Ascents in Three Brothers

Not everything in a museum has to comform to modern ideals of beauty, utility,or value. At least 50 years ago someone had the guts for an honest 30 foot leadout up a juggy ironstone wall with the chance of a few tape slings between their swami belt, steel Stubai, laid nylon rope and the ground. Now they complain about being 2m above a rock bolt. No, really, don't bother.

Let's face it, this wall isn't the finest exemplar of Medlow sandstone, shaded, sharply ironstone rimmed and somewhat greasy in the wet. Worse, the midway overhang gives the option of a ledge fall from a few desperate campus-style moments to not much in the way of gravitational impediments, such as the mythical pink tricam. Maybe. Thus the old routes trend left across the gully to ancient pitons invisible in fading light. So this was not so much The Great Escape as just plain escape. From predictability.

Took me 1.5 hours to find the descent gully into the lower cliff and locate the climb. Climbed it with my pack on to save having to go down again to get it cos I didn't have much time. Made the grade feel like a 17... ending is cooked, ridiculously large moves. Prussiked up to top out.. what an adventure

just started climbing