Passing the Days

We're currently camped out at Coopers Creek camp ground which is about 5 minutes passed the turn off to the Titanic boulders, after being asked to leave Mt Stapylton for not paying camp fees for well over a month.

Since my backs fucked, I've decided to make the best use of my time and do some searching around the area. Most of the rock although promising from the road is quite short and has little or no potential for good bouldering or routes.

We did however come across a cave about 10 minutes from the camp ground which has a sick crack line that could go at maybe V10 or harder.

The living conditions are still pretty good even though the temperatures at the camp ground are dropping well below 5 degrees on the best of nights. Double or even triple blankets are required to keep you from waking up repeatedly in the night because the body is telling you that its too fucking cold to sleep!!

Fab's been doing some days up at Taipan with a New Zealand couple we meet here about a month before. Earlier in the week he sent his first route Weak Boy which is pretty tough for a beginner at the grade of 26.

This week the focus is on Zeus and Mana, so hoping for the best even though we're forecast for a weekend of rain!!

Fab sends his long standing project!

The last week or so has been fairly eventful. After 8 days of attempts an infected pinkie and allot of bitching, the stars aligned and Fab finally put down Cave Bitch up at Hollow Mountain. He also did a super fast ascent of Rave Heart which was sick to see because the climb is super techie with some weird moves from sloppy holds out the finish to the WOL.

Joe came down from Sydney to hang out with us for a few days, we did a little bit of wondering around checking out some of the areas that we hadn't really spent much time at like Between the Sheeps and Citedal. He flashed his first V6 Remains of the Sheep and did all the moves on X-treme Cool in a day.

As for me, I've had to put some of my projects on hold after pulling my back out a while ago on Mana. Yesterday I started working on Zeus because the climbing is slightly less horizontal and hopefully that will give me a chance to heal back to %100 before the end of my trip.

Working The Crux of Ammagamma.

Fabby working the same move.

Fab crushing the opening moves to his 2nd V12, Cave Bitch.

Building up to the crux of So You Thing You Can Dance.

Sucking into the wall before the crux move.

A week at the Citadel

This week Fab and I spent some time bouldering with the Blue Mountain crushers Vincent and Zac.
We went up to try Ammagamma and Lost for life at the Citadel.
Both of these climbs are so fucking sweet!!!!
Ammagamma got dispatch pretty quickly after some sweet conditions earlier on in the week and Lost for Life seems pretty possible but has a difficult first move that may take a little work and some good conditions.

I found a sweet new line with a sick mantle at the end about 6 meters to the right of Butchers Choice down in the trackside area. The rock is super slick and the mantle has some tiny imperfections that may make it just possible.

Fab's finger is looking a lot better now so this week the focus is on the cave working Pretty Hate Machine and Cave Bitch, fingers crossed!!!

Fab riding the Duck on the way up to Tipan wall.

My hand got raped on Ammagamma's sharp pockets!!!!

Project on the right hand side of the Butchers Choice boulder.

 

Living the Dream

Fab and I have been having a sick time here in the Grampians!

Most of our days are spent working projects ATM….

Fab has been super close on Cave Bitch but his finger got infected so he had to take a break from it and let the finger heal up. He also has been developing some nice foot work by working on some of the easier boulders around the campground and Andersons.

My days are split up between three different projects... Mana, Ammagamma and Pretty Hate Machine are all super close so fingers are crossed for this week, hoping to at least get one haha

I don’t get a lot of computer time at the Horsham library so I can’t make any videos of the lines we have been working/completed so I’ll upload these photos of Fab and I working Cave Bitch in the Hollow Mountain Cave… Enjoy!

Credit to Mike Fitz for the sick Photos!

New Boulder Near The Wing Cave!!

With the Christmas holidays on I had some spare time to go searching for new lines around the Wing Cave and Menai area.

Just over the right side of the riverbed about 100 meters pass The Wing Cave is a 5m high 45 degree overhanging highball boulder.

This amazing piece of stone has some great features with a side pull rail running straight up the middle parallel to the sides of the boulder.

It then leads into a scary slopping mantel topout which will leave you feeling full of adrenaline and horrified at the same time!!!

(WARNING) BRING A CHANGE OF UNDERWEAR AS SHITTING YOUR PANTIES IS A HIGH POSSIBILITY!!

Its also recommended that you take at least 3-5 boulder pads and a good spotter because of the landing and height of this thing.

The boulder boasts two lines:

• Danger Zone V8 (on the right side)
• Nek Minnit V4 (on the left side)

Eddie Fowke came along to get some sweet photos of the boulder in progress, as well as lending a spot when the shit hit the fan :)

             Starting holds to the Danger Zone V8

             Climbing through the parallel side pulls running straight up the middle of the boulder problem.

             Approaching the slopping topout also known as the Danger Zone!!!!

The Pusher

Another classic problem goes down tonight, this time at the Wing Cave.
Mark and I went down to check it out yesterday, he gave me a tour of the cave and it looks like there is a shit load of stuff to try there!!

So from what I've been told, The Pusher was put up by Paul Westwood quite some time ago.
He originally graded it V14 but later on Chris and Tom down graded it to V12 which IMO is about right for this one....

For me personally this climb felt a little harder then Deep Blue Sea.
However the two climbs are very different and I wasn't feeling strong after working it the day before with Mark.

Big thanks to Mark and Fab for there support, couldn't have done it without them....

Manly Cave Sendage!!!

Rad night down at the Manly Cave!

Mattias and I took down the classic's of the cave and managed to get them on the cam... enjoy!!