Aiding and Falling on Taipan

Weekend of 24th of October

Location: Mt Stapylton, Northern Grampians, Victoria

Team Members:

Neil 'Shorts Boy' Monteith

Poul 'My mission is to crap on every good crag in this country' Christofferson

Nick 'Tarzan belch' McKinnon

Ben 'Brit choss routes rule' ?? (I must remeber to get his name!)

As you have already read we yet again checked out one of Australia's premier climbing areas. It's a tough life living in Victoria. The weekend before it was Arapiles, this weekend was Taipan and the coming weekend we are going to Buffalo. Oh, how I wish I was climbing in 40 degree heat at Kangaroo Point.

Instead of the usual Friday night mission we all went to a pub to say goodbye to Poul's flatmate Gabriel. She was the one refered to as Kayaker Nick's Girlfriend several weeks ago. We got home at around 2am and crashed on Pouls floor. Five hours later we were up and driving on our merry way to the Grampians. We had a little stop over in Beufort for tasty bakery treats from a shop which had just been robbed twice in the last 24 hours. Lets just say they were a little light on in change.

We arrived at 10am feeling very tired. It was Pouls first time to Stapylton so we took a slow senic walk up flat rock pointing out some other crags. We were also slow because Poul and I were carrying every piece of climbing gear we owned for aid adventure! The view from Flat rock across to Tapian always blows me away and Saturday was no exception. The sun was blazing down and a prefect blue sky glistened overhead. It was going to be a perfect weekend in the Gramps! Nick and Bens intial plans were to do The Seventh Pillar, a grade 23 M1 route straight up the middle of Taipan. Sadly there were already some bumbly climbers aiding it so they went off to do The Navigator. Talking about bumblies and aiding, Poul and I decided that we were going to have a full on aid day for Ozy training. One of the best areas for aiding in the Gramps is Lower Taipan wall. Its a severally overhung chunk of orange rock about 30m high and with some magic lines. There are three major aid lines with two of them almost free, a 31 M1 called Pegasas almost freed by Andy Pollit in the early 90's and the super classic Gilgamesh freed with one rest by HB at 31/33?.

For Pouls second aid climb (ever) I put him on Gilgamesh M5/A2+ which is pretty much the same grade as the aid cruxes on Ozy. The free and aid route follow slightly different paths with the free route traversing along the lip of the roof astart whilstthe aid route climbs the roof direct. We racked up with mountains of gear (this was a full dress rehersal for Ozy including haulbag, ascenders and water). The route goes up a short flake to gain a horizontal break which you traverse for 6m to below a 6m roof. Above this roof is a 20m long overhung right leaning corner with a small weakness up its middle. Its an impressive route and quite frightning to look at! Poul started not so well, he got his new daisy chains and etriers a bit mixed up but got his shit together about half way along the traverse. The roof aid is five upside down carrot bolts, rusty, bent and 5/16' in diameter. I was worried our hangers wouldn't fit but luckily they did. Poul swung out his first roof aid in style, until he got to the forth bolt. I was day dreaming down the bottom lieing in the sun, catching on on some zzz's (oh for a Gri Gri). I watched him put the hanger over the end of the bolt with the big hole and instaed of turning it around to the 'keyhole' position he yelled down. 'Its not fitting on the bolt!', I couldn't understand why this bolt in particular was smaller than the rest. Remember this was already three bolts out along the roof with groundfall potential if one of the manky bolts popped. He fiddled for ages and eventually used two hangers on top of each other and hammered tight around the bolt to secure a 'moderate' aid piece. We both winced as he wieghted it, it held and he swung along to the next bolt which took a normal hanger. The next move involved placng an upside down blade in a less than spectacular flake and then standing up as high as possible to gain a bomber #4 cam in a horizontal. That meant there were at least seven moves in a row on marginal pro, hard A2! At this point the aid route joins with the free route at the base of the corner. The corner itself was moderatly easy, the crux was a RP #0 move and a skyhook on a good pocket. Three or four hours after starting Poul got to the top. That was the longest belay I have ever done, and by far the most relaxing! Next it was my turn to second. The first half I had to re-aid the moves as they involved a traverse and a roof. Its a tricky process pushing your ascenders along the rope whilst trying to aid! I got past the 'problem' bolts and tapped off the hangers. Just to test it myslef I placed the hanger on the bolt and spun it around into the correct position. It fitted fine!!!! I couldn't believe it. Poul had just placed three other hangers correctly but must have had a mental block at this piece. Remember he does come from NZ. :-) At this point I could check out the free routes line. The start is a horendus lung (about 2m) horizonatlly to gain a big jug, then a series of finger ledges traverses right along the lip of the roof to gain another big jug (the #4 cam horizontal). The move from this hold up to the crack looked really hard from the ground but in reality is quite easy BECAUSE of a large CHIPPED hold. I coudn't believe it! The move might have been around 26 without the hold but is now maybe 23/24. What complete tosser did it I don't know. The corner above was truely amazing and suprisingly juggy. I supurb free route (for me) would be to aid up to the #4 cam then free the last bit of the n climb the corner at about 24/25? The rock is amazing marbled bright red and has great finger pockets and edges. Its def. one of the nicest climbs I have seen anywhere.

Sequence from our Gilgamesh ascent

We got back to the ground at around 5pm. I decided to jump on Gilgamesh's compainion route, Pegasas M4/A2. Gearing up quickly I set out up the intial seven bolt ladder up a 35' overhung wall. It just after this point that the free route starts. The climb is an imacluate 30m 30 degree overhung seam which flucuates from hairline to fist crack. The bottom bit (after aid bolts) is the free crux and really thin. there are three free climb protection bolts in this section which I chose is avoid. I aided up some some crappy gear (RP #1 in sand, wire in super tenous placement, skyhook ect...) making it proberly A2+. I even scored an almost brand new smiley nut off it! Darkness approached quickly and I was soon blindly placing gear in the top wide crack. I topped out just as the sun slipped behind the horizon. Doh! Poul then had to clean it, his secod ever use of jumars. 30min later he still wasn't more than five metres off the ground so he bailed down and apped back down and cleaned the route myself. To give Poul credit the was trying to remove/get past was an absolute bastard, it ook me 10minutes with Poul's help to get into the right position. Its bloody hard cleaning steep traverses! was about this time that we heard a shout from the other side of Stapylton Amphetheatre. It was Nick and Ben coming for the rescue! We yelled back the theme song from Europe's 'the Final Countdown' (our secret calling tune!) and they walked over just as we were as I rapped back to the ground. In true epic fashion our ropes got stuck so we discarded the ropes and left our gear in a cave and headed back to camp. It was 10pm... :-) Poul and I managed to cook dinner and then crash, completely stuffed from the days adventure (and the four hours sleep the night before). Nick and Ben had cruised The Navigator and Nick had also flashed Sandanista (23). We all awoke early with great plans for the day. Ben and Nick were off to do The Seventh Pillar and Po to do something else on Taipan. First we retrieved our gear from Pegasas and got the ropes down. On the walk up to Taipan proper we watched Ben start up the first picth of The Seventh Pillar. Half way up we knew it must be tricky as he started to place gear furiously. He continued up to the end of the flake and took a rest. The next bit is the so called 'death traverse' a grade 23 traverse 15m long and with one piece of gear. Ben did the moves until just before half way but couldn't reach/commit to a really long move. Ben is quite short so it was a good excuse! He backed off it shitty his pants and pulled the gear. Its obvuisly mega scary because Nick went up (having the previusly day onsighted a three star 23) and just went 'i don't think so!'' and rapped down.

Neil on Pegasas M4   Ben attempts The Seventh Pillar (23)

I felt fairly strong/stupid and decided to jump on my long time nemisis Mr Joshua (25) which I had been on once before in Febuary when I was down with Gareth. Last time I climbed on pre-placed gear and got up to about the half way mark. I only took one fall and it was onto a dodgy undersized cam and I rapped off very scared. This time I wanted to get further! I forgot / blanked from my mind in fear the first ten metres. I have never been so scared in my life! Truly nutso commitment with death fall potential. You climb up an overhung pocketed wall on slopers to a ledge with no pro then are faced with a five metre hand traverse right on sloping rock to a position below an overhung. You then have to crank a move to reach high and clip the bolt, ten metres above your belayer. I was scared shitless. I have never freaked out so much mid climb. If I had a size #5 Cam I could protect the traverse but alas I don't. Anyway I rested on the first bolt then a few tries got me to the second bolt, then the third then to a break which I got a good cam in. I rested again then cranked rightwards onto the arete to gain a 'monster jug' sloper. This is the position I managed to onsight up to last time. I clipped the bolt and took a rest. The route really kicks back at this point and you feel twice as high than you are in reality. The move past this bolt is the crux and is really tricky. I took fall after fall at this point slapping wildly on slopers. One fall I got my foot on the inside of the rope and scored some serius rope burn! I finally stuck the move and crawled into a very small cave (my legs hanging out) for a rest. I placed some wires, rested and continues upwards getting stumped by more slopers. I was balisticly pumped by now and fairly knocked around from repeat falls so decided to bail off. Oh well, that 25 is mega tuff! Imagine the 30+ routes.

Next Poul go the onsight of the sandbag first pitch of Sirocco (21), featured on the front cover of the latest Rock mag. I seconded it and fell off the crux a few times. I eventually solved my problem by doing a huge double dyno to gain the jug above the crux. Mr joshua had killed me! Don't ask me why, but I decided to jump on a 23 left of Sirocco, the first pitch of the Seventh Bananna. It has a great roof at the start with a bolt then follows flakes up great wall to a rap anchor. The second pitch is 27. The roof has three exceelent pockets which you have to dyno from to gain the flakes. The main pocket was seeping water so I put my hankerchief in it to stop it leaking - where is a Whisper Ultra Dry with Wings when I need one!!! I fell heaps of times, dropped my medium wires (arggghhh vital wires below!!) and dogged my way to the chains. I reckon I could get it clean if I hit it first thing. The moves past the roof were only 21ish and well protected - if I had wires... Poul got the second clean. Nick and Ben went and did the first pitch of World Party (21) and said it was a horror show of death runouts and slopers - not recommended.

Poul and I then went and did the multi picth Atomic Tadpole (20) which is on the slabs just left of Taipan. It was super classic yet again with the easist roof move ever. I cranked the roof and sat down on the jug in the lip!!?? The second pitch was run out and protected by a vital RP #1 and quite similar to Arenaline at Tibro. Same rock and sloping holds!. The rap back down was the best bit of this route. In full blazing sunset we got to rap off the top of a super classic (and death runout) looking Kim Carrigan route called Clean Sweep (24). The pro looked okay but not a bolt in sight. It climbs an amazing orange pocketed wall above a huge roof. Super awesome!!!! We got back to the ground and back to the car before night in an amazing display of organization. The pizza at Ararat was most yummy.

We are all going (at least seven of us) to Buffalo for this weekend so it should be a most fun time.

Thats it for me!