don't believe the hype

Quick catch-up post

2024-01-08T17:06:00.002+11:00

I've left it a long time again :) Anyway the trip to the US went well, got a lot done work-wise and saw a few cool things in Washington. At the IBM conference they hired a theme park (Universal) for an evening so we could go on all the rollercoasters without any queues - pretty good fun!

This last weekend was pretty good despite being on call for work... didn't do much Saturday, spent most of Sunday working and then on Monday arvo went to Felltimber. 3 of us led Bullfighter (17) and then we spent a little while toproping a grade 22. First few moves felt easier than last time and I went past my high point, I think there's only a couple of moves to go.

Should be heading to Mt Stanley on Sunday... yay!

(originally posted 13 June 2007)

May already!

2007-05-06T20:41:00.000+10:00

Well a lot has gone on since my last post... we had my little blue Ford Laser stolen (we got it back the same night), and after that we sold it. We now have a very nice white 2002 Mazda 626.

I did a bit of climbing in April, Mt Stanley twice, Mt Pilot, a little bit in the Quarry, some stuff at Felltimber (getting close to doing Pimp Daddy Superstar).

April 28th, Kylie & I went to Melbourne briefly last weekend to pick up our new kitten (Maggie) and for me to buy some new climbing shoes. That's Maggie in the picture.

My new climbing shoes are La Sportiva Barracuda's. They ROCK as I found out today at Mt Pilot. Ben & I went out, first we went to Flake Off for Ben to put some unfinished business to rest (he has grabbed the draw twice on this climb). He led it in good style and was pretty happy. I wanted to check how well my new shoes went on the top-rope line next to it, a grade 23. I have never been able to get past a spot about 4m from the top, but this time I managed to do all the moves except one (I did take a few rests in between). There's basically no handholds and the footholds are microscopic so you need decent shoes to do it. So I was already happy and it wasn't even lunchtime yet! After that we went over to Bakery Wall and tried to do the grade 18 on the far right... after watching Ben on the part I have previously struggled with, I saw how to do it and got higher than I've been before. But I would really like to top-rope it to check out the top-out to make sure it's not too bad, you would fall onto a bit of a slab if you came off and it would really hurt your ankles. In fact the best idea would be to put a U-bolt right at the very top for people to lower off as there is a lot off moss & stuff up there that is easy to destroy if you stand on it.

After that we decided to have lunch. Next climb was Chicken Salad Roll, and after my first attempt failed at the second bolt, I lowered off to give Ben a go. He got to pretty much the same place. My 2nd time was much better, I managed to get a little past the 3rd bolt to what seems to be the crux move - you have a nice big two-handed hold but not much else.

We finished up trying Beechworth Bakery, it was great fun and good practice placing gear etc. Such a nice finger-crack in the middle section of the climb! The bottom is pretty tough though and it's going to be a while before I'm good enough to lead it.

A great day all up even though I didn't finish a single climb! Hopefully this is all making me a better & stronger climber.

The next few weeks is packed, we're going to Cirque Du Soleil (Varekai) next Saturday (12th) and the next morning I fly across to Mount Olive (New Jersey). I arrive there at about 12.05am on the Monday morning, assuming the place is not delayed (unlikely!). Then I have about an hour taxi ride to get to the hotel, and I have to work in the morning. I'll be there for 3 days, then heading down to Pennsylvania (West Chester) for 2 days, and I'll be checking out Washington on the weekend. Sunday night I head to Orlando for the IBM IMPACT conference (Websphere Transaction & Messaging Conference is part of this). Then back home, I leave Orlando the night of Friday 25 and arrive in Albury Sunday morning.

So it may be a little while before the next post!

OUT

Last week

2007-03-31T00:11:00.001+10:00

Have had fun this week. Saturday 24th I went to a birthday party, we played some poker and I managed to turn $10 into $35. Sunday 25th I went to Mt Pilot with Adrian and Heike. Didn't really do much except get Adrian to start doing some trad (he led Breakfast at the Ponderosa). Also had a shot at Chicken Salad Roll (22) and got to the second bolt before being stopped by some slabby moves (need new shoes).

Tuesday I went bouldering after work with Heike and Brad. Managed to do a problem I've been struggling on - haven't exactly been trying it heaps but it is respectably difficult. Probably around V3.

Thursday, bouldering at Felltimber again with Adrian. Did another problem although it wasn't as hard. Adrian's mood improved from "looks-like-rain-let's-go-home" to "awesome-stuff-let's-come-again-tomorrow" :)

Friday (today) went to the Quarry for a quick session with Brad - tried a climb which was pretty darn annoying to set up on toprope (blame my shoes again). Then attempted the low traverse - couldn't see much but managed to crank out some cool moves. Long time since I've been there but I'm pretty sure I couldn't do them last time I was there.

Tomorrow looks like odd-job-around-the-house day, then Sunday planning for Pilot again. Maybe Buffalo if it's warm enough.

Photos from Tassie

2007-03-25T23:18:00.000+10:00

overland-track

Overland Track

2007-03-24T17:53:00.000+11:00

Well, I walked the Overland Track in Tasmania last week with my mother. It's a 5-night, 60km walk (not including side trips) from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair. The walk goes through the Tasmanian World Heritage area and it's spectacular country! Here's a trip diary...

Sunday 11th March: Drive to Melbourne, catch plane to Launceston. Walk around Launceston trying to find Shellite for my stove. Coles doesn't have it, and neither does the service station. Ring Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre. They have it so we decide to buy it there. Enjoy last normal meal for a while...
Monday 12th March: Catch 7am bus from Launceston to Cradle Mountain via Devonport. Arrive Visitor centre at 10am. Buy fuel, register for walk, catch shuttle bus to start. Begin walking at 11.15am (18 months after first deciding to do the walk). 700m of boardwalk leads to a pleasant climb through rainforest (150m of altitude gain). Pack starts to feel heavy. Pass Crater Lake (very pretty) where people are swimming. Climb another 50m to a lunch spot. Climb a steep section which chains to grab onto the plateau and stop at Marion's Lookout to get great views of Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain. Walk across the plateau to Kitchen Hut. Stash packs there (glad to get them off). From here the climb to the top of Cradle Mountain is 250m of altitude, it's pretty steep and most of it is over a jumble of boulders. Return trip takes 2.5 hours. Mum stops about 3/4 of the way up. From the top the rest of the day's walk is clearly visible. Walk back down and have a bit of a break before picking up the packs again. Skirt around the west side of Cradle Mountain until past it and turn towards Barn Bluff (track here is pretty bad due to large rocks and rotten wood). About half way between Cradle Mtn and Barn Bluff, the track reaches a junction where we turn left (south) and drop into Waterfall Valley. By the time we reach the hut I am feeling real tired. Lucky tomorrow is only a short one!
Tuesday 13th March: Follow good track skirting around a ridge that runs SE from Barn Bluff. Once past this, we reach a wooden platform to put our packs on while we make the 1hr return trip to Lake Will, which is tucked in just south of Barn Bluff. The weather is unbelievably good and we take our lunch. We eat it on a small beach (complete with sand) on the shore of Lake Will. After returning to our packs, we hike another hour to Windermere hut (next to a lake). Mum is feeling pretty wrecked. We get to the hut at about 2pm which gives us some good recovery time. I manage to finally convince Mum to dump some of the food which she put in at the last minute (just in case). Unfortunately you can't really afford to carry extra kilos when you're as small as her. She is also not sleeping and one of the group of nurses sharing the hut with us gives her a quarter of a tablet to help. Hopefully she will feel better tomorrow, or it will be a long trip!
Wednesday 14th March: Mum is feeling much better after getting 6 hours of sleep (instead of 2 like she has been). Today is a long day, 5 hours of walking, so we get up early and are on the track shortly after 8. When we saddle up, she comments that her pack is much lighter, so it looks like we'll be OK. For the first couple of hours, the track heads SSE across the plains toward Mt Pelion West. This is easy walking, pretty flat with just a couple of short climbs and descents. There is a lookout about 200m off the track where we later find out one of the nurses stumble while trying to put her pack on, and was saved from falling over the edge by one of her friends who grabbed her! I get really hungry and eat lunch at about 11am. Once we get to the slopes of Mt Pelion West, the track enters forest and skirts around the eastern flanks of the mountain. We know we need to lose about 200m of altitude to get down to Frog Flats (in the valley) and then gain it again on the way to the hut. We walk for another hour and a half through forest without feeling like we're going downhill, and then suddenly we're at Frog Flats, which comes as a surprise. We stop for a brief break and then continue as we figure we might as well get the day finished and it's only about 12.30. We re-enter the forest on the other side of the valley and walk continuously uphill along muddy track to reach the Pelion Plains. From there, I figure it's only a short hop to the hut and I speed up. Half an hour later I'm still walking and I am slowing down! But eventually the hut appears and it's a big new hut with 6 separate sleeping rooms (sleep 6 each) and a big kitchen/eating area. Not to mention a fantastic view of Mt Oakleigh from the porch! Very nice! Since we started walking so early, it's only about 2 and we have all afternoon to lounge around.
Thursday 15th March: We are on the track by 8 again as it was really good to get going early yesterday. The track goes pretty much directly south today, over the Pelion Gap. To get to the gap we walk a couple of kilometres along flat ground, and then we have a steepish climb that seems to go on forever. This section take an hour and a half. James (who is also doing the track with his mother) and I team up as we both want to go up Mt Ossa today which is a four hour side trip. Once we reach the Gap, we dump our packs, have a quick break and then set off. The track climbs very steeply up the side of Mt Doris (which is a rounded peak next to Mt Ossa) and then skirts around the South side of it to get across to Mt Ossa. You get great views here, there are lots of dolerite cliffs around and you can see back north to Barn Bluff and Cradle Mtn from the saddle between Mt Doris and Mt Ossa. After this saddle the track becomes VERY steep and climbs about 300m up to a small saddle between two dolerite stacks. By the time James and I reach this point my legs feel like rubbish and we get a view of the other side - where the track descends briefly and then goes up again! I have to admit that while I was walking up that section I had to rest about every 20m. The mountain has a surprisingly large flat area on top (the size of a paddock) and follow the track across this to a pile of boulders which is the summit. We sit there for a little while and marvel at how high it is compared to other peaks (Mt Ossa does NOT look like it's the highest peak from the track so it's surprising). Then we head down which feels much better as it uses different muscles. After descending we have a longish break for lunch and then set off for the hut. As we descend from the Gap, clouds come over. We reach the hut at about 3.30 and shortly after that it starts raining. Well, we knew the weather was too good to last the whole trip!
Friday 16th March: Still raining when we get up, and it seems to have set in. Oh well, break out the raincoats. We have decided to go to the end today, skipping one hut, as we need to catch the 9.30 ferry on Saturday. The morning's walking is tough - we spend 3 and a half hours trying not to twist our ankles or fall over due to the slippery tree roots. We are walking through wonderful rainforests with huge mossy trees - it feels like it's straight from Lord Of The Rings. We also cross Du Cane Gap in the morning, it is not as tough as Pelion but we are tired now. It's the last uphill section and it will be good to get it done. I get ahead a little and arrive at the top of the gap (easy to miss as it's only marked with a small metal Land Survey marker stuck to a boulder) with my shirt soaked in sweat. I wait for 5 minutes and then decide to continue as I am wet and getting cold. We have been walking today with a girl called Maude from Quebec and so Mum will have some company. I continue until the Windy Ridge hut where we will have lunch. As soon as I get there the rain comes down, and I put some water on for the others so they can at least get a hot drink. The water boils and I wonder where they are but they eventually arrive, very wet. We have lunch and are glad that we aren't going to be sitting in this hut with 12 others for the whole afternoon. The rain eases and we set off again, it's all downhill from here to the end. As we pass down the valley the weather gradually improves, and our pace quickens. Toward the end we are feeling very sore and our legs move slower. When will it end? We reach a suspension bridge and we can now tell it can only be another 20 minutes or so. Finally we reach the hut, it is the oldest hut so far. We'd hoped that it would be more or less empty due to people catching the ferry this afternoon. It is not very full and the people seem nice. We rest for a couple of hours and then after dinner a game of 500 starts. We play a few hands and then 4 guys show up just before dark. They have come all the way from Pelion hut! Turns out they ran out of cigarettes and decided to finish ASAP. One of them has twisted his ankle and looks like he's been in pain for a while - his face is very drawn. They decide to sleep in the kitchen to avoid making it crowded.
Saturday 17th March: Wake up, eat, catch the ferry (it was late) and head to the Visitor Centre for food, drink and a spot in front of the fire. Catch the bus to Hobart. That night I lost my mobile phone in Hobart which was rather annoying.
Sunday 18th March: Fly to Melbourne, drive back home.

You meet some really cool people walking the track, and you share the huts with the same people most of the time. We got to know a few. The ones I remember most are:
* A group of 4 Americans - 15-year-old, his grandparents and one of his great uncles. The grandparents had spent the last 14 or so years riding the bikes in various parts of the world and had done about 40,000 km. The kid was home-schooled and had been travelling with them for 4 months.
* Another mother and son (I mentioned them above)
* A German couple who walked in the Arm River track, did Mt Oakleigh and Mt Ossa and then walked back. They always carried their packs as she had gotten lost and spent a night out before.

So, all in all it was good fun and great views.

Mt Buffalo, 28 Jan

2007-02-01T21:58:00.000+11:00

It was a relatively cool weekend so on Sunday, Ben, Adrian and I headed up the mountain for the first time this year. There is a fair bit of fire damage on the western slopes and in the area around Eurobin Falls. We did not go up to the plateau.
By the time we got to our first climb, Fantasies Of Gail, it was 10.30 and Ben setup the abseil and headed down. Adrian followed and I went last with a backup prussick, intending to get some photos of Ben climbing from just under the overhang. I took a few snaps looking down to the belay but by the time Ben got going I was really uncomfortable. Since I was using my other prussick as a safety loop for my camera, I spent a while trying to get weight of the prussick which had locked off quite firmly. After I overcame that hurdle, I abseiled down to the slab and took a few snaps.

buffalo-280107

After Ben led, Adrian followed but the rope from the abseil wasn't quite long enough to go down to the belay ledge and then back up to the end of the climb. So I climbed a few moves and clipped into the first bolt. Still not long enough. Went to the second bolt. Still not long enough so Adrian got himself safe and put me on belay while Ben released the other end of the rope (still attached to the original abseil tree). I finished the climb, using the less obvious sequence which, if I'd used it on lead would have saved me having to downclimb to clip a bolt (Ben made the same mistake which you can see in the photos).
By the time all this had happened and we finished the climb and got back in the car it was 1.30. We had a quick lunch at Bent's lookout and then I suggested we head down to Home James. I wasn't keen to lead it but I climbed it fairly easily on toprope. Such a great climb! Ben was next but couldn't commit to stepping across the gap on the traverse section. He said he was busy looking down into the gorge - I must admit I felt a little intimidated starting the traverse but managed to focus on the climbing. Adrian seemed to do it no worries and really enjoyed it.
Next we top-roped Thin Wall Special Pineapple Delight, which is a little tricky. I managed to find a non-obvious way of attacking it which seemed to make it a bit easier. A lot of the time I struggle to find sequences so I was happy about this one.
On our way home we stopped at the Ovens pub and met a German guy who was waiting for his buddies who were doing Angels. We'd seen them doing what looked to be the 3rd last pitch while on Pineapple Delight and they took quite a while to do that pitch. We were thinking they would finish in the dark if they didn't hurry up. Apparently their tents were still in the campsite too! I guess their friend was in for a long wait.
All in all it was a great day out - super-keen to get back up this weekend.

Let's see....

2007-01-17T23:45:00.000+11:00

Well, a lot has happened since my last post...

I got married on Dec 2nd (pics)
We went to the South Island of NZ for our honeymoon from Dec 4-14 (pics)
Christmas
New Year

What can I say about getting married? It was great. We had great weather and the day ran pretty much according to plan, despite Marcel trying very hard to be sick. The ceremony was very nice and everyone has been saying they had heaps of fun at the reception. Was extremely tired by the end of the day.
Our honeymoon was really good too... one night in Dunedin, 3 in Queenstown, 1 in Wanaka, 1 in Haast, 1 in Fox Glacier and 3 in Christchurch. Highlights were the whitewater rafting on the Shotover River, Arthur's Pass, Queenstown in general and seeing some real mountains (Mt Cook and Mt Tasman). One day when I can boulder properly I will go to Castle Hill...
After all the wedding gifts we had heaps of money and ended up getting a Saeco coffee machine (which I use every day now), a Bose sound system (Lifestyle 18 Series III) and a sandstone outdoor setting (2.4m long with 6 wrought iron chairs). I am still setting up the sound system as there are many features.
Christmas was also very generous... I got a ThermaRest (old one is leaky), battery-powered lantern (which is surprisingly bright), quite a few books for my SF collection, the 19" widescreen LCD screen I am currently looking at, Hard Grit and E11 (climbing DVDs) and some other smaller presents like calendars and boxers.
New Year I'd intended to spend sitting under the stars at Mt Pilot and doing some night climbing... but the weather was not good enough. So I pretty much stayed at home.
Jan 6-7 saw us in Hobart for Steve Irrgang's wedding. Saturday morning we went to Salamanca markets where I bought some books and we got parked in... The wedding was very nice, and the reception was in a rowing club right on the water. Water taxi is a very stylish way to depart! On the Sunday we went for a drive up Mt Wellington... there had been a crash and apparently one of the drivers pulled a knife! On our way down the fire department, police and ambulance had all arrived and the road had been shut.
Last Sunday Ben, Nikki, Andrew, Adrian and I went to Mt Stanley and I led my 2nd trad 16 (which I was happy about). Also got on a 19 (Western Exposure) which I hope to lead next time out there.
The bushfires are pretty bad and when there's a southerly it gets very smoky... I hope Mt Buffalo doesn't get burnt out again.
Trying to do more training (pull-ups, curls, sit-ups) but it is very very hot even until 10.30. And I am not a morning person. Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and get up early (but not tomorrow since it just went past midnight).

7 days at Arapiles

2006-11-16T20:50:00.000+11:00

Well I got back from Arapiles Saturday afternoon. Had a great time there. I'll start my story from the beginning. I may have gotten Monday and Tuesday mixed up but otherwise I think this is fairly accurate.

Day 0 (Fri 3rd Nov)
I had a conference with work in the afternoon, so at lunch time I ducked home and packed everything in the car. Luckily I finished early but Ben was flat out so he finished late... and then I bought the wrong phonecard at the fuel station and there was a traffic jam going from Albury to Wodonga... so by the time I got to Ben's place it was almost 5 and I was pretty pissed off. Anyway we made decent time, grabbed a burger in Violet Town and got to the pines at about 11.50pm. Set up camp quickly (hopefully we weren't too noisy) and got to bed.

Day 1 (Fri 3rd Nov)
The next morning was a little overcast but we were both very very psyched to go do some climbing. It was much less busy than I expected for the Saturday before Melbourne Cup weekend, but we didn't hang around - went straight up to the Organ Pipes and since no-one was on D Minor we jumped on that. I led the first pitch and Ben led the 2nd (I know you can do it in a single pitch but Ben hadn't done it before and I hate rope drag). By the time we topped out it had cleared up nicely and 2 more parties had arrived at the bottom - perhaps they were waiting to see if the weather was going to be OK? Then we headed uphill slightly to Pedro. Ben led it, and despite getting off-route and having to reverse a few dicey moves, found it very nice. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it has some of the best jams I've ever gotten!
After a quick lunch we decided something bigger was in order and we settled on Eskimo Nell. I'd done it before 3 or 4 times so Ben led the 1st pitch (stopped below the chimney to avoid rope drag). I led the short chimney pitch and then Ben led the rest except the final pitch, where I managed to get into a nasty wide crack at the very top which I hadn't done before. I advise avoiding this variant if possible ;) As always it was great fun but I might do Dunes next time for some variety. By the way, I strongly recommend racking up at camp, and taking a small pack to carry your sandals so you don't need to slug your way back up to the base of the climb to retrieve your stuff. Or just take double ropes and rap down.
Saturday evening was very pleasant, with no hint of the wind that was to plague us for the next few days.

Day 2 (Sun 5 Nov):
We got up and headed across toward Tiger Wall, stopping to check if anyone was on the Bard. I haven't done it before (once we bailed after the traverse pitch because we didn't like having to share each belay) and Ben was well aware of its mythical status, so when there was no-one on it at all we quickly took advantage of the situation. Unfortunately just as I was racking up a very strong wind blew up from the south-east and we could not even hear each other from a few metres away. For those familiar with the nature of the 1st pitch, well it was a little scary with gale-force winds trying to knock me off the polished footholds! Ben followed with the backpack and was in favour of retreating, however his senses returned shortly and he led off on the second pitch. This he handled very well - I think far more scared while seconding (which I like to blame on being taller).
I should mention that a couple arrived while I was leading the 1st pitch and were following us, however they did not follow closely and we felt no pressure which made things a lot more fun. Thanks to whoever you were!
The 3rd pitch was absolutely fantastic, and must be responsible for 2 of the 3 stars. Lots of exposure without having to do very difficult moves, it's well protected but still you feel very "out there" and the climbing is very interesting. One of the best pitches I've done full stop. Ben led the 4th pitch - I think it was also exposed but a little more juggy. The 5th pitch gave me massive rope-drag problems - if I lead that one again I'll certain consider back-cleaning especially when you reach the "halfway ledge".
We came back down into camp, had a very late lunch and then headed to town to stock up on food and ice. The wind was still blowing that night and it got cold quickly so we retired pretty early, hoping it would be gone the next morning.

Day 3 (Mon 6 Nov):
On the Sunday, Dan (who I'd bouldered with once in Albury) came over and said hi. On Monday, Dan and his climbing partner Anna, and Ben and I all shuffled up to Pilot Error - Anna and Dan had done it a couple of days earlier but were keen to get some better photos. We were happy to come and try the climb - despite several Araps trips I'd never been up there before.
Dan made pretty quick work of the lead, even managing a brief one-handed hang :) Anna was fresh and had all the beta so she almost managed to "pinkpoint" it. Ben, who I expected to flash it due to his strength really struggled with the reachy crux move. By the time he'd sorted out which hold to go for, he was totally pumped and could not hold the jugs. He swore to come back and finish the deed. I actually surprised myself by managing to do it with one rest. I had expected to struggle a lot on a 21 and I think if I had started in a more positive frame of mind I might have flashed it. The crux move was reasonably difficult but as soon as I actually managed to reach the next hold it was all over. A nice climb which I will have to lead one day. Dan finished up with another lap purely for the photos :)
Dan and Anna headed off for the Grampians so after lunch we thought about which areas might be sheltered from the south-easterly wind, which was still blowing just as hard. Central Gully Left seemed like a good plan so we went up to try The Stoat Steps Out - a grade 18 which was harder than anything we had tried to lead on trad before. It turned out to be very calm and pleasant. The climb is very short (about 10m) but of course you get pumped placing gear. I led up to about the halfway point but could not figure out the next move. It seemed to be a reach to a fingerlock, however Ben discovered a hold hiding in a crack which enabled him to get a little hire before pumping out. I pulled the rope and with the beta managed to cleanly climb the route, albeit with preplaced gear. Hopefully next time I go, I'll be able to climb it properly.
This all took us quite a while and by the time Ben seconded the climb and we worked out how to get off the pinnacle it was getting late (we didn't check the guidebook beforehand so we wandered around a bit before I abseiled and confirmed that the scary-looking chimney was in fact the waydown).
The wind was still blowing so we hauled our cooking stuff (and our 2L cask of port) to the shelter and made spaghetti bolognese which tasted sensational (spicy salami and cheese chunks are the key).

Day 4 (Tue 7 Nov):
Since Central Gully Left was sheltered the previous day we figured the Organ Pipes would be too, so we quickly ate breakfast and jumped on Hornpiece. Ben led off but retreated - we had both left camp in such a hurry that we forgot take a "biobreak"! Ben's was only a #1 but I needed to walk down to the pines so after a quick stroll I racked up and finished the climb. Really fun stuff, I can't recommend this climb enough.
After this we took a look at the guidebook and went for Bastress, a grade 11 on the Grotto Wall which is in front of Tiger Wall, just opposite Castle Crag. It has one star and we hoped it might be sheltered from the wind, which it was. Ben led again - this time he fared better although he did split the pitch into 2. The climb is really nice with those beautiful jugs that you only find at Arapiles. We couldn't locate the chains on a chockstone which is mentioned in the Shepherd guide but after 10 minutes wandering around on top eventually found some chains which put us in a gully between the Grotto Wall and Tiger Wall proper. (Does anyone know if the chains we were looking for still exist?)
On the way back for lunch I sandbagged Ben into doing the squeezethrough - by doing it myself (gets easier after the 1st time). Much swearing ensued as he became stuck, and then unstuck like so many before him.
Ben seemed to be experiencing "head troubles" (my diagnosis) since he had backed off the last pitch of the Bard and off Hornpiece, failed on Pilot Error and split Bastress into 2 pitches and seemed to be doubting himself. I figured a few easy leads were in order and settled in for an afternoon of belaying around Declaration Crag. He quickly dispatched Sickle (OK), Marshmallow Sea (good fun and recommended), and Sir George (worthless). I think this milage helped reinforce his self-belief which was needed later in the week on longer climbs.

Day 5 (Wed 8 Nov):
We were out of food and ice and very dirty, so we decided to head to Horsham, stopping at the Natimuk Lake Caravan Park for a shower. Martin from NZ caught a lift as far as Natimuk and ended up climbing with us on Thursday. The shower felt great and it was nice to sit in a cafe for a half hour or so in Horsham (which was windy as well).
After returning from our shopping trip and having lunch Ben was psyched to get to Pilot Error and lead it. Unfortunately, it was not to be, however he did get the sequence well and truly sorted for next time. After this we tried to climb the roof crack immediately next to it which is a hell of a lot harder but somehow only 20 (it's called Cul-de-sac and is not in the Mentz/Tempest guide). It was good fun with great big jugs and bomber gear but we just couldn't make the transition from the crack to the chimney.
By this stage the wind was getting on our nerves... we went to the shelter to cook and shared stories and conversation with Martin who turned out to be a pastry chef by trade but got sick of that and now works on Fox Glacier in NZ. One of the things I really love about climbing is the great variety of people you meet, all with their own experiences. I think a lot of people go through life, always socialising with people that are similar to them... and I think it's a pity as it's very easy to stereotype/criticise/scapegoat people you have never met. Anyway, it turned out that this was our last night of the wind - when we got up on Thursday it had died down.

Day 6 (Thurs 9 Nov):
Martin was by himself so we invited him to come along with us for the day. Ben wanted to dispatch Hornpiece which he did in style, followed by me and then Martin.
After that we walked up to Moby Dick pinnacle and attempted that. Ben and I had a go and reached the crux which is rather committing. Martin pulled through it in fine style and topped out. I thought it was fairly strenuous even when seconding so I was very impressed!
After lunch, we went to do Dracula (a little bit in the shade) but I hopped on Rosy Shy (a grade 19) by mistake. I made pretty decent headway but backed off when it got really hard, will have to come back to it at some stage. Ben then led both pitches of Dracula and by then it was getting too late.
On the way back down we climbed up and the back down the back of Golden Streak boulder. A young guy was scoping the top for holds - apparently he'd got up there and couldn't work out what to do. We quickly got caught up and I blew myself away by doing it first go! First time on this trip anyway. I have never been able to do it before and this time the first moves seemed easy (perhaps my technique has improved) and the moves at the top seemed committing but not too hard. I was really proud of that as I have always wanted to do it and thought it was out of my reach.
A great finish to a really fun day - with no wind!

Day 7 (Fri 10 Nov):
Getting towards the end of the trip and we hadn't done anything on the Watchtower Faces. So we took the car over (note to self - drive in from the north side, not from the pines) and walked up to the bottom of the Watchtower Crack to climb Salamander. I have done this climb starting via Gecko before (further right). The first pitch was somewhat scary but I managed to find fairly good pro (with the exception of one piece) and even placed a sideways nut which was actually fairly good.
Ben led the second pitch but unfortunately I had to abandon a small gold Kong cam which was totally overcammed and would not budge despite trying for a long time with and without a nut tool. (Did anyone find it?). We decided to combine the 3rd and 4th pitches (as described in Shepherd Guide) and this worked really well, in fact I think this is what they did in the Mentz/Tempest guide. I think the tree on the ledge may eventually need help surviving as there is a lot of erosion happening where people thrutch up to the ledge. The fourth pitch was not much to write home about, I was glad to get off the climb as it was pretty hot up there by that stage!
After all this, we were both exhausted so in the afternoon we went to Declaration Crag and threw a toprope on Little Thor. I have not been able to get up this one before but this time I did - I still think it's tough for a 20. Ben really struggled because of the reachy moves - does anyone have beta for short people on this climb?
A little bit of bouldering at the end and then we went to the National in Natimuk for a couple of beers and a few games of pool. The locals are always really friendly so make sure you stop by!

Saturday morning we left and arrived home at about 4.30. We had planned to stay until Saturday afternoon but I think we were both exhausted and would have needed a rest day if we were staying longer.

I broke some of my personal barriers during the trip which was really rewarding and Ben got a heap of experience with placing gear and leading. We also both had great fun (despite the stupid wind) and we're definitely planning another trip as soon as possible - we have to spend a week in Nowra first though ;)

Buffalo Sunday 18 October

2006-10-18T16:42:00.000+10:00

Ben and I left Wodonga at about 8.45 and met Caoimhin in the car park a bit after 10. We headed down to Beowulf straight away and set up a top rope. I managed to flail my way up it , I think I probably should have warmed up first. Ben led What Ethics? (15), which follows a short crack to a break and then finishes up a slab. Caoimhin and I both did it too. I remember really struggling with the crack section a couple of years ago but it was easy this time. Hopefully that means I am getting better at cracks!
Caoiminh then hopped on Beowulf and managed to do it with only a couple of rests (apparently he likes laybacking). Ben found it very awkward but they both agreed it's a great climb, and something to aspire to leading one day.
After some lunch in the car park we went up to the Mothballs (just below the Horn). Ben led The Biggest Thing Here (16) after struggling with the start (everyone does). Caoiminh and I both followed.
I decided to lead Waiting For A Princess (20) which I had toproped last year. I felt really good on the bottom section and cruised up to the rest which is just before the climb steepens. The crux is getting past the steep section (it's pretty much vertical for almost a bodylength) . I managed to get through this OK, but frustratingly I fell off on the slabby bit after that (which is still pretty hard). Anyway hopefully I'll get it next time, it was really good to do that well.
Ben also gave it a go but couldn't get through the crux, and Caoiminh wasn't feeling up to it so we headed up the road to Dreamworld.
It was probably not the best idea to try another climb (it was pretty late in the day) but I hopped on This Is Not Our Land (19). I got to the 3rd bolt but was very very pumped and had to lower off. Ben got to the same place and was looking a bit better but was also tired from the earlier climbs so we left half a quickdraw there. Hopefully we can get it back next time!
All in all a great day, personally I think I'm improving (feeling much better on the slabs and stronger on everything else) and Ben was happy to go to some new areas which he hadn't visited before. Caoiminh hadn't been up there at all before so it was all new for him, but I think he liked it.

Yarrawonga & Felltimber

2006-10-08T23:10:00.000+10:00

Well I travelled over to Yarrawonga on Saturday to go to one of Kylie's uni friends' wedding. Yarrawonga and Mulwala are connected by a bridge over Lake Mulwala on the Murray River. Boy was it nice there! I can see why the town is doing well, it would be a perfect place to spend your retirement. I was running a bit late so I had to speed most of the way there and get changed into my suit on the side of the road. But I managed to make it with a few minutes to spare (phew!). Kylie was the first down the aisle and she looked really nice. The bridesmaids dresses could probably be best described as claret.
After the wedding I checked into the motel and spent the afternoon reading Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? What a fantastic book! Go read it if you haven't already.
The reception was at Club Mulwala - a very nice venue. I arrived early and walked around uncomfortably for a while (I knew no-one and Kylie was off having photos) before I got chatting to the guy that runs the club. The bride's father also works at the club. The usual speeches, dining and drinking ensued and I actually enjoyed myself more than I thought I would.
Sunday we stopped in at the bride's parents' house for brunch, but we had just eaten so we only stayed an hour or so and then headed for home. I called up Brad who was keen to get away from his assignments so we went to Felltimber. I was happy to get up the new climb Bullfighter first go - it's a really nice climb with a little bit of a bouldery start. The one next to it (Red Flag) is much harder and my fingers weren't up to it - besides there is a crazy swing if you fall off. I think I will do it eventually though. Brad did a couple of problems he hadn't tried before and I managed to feel a bit more secure on Big Ass Bovine Style, which is still out of my reach at V4 but getting closer. The training and increase in the time on rock is definitely paying off! Can't wait for Arapiles in November!

Lessig analyses a Supreme Court case

2006-09-16T11:31:00.000+10:00

The "Sonny Bono" act extended copyright until 2019. Eventually the constitutionality of the act was challenged in the Supreme Court, and Lawrence Lessig argued the case. Here is his analysis of the events.

The Rock, Sun 10th Sept

2006-09-11T21:07:00.000+10:00

Paul picked me up just after 9 - Gemma, Ryan and Ben were already in the van. After a boring drive we hiked up the approach (which always leaves my legs burning) and were feeling a little warm by the time we got there. It was a great day, clear skies and sunshine. I guess the only thing which could have made it better was a slight breeze.
Ben headed up Honourable Harry (12) but the intimidating first section got the better of him. I led up through the troublesome section and then lowered off my gear. Ben was fine after that, and I followed him up to the ledge and then led the second pitch, a short chimney. You can quite easily do the climb in one pitch but it was nice up in the shade.
By this time Paul had already led Scatched Knees (15) and was halfway up Temptation (20) which looked very hard from my vantage point on abseil.
I thought long and hard about trying to lead Scratched Knees (15), and eventually decided to try. I had previously tried a couple of times, but ended up taking the easier variant to the right of the roof. I think the hardest move on this climb is about 18 or 19, and Paul seems to agree but I don't think anyone's going to change the grade. You put a bomber #3 Camalot in the fist-sized crack that runs from the back to the front of the roof, and then reach over to a massive jug. I think what I did right this time is that I didn't panic on the jug, instead I chilled out there for a while, alternating hands and placing a #1 nut in the small crack next to the jug. This meant the crux move, a long reach to a crimper which requires the use of crappy footholds, was well protected and I wasn't worried about falling. I did the move and was very happy about it. I did run into a bit of trouble due to the rope getting stuck - I had to ditch one of the ropes and belaying was pretty tough. I also need to take more quickdraws on trad routes as I was forced to run the last section out a bit. All in all, I was very happy with it and the climb is great fun and quite challenging.
We had some lunch and then Ben did Mrs Fairy (12) which is a nice ramble up a corner to the ledge and chimney which is shared with Honourable Harry. It was nice to see him lead something and protect it well - great for his confidence which is probably is his weakness right now (he's certainly not lacking in the strength department!).
Paul had led Outside Edge (19) and Ryan had a good go at doing that but the roof was a bit tough. Everyone was impressed at his persistence and surprised he didn't let go sooner! After he lowered off I went up to have a crack. The first section is fairly straightforward stemming up a corner, until you reach a big roof where you traverse right (kinda reminded me of the traverse pitch on The Bard). Then you make a fairly long reach over the roof to two jugs. The crux is to move from hands on the jugs to feet on the jugs, and it took me three goes. I would like to think that the third time I did it due to actually thinking about the move rather than listening to Paul, but that might be going too far! Anyway the rest of the climb is absolutely awesome - really exposed climbing on beautiful rock. I want to lead it one day and I might even try soon! But I think it will be too hot at The Rock soon and I'll have to wait until next year. Hopefully I'll be stronger then anyway.
Lastly Paul ran a couple of laps on The Staircase (21) which is pretty damn hard (he made it look easy of course). I didn't really feel like trying it (last time I felt it was like banging my head against a wall). Ben had a few shots and then Holly (who was also there doing some instructing with another group) fell her way up it. Last time I saw her climb she was doing really well, making it all look very easy but she hasn't climbed for a while so she struggled a bit. Anyway, by the time she got up it was dark and we walked down and drove home (I think everyone slept all the way home except Paul who was driving).
I really need more fitness - it shows on the walk-ins and I think it would help in my climbing as well. But fitness requires lots of motivation over a long time - something I usually haven't been good at. Maybe next year :)

Article on Russian mountaineering

2006-09-06T19:46:00.000+10:00

I read this great article on Russian mountaineering over at the Climbing magazine website. It covers the development of the Russian attitude to climbing, the old Soviet mountaineering training and development system (which seems to have been great at producing top quality mountaineers and other countries could learn a lot from), and also the different, conflicting opinions on recent ascents done in expedition style. Fascinating reading.

Weekend

2006-09-03T17:21:00.000+10:00

I have been doing a bit of stuff around the house this week so I can hopefully go out climbing now that the weather is getting better and better. Friday I watched a couple of movies with some guys from work (Mal and John) - The Adventures of Ford Fairlane is hardly highbrow but has some great one-liners and memorable moments. And a happy ending... Old School is pretty funny, great viewing for anyone who lived in a college (or fraternity in the US).
Saturday we went and bought wedding rings, it looks strange on my finger but I guess I'll get used to it... in case anyone local is reading this, Nicholson's Jewellers gave us a great price.
Sunday was Father's Day so had breakfast with Mum & Dad and David & Merryn at Electra. We were planning to do a lot of trimming, pruning & weeding in the garden but it looked like the rain was going to set in. Then about half an hour later it cleared up so I went out and did it. Then later Dad & I took it out to the tip (and picked up a bunch of his rubbish on the way).
Not a fantastic weekend, but making some progress so that the garden is not out of control.

OK Go's Treadmill video

2006-08-29T18:17:00.000+10:00

If you haven't seen it already check out this video clip from the band OK Go. The song has been played a fair bit on Triple J and it's a pretty good one.

Mt Pilot Sun 27 Aug

2006-08-28T22:04:00.000+10:00

Ben and I met up at about 11 and picked up Steve on the way (Steve does some jumaring while we climb since his elbow is fused from a car accident... he comes out mostly to get some fresh air and get moving which I think is a great idea). Since Ben hadn't been to anything on the eastern side before I thought we'd start there. We ended up spending all day there! First we went down to Flake Off (16) which Ben led. Unfortunately he committed that most grievous of sins and pulled on a draw!! I top-roped it, and it was harder than I remember (probably mostly due to my loosely laced, non-technical shoes). While we were there we had a play on Pegasus (23) and I managed to do one of the hard moves (not the crux though). Ben didn't get much further so we headed over to the unnamed area which has Mt Pilot Unearthed (17) and Helmets On (12). Ben led first again on MPU, mostly because I thought that if I led I would feel frustrated if I didn't do it without falling (I have tried it twice so far). It's a very sustained route, with the crux coming low (there is a misleading obvious hold which Ben, like me, took and subsequently spent 10 minutes arsing around when he ran out of holds). After the crux there's about 12m of slabbing on small crystals (hence my 'sustained' comment). The position which you clip the 2nd bolt from is not comfortable and since you're on small holds you can start panicking a little. Ben ended up grabbing the bolt again :( He was a bit annoyed because he is quite a good climber but is very scared of falling, even on bolts (it's good to be a bit scared but not too much). Eventually he topped out and I followed. This time I fell just after the 3rd bolt when a foothold disintegrated. I think next time I'll lead it, just have to be very careful in choices of footholds.
Next, I led Helmets On with gear, as I wanted to practise placing gear, and also see what kind of gear would go in. It takes pretty good gear (assuming the loose flake doesn't pull when you fall), but it runs out when you step onto the slab (a little less than halfway). Ben pulled the rope and led it too, however he took a lot of convincing to trust the footholds.
It was getting a little cold so Ben and Steve headed back up top and I climbed up again, but this time up a new line that I think would be about 15. Maybe we'll have to "stealth" bolt it???
Ben and I agree that he needs to take some more falls on bolts, so next time we come out he's going to head straight to MPU. I had a good day, I still remember how to place gear and I think I might even be getting better at climbing slabs.
Just need to take my camera next time as there were some awesome photo opportunities on Helmets On!!

A good weekend's climbing

2006-08-23T23:14:00.000+10:00

Well I took Monday (21 Aug) off work (time in lieu since I've been on call a lot lately). Paul and I had already planned to go to Mount Stanley on Sunday and Felltimber on Monday. When I went into town on Saturday morning to buy some bread I saw Ben Mace and he was heading to Felltimber that afternoon, so I went and did some bouldering with him. Sunday we spent out at Mount Stanley. Was good to find out where the Talon block actually is, although I didn't hop on that climb. In the morning we started at Grendel Corner. I followed Ciaominh up a 17 face climb (which had a couple of tricky moves to begin with) and then attempted to lead a 19 crack on Paul's gear. I got spanked a few times before I managed to pull through the crux, but just as I was getting to the good jambs I slipped and went back down again. Decided to leave that one for another day. When we headed over to the Talon area, I led a nice little flake-crack thing which ate all my big cams - a very nice climb. I also tried a grade 17 slab which seemed very difficult. Paul made it look easy (of course) by smearing where there was no foot-holds.
On Monday, we went out to Felltimber at about 2pm and I got up Pimp Daddy Superstar (20) with 3 rests (did the crux move second shot). Was pleased with this as my New Year's resolution was to lead a grade 20 and this one seems doable - considering it was my first time on it and I was feeling a bit sore from the previous couple of days.
Bouldering in the garage on Tuesday made it 4 days in a row.
The only worthwhile picture I took on Sunday is a panorama which I upload to Flickr (here).
Paul posted a few photos and a little trip report on Chockstone (here).

Don't believe the hype

2006-08-18T08:31:00.000+10:00

It's worth reading this article which provides a different perspective on the recent capture of terrorists planning to bring down planes.

Orisinal

2006-08-07T23:12:00.000+10:00

If you like the occasional Flash games, be sure to check out Ferry Halim's Orisinal site. Very nice looking and fun games.
Also, it's often handy to be able to mute the sound in Flash. Check out FlashMute.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

2006-08-05T12:22:00.000+10:00

I saw this documentary earlier this week and it was fantastic. You get to see the events of a coup from a unique perspective. Also shown is the way the elite in Venezuela manipulate the media and use fear to gather support from the wealthy. It's definitely also worth reading this article by Michael Parenti about the good things that have been happening in Venezuela.

Spin Documentary

2006-08-05T12:06:00.000+10:00

Spin is a documentary about the tactics of modern politics. See it on Google Video here.

Biggest Hole in the World

2006-07-30T01:02:00.000+10:00

The title says it all... Click here

Bored?

2006-07-23T17:55:00.000+10:00

Try this game "Terrain": Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Lano & Woodley Goodbye Show

2006-07-23T13:14:00.000+10:00

Went to see Lano & Woodley's goodbye show on Thursday night. It was pretty funny but not as funny as the other show of theirs that I saw (The Island). I noticed a few of the jokes were taken from previous shows but they were still funny. I can understand why they are going their separate ways - as one of them said "Imagine spending 20 years in a car with your best friend". Good luck to them both...

Uploaded photos of New York

2006-07-09T13:51:00.000+10:00

On my trip to the US we spent a weekend in New York. Now I've uploaded the photos to Flickr... here they are!