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Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
All NSW	(General)	(General)	(General)

Topic Date User

So you want to climb Bunny Bucket Buttress… 1-Jun-2014 At 4:58:48 PM mikllaw

Message

Why are there so many epics on this route, mostly with parties who climb way harder than 18? For some reason many people pick it as their first multi-pitch route. They start late (camp there or drive up early, in summer you want to be off it by 2pm and in winter by 3pm), get horribly lost walking in and waste time on the 2 abseils (if you know what you’re doing, you can easily be at the base in 45 minutes, not 4 hours), waste time on belays (an extra 10 minutes on each belay is almost 1.5 hours) and get tired/ hot /cold/thirsty.

What can you do to avoid epics?

- Well, instead of starting late, camp there or drive up early. How early? In summer you want to be off it by 2pm and in winter by 3pm
- Instead of getting lost, do something near the Lunch Ledge (where the abseil access is) so you know the walk-in and abseils (Mirrorball, 4 pitch 19 with an optional 21 finishing pitch).
- Get your systems sorted on an easier or shorter route (Bellbird Wall (16), the endlessly popular and crappy Sweet Dreams (12), Dirty Rotten Pig (19)).
- Have an experienced party start a few hours behind you, if you’re having trouble they will catch up with you and drag you out.
- Sort out your belay rigging (2 slings or use the rope to make bunny ears to clip 2 bolts, either way it shouldn't take more than a minute) and abseil setups (if you use a prusik backup, do it the Petzl way with a knotted sling you clip your abseil device halfway up and the end becomes a safety sling).
- Know how to give a bit of tension if your seconding is faltering, and be aware you can ‘French Free’ by pulling on bolts if you're shattered.
- Know how to haul your second if they've lost contact with the rock.
- Know how to bail off the route (abseil down the climb and walk out; either down to the river and up Pierces Pass, or the scary traverse below the cliffs to join the Pierces Pass track higher).
- Know when the sun rises and sets, how to prussic, how to add friction to the abseil (adding an extra biner beforehand is best).
- If you are carrying a second rope, haul the pack on the steeper pitches if you’re feeling tired
- Be prepared to be benighted, that used to be the only option before phone coverage (if there was no phone reception I doubt people would call in as many rescues!). Phone reception can be bad on the lower pitches. Take a bit of food and water, beanies and downies, make a nest somewhere and shiver it out (best avoided in winter).
- Know where to go once you've finished the route, you can easily add a few hours by ignoring the map. It’s a good idea to copy and laminate the description, topo, and access maps, and leader and second should carry one each.