Ascents in New South Wales and ACT by Anton Korsun having trad-cpr or ascent-date

boom

Laps. This time placing the crux gear, which I somehow haven’t done yet despite being up it so many times.

Never in doubt, but it was wetter than last time so I had a moment or two on the layback. Henry onsighted P4 without much rest after P3 - top work!

Happy to get this done. Lead/seconded the same pitches as last time, but ticked P2 with more rest and less panic.

Helped by a big effort from Jacques, who put up with my stuck cams and slow progress (and even seconded p2 clean while dragging up a tree stuck in the haul line...) thanks mate!

Yay!

All things considered I must be the weakest climber to have done this. When I first had a look last year it was a solid 2 grades above my limit, and although I'm stronger now and can crawl up a 25 or two, the mental aspect remains.

All in one pitch, naturally (shit pitch included 🙂). On that note, there are enough ways to bail from the mid anchor that I'd support it being removed.

ooh

Absolutely emptied the tank on this one. Last shot of the day, climbing into wild pump followed by foot slip after foot slip. Haven’t tried that hard in a while, and it’s the longest I’ve taken to do a 24 this year, but happy to get it done.

Also got to watch Pat double-icecream in much better style, which was rad.

Kept nervously awaiting the crux on each sequence... it never came 🥲

As I bum-slid backwards towards the bolt after p2, unable to stand up due to a mix of exhaustion, overheating and pure terror, I may have considered changing my name and moving to a lonely ashram somewhere in search of whatever the opposite of what I had just experienced was...

Apart from that, it was a pretty rad day out, where everything went mostly as planned and I got to do all other pitches clean! Thanks Henry for coming along and swinging leads 🙂

Happy to throw a clean lap on this, tho I seconded p3 and 4 this time - definitely stronger than a few months ago. In half the time and not as tired.

Possibly the first repeat by someone not on the FA team (neither Jason nor I knew anyone else who had done it) - and I have to say this is a brilliant addition to Blue Mountains climbing!

Despite some soft rock that can be expected on a long new route, almost all the loose stuff will clean up with another few repeats and all belays are protected from rockfall. There isn't anything too ugly, and gear is much better than expected (look both ways in the chimney).

When it comes to large gear, we brought three 4's a 5 and a 6. The 5 and at least two of the 4's are necessary, but the 6 only protected the first few ~gr18 moves of P1 and spent the rest of the climb sandbagging the follower.

P1 - Not the best gear, whether you bring the 6 or not. Up worrying flake or corner with care.

P2 - Brilliant climbing and gear once past the chossy start, very much Samarkand P2 in style but 5 grades easier!

P3/4 - If you want the full value ~60m marathon chimney experience, end P3 early below chimney/roof (hanging stance off threads - do it 🤪). Then P4 quests forever into the void... we had a 70m rope, not sure if a 60 reaches.

P5 - Funnily enough, the most dangerous part of the route is probably the fully bolted ~gr15 traverse. Easy, but be careful with breaking footers on second, you don't want to take that swing!

P6 - Is ok. Bolts.

P7 - Is absolutely insane for the grade - brilliant and relentless face climbing. I think that the true "line" wanders left after 3 meters, and stays left of the first bolt (don't clip it! climb left of it entirely on gear) before rejoining the bolts at the 2nd bolt and questing up past the 3rd and some more gear.

Whatever I climbed felt every way 22, but going direct and clipping the first bolt looked even harder.

All in all: great climbing and good gear, easy access and wild hanging belays - go do it!

FFA. Cheers for cleaning this one Tom Bes! Unfortunately it gathers run-off so I pretty much had to reclean the entire crux while humourously grovelling up and down the mantle 😅

Yay! This was a thoroughly enjoyable climb. Some stemming to be found but don't forget to crank when you gotta crank 😊

Supertrad! We split it up in a funky way, but it all works out (including rapping on a 60m if you're clever and careful)

P0: soloed up corner ramp to tree. Easily linked P1 + P2 from there with no drag or drama.

Six Steps to a Successful Send

(a.k.a. A battle between Murphy's law and myself)

1. Crack gloves work best when you wear them.

   This is why we downclimb at the Ledge right?

2. Kneebars are kool.

   Realising at the glory jug that my left shoe was untied and falling off, I downclimbed (now to the kneebar) for some hands-free nodeology. I never got my knot badge in Scouts, but I'll take this as redemption...

3. When in doubt, run it out!

   The memory of yesterday's misadventure put me so in the zone over the last rooflet that I missed the key 0.75 slot. Nothing gets the guns blazing more than the beautiful and terrifying rope swinging freely, with your last piece too small too see.

4. The secret ming saves everything.

   Having addressed the previous point with a think-twice blue totem, I recalled Will's recount here; found the nonexistent crimp, minged, and all was good!

5. You get bonus points...

   ...if your belayer thinks you're topping out! The best victory whip is the one you don't expect.

Yea there's only five steps... but assonance, y'know?

Crackin' conditions, crackin' company, and my oh my a crackin' crack!

Pleasantly surprised to get all the moves (and some juicy links). The walk out in the dark and rain may be harder than the climb itself - how do people usually get out?

Probably my longest standing project, mostly because finding a belayer for "desperate ringlocks with nothing else to do at the crag" has proved difficult... maybe I should change my marketing strategy?

With uni late the night before, and work that arvo, we set out for a speedy smash 'n grab. Rapped in. Sent. Walked out via lower track. Didn't get fired.

If I say nothing of getting Pat's ropes hopelessly stuck, the day was almost perfect! Lovely views of climbers enjoying Telstar too 😉

This is a good climb!

“I was trying to get on to Echo Crack…”, read a message from Zac. I did a double take.

“Either tomorrow or next weekend”, read the next one.

And so it began. “Tomorrow” and next weekend, and the weekend after and… Considering how many days our happy little vertical conga line has spent hanging around here, we’ve done cockatoo’s diddly squat actual climbing (and I've taken just as many photos).

Yesterday unravelled in much the same way. I quickly discovered that:

1. If your 3:1 rig lets you play ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ on the rap line, it is indeed “proper stuck, dude”,

2. I suck at rock-paper-jumars,

3. My life is worth a fist-bump.

But I accepted my fate, and quietly began jugging my rope, clipping my gear and shitting my pants. Back at the alcove (after freeing the rap and going down again for P3) we found ourselves armed with one bosuns chair and one headlamp, which are about as useful as a coconut and a mandolin when the sun begins to set.

Oh, “and the send?” you ask. Yep, I was happy to get P4 clean, but the highlight (punny right?) of the day was Zac seconding it in total darkness without a headlamp. He will deny, but I’m convinced it was all a secret plot to boost his employability with a certain physiotherapy clinic, for which he is only a few wooden chocks away.

Pitch 4 of PIAD. Too much rest, Jacques fell asleep. Difficulty was on par with the Eternity today because I left that one for pitch 11 lol

Pitch 3 of PIAD. Probably not fully warmed up, as this felt the hardest of any climb today, certainly harder than Jammycepts.

Good to be back! Used totally wack beta leaving the chimney (almost laybacked it, like I'm becoming a sport climber or something!)

As close as it would be possible to get to the send without getting the send 😟 Breezed through the crux pretty solid but dropped the very very very last move before the rest cave (it's like a gr20 move wtf?).

Anyway, large whip ensued which deposited me well below the mid-anchors. I now own one less ball-nut than I did yesterday.

I have this route frustratingly wired. Like, it's actually uncomfortable that I can render it perfectly in 3D at the most inopportune moments.

In good news I am alive, did everything clean with no dramas, onsighted both lower "pitches" which I had not yet worked, and following that ripped only two wires!

Thats one ripped wire more (better? 🤔) than Jacques did so I guess I should be happy... or something...

In "other" news, I greatly underestimated how downright terrifying this is on lead (especially in send mode). There is truly no room for error once the hard bit starts - clip it or whip it, and the whips will be big.

Pretty stoked to check this out. Mostly went up to do the 180 move, Ben's photo of which got me keen on cracks in the first place!

That went well, so I kept going to the birth canal. Surprised to do all moves (and clip all gear) free! But I know it gets harder later... Working a ground-to-birth-canal send could be a nice short-term project (Jacques suggested 25 to there but I found it a huuge step up from the 24 version 🤷‍♂️)

Top rope solo with rest at the hanging block. That thing sounds hollow, is a pretty key hold and remains there by the grace of all the saints and spirits you can pray to.

Would be a nice lead if the block was reinforced.

Helping Zac out with belays, banter and beta. I can do the top crux reliably now, leaving only the the lower one to unlock.

That top sequence is totally rad! Like... it's rad enough on toprope but I froth hard at the prospect of punching through it on lead while pumped. Gotta be some of the best rock I've climbed.

Literally fell out of a rest. Pretty embarrassing. Almost hands free, one sequence from victory… then feet free as well 😢

Fantastic! A bit gripping on the first lap without gear beta.

Toppie solo lap of P3 to remind myself that a recent streak of Janicepts, Echo P4 and Gentlemans does not currently extend to Mother Earth 🤔

An incredible, inspiring line, but I found the cruxes hard (first crux) and confusing (second). Almost like I need to get stronger or something...

I don't know if what I climbed has just seen its first ascent, but for the self-preservation of prospective ascentionists and their belayers, I hope it's seen its last.

A grand adventure of strangely masochistic attraction, that follows whichever stack of hollow blocks appears to pose less chance of death.

Keen for pitch 2, but Zac's leading this next time 🙃.

Taking the jumars out for a walk, following Zac on the upper pitches

Repeat. Still my favourite climb at piddo - wins a full star over Eternity imo, but I haven't met anyone yet who shares that view.

Recovering from a cold, so went partnerless today and played around with lead solo systems.

Progress! Sent the first crux clean from the beginning to where the next hard bit starts. Everything after that was seeping so just had a casual aid look.

We only had mother earth rack (which isn't much!) so I only got to sample the first crux. Every move I did was some combination of jam and kneebar, which in other words means "awesome"!

Actually pretty rad once I remembered how to climb rocks. Shorter climbers may diasagree.

A veritable waterfall. Shhh Pat, don't tell them we left booty...🤫

Yay!

FA. Hard to call this onsight as we split it into 2 pitches for gear and drag, thus lowering to the ledge.

Largely average, but the way you move between the arete and corner is unique I guess.

Arguably better protected than the corresponding section of the Iliad (if you can place any of it on lead).

I found a different sequence for the top than shown in photos, and surprised myself with a few unlikely links. Still quite desperate and scary.

1st pitch only to the thread. Maybe I was cooked after back to back days of climbing, but the finger crack felt on par with anything on Judas difficulty wise.

Seconding Zac on P2. Gave it a little scrub on the way down but it wasn't as dirty as expected.

The effects of very poor sleep the night before were quickly overcome with the adrenaline of taking a 6+ meter upside down flogger after the last roof.

(Stitched up an otherwise safe fall by glancing a cam with my foot and going for a flipparoo)

With my headgame hit worse than my head, I retreated into Jeffrey's hammock for an afternoon of sleeping, eating chocolate and not climbing.