Chockstone - Rock Climbing in Victoria, Australia.

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Rock Climbing In Victoria, Australia.
In association with Chockstone Photography

Welcome to Chockstone fellow climbers. Within this site you'll find our on-line guide provides supplemental information about most Victorian climbing destinations including the major areas of Arapiles, the Grampians and Mt Buffalo. The gallery is chock full of images & video from all over the state and our interviews with local climbers has been a welcome addition to the articles section. A few pearls of climbing wisdom can be found in the tech tips, along with detailed photos of useful knots.

Latest Forum Messages

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29-3	Covid 19 Affect on climbing? >\|
29-3	FS: grigri 2
29-3	FS: x10 DMM QUICK DRAWS (alpha sport and aero’s)
29-3	Bush Camping/Dispersed camping in the Grampians
28-3	TR: Ozymandias Direct 16-19 March 2020
27-3	FS - Blank slate slim (doorway hangboard mount)
26-3	Simple rope soloing options
20-3	FYI Chockstoners - this weeks deletions, etc. >\|
19-3	Goatfest 2020
17-3	New Moonarie Guidebook Website
15-3	Warrumbungle family climbing
13-3	Eastern District Re-Bolting >\|
12-3	Recommendations for shoe resole
9-3	Vertigo (32/8b+) Australia's Hardest Trad Route
9-3	Figure 8 bunny ear knot in a sling
6-3	Price drop - Metolius Astro Nuts (free set)
6-3	Burnley wall
1-3	Mt Buffalo NP closed 2/1/20 due bushfires. >\|
28-2	Climbing Injuries - Tell me what you have! >\|
24-2	Camels Hump >\|
20-2	End of era: no more stuck cams - take 2.
20-2	The end of an era: no more stuck cams.

Photo Gallery

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Mei-ying Liew finishing the last moves of Nindja (*15), Peking Face, Eastern Wall Grampians while Michael O'Reilly belays Jill Gara on The Killing Fields (**17). See Also: Photo 2 Photographer: Steve Toal

Chockstone Photography

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11-Mar-2020:
Lighthouses & More
05-Dec-2019:
Western Australia
18-Aug-2019:
A Trio of Huts

Upcoming Events

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See Also: Find Climbers, VCC or WVCC for upcoming trips.

Upcoming VCC Events

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30/03/2020-5:3	:00pm - Bluestone Bouldering #2 CANCELLED Location: Heidleberg Rd - Merri Creek Bridge, Clifton Hill Leader: Michael O'Reilly Details: All VCC club trips and events have been cancelled. Please see the post on the News page of the VCC website for more information. Return to Bluestone Bouldering. Let's see how much we've improved. And a chance for others to join in. Bouldering on Melbourne's walls and bridges used to be the go-to training for rock climbers thirty years ago. Before climbing gyms, there was no other option. This evening trip is designed to give the modern pampered climber an introduction to the fine art of bluestone bouldering. You can train endurance, power endurance, technique and footwork on this wall. The Heidelberg Road/Merri Creek Wall is, in my opinion, the most versatile of the bluestone walls close to inner Melbourne. And it's an 'all weather' venue. Location: The wall is on the Capital City Bike Path following the Merri Creek where it crosses under the historic Heidelberg Road bridge. The wall is on the western (Clifton Hill) side of the Merri Creek. If you're driving, park on The Esplanade in Clifton Hill just near the playground next to Heidelberg Road. Just walk down hill to the bike path and descend steeply to the wall. It's about a 10 minute walk from Clifton Hill Station if you're taking the train. Of course it's on the bike path if you're riding. Time: 5:30 - 7:00pm Drop in during this time frame, try the wall out and get pumped! When: Monday 30th March This bouldering session is suitable for all levels of experience and ability. The righthand end of the wall has bigger holds and I spent a long time training on this wall before I could complete a whole lap without stepping off! Advanced climbers can challenge themselves on one of my 'elimination laps'. I've got a couple of laps that are around grade 24. Michael will be available to coach interested climbers in the techniques needed to climb bluestone! While most of the holds are crimps, there's also slopers and even a couple of hand jams. You'll certainly learn to vary your crimp and body position to avoid the pump. What to bring: Just your climbing shoes and a chalk bag are needed. You don't get off the ground so no need for mats/helmets. Please let Michael know via the email link below if you're intending to come along. [ More ]
31/03/2020 to 05/04/2020	Learn2Lead Course - April 2020 CANCELLED Location: Djurite/Mt Arapiles Leader: Michael O'Reilly Details: All VCC club trips and events have been cancelled. Please see the post on the News page of the VCC website for more information. The next VCC Learn2Lead Course has been organised to run at Mt Arapiles/Djurite from Tuesday 31st March - Sunday 5th April. There are only FOUR places on this course. These course dates overlap with the first week of the Victorian School Holidays. The VCC offers this course exclusively to members. Take the next step. Learn to lead climb using natural protection, have fun and get home safely: Exclusive to VCC members 6 days qualified instruction All equipment, including trad gear, provided Only 4 participants are on the course. What you will learn: Lead climbing using natural protection Setting up belay stations and descending from the cliff Multi-pitch considerations Protecting the second. Note: More details about what you will learn are listed below. Course pre-requisites: You should be able to safely belay and second a lead climber outdoors You must be a currentVCC member. Total cost: $880 per person, including GST. Note: Parks Victoria Camping Fees at Mt Arapiles, Food and Transport are not included in this price. The course is organised by the VCC, and is run over 6 consecutive days by a qualified private provider. Trad climbing gear is provided for participants without their own rack. Contact Michael OReilly, the VCC Trip Co-ordinator, as soon as possible to secure your place. (Email link at the end of this post.) There are only 4 places available on any Learn2Lead Course. Your place on the course will only be confirmed upon payment of a non-refundable and non-transferrable $280 deposit. The balance of the payment needs to be made as soon as 4 participants are confirmed. Michael can also answer any questions that you may have about the course. The following skills are explicitly covered during the course: Different equipment types, anchor types, care and basic usage (ropes, protection, bolts, pitons etc). How to place (and clean) natural protection How to appropriately and safely space the protection while leading How to avoid the zipper affect when leading How to choose the length of draw or sling to use each piece of gear How to protect the lead climber when climbing above a ledge How to protect the second (eg traverses) Setting up anchors Equalising anchors, using both cordelette or the climbing rope(s) Setting up multidirectional belay anchors on multi-pitch climbs Threading fixed anchors and abseiling after climbing Setting up top-ropes Safe descent from routes. [ More ]
10/04/2020 to 19/04/2020	Moonarie@Easter CANCELLED Location: Moonari, Flinders Ranges Leader: Rhys Boyar Details: All VCC club trips and events have been cancelled. Please see the post on the News page of the VCC website for more information. The VCC are off to Moonarie this Easter for an extended climbing trip. Moonarie provides great 'adventure climbing' in the Flinders Ranges, in South Australia. And Easter is prime climbing season at Moonarie. The trip is planned from the 10th April until the 19th April. These dates include the Easter break (Good Friday is 10th April). You can join the trip for the whole time, or part of the time, depending on your availability. This trip is only suitable for experienced Advanced climbers. Use the Find Your Level link below to check your suitability. In short, this means that you must be an experienced lead climber and you need to be confident using trad gear. Either way, you will need to discuss your experience and skills with Rhys prior to being accepted onto the trip. If you are interested in this extended trip, please get in contact with the Trip Leader, Rhys Boyar. Photos: Trip Leader Rhys Boyar and Moonarie (from theCrag.com) [ More ]
09/05/2020 to 10/05/2020	An Arapiles Trip - Passive Protection Only! CANCELLED Location: Djurite/Mount Arapiles Leader: Peter Upton Details: All VCC club trips and events have been cancelled. Please see the post on the News page of the VCC website for more information. A visit to the recently opened Natimuk climbing museum got me thinking one Sunday afternoon on the long drive back to Melbourne. Our forefathers and sisters of the 70s and 80s climbed some hard climbs with some interesting gear, in the early days of sticky rubber and making somewhat dubious fashion statements: Colourful tights? Tights really? In the late 70s and 80s it was pretty simple, there was a rack of nuts, wires and hexes with a few weird shaped things that would pass as protection and would be eagerly stuffed into any available space on a climb by the leader. There were no camming devices. Camming devices, or rather 'Friends', were a recent development, were expensive and sort of rare, so most people climbed without them. There was a climbing life before camming devices. Time has moved on (significantly) and like most others a life before camming devices has long faded from memory and indeed there are some amongst us that have never known a life before camming devices. These days climbers are cam happy and if not placing at least half a dozen cams on any given climb something is not right. For most racks, larger hexes dont even make an appearance these days. I got all nostalgic and thought about a weekend of climbing without camming devices. Looking to turn the clock back a little and get back to the basics of trad climbing The trip is open to ADVANCED climbers only. Climbers will be asked to check in their camming devices on arrival to the Pines (or leave them at home) and no form of spring-loaded camming device will be allowed on your rack. If you feel the need to wear colourful tights and Dunlop volleys, thats up to you, but not mandatory. All intending participants must contact the trip leader prior to the trip. Please send through some details about your experience and climbing gear, without cams, and hopefully we'll see you there. [ More ]
16/05/2020	Bouldering@Mt Beckworth CANCELLED Location: Mount Beckworth Leader: Phil Neville Details: All VCC club trips and events have been cancelled. Please see the post on the News page of the VCC website for more information. Boulder curious? Feeling uncomfortably tethered? Got a granite habit? Enjoyed bouldering at a bouldering gym? Can't tie knots? Haven't got a belayer? Why not join us for a day of bouldering at Mt Beckworth, where perfect rock hosts problems great and small, simple and dastardly, traditional and new school. Mt Beckworth is a picturesque granite outcrop just west of Ballarat, about two hours drive from Melbourne. The Granite is fine grained and skin friendly, and well be tackling problems ranging from V0 V7. Phil Neville is the Trip Leader for this bouldering extravaganza. Please contact Phil prior to secure your place. Phil will also provide you more information and the meeting place and time. The trip is open to all levels, but positions are limited. Please indicate your experience level when you contact Phil. The levels are listed below: Beginner: Have climbing experience, but have never bouldered outdoors before. Intermediate: Have bouldered outside before, and feel confident spotting. Expert: Have bouldered outside extensively, and feel confident spotting, identifying fall zones and placing pads. You will need a helmet you cannot climb without one. Were happy for you to share a helmet with a friend, but please organise this beforehand. You do not need to wear a helmet while spotting, but it can be useful. You dont need your own mats, but if you do have mats please bring them; the more the merrier. Mats can also be hired. For example, Northside Boulders in Brunswick has bouldering mats for hire. If you want more info about Mt Beckworth you can checkout the online guide at theCrag. Hope to see you there. [ More ]

Climbing News

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Tuesday, March 12, 2019

New Moonarie Guidebook
Rob Baker and Josef Goding are stoked to announce the 2019 edition of the Moonarie - a rock climber's guide. See: https://www.moonarie.com.

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