The Difficult Centurion

Neil's Weekend Report 14-15 November 1998

Location:

Grampians, Western Victoria

Climbers:

Neil Monteith

Nick McKinnon

Ben Hargraves

Some interesting things were discovered during the week leading up to another weekend away. Nick's workmate James Macintosh, a Grampians new router extraordinar told us that our crag Hades was already named and several climbs had been established a couple of years back. He sent us descriptions of the routes, most where under 20 and climbed utter choss. Phew, at least we hadn't retro bolted some hardmans wall! The cliff is named Centurion Walls and only naturally protected routes had been done. During the week we stocked up on bolts, chains, hangers and other new routing things including a borrowed battery hammer drill.

None of us had eaten on Friday night so before the big drive we did the social thing and ate diner at one of my favourite places, Veg Out, on Fitzroy St in St Kilda. Lots of yummy vegetarian food later we jumped in the car and drove onwards. A friend of Ben's was having a house cooling party in a small town about 150km from Melbourne called Dayeslford. I didn't get to see the place as it was night but I imagine it is very similar to Maleny. Its high up in the mountains and inhabited by lots of hippies. Anyway the party was very cool. The house was like an old Queenslander and the entire inside walls were painted in bright mural colours. At points around the walls were painted on paintings, fireplaces, vases and flowers. A very flower power house to be sure! They had a grooving live band which was playing in a cramped corner of the kitchen whilst the rest of the kitchen was the dance floor. There was a roaring fire, lots of dogs and generally heaps of fun.

After staying a few hours we continued onwards and camped at a Sate forest about 200km from Melbourne. When we awoke the next morning it was a perfect blue sky day. Ben pointed out some very small orchids that inhabited a nearby creek. They were so small and delicate. Very cool.

Anyway back to the climbing! We arrived at Centurion Walls at around 10pm. We packed three huge backpacks full of gear and lugged it through the thick forest to the base of the crag. Everytime I go to Centurion Walls it seems to be bigger and better. Using Ben's binoculars we checked out a few of the higher walls and surrounding cliffs. Above Centurion Walls are several other buttresses that Ben was very keen to look at. First up it was a photo shoot on last weeks climb, Subterfuge. Looking at the climb again we spotted a fantastic black stain on the lower half which looks like an aboriginal man with an out stretched hand. An executive discussion was made to rename the route Left Hand Black. I rapped down the route first and screwed on some newly black painted fixed hangers (we had forgotten to bring fixed hangers last weekend). Now it was time for Ben to try the onsight. Nick and Ben were suffering somewhat from the night befores action. We had only managed about 3 hours sleep so we were all rather tired. He started well heel hooking through the lower crux roof. He gained the monster jug then pumped off. He tried a few more times but blamed the night before for his lack of strength. He bailed off. I was taking photos from absiel at this point and the view was fantastic. The sun was blazing down (the temperature must have been high 20's!!!) and the rock looked just like Taipan Wall. Nick got on, cruised to Ben's high point, crimped the crux moves then slipped (foot hold snapped?) taking a 5m screamer down the cliff ending up just off the lower ledge. It was the fall that both of us had never wanted to take. We had placed the third bolt above this crux move as to make the climb 'exciting'. At least Nick's fall proved you don't hit anything on the way down as it is so overhung! He got back on and completed the climb in fine style as I snapped away. Burning 15 shots on one climb was a bit extravagant but as you can see by the results it was worth it.

Nick whips off Left Hand Black

Nick lowered off feeling fairly ill. I was enthused still so I started prepping the climb just to the left of Left Hand Black. Meanwhile Ben went walkies (sleepys?) to look for new crags above Centurion Walls but came back empty handed a few hours later. Nick and I reckon he just found a nice cave and went to sleep! It was that sort of day. I cleaned and placed two more bolts on this wall climb and worked the start moves on shunt. The start is very bouldery crimping which Nick the previous weekend had deemed impossible. I found four little crimpers and some tiny footholds. The crux move is cranking really high of the last two crimpers and lunging for a chicken head jug. Very tricky indeed. Properly around grade 25. I named it 'Centrifugal Force' as it uses the first bolt of Left Hand Black so you do lots of pendulum falls when working the first moves!

Nick rapped down a line dubbed 'Killer Wolf' near the middle of the cliff which was fantastic. Properly the best line of the cliff it completely eluded me. Somehow I hadn't noticed a 4m roof flake (Kachoong!) followed by an amazing pocketed headwall. Anyway with much difficulty we set up a toprope anchor half way up the route. It overhangs at least 8m in its entire 30m height. Nick jumped on first. The start is quite dangerous to tope rope as you swing so far out from the rock and also with rope stretch have potential to deck out. The start bouldery move is getting situated in a bowl shaped stance. You can do it two ways. Climb direct into it by doing a heel hook mantle or traverse in from the left with no handholds. Nick took the more difficult left traverse option. Half way along he started to panic, his voice started to get all serious. He reckoned he was about to come off any minute as he couldn't reverse the crazy no handhold traverse in. Balancing on the edge of the bowl he just managed to stretch across and get the start of the roof flake. The flake is amazing orange Arapiles rock with bomber gear all the way along it. Nick swung out the right leading flake, jugged to a good half lie down stance on a very small ledge then stepped left onto the very overhung headwall. A couple of awesome pockets gets you situated below a very tough piece of climbing. A very big very sloped hold is in front of you and the next good hold is about 2m away. Nick grunted and battled but had his arse seriously kicked by the move. He lowered down.

I jumped on doing the bowl move direct (much easier) cranking the pumpy flake roof (about grade 20) and getting to the tough move. It is super bloody hard. I chalked up any hold I could find, worked lots of different body positions and eventually gave up. I am just not strong enough to pull up on the sloper! I think the move will be solid 26 if not harder. The move will require a bolt so if you aided on it the first half of the climb would be a three star 21! Neither of us worked the second half of the wall as we were seriously stuffed. This will be a mega classic route when we finally get up it. I hope to red tag it next time I am out so Davey jones doesn't steal it!

After thrashing myself on that route I stupidly decided to work my 25 project. After at least 30 falls and losing all the skin on my fingers I gave up. The move will go when I am fresh first thing in the morning. I managed to touch the chicken head jug after the crux so many times I can't remember but I just couldn't hold it. I then tried to traverse in from Left Hand Black but my fingers hurt so much I couldn't even do this grade 23 move. Oh well after resting on the first bolt I managed to do the rest of the climb with only one rest and confirm it is of similar excellent quality as Left hand Black. The top moves after the last bolt are quite bolt. The bolt is about 2m below your feet and you have to do a series of very long, nothing for your feet, moves to gain the last jugs. A fall from here would be a screamer but again would be just out in space as it's after the final roof move. Ben jumped on and got the second clean in a great display of after nap climbing! He confirmed the traverse in from the right variant would be grade 23. Both Ben and Nick had a go at the direct start but neither could even get past the first two crimpers. Maybe it's a sandbag at 25! It was nearing dark so we pulled the ropes and bush bashed back to the car. I was prepared this weekend. I brought along a pair of jeans to wear for the walk in and out of the scrub. You can't be too careful around those hell thorn bushes.

Nick tries the direct start of Centrifugal Force

We camped at Troopers Creek Campground, high up in the mountains around Mt Difficult. We had a huge home made vege curry meal. Several beers later we all fell asleep. It poured rain overnight but by morning it was all gone. There were heaps of tame wallabies in this camp ground who pestered us all morning. There was even a cute little baby wallaby who kept jumping out of its mother's pouch, dashing around the campsite then climbing back into its pouch again. It was very funny to watch.

Above Troopers Creek campsite looms a huge cliff, Mt Difficult. The cliff is about 100m high and stretches for several kilometres, braking up in parts. None of us were super enthused to climb hard so instead decided to go exploring and tick some easy classics. We checked our guidebook and found a route described as:

Spectre 48m 21

The major line of the cliff, sustained climbing on excellent rock, properly the best route in the North Grampians that didn't make it into you know whose guide. The prominent corner.

It was within a 30min walk of the campsite so we packed our bags and walked in. I took a spare rope in case I could get a good rap shot of this classic line. We reached the base of the wall and found it very chossy. A mixture between Tibrogargons worst rock and the choss bits or Serpent. Not a ver y pretty sight. From the distance we had checked out the line with Ben's binoculars. It was a mega corner, very obvious from the road. It didn't look hopeful but we pressed on walking the half a kilometre along the cliff base looking for new route potential. The entire wall was complete choss that loomed overhead. It was about 100m high and very unstable looking. It was very scary walking underneath it! After following a fairly beaten track (this looks hopeful) we gave up walking. The cliff was utter crap and just looked like it was getting worse. We pulled out the guidebook once more and checked the description. I looked up and spotted a bolt amongst a wet overhung wall. I read the description once more. Oh o this is making sense. This was the route. It was a complete pile of shite!! This has to be the worst cliff / climb I have ever seen anywhere in Australia! Why anyone would put it up I don't know but we scampered away as fast as possible. It was like a monster chasing us, we didn't look back, we just ran and ran and ran until we could see it no more.

Playing it safe we decided to climb at the proper Mt Difficult climbing area. Only about 500m west of the utter choss pile cliff it was hopefully a lot better. The guidebook had many two and three star routes with luminaries like Tempest & Kevin Lindorf doing many first ascents. It must be worthwhile. I hellish, for us unfit climbers, thirty minute walk up hill got us to the base of this most impressive cliff. For the most part it is slightly slabby and is grey in colour. There are no obvious 'lines' or corners that really stand out just lots of varied walls and faces that stretch to at least 100m in height. This cliff is known as a bumbly crag as it has heaps of easy sub grade 15 routes but hidden amongst these are several classic 20+ climbs. The best climb I saw was a Kevin Lindorf route, Mission to Mars 80m 22 which climbed a beautiful flake / slab. It's a climb I have archived to my mind to come back and do. We decided to do the two star Sword in the Stone 95m 17. It has two pitches of 'solid hand traversing' as the guide put it. It didn't look that bad from the ground, the climb was the only obvious way through a series of BIG roofs. By big I mean 20m horizontal. Serious shit. My fingers were trashed from the previous day so I opted to do the committing, cruxy, thin and technical grade 10 first pitch. Climbing at my limit and too pumped to place pro I did some impressive runouts. I was so stuffed at the top I didn't place gear for 15m! Anyway enough of that trollop. Nick led the crux second pitch up a magic corner and then some reachy handtraverse moves to gain a good stance. I seconded reclipping the gear behind me so Ben could third. Ben led the next pitch, a continuation of the second along a series of horizontal trenches. Not quite hand traversing but still kind of fun. This last pitch finished up the only fun chimney I have ever done. The rock was really frictional and the exposure was unreal. A truly awesome mid grade climb, and fairly easy for the grade at that. The summit was a fantastic place. You are really high up in the ranges and surrounding you are heaps of seemingly (by looking at the guidebook) unclimbed rock. A mega line that is a must do is a crack we spotted a couple of kilometres away (yes it is that classic looking!) called Coup De Grace 40m 21. Slightly overhung hand to fist crack classic up a blank wall. It a pity it would take over an hour to get there from the carpark. At least it wouldn't be over chalked.

Ben on pitch two Sword in the Stone (17), Mt Difficult, Grampains, Victoria Ben on pitch three of Sword in the Stone (17), Mt Difficult, Grampains, Victoria

I then jumped on Up, Up and Away 84m 18. It's a grey slab route following a very subtle grade 24 looking seam on very frictional rock. I loved it. It was a tad runout with some interesting gear placements and a really long 45m first pitch. Ben led the second pitch, a beautiful granite style flake high up on the wall. He then proceeded to do a mega 15m runout to avoid rope drag (!!??) to get to the belay. I was expecting him to plummet past me at any moment. We rapped back to the ground just before nightfall. If we had done the last 13m pitch up a crappy chimney we would have certainly been be-nighted. The walk down from the top takes over an hour according to Ben. Whilst we had been doing that route Nick found a nice waterfall on the left of the cliff were he had a good shower. I think it is still way too cold down here to even think about swimming!

That was our weekend away.

Neil on pitch one of Up, Up and Away (18), Mt Difficult, Grampains, Victoria

Ben on pitch two of Up, Up and Away (18), Mt Difficult, Grampains, Victoria