Urbenville Rain

Weekend Report of the 13th November 1997

I went MTB riding with three friends on Saturday. We rode all around Mt Cootha & Kenmore in the boiling sun drinking HEAPS of water. I brought along the DV Video Camera from work & shot a few bits here & there. The friend of mine that had the big crash several weeks ago (have you heard that story??) came with us and was being a complete pycho again. He was doing crazy downhill three days after getting two full arm casts off.. He crashed and went over the handlebars again and hurt his knee and back as well as bashing both his arms again. He managed to ride home - but he spent most of the time riding with no hands because they hurt so much.

Sunday started out really well. Marty and I left the city at 7am to get to Woodridge station at 7.45am. We met up with Menno & Eric and drove the 130km to Urbenville in perfect weather. We stared in awe as we drove past Mt Barney & Cambells Folly. Cambells Folly has a huge east face with tonnes of potential. The problem is you have to walk through private land to reach it... Anyway back to the story. We arrived at Urbenville - a town of two shops & one pub - and stocked up on liquid refreshments. We then trudged up the hill to reach the slabs. I decided to try The James Scott Memorial Diet 40m 21 (read your guidebook for details) It was bloody super hard & mega sustained. There was not a single decent foothold or handhold in the entire 40m. No rests and crazy small sloping holds greeted me at every turn. I took about four rests but I was very happy with the climb. The crux involved a five metre runout on really crappy holds and I had to scisor three wires together to reach the next bolt. My feet were burning up big time and slipping off and I only JUST got the bolt in time before I feel off. Overall a bloody hard climb. Menno led Slapp (15) easily then Eric went up Slip 23m 19. I took some good photos on absiel whilst he was leading but missed his most excellent and spectacular 6m whipper off the crux.

Marty seconds James Scott Memorial Diet.

Becasue its an angled slab it was more a run backwards down the wall really fast. He was at least 3m above his last bolt attempting to clip the next bolt when his foot slipped off and down he went. To his credit he jumped straight back on - did the crux - clipped the bolt and topped out. An outstanding performace. I then jumped on the new route described as Unknown in your guide just after Easment. We decided to do a four person multipitch extravaganza. I led up Easment to a belay at the start of the crux. I then cranked through the really nice juggy crux (its more like 21) and up to hanging belay. Marty followed then Eric. I went up the last pitch - a really horrible Beerwah style slab on loose mini holds. I looked behind and saw a huge death black rain cloud! I paniced because my $1000 camera was lying open on the ground!!! Menno was halfway up the crux pitch but had to be lowered off in our mass evacutaion. It was an epic getting down - ropes kept getting stuck or didn't reach...

Eric Smits just before plummeting off Slip (19)

Menno got down and covered my camera just as the rain started coming down. Lighting boomed above us as we packed up our gear really quick. I had a single rope fixed to the chain of James Scott Memorial Diet to take a photo that afternoon so I had the job of getting it back down again. I just clipped my shunt to the rope & got Eric to hold the rope tight and I hand over handed up the rope for 40m to the chain. I was buggered completety by this time. Lightning flashed around me as I sat trying to tie two ropes together in the pouring rain. It's not a great feeling hanging onto a big metal chain 40m up a cliff in an electrical storm. I rapped down coiled the soaked ropes (they wiegh about 5 times more when they are wet) and we started the descent. It was then that it started hailing!! Luckily it was only small bits but it was bloody cold.

We got back to the car & drove home very very wet. And thats my story!!