Paul, Rob and I set off from Artarmon on Sunday morning, making Blackheath in 1hr40min. We stopped at the Wattle for Bacon 'n Eggs and coffees, and met up with Bryden and some of the SRC crew, Pauls mates Charlie and Vince, and Greg (Andrews) and some of his buddies - it was packed!! Bryden was keen for a 24 at Shipley upper, but no one else was interested, and practically everyone decided to go to Piddington.
After scarfing down some chow, we headed on to Mt Vic store, where Barbara Darmanin and Kevin Westren and some more SRC members also decided to come to Piddo.
After walking down (packless, thanks to some spare room in Charlie and Vince's car) we decided to start up Helen, a nice looking crack system on the boulder downhill of Bonatti Crack (in keeping with my motto for the day of 'cracks only'!!). After a delicate start protected only by a 1/4 DMM microwire, some better wires led to a horizontal break and the crux. An interesting jam/undercling permitted a reach to a flaring L hand fingerlock/gaston, and some delicate footwork gained a better fingerlock. After that it was ok to the top.
By the time Rob and Paul seconded, about 8-10 parties had come down the descent - it was going to be a busy day!
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We moved around to Joseph, which Rob decided to lead. After stepping up to the undercut start of the crack, he slotted some gear, and absolutely styled the first section - didn't take the slabby option left of the crack, but instead climbed it in great crack style, running it out to the good stances, and looking very solid. Best I've seen him climb in a long time. He then cruised the corner above, even to the point of a gratuitous gear placement midway through the '2nd pitch crux' layback moves, just below the belay. He really styled it! Paul seconded, and to save him trailing a rope I simul-climbed about 15m below him, finding that the first 10m can be done totally off hand jams, fingerlocks and one fist jam, except for the jugs on the wedged blocks (which could also be skipped, but at about grade 19!)
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Rob cruising the cleancut start of Joseph
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We then rapped off, and as I was feeling good about my jamming (and because it happened to be free!!) I jumped on Eternity for my first repeat since I onsighted it about 2-3 years ago. Meanwhile Paul headed round to Charlie and Vince who were on Mossy Rection (*** 24) and Flight Line (** 22). Paul led Genesis (complete description to follow Paul??).
WARNING!!! For those saving Eternity for the onsight, beware!! A description follows..... . .
| My jamming must have improved a million percent since last I did it, because I found the vertical handjam section at the start quite straightforward - though after just throwing hand jams in willy nilly at the bottom, the crack thinned down to thin hands at the top of the vertical section and needed a bit more care to place a good jam!! The climbing is then a touch easier diagonally up and left to the apex, which offers a simply sinker wire placement. Above this the crack tightens down to fingers and angles rightward. Due to the angle it would be really nice to have some footholds below the crack on the R hand side, but there are extremely few, which makes the climbing quite strenuous, and very dependent on your fingerlocks (which for me must NOT have improved since last time - I found this section quite tricky!!) and also its hard to move your left foot up the crack, as your R foot is mainly smearing on blankness. When Rob seconded he did these 'fingerlock/left foot shuffle' moves the entire way and was moving very quickly and economically - it just looked awesome from above, it's such a great route! |
The finest line in the Blueys?
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He actually thought the handjam section was the crux - but his fingerlocking is better than mine!! Towards the top of this section the rests run out, and although gear is available practically all the way, it's tough to hang around to place, so you just fang it for about 6m to the belay, but the last 3m are on good sized face holds (minimum 1.5 knuckes) though they are a bit spaced. (Yes, thats right, there's gear every metre or so right to the top - it is NOT a run out slab - its just easier to do it that way!)
END Eternity desciption!
I knew Rob had been saving it for an onsight attempt, so I felt a bit bad about getting on it and offering the temptation of a toprope attempt (although I could have cleaned my own gear on rap of course). But after seconding it he said he certainly wouldn't have been happy to lead it, so at least he got to sample its joys in one form or another before he has to go back to England.
Annnyway, by this time it was lunchtime, and after we munched our way thru some sambos, Rob had an urge for an onsight attempt on Flake Crack, so we carted the packs to there. Before doing it, we trotted round to where Kevin and the SRC were doing Curtain Call, El Dingle, and Hocus Pocus for some lead practice.
Kevin commented on the dodgy nature of the pro in Curtain Call (dodgy microwires up til a good cam at 25m) and noted that a bolt beside the hard section immediately below the cam wouldn't go astray. Next thing you know he'll be out retrobolting Bowens Creek! :-)
Rob and I eyeballed Solomon, it is a truly phenomenal line - the second pitch is in a beautiful orange corner for about 25m, looks like slightly overhung laybacking up a finger to hand size crack to the roof, where a niche creates an offwidth section, which protects the second half of the roof. Looks like super strenno underclinging with feet on a fairly blank wall, and you'd have to crank off the lip of the offwidth to reach up and in to a finger crack towards the lip. Believe it or not I am actually very keen to have a bash! We also sussed Kraken, which looks a great line for 20m or so - finger crack basically all the way, up a slightly obtusely angled corner, which is gently overhung (perhaps1-2m over 20m) - looks tough, but damn good! The rest of the route above, although not obviously visible, doesn't look great - its a bit jumbled up there. Hopefully theres an easy gully scramble exit or something.
Anyway, we then returned to Flake Crack, and unfortunately all our running around in the sun looking at routes had tired us both out. (I also sussed Janicepts and Amen Corner - J looks less pleasant (and harder) than I remembered, but AC looks MUCH better than I remembered - its a truly classic line, I can't wait to get on it).
So after sitting in the warm sun for a while contemplating Flake Crack, Rob decided to save it for another day, so I dragged him up Angular Crack, thinking I might jump on Psychopath after that. Lucky I did do AC first, because my left forearm started cramping (on an 11!!) so my body had clearly run out of steam. Its a nice enough route - better (and cleaner) than it looks for sure, though the gear is blind for the first 12m which is a bit worrying. There's some nice moves over the steep blocks at the top, and best of all an easy belay and quick descent!! :-)
By this point everyone was calling it a day, and we'd had enough so we hiked out. Charlie and Vince let us stand on their running boards back up the road to our car (though Rob had to cling to the tyre at the back!!), and after some beers at Mt Vic we drove home.
Beautiful weather, great climbs, good day.
See ya!
" Paul led Genesis (complete description to follow Paul??)."
After seconding Rob up Joseph as described by will and acting as live belay anchor in the (admittedly unlikely) possibility of Will taking a tumble the boys were eyeing off Eternity which looked like no fun at all for this mid-teens only hero (not mention an almost total lack of jamming skill - though did surprise myself and manage a few on the day - read on).. I mooched off around the crag, meeting up with Vince, Charlie, Bryden et al at Mossy Rection (very nasty).
After some arm twisting I was convinced to lead Genesis (very nice looking L diagonal twin crack system) with Charlie seconding. Kit courtesy Vinnie since I had left all mine in my pack at Joseph. I placed one #4 HB curve from the ground and doddled up past a very happy looking fishbone fern to the start of the crack system ramp. Got a cam in and started up the crack with feet in crack below and hands laybacking in top crack until lower break thinned out.
Layback/smeared up to the top (completely missing the fact that my foot break had returned!). Thence pulled a particularly elegant manouveur that can only be described as an inner thigh lock to place pro. Resumed prior position to gain top of block, stepped left into vertical juggy off-width and face climbed and gastoned my way to the belay on a large detached block. Set a bomber belay on 4 cams in face above this, but eyed with some unhappiness the pile of suntanned tat the formed the rap point. Charlie joined me after performing his usual self-cheer squad of one, a la J Dawes, and was equally unhappy about the sun-bleached tat. After some procrastination and discussion about adding our contribution to the webbing collection I was the bunny for the 1st rap and set no records getting down.
A very enjoyable climb that could do with at least one ring on top...
A good day was had by all and we retired to the Mt Vic pub to be abused by locals for being "Yuppies up from Sydney"...
Cheers,
Paul
© 2000 Will
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