line....if you use pipes to protect the crack then add a grade and remove the star". The obvious line should be the crack itself, but it didn't look like a 13 (another party said it didn't feel like a 13) and the pipe comment suggests it's not the line anyway.
The Kebab(11)* desription was similarly vague. The description says something like "Another obvious line". Is this sarcastic? It wasn't obvious to me. The second pitch says "turn the overhang on the right". Does that mean keep the overhang on the right, or climb right of the overhang. Both looked very unlikely for the beginners I was bringing up behind me. The diagram shows the line on the arete to the left, but the description seems to suggest otherwise.
Anyone else had trouble with these routes? Can anyone describe the actual line?
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23-Feb-2009 12:09:43 PM
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I always thought Beeline was a bit of a sandbag if done without any big gear.
Relaxed multipitching with beginners? I wish!
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23-Feb-2009 12:13:36 PM
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On 23/02/2009 bones wrote:
>The second pitch says "turn the overhang on the right". Does that mean
>keep the overhang on the right, or climb right of the overhang.
I have no idea about these routes - but 'turn the overhang on the right' usually means go around the right edge of it.
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23-Feb-2009 12:48:00 PM
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I agree with nmonteith.
(... though have found some climb descriptions in previous experience to be vague, ... caveat emptor?)!
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23-Feb-2009 1:04:20 PM
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Any guidebook author should use the 'replace word' feature in their favorite word processor to change 'obvious' to 'obvious after you have found it'.
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23-Feb-2009 3:38:30 PM
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On 23/02/2009 bones wrote:
>The Beeline(13)* description (first pitch) says "Take the obvious line....if
>you use pipes to protect the crack then add a grade and remove the star".
>The obvious line should be the crack itself, but it didn't look like a
>13 (another party said it didn't feel like a 13) and the pipe comment suggests
>it's not the line anyway.
I'd say the pipe comment is Simey being facetious, not saying don't climb the crack, just take some big cams. As he's gallevanting around Tassie for a month, you might not get any clarification from him.
Generally speaking, big routes at old trad crags will be pretty interesting for beginners. Did you do Whipped Cream as well? I thought it was awesome at 10, took a friendly bumbly up it without drama and i didn't have any trouble finding it.
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23-Feb-2009 4:10:34 PM
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These routes are obvious lines like Watchtower Crack is an obvious line.
JamesMc
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23-Feb-2009 4:32:23 PM
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Is Beeline the V crack just left of Queen Bee that then connects with the last pitch of Queen Bee?
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23-Feb-2009 4:47:49 PM
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On 23/02/2009 JamesMc wrote:
>These routes are obvious lines like Watchtower Crack is an obvious line.
Yere, but Watchtower crack has a bolt to show the way... :-)
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23-Feb-2009 4:54:04 PM
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On 23/02/2009 billk wrote:
>Is Beeline the V crack just left of Queen Bee that then connects with the
>last pitch of Queen Bee?
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Yes
JamesMc
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23-Feb-2009 4:57:52 PM
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On 23/02/2009 JamesMc wrote:
>On 23/02/2009 billk wrote:
>>Is Beeline the V crack just left of Queen Bee that then connects with
>the
>>last pitch of Queen Bee?
>>
>Yes
>
Anyone tackling that should listen To Wendy's advice about big cams. At least acouple of them. Otherwise, it looks quite a nice jaunt.
>JamesMc
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23-Feb-2009 5:58:52 PM
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The definition is to be found on page 15 of 'A rock climbers guide to the north Grampians by, ahem, ... someone. It reads as follows "After you have done the climb the features are recognisable".
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23-Feb-2009 7:59:05 PM
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My favorites are "start just left of the big overhang".....hmm does that mean this overhang here or that
one over there or the one up there?
Then the all time bestest one ever "start 3m to the left of.....something else that starts 7m to the left
of......something else that starts 12m to the left of.....ad nausium ad infinitum".
You no doubt, had good information on what colour underpants the first ascent team had on
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23-Feb-2009 8:31:58 PM
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Maybe Simey meant take your pipe, smoke it and then you'll find it? Or maybe he was smoking while writing this section of the guide which is why it's a bit vague?
PS this might help...
http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=area&area_id=1230
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23-Feb-2009 9:49:04 PM
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On 23/02/2009 Eduardo Slabofvic wrote:
>Then the all time bestest one ever "start 3m to the left of.....something else that starts 7m to the left of......something else that starts 12m to the left of.....ad nausium ad infinitum"
My favourite is when two entries in a guide do this:
route a: starts x metres left of route b
route b: starts x metres right of route a
Self referencing is much more useless than something that, although tiresome, does actually work.
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24-Feb-2009 10:21:56 AM
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On 23/02/2009 ajfclark wrote:
>route a: starts x metres left of route b
>route b: starts x metres right of route a
>
>Self referencing is much more useless than something that, although tiresome,
>does actually work.
Except when your name is "Backdoor" and your ability to estimate distance is nil.
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