Crashes and the Arapiles Life

Weekend Report of the 9th of January

Climbers

Neil Monteith

Poul Christofferson

Callum ?

Gareth L

Ben Firth (Canadian)

Assorted others

I rather bad thing happened on the weekend. I didn't finish work until 10pm on Friday night and I had to get to Arapiles that night. Problem was it is 350km from Melbourne. I started out OK but after filling up petrol at the town of Stawell about 250km from Melbourne I accidentally left my wallet on the roof of the car. I didn't discover its disappearance until a further 70km down the road when I tried to buy food at Horshum. I then had to turn around and drive back to find it. The servo station I had left it at had closed for the night so I then re-drove back the way I had come (for the third time!). During this drive back along the same straight bit of road, the time was 3am, I managed to fall asleep at the wheel and drive off the road. I awoke to the car going through waist high grass heading straight for a fence. I swung the wheel right and got back onto the road but in doing so drove straight over one of the reflector poles on the roadside which smashed by left light and a large chunk of the bumper bar. I was not a happy boy! Suddenly all those 'rest if sleepy' signs made sense! It was a very scary situation, and I have promised never to drive alone at 3am again. I had to bend my bumper back with my hands so it didn't touch the wheel and I kept driving. I was so screwed I had to sing really loudly with the radio up full bore, and all the windows down. If the Police had seen me that would have flipped out. I was singing like a loony, with no license and with a smashed up car. I managed to drive the final 60km to Araps which meant I drove over 450km that night. When I got to the campsite I just threw my sleeping bag on the ground and fell asleep.

Fours hours later the sun became too much and I was forced from my sleeping bag. Getting sunburnt whilst sleeping isn't a good idea! Gareth was the first person I saw, followed quickly by Poul and Calum. After some rousing stories about the previous nights adventures over breakfast we started packing our gear for the days climbing. The campsite had been interrupted during the night by the local Horshum rednecks. They decided to drive around the campsite yelling such witty one-liners as 'go shave your legs, ya f**kn goats!' and the highly original 'mutherf**ckers'. As it was 3am in the morning, no climbers could be bothered to get out except Gareth who is the character of super feral scary bush man. By the time he had run down to confront them they had driven off leaving the Payphone without a door. You got to love them locals! Breakfast discussion consisted mainly of plans to capture and torture these hoons. One hundred feral climbers with Hex 11's should be a good match against some gun toting rednecks. Expect to see a report in the paper about a mini-civil war in country western Victoria!

The heat was oppressive but Poul and I dragged our way to the shady Mari buttress where I got Droop Street (22) on my second shot. When I had belayed Poul on this route previously I had bagged him for placing five cams in a row, sadly for my ego I too placed as many in the first half. The climb has some of the best rock in Arapiles, true polished marble. Poul then attempted 'Evan Above (21) on the same wall but bailed at the first bolt. I jumped on, worked out the tricky traverse move and finished this delightful climb with a fall at the top roof. The climb only gets a star but I really enjoyed it. A good old fashioned wandering route with a damn reachy crux. After resting for a considerable time we ventured back into the heat to walk over to Calum and Ben Firth (Canadian) who were working Masada (29). The route is hidden behind the Pharo's and climbs the wall left of Trojan. Ben had been working the route previously but was stumped by the crux move which required stepping off a micro shard edge. He tried at least five different rock boot brands but alas he couldn't stick the move. It was still impressive to watch someone climb a route that hard so effortlessly. He eventually gave up and stripped his gear whilst Poul and I wandered down to Yesterday Gully to tick a few hardies.

Ben Firth cranks Masada (29)

Ben Firth keeps cranking Masada (29)

Poul started out with a good clean ascent of Lemon Butter (22), a damn hard crack and face route. The top half requires a solid six metre runout on dicy edges. I then got on the 23 left of Lemon Butter, a route called Snow Blind. After getting the route with several falls on my first go I knew I could get it clean. The first piece of pro was one of the worst pieces of bolting ever. It was an American Star Drivn piece of crap 1/4 mushy rivet thing that moved when you weighted it. I never in fact fell on this piece, I was far to scared! After lots of screwups on the crux move I eventually got it clean with two very close calls. The top move is fairly bold and requires you to place a blind #4 Cam under an undercling that you are holding onto. I placed the gear, got mega pumped, started barndooring off as my feet slipped off their holds but then managed to hold the one arm lockoff and pull through to a jug. It was one of my best recoveries from a potential fall ever. I was mega fired and happy when I clipped into the rings at the top. Poul decided to give the route a go but was stumped with the power mutant crux. He lowered down leaving me to climb Lemon Butter to get the gear off. I was feeling screwed to start off with and after several big falls later I was mighty unhappy. I would be standing at the crux, with a wire below my feet, and would just say quietly 'I am going to fall off now' in a matter of fact way as I pumped out and plummeted down. Poul way laughing big time at my super casual style! I eventually stuck the move, got some gear and ran it out to the rings. I was completely exhausted as I lowered off.

Poul takes a breather in the shade.

Even though we had another two hours of daylight left (it was 7pm) we decided against any further climbing. Instead we drove to Natimuk for milkshakes and the air-conditioning. After a good rest we retired back to 'camp permanent' which had been remodeled since the morning. Gareth and Stu had used several large tarps to create a good 'dining room' which housed the precious table they had taken from the picnic area. We sat around chatting until dark and created an awesome cook up vege pasta which fed the masses. Because of the lateness of sunset we didn't get to sleep until after midnight.

Next morning we headed over to King Rat gully in the vain hope of some shade. Poul jumped on the first climb of the day with a second shot ascent of the mega pumpfest Cruel Consistancy (21). In the space of fifteen metres this route can pumpout even the strongest climber. I then jumped onto a route left of this, named Use Me and Abuse Me (24). The climb is only very short but boulders through a big roof past two bolts. I could get the start moves up to the first bolt but the next move was an extreme crimp power mutant move which eluded me. I eventually just pulled on the 'draw and grabbed the next hold and finished the climb. It was my style of climb, but alas just a bit hard for me.

I then moved to a good wall behind Lizard Procrastination Pinnacle and worked the two star Beside Myself (23) and got it down to two falls. The route had a very Thailand feel. The weather was hot, I was wearing Thai sunscreen and I was falling onto a big fat ringbolt. The rock was also very similar. The top moves were quite far above the last bolt and that meant big fall country &endash; I was spat off the top so many times that the six metre falls were becoming very boring. The climb goes up an awesome layback flake, then fires up a very thin and technical face and finally tops out on some big sloping holds.

Between red-point attempts on Beside Myself, Poul squeezed in an onsight of Skydiver (21). I seconded it and found it quite hard going with a great crux. I had also got this onsight a couple of months previously. The walk down from the top of this route was rather interesting. You have to chimney down into a small gully and walk out. Its easy enough normally, but this time the entire floor of the gully was covered in bees as they were drinking the water from the floor. I had to run through it as they swarmed everywhere. Luckily I didn't get stung! To finish off the day Poul ticked the onsight of I'm a Little Asteroid (19) whilst I onsighted the original route, King Rat (18). I found King Rat to be very pumpy, and an awesome traditional grunt climb.. I even got a few knees bars and lots of hand jams in it.

Poul cranks the onsight of Skydiver (21)

On the drive home, leaving at the ridiculous time of 6pm, we picked up a mountain of 'reduced to clear' items at the supermarket. We scoffed down on yogurts and fruit juice as we watched the sun set over a lake near Ararat. It was a good end to an interesting weekend away.

Nick has returned from New Zealand with a successful ascent of Mt Aspiring. It took them multiple days to climb and it even evolved some grade 10 rock climbing in crampons!