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Chockstone Forum - Trip Reports

Tells Us About Your Latest Trip!

Author
Slippin & slabbin - Booroomba
technogeekery
21-Jul-2016
2:18:55 PM
Have managed to get a bit more climbing in recently, my family went away for a month so got in trips to Boyce, Nowra, the Grose and Booroomba. Given we are “in training” for Tuolumne & the Sierras, our main goal is to increase our confidence on granite, slabs, cracks, multipitch trad. We are starting from a very low base, but have just over a year to get there – should be fun.
We had 3 days off, so Booroomba from Sydney was doable. I’ve been there before and had fun on some very easy stuff, but as so many do, spent more time looking for climbs and getting lost than actually climbing. But there is a new guide to the Northern Slabs – somewhat controversially, it gives a lot of beta on the climbs and protection available, as well as great photo topos etc. Personally, I love it – anything that makes the climbs easier to find is welcome, and knowing that a climb is protectable makes it much more likely I’ll do it.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t play along. We got to Honeysuckle (great campsite) at about 11, and were on the top at midday, only to find everything wet from recent rains. We reckoned the Northern Slabs would dry out well, so walked down the central gully anyway. There was a huge tree down across the gully, quite recently toppled – looks like there was a big storm in the area recently.
The guide was fantastic for navigation, and we easily found the beginning of the slabs, and one of our prospects, Denethor. But no amount of beta could compensate for the waterfall running down the route – the whole slab start was running with water, and Counterbalance and the climbs from the ledge were soaking too. So we carried on to Sunstroke, and I’d soon led the first 2 pitches. The route was mostly dry to that point, but the belay itself was a waterfall, and I made the mistake of getting soaked. My partner led the next pitch, and as a new leader on wet rock, he took a long time - and I can’t remember when I last got that cold and miserable on a belay. I spent an hour or so pondering the irony of the route name, before it was my turn to follow. I wobbled through on numb wet feet, and didn’t enjoy leading the fabulous twin cracks pitch at all, it was running wet and slippery as hell. How to make gr9 feel challenging – simply add cold water.

That was us done for the day, and we walked out in the increasing gloom. In compensation, we had the campsite to ourselves, so took over the shelter, built a huge fire in the cast iron fireplace, and drank red wine and told lies about climbing to each other – perfect way to spend an evening.


Steve's special spag bol

Sunday the weather was worse, and we were a little dusty, so Drunken Delight sounded appropriate. We found the rap chains as advertised above Melmoth, but even getting to them was a bit of an adventure – the rounded mossy ledge between Sunstroke and the chains was seeping wet, billowing clouds dampened all the rock and occasionally lightened just enough to glimpse our potential fate should we slide off the ledge. Eventually we rapped down, and started along the base, looking for climbs we wanted to do: Ephemeros – wet, Tachyon – a waterfall, etc.


Melmoth raps


Preparing to rap the Northern Slabs

Drunken Delight was also wet, but easy enough we thought we’d give it a go anyway. Glad we did, was good fun, and we enjoyed 2 good pitches and an unprotected scramble off the top on mostly dry rock. Took longer than we’d thought, lots of faffing about with tangled ropes, inefficient changeovers – good fun but clearly we’ve got a huge amount of work to do on almost every aspect of our climbing.


Looking for pro on Drunken Delight P2

We then did Melmoth for another 2 pitches of dry rock, just about the only dry areas on Booroomba. By then it was getting too late to start another multipitch, and was getting very cold and threatening to rain again – so we spent an hour or so practising rescue techniques, and scurried back down the mountain as it got dark.


Topping out on Drunken Delight

Just as well we decided to carry the rack & ropes off this time, as it started raining shortly after we got back, and built in intensity all night – my little REI Half Dome tent was floating in 5cm water in the morning, but pleasingly, still dry inside. So we gave up, packed up in the wet, and droned back down the highway, dropping plans to divert to Wingello or Mt Alex as the rain followed us down the highway.

So – not a particularly successful outing – but I’m very impressed with the new Northern Rocks guide, and feel I have enough landmarks and area knowledge now to have a more efficient trip next time. Weather permitting, next time we’ll get a bunch more climbing done – I can see a lot of Booroomba slabbing coming up.
beryllium10
22-Jul-2016
3:03:41 PM
Nice trip report! Your second photo brings back memories of optimistic winter days up at Booroomba (mostly sitting round the campfire drinking tea). Glad to hear you got a few pitches in. If you have a chance to get back when things are dry, Determinant/Terminant Corner is a classic, though with only one brief slab section. Vent Crack/After the Reaving is another nice long link-up with a great, long slab pitch to finish. Counterbalance: excellent, and more pro than you'd think. Also Sickle on Honeysuckle Crag. Good luck with your California trip.
Sandym
22-Jul-2016
5:45:25 PM
It was wet when we were there in mid-summer too. But, you can't beat the ambience of the place. Enjoyed the report.

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