Ascents in Central Grampians by Bernd Schiffer having trad-cpr or ascent-date

What an epic adventure! Really good and sustained climb, almost all pitches. I led p2-5, Michael led p1. When I seconded p1, I thought pulling through the crux was way harder than a 15. I'd grade that a hard 16 or even a 17. P2 is just fun, cruising up the crack at solid grade 17. P3 is the money pitch. Getting up the flake is already bold, but the crux is the corner, where I pulled on good hand and awful feet. Lost my footing once and then pulled through, ending head-first in a bush. I think I got lost on p4, ending too much on the left. Had to traverse right back to the corner. P6 is a tough 16, but so much fun to climb. Highly recommend this route!

Repeat. Lead p1+p5. Michael led p2-4. Mark's first multi-pitch. Now I led all pitches in two ascents. First one still trickier than 15. I'd give it a 16. Overall fantastic climb. One of (if not the) best at that grade.

Very much enjoyed this climb! Loved the exposed traverse on the 4th pitch. Shame it wasn't longer. Tried to link p4 and p5. Didn't work at all, so we had an 8m p5 at the top. I led p2 and p4, Michael the rest.

We f'n did it! What a climb! Mind-boggling! Michael led the first 2 pitches up to right under the roof. I led the crack.

It's not a roof. It's not an off-width crack. In the end, we'd describe it as a tunnel with an open bottom. The open bottom is just large enough to let you slip through, so the trick is to keep your hip high enough that it doesn't get caught. Once your hip is caught, it's game over. We both ended up spooning the side of the tunnel, holding on with both hands and one foot, while pushing hard with the other foot, inch by inch. I spooned the left side of the crack, Michael the right side.

A rollercoaster of nerves: Either we got nervous because of the insane exposure when climbing out on a roof for 7 meters. Or we felt rather trapped and claustrophobic because of the confined space the tunnel provides. Never felt trapped and exposed at the same time before.

Climbers' weight and size matters: I weigh about 10 kg less than Michael. For me, falling through that crack at the bottom was more likely, but I experienced less friction while moving through the tunnel. Michael was less likely to fall through the bottom but had a harder time making progress in the tunnel.

This climb is brutal. Took us both about 40 min each to get through the roof. I broke my harness in the process because it got caught on the rock. We discussed the grade, and we think it's actually one of those ungradable routes, because with what the heck would you compare it with?

We absolutely recommend this climb. It was a fantastic experience and a great adventure.

Nice warming up for the day. Linked p1 & p2, climbed by me. p3 by Michael. Navigating double cracks on p1 surprisingly more difficult than expected, but still lots of fun. P2 traverse is super-easy if you don't mind the exposure. Kinda disappointed of p3, since you don't go up between the horns, but only next to them.

Fun climb. p1 led by me. No surprises here. Good warm-up for what comes next. p2 led by Michael. Crack was fun, but we didn't see a 17 here, more a 16. p3 led by me. Tricky to find hands after the bulge. Ended up bellyflopping onto the bulge and then take it from there. We both sat in the rope on p2 and p3.

No, no, no.

Tried and failed. Michael led all the way to the roof, which is pretty easy except for two moves right at the top which might be 16. The roof, though, is a totally different number. Very good protection in the roof via #1. I ended up being completely horizontally on my side wedged in the roof crack. Got out on the far side, grabbed two amazing jugs - and fell through the crack with a big swing back to the wall. Was so shaken that we retreated. Definitely going to work on this.