Wow, great shot! - shiltz

Nice pic! Good to see Black Hill make the Gallery! - shortman

Caption should read "if anybody else ever climbs on Victorian Granite these days and do they have equally attentive belayers?" - Pat

The photographer was Kai's Mum, Mandy Robertson. - Karl Bromelow

Sending a kid up without a helmet is a bit irresponsible. - tnd

I promise you Kai wasn't "sent" up. - Karl Bromelow

Love the photo. Helmet would have ruined it. - Stugang

Great shot! - pmonks

Mandy doesn't have an account on here but, on her behalf, thanks for the kind comments. Much appreciated. - Karl Bromelow

I like it a lot. Good photographic balance and symmetry, including the areas in soft focus, which serve to accentuate the crystal clear clarity of subject, and also adds (for me), a sense of dynamic to the action portrayed within a grander scale of scenery. It certainly draws me in as a viewer... Thanks for submitting it. _{An afterthought... Unintentional I know, but the photo angle almost cuts out seeing the rope if the foot sequence had've been reversed, which would make the climber look like they were free-soloing!} - IdratherbeclimbingM9

Mandy just read your comments Rod (M9....hope you don't mind first names. I find all this pseudonym stuff a bit silly). She was pleased with the your appraisal, commenting how you obviously "got it". Cheers, Karl. - Karl Bromelow

Two stars for short granite slabs, one for it being Black Hill and an extra star for Kai doing granite the way God intended it to be done... in socks. I'm lichen it! - Ben_E

4 starz 4 a good pic despite tha poor slab techniQ exhibitd. Stand up kid, kneezanelbowz R4 old tradz or bouldererz like simes wearin KT26's mantling rounded topoutz in beechD whale styl. - gnaguts

I did post myself in response to the last comment above but decided to let the 10 year old come back himself. Kai says, "I wasn't using my knees and elbows, I was using my hands and feet. What's his problem anyway?" That's you told. - Karl Bromelow

This is a link to the sun actually colliding with planet earth a few years ago. How the heck did we all survive do you reckon, Snagtug? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=14548226331&l=19165b1f6a - Karl Bromelow

That pic iz almost az grainy as tha beach it showz , but 5 starz for bean ther an capsharin tha moment. Afta such a calamnus event itz a wonder we survivD indeed , and surely our livz have bin foreshortnD by it. . . . bout az much az last time ed shortroped hisself ropesoloin @ tha Piles, or som kid leanin in2 a slab 2 create smeary wobblmomentz. - gnaguts

Wow, it's turned into a slab. - kieranl

Yeah, I know, it's hard to get a straight photographer these days. - gfdonc

In my defence, the photo was a bit rushed, because I wait until gfDonc was actually climbing, rather than resting on the gear....... - JDB

Only kidding - JDB

The route looks contrived. I'd get confused as a lot of the grips are different colours. Would be better to see some bolts straight up the orange route just to his right. And another line of bolts straight up black route to the right of that. And ffs the white route is begging for rings prolly the best route of all. Not to mention the next one. Also I can't see a lead climbing pass on the climber nor a lead climbing belaying pass on the belayer. Not a good safety example. Zero stars. - Jayford4321

Y iz belaya cowerin like that? Fear? Mebe thinkz gfdonk iz usin a abommerisible puff knot? Five starz 4 capcha in tha moment. - Gnaguts

Nice photo. Sad that it's photographically 'become a slab'(!), ... an aspect that could have easily been rectified by editing it prior to submission. The alternative would've been to use something like a fish-eye lens (super wide- angle), to distort it in a deliberate way. Good to see the belayer included, and a traditional climb featured. - IdratherbeclimbingM9

I think the picture is ok, but I know my cuzzy bro Ed would love it, because he's been overheard saying all Gramps routes should have the same treatment of slabification so he can enjoy them more! - Duang Daunk

Nostalgic, like action, like that he carries even a bigger rack than me on a short pitch, minus for the helmet. - widewetandslippery

Despite being regularly coaxed (and pictured) onto starred routes, MJ's magnum opus is Red Tide - the longest, chossiest, non-starred route in Australia! - jdb

Wait.. Why "minus for the helmet." wws? - Antforknee

I like it because it shows (in sufficiently close detail), a number of characteristics common in climbing that most viewers of this photo (includes non-climbers), can recognise or indeed directly relate to. It combines strength, a degree of tenuousness, flexibility, the gear involved, and sufficient facial expression to hint at the mindset involved. The strong angles draw the eye and set off well a framing-symmetry between the dark featured background and the relatively blank foreground. I would've given the last half-star rating if there was slightly less distracting foliage encroaching on the subject. Well done climber and photographer, and thanks for submitting it. - IdratherbeclimbingM9

Massive..... Massive rack, Massive move, Massive muscles, Massive focus. And an extra half a star for the suspense of having to guess if the package is also massive. (Almost impossible to achieve in a photo taken on such an angle, what the hell, five stars!) - bagotup

Nice work, it's not easy making an 8m route look good when the photographer doesn't want to leave the ground. Loses a star for the climber wearing grey and orange clothes to a grey and orange cliff. - One Day Hero

For some reason I can't shake the feeling that this is a fashion shoot not a climbing shot. You've seen it before...."Martin wears an orange designer T and trakky daks from Dimmeys" with a footnote "climbing gear supplied by Black Diamond, helmet by Petzel". I can visualise the conversation "I've got my foot up.....now take the frikken photo!!!!"...."yeh yeh love it Martin- gimme those eyes yeh gimme those eyes". 1 star as a climbing shot. 5 as a fashion parody so I give it an average of 3. PS sorry damo- it was an accident!!! Please let me in the circle again. - Stugang

Haf a star. Bum view shotz R neva good , an even if they pass tha eyez filterz i still dont like em. - gnaguts