Blog from January, 2017

An incident occured today that made me question my actions for a second. Only a second.

I thought this would be a good place to share and get some other peoples opinions on the matter.

Before I start I just want to say that neither me or my friends go around tossing rocks off the top of cliffs all willy nilly, I did this because I dindnt want to hear about some poor sod getting pulverized in the future

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 I was climbing at lower tear drop gully on the pipes with my mates today. Two teams of two and we climbed Farewll to Arms and Into the fire. Both are great trad routes and one gets three stars in the guide so I'm guessing its a fairly popular spot (probably not though). I lead farwell to arms and noticed an incredably precarious boulder at the belay. It just bigger than a carton of beer. I knocked it and it wobbled and I could tell it was just perching on the edge. If anyone was to pull on it the thing was coming down onto them or the belayer but most likely both. I put a huge x on it with chalk and when my second came up I screamed not to touch it. Two friends were climbing Into the Fire at the same time. This route shares the same belay point and if someone topping out on this route touched the boulder it would be good night belayer and climber too. I also screamed at this friend not to touch it. Lots of screaming. We switched routes and the second time at the belay I brushed the rock and it almost went geronimo. Then and there we decided the thing had to go. It seemed super likley that sooner or later someone would pull this thing down. It didnt take much, only a slight tap and gravity did the rest

Now i knew it was a big  rock but boy did it go. On its way down it free fell the 30m of the route and landed on a vegetated terrace. Here it knocked down two massive eucalypts fully uprooting them and ripped through a huge amount of scrub. It then bounced and landed 20m further down the gully. Here it made a huge cavity 1m or so in diameter and almost 1m deep in what i think was a tussok at some stage. The surrounding soil was blown apart and it kind of looked like a land mine had gone off. We had a look at the damage after and it was pretty massive. Hectic some might say.

I'm glad I did it because it was a death trap and I felt it my obligation. That said it opens up some interesting questions. As climbers we have responsibilities to tread lightly and reduce our impact especially  in parks like Mt Wellington. Does this kind of action fall short of those responsibilities? is the safety of our fellow climbers paramount? Is there a level of risk with rocks that affords them to be hurled and others not? Is there a better way to go about it? How long does a sub alpine eucalypt take to grow?

What do you think?, begin discourse.

Stay safe out there.

Mt Murchisnon, West Coast

I will soon add a little thesarvo guide entry for this mountain, which will include an access topo and some other routes from past epochs.

E Lucevan Le Stele.

This is the large north-facing buttress inside the Mt Murchison Crater. Access: follow Mt M summit track then descend to small hanging lake inside the crater, 300m altitude below summit trig. Descent via walk off down wide gully 50m east of Acrasia; OR abseil from bollard into narrow gully 25m east of Acrasia (one 50m abseil into gully, then another 50m abseil down steep gully).

Acrasia (aka ‘Original Route’) 130m Grade 18 **

Takes the walls and roofs 50m left of Lost Arrow corner.

Rack: standard traditional rack.

Start: The narrow arête on the far left side of ELLS buttress.

1. 40m 17. Climb up on arête for 5m then transition to the left wall and up this for 15m following left leaning crack line until it finishes at right leading horizontal weakness. Traverse right back to arête (crux), then up through small overhangs right of arête to belay on ledge among overhangs.
2. 45m 18. Up corner systems leading towards large blank roof, but tend diagonally left 5m prior to roof heading to weakness where roof is only 0.5m wide (4m run-out). Gear at roof, through this (crux) then up wall to large ledge (possible belay). Off ledge up 3m crack to small roof, but traverse left 3m to avoid it.  Up steep wall above (on intermittent cracks, 5m left of large unattractive corner), until a move right into upper section of large corner is possible. Up this 5m to large ledge below overhangs.
3. 40m 16. Up right of overhangs then on to top.

Hamish Jackson and Shumita Joseph Feb 2016

Lost Arrow 200m grade 25 ***

This climb was established ground up in one 11 hour push.

Climbs the large, over hanging diagonal corner that splits the prow of the E Lucevan Le Stele. Overhangs about 20m over the first 100m of climbing. Generally excellent rock that accepts good protection.

Rack: generous traditional rack to #3 Camelot size, including 5-10 small cams and 15 extendable draws. Double ropes essential.

Start: approx. 50m right of Acrasia below the weakness through overhang 15m above.

1. 30m 24 Steep and sustained, a tad intimidating. Up wall then through 4m roof via right leading horizontal flake. Up and left of hanging block (could not be budged), then right along ledge to belay.
2. 20m 22. Up overhanging corner with increasing difficulty (+ damp after rain on FA), then exit left along large diagonal. Belay at base of major corner.
3. 25m 20. Up steep corner and cracks, then left along easy diagonal to belay 5m under next hanging corner.
4. 40m 25 Extremely exposed and very difficult. Up wall (2m wet patch on FA) to small roof, then through this with difficulty tending left. (Small cams may allow aid though this crux 22 A2?). Continue steeply to upper corner above quartzite band, to find the unlikely traverse across overhanging wall to right arête, and then up easily to large ledge.
5. 25m 22. Exposed and technical conglomerate wall climbing. Head up short wall then traverse right 2m to base of corner, then up corner strenuously. As corner ends, follow a faint weakness up and left to gain a thin diagonal crack that leads back right to another large ledge. Phew.
6. 45m. Up easier slab left of arête.

Adam Donoghue and Hamish Jackson (var). 22/1/17

Hey I founds some draws at the bottom of central buttress on the organ pipes. Check your rack send me a message 0434570250

See link below for topo and article about my recent first ascent at Africa on Ben Lomond, the RJ McMahon Memorial Route (24)

http://climbtasmania.com.au/blogs/news/my-ultimate-trad-first-ascent-the-rj-mcmahon-memorial

Here's an article by my daughter describing our trip to the Blueys last year.

http://climbtasmania.com.au/blogs/news/my-first-time-in-the-blueys-by-jemimah-narkowicz

From the chessboard to Rock of Ages is now marked with stakes and red and white tape. Hopefully this more permanent track marking will create a decent pad the more people use it.  By the way..materials for the track cost me $50..i dont mind..but there's talk of rebolting routes at hillwood to replace supposed dodgy bolts..whose gonna pay for all this shit..ive sunk over $5k into this cliff already.

The access to cave rock at hillwood has changed..the guide says follow orange tags diagonally up the hill from the corner of the paddock. .don't try..its a chest high wall of thistles. Now follow yellow stakes and tags on trees. Go along the fenceline for 150m then straight up the hill to the cliff. The grass is still very tall but better than the original which has been reclaimed by nature.

Hey. Im pretty new to this forum. Me and my boyfriend are visiting Tasmania in couple of weeks. We are from Poland coming on holiday, we are both seconders, fluent in english and climbed previously in Oz ( 16-22 grade seconding outdoors).

We are a part of the cliffhangers rockclimbing club in Australia.We would love to do some climbing while visiting Tasmania, thus looking for some climbers keen to climb with us (someone who can lead and would like a friendly, super keen on climbing in Tas seconder).