Tag: climbing

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climbing general trip reports

the tasmanian story

I’ve been in Tasmania, where everything is scenic, the rock is plentiful and the climbers scarce. I saw a haybale version of stonehenge, I got a flat tyre in a national park (while camping at the end of 3km of 4WD track, and broke my nut wrench trying to get the wheel off), was offered copious amounts of delicious wines by a biker couple from Canberra who were touring around Tasmania visiting wineries, watched the sunrise most mornings, visited a cheese factory, and a chocolate factory, and even climbed some rocks.


 

The light of the setting sun over Ben Lomond
 

Early morning light at Bluestone Bay, Freycinet National Park
 

The view of the rising sun from Whitewater Wall campground, Freycinet National Park
 

High seas at the Tasman Peninsula

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climbing general

summer climbing in australia

The forecast:
Saturday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms overnight, locally severe. Showers and storms re-developing during the late afternoon, mainly about the ranges. A hot and mainly sunny day with moderate northwesterly winds easing.
Fire danger: High to very high.
Min 21 Max 40

Sunday: Fine. Very hot ahead of a late change with areas of raised dust.
Min 22 Max 41

The plan:
To go climbing in the Grampians – I’m sure it will be lovely and cool in the shade, and the bushfires shouldn’t go anywhere near us. I might even have some sausages.

Categories
climbing general trip reports

when will the screaming stop?!

Memorable climb of the weekend – Basalisk Direct (16). The first 35 metres involves some unassuming looking climbing, that’s actually quite nice. The next 20 metres involves a thrutch through a chimney in a roof, with a 40 metre drop off to the ground below. Standing at the belay just below the roof, with my back to the cliff, I could look down to the ground, out to views over the Grampians, and up to my climbing partner, apparently (and at times, actually) wedged horizontally in a crack in the roof above me.

Captured after our ascent, a pair of English guys on the same climb:

 
Note the leader avoiding the fun part by dangling below the roof instead of squirming through the chimney like a little horizontal caving snake.

(Oh, and the post title – there was a Lunar New Year celebration on the road around the corner – the whole street was blocked off and filled with people selling food, with carnival rides, and with exciting carnival games. And apparently screaming is obligatory).

Categories
climbing general

a man, a plan, a canal

Not Panama, but the Grampians, and a pleasant 22 called Silvertop.

Categories
climbing general trip reports

weekend warriors

So, we went to Arapiles, despite the dubious weather forecast. We climbed, it rained a bit, we sheltered under boulders, climbed some more, got rained on, climbed again, Sair found booty, had a delicious pub meal at Natimuk, slept, got up, climbed, I found booty and then climbed some more. Then I ate Squinky the Candy Cane Elephant as we drove home. It was an uneventful weekend.

Sair, queen of open-hand climbing, pulling the bulge on D Minor (14)