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Australian Landscape Photography by Michael Boniwell
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Chockstone Forum - Trip Reports

Tells Us About Your Latest Trip!

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 21
Author
Easy trad on Mt Boyce
technogeekery
30-Mar-2016
9:31:47 AM
Its been a while - about 18 months since I last climbed - injuries, new jobs, too much work travel, family stuff. But new year, and new determination to get out and do some of the things I've always wanted to do. So I called my oldest friend and climbing partner, and we've committed to a Yosemite/Tuolumne trip for our 50th birthdays next year. No big walls, they are well out of our league - but the hit list includes a bunch of the easy classics in Tuolumne & the High Sierra, and Snake Dike and Royal Arches in Yosemite. Nothing harder than 5.7 or 5.8, but lots of long multi-pitch trad adventures - and it is granite, and run out - so we have a lot of work to do!

Step one was just getting back on the rock again, so we booked a day off and headed up to Mt Boyce for some super easy fun climbing to ease back into it. Easter Monday, and we had the place to ourselves - not a soul for the whole day. I love Boyce - the expansive views, the lyrebirds and black c--kies calling from the forest below, the amphitheater of orange walls all around - what a beautiful spot.

We didn't do anything to write home about, or even necessarily post in a forum about! But I think possibly there are a few people out there who enjoy easy trad who might be interested - and Mt Boyce is one of the better places to do some easy trad for beginners or people just wanting an easy day out - so here is a bit of information for anyone interested.

The access gate is locked, and I believe that the SRC Access Officer is trying to negotiate access via a key system. Meanwhile, just park at the locked gate (3-4 cars can fit) and walk in to the second car park (about 1km) where the track leads down to the cliffs. The track gets pretty vague and looks like it hasn't seen much traffic - so when you pass through a little squeeze passage between tall rocks, keep an eye out and down to the left for the side path - if you get to the upper cliffs you have gone too far. The side path takes you straight to the top of the abseil gully. We rapped down the gully - a bit awkward with packs - I'd recommend abseiling from the next tree about 10m along, which will take you right down Abseil Arete/Corner climbs, in a much cleaner and easier rap.

We started on Abseil Arete - a grade 8 beginner route that is a good place for absolute beginners or just to remember which way is up. It is listed as trad, but has a pretty closely bolted line of carrots all the way up. There are a couple of places you can fiddle in a trad piece just for fun, so we did - the carrots are not entirely inspiring, but probably safe enough - and you'd have to try hard to fall off it. Fun warm up which we both led.

We scrambled around to the main face, and I led Sweet Irish (10) in one long pitch. It is 55m or so, but I was using 2 ropes so managed it without much rope drag. It has quite a thought provoking start for a grade 10, but you can get a small cam in to protect the first move off the ledge, and then there is a carrot on the stiff little face. After that it is a lovely easy well protected romp up the arete - great fun.

Alex on Sweet Irish

We then rapped down the main face on 2x 60m ropes - a long abseil, rigged from a ring and a carrot on the big block above the main face near where you top out from Sweet Irish. You essentially rap down the line of Bonnie Scotland (13), which apparently wanders up this face seeking the easiest line. There appears to be only one old carrot midway up this climb (possible belay) and not a great deal of natural pro, so we chose not to lead it. That choice was immediately invalidated when the ab rope got stuck - so I had to lead the first pitch anyway to retrieve the rope. Good reminder of a bunch of little tricks and traps in rope handling and efficiency that we've both gotten very slack about.

We moved on to The Eyrie - a fantastic 2 pitch climb up the left side of the face into the cave, and then out and onto the headwall. Steve led the first pitch, and did it well, but found the steeper wall just below the cave quite intimidating - the protection is not quite where you want it. I've done it before and found it great fun and easy, and loved the move out of the cave up onto the steep arete above. Watch your rope drag.

We then took turns to rap in again, and top-rope out on Bonnie Scotland. As I was being top belayed out, I decided to climb the very direct line out, which included a slightly overhung bulge at midway at about gr16 - quite stiff with a heavy pack on, and I nearly fell off when my muscle memory exceeded my muscle capacity and I discovered I couldn't really lock off with my left hand any more - at least with a pack on! A full body smear and a bit of knee-bark loss later and I got my other hand up, and puffed my way up to the top, feeling ridiculously happy with my very humble achievement.

And what with a fairly late start, and LOTS of stuffing about with poor rope handling etc, that was the day done. Possibly one of the softest days climbing I've done, but great fun for all that, and exactly what we wanted to do - get some easy climbs done, and sort out our very rusty skills without killing ourselves. And mostly - we've got the stoke back! Yosemite here we come...

ajfclark
30-Mar-2016
9:40:12 AM
capt_planit
3-Apr-2016
10:11:41 PM

Thanks for this, but the pic doesn't seem to work for me. Nor does Mr. Clarks so here is my go at attaching it. Seems to be a bit big according to the guidelines. Maybe that is why it isn't working? Or is it dropbox's "interstitial link" policy??
jrc
18-Jul-2016
12:48:44 PM
Bonnie Scotland is a great route still and it is nice to note it has avoided the ravaging actions of the bolt brigade that have massacred the rest of the front wall of Mt Boyce. There are excellent cam placements through the 'bulgy' bit on BS. Get on it before some ringer does!

Duang Daunk
18-Jul-2016
2:45:40 PM
On 18/07/2016 jrc wrote:
>Bonnie Scotland is a great route still and it is nice to note it has avoided
>the ravaging actions of the bolt brigade that have massacred the rest of
>the front wall of Mt Boyce. There are excellent cam placements through
>the 'bulgy' bit on BS. Get on it before some ringer does!

If you feel afronted bro, you don't have to leave the bolts there.
Oh sorry forgot, was that you with mikl when Cornerstone Rib was safetyized?
PeterW
18-Jul-2016
2:49:45 PM
I just did Snake Dike in June. (Partly to prove that at 60 I'm not dead yet!) Lots of fun, but it's a long day (we took 12 hours moving fairly fast) and you definitely want to get an early start! We started at 5am from Half Dome Village, and depending on how fast you're moving you might consider starting even earlier. You *REALLY* want to get to the start before other parties if you can! The belays on Snake Dike are miniscule, so you pretty much have to wait for the party/parties ahead to move on before you get the next belay.

Take lots of water (and a filter or Steripen since water sources along the way are unsafe). I had a pair of Z-fold Black Diamond walking poles which were worth their weight in gold - lightweight, and not a concern while you're climbing with a pack! You need very little gear after the first pitch or two, mainly quickdraws. A pair of rubber-palmed gloves makes descending the Half Dome cables much easier - a significant factor when you're fighting you're way past hordes of tourists. In general though, travel light!

Some excellent warmup routes to look at in Yosemite would be on Manure Pile Buttress, such as After Six (5.7) and Nutcracker (5.8). (We did After Six, and if I ever return to Yosemite then Nutcracker is top of my list.)

MisterGribble
19-Jul-2016
10:10:16 AM
Take a torch for the walk off Half Dome. Yosemite doesn't get a lot of moonlight and you don't want to trip over a bear.
technogeekery
19-Jul-2016
5:10:12 PM
Thanks guys, some useful comments there, cheers.

On this topic of Mt Boyce & easy climbs - have somehow ended up again at Boyce, and had a ball in the Walkdown Gully Area. Some of the older multipitch climbs in the area seem to have reverted to original state, but I quite like chossy vegetated routes on dubious rock, and had fun on Peppermint Patty. There are a few more very easy routes in this area that have good "adventure" potential, much like they always have, I suspect. Gently Mine was very different, a cracker of a climb, very well protected and good rock - excellent. Freewheeling was a bit more exciting - the bits that looked hard were actually quite easy, and the slabby section at the top was the crux for me - quite a bit of trepidation going on. We also top-roped Pig Iron Slaughter, great climb, but not sure I'll lead this type of thing again.

Such a great crag, and lots more still to be done in this area - we'll come back for Air2Spare, Baby Carrots, Wild as the Wind, and to stretch things a little bit, P1 of Gold Star and Gates of Janus

pmonks
20-Jul-2016
5:27:20 AM
Don't let the grade scare you off - P1 of Gold Star is about grade 16 and is fantastic. It's the second pitch that's the crux (and isn't as good). Gates of Janus is also fantastic.

Given you're prepping for the Sierras, do as many varied cracks as you can, and try to avoid face holds. Things like Gold Star P1 would be about 5.4 (~ grade 8) in Yosemite. ;-)
PeterW
20-Jul-2016
11:34:10 AM
On 20/07/2016 pmonks wrote:
>Given you're prepping for the Sierras, do as many varied cracks as you
>can, and try to avoid face holds.

I seem to recall face holds were kind-of useful on Snake Dike! ;-)
technogeekery
20-Jul-2016
2:27:56 PM
I used to be able to jam a bit, grew up liking cracks cos I could get hexes into them, so was comfortable enough up to about gr18. Got a way to go to get back up there, but think it doable.

Its the granite / slab / runout that lurks in my sweatier dreams - so there is a bit of Booroomba / Buffalo / Tarana in our future...
widewetandslippery
20-Jul-2016
4:20:50 PM
I would recomend a few ACT trips. Its good for a weekend.

Narrow Neck would be my crack spot after Piddo and before Boyce.

MisterGribble
20-Jul-2016
5:14:21 PM
Tarana ?
mikllaw
20-Jul-2016
5:44:22 PM
oddly enuff, the Cathedral has more good cracks than anywhere in the mountians if you are heading to granite, flared and no holds, even a few classic wide cracks

IdratherbeclimbingM9
20-Jul-2016
6:43:41 PM
On 20/07/2016 MisterGribble wrote:
>Tarana ?

Philistine!

Heh, heh, heh.
widewetandslippery
20-Jul-2016
7:21:29 PM
I went to Tarana a few weeks ago, snow, ice and minus 5 at 9am

IdratherbeclimbingM9
20-Jul-2016
7:29:51 PM
On 20/07/2016 widewetandslippery wrote:
>I went to Tarana a few weeks ago, snow, ice and minus 5 at 9am

Yeah, but did you climb?
Heh, heh, heh.

Superstu
20-Jul-2016
8:27:51 PM
Snake Hike from the valley floor is a BIG day. Lots of fun though. There are a few sweet bivvy sites not far from the start as an option too.

Best training would be the northern slabs at Baroomba. That and a Stairmaster 3000 at your local Fitness First.
widewetandslippery
20-Jul-2016
10:47:22 PM
M9 i was going to paddle the Fish River but it had so much ice on it it would slice the packraft open. Water level was perfect otherwise. We had to melt ice for tea in the morning. Walking out my mate Hainsey cracked the permafrost and went waist deep into a wombat tunnel.
technogeekery
21-Jul-2016
2:24:29 PM
WWS - yes, just went to Booroomba, see http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=DisplayTopic&ForumID=2&MessageID=10724 and will go back again soon.

MIkl - yes Cathedral has got some decent routes, but need to get my trad lead grade up a bit higher before going there again, I seem to remember gr17-18 is entry level for Cathedrals cracks / chimneys etc. I think Piddo (especially) and Narrowneck are overdue a visit

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