My first climb of the trip was an onsight of Mr Curly, a two star 10m 17.  The climb follows a flake sort of thing through an overhang to a vertical headwall.  It started raining as I got about halfway up but it didn’t bother me until the last few meters because the route was so overhung.  A couple of meters away Lee onsighted Diana Ross, a 10m 21, which was also a bit wet, but didn’t matter due to the positive nature of the top holds.  It was a pretty pumpy climb through an overhang with fun campus and heel hook moves at the start.  Steve led Ancient Mariner (19), Diana Ross and Mr. Curly.

While we all took turns leading these routes, Aaron (after warming up on them) hopped on Silent Rage, a 10m 25. He came in on a variant start to avoid the roof which brought the grade down to 23 apparently, but it was still way hard.  He took a couple of falls on it and didn’t get the redpoint.  It starts with moderate moves then goes into a couple of meters of desperate crimps.  Some nice jugs then give you a bit of a rest before you have to crank off of a hideous sloper to the easier top section. I had a go on toprope, and managed to make it through the crux, but was too pumped to pull up on the sloper near the top.  Not too bad for my first 23.

We then went around to the other side of the crag where Lee put up an amazing show of endurance to pull off an onsight of Lyptus, a 20m 23, and the classic of the crag.  The route is overhanging for most of its length, and involves multiple committing, dynamic throws.  As he climbed, a huge grey cloudbank rolled in and mist and spray were blowing in all directions.  Very atmospheric.  As is the norm in the Blueys, Lee was so close to coming off at several times throughout the route, that we thought he was gonna whip for sure.  After that, it was into town quickly for toilets, water, and dinner in a Chinese restaurant, then back to the cave (another ferry) and we turned in for the night.

Above: Aaron flashing Diana Ross (21). She didn't mind.

It was then off to Junket Pumper, an 15m 24 line at a different part of Centennial Glen which we had scoped earlier in the day and were keen to try.  Aaron put the draws up with a couple of falls, and Lee clipped the anchors after a few hangs.  I got stuck on the crux moves and lowered.  The route follows a slanting flake for the bottom 10m, and then goes up a blank face for a couple of meters (crux involves several dynamic, committing throws off crimps to crimps) before you mantle onto a huge ledge where you can shake out before clipping the anchors.  Aaron then had a second shot, but fell on the crux. On Lee’s second attempt he climbed strong up to the crux, and stuck the first of the throws, just.  He threw for the second time, slapped his hand onto the hold, started falling backwards, I braced myself to catch the fall, but, somehow, he slowed, steadied himself, hung for a few seconds, brought up his feet and dragged himself through the blank face onto the ledge.  You can’t get any closer than that.  After a shakeout he reached up, grabbed the jugs next to the anchors, set his feet, pulled out a ton of slack, reached for the anchors and then, with a sickening crack, his left foothold blew off and hurtled into oblivion.  His right foot followed suit, and we thought he was in for a huge whipper, but he managed to catch himself on his right hand, at this point his whole body swinging in space held by one hand, and holding a bunch of slack in his left, trying desperately to clip the anchors.  He was only fighting the inevitable however, and with a little scream, his right hand popped off and down he went.  I managed to take in a bit of the slack but he still fell a good six or seven metres. Would have been great with a video camera.

Above: Will belays Aaron as he attempts Shore Break (24) while Steve watches attentively (?)

Above: Lee flashing Exhibition Wall (21)

Steve started off his day by onsighting Viparete 25m 17 which Lee seconded, doing the DF at 19.  Aaron and I headed off to climb Radios Appear, 20m 23.  It’s a great climb but unfortunately it has become a lot harder due to abseilers with clumsy feet knocking off the crucial holds.  The crux is a right handed throw off of crimpers onto a gasto.  Not very old style, more like a hard sport move.  It spat Aaron off the first time he tried it, onto a rusty carrot.  I topped out with two falls both at that same spot trying to read the sequence.  While we were hanging around on this traditional sport route, Lee onsighted Aunty Jack and Steve seconded, removing the wire I couldn’t get out due to stupidly leaving my nutkey on the ground.

For Aaron and me it was off to Misjudgment, a 20m 18 (pretty average climb), while Steve had a minor epic on the classic Atomic Punk (three star 20).  He got the redpoint but had a lot of trouble getting it. Steve had been on the route on his previous trip to the Mountains, and had taken a large fall, so it was payback time. We thought he was off in multiple places but he pulled through.  The climb looked so good that Steve lowered and took out his gear so that Lee could lead it.  After Lee flashed it he claimed it was so good that Aaron and I had to lead it, so he lowered and took out his gear as well.  Aaron and I had just done some grade 14 corner crack and came over for the lead.  Aaron made quick work of the beautiful climb and left his gear in place so I could lead it.  I got the flash (Lee took photos from the top after seconding Steve up Misjudgment).  I readily agreed that it was a brilliant climb and was very grateful for getting to lead it.  It’s a must if you’re ever near Mt York.

We all had one last climb of the day on the three star Exhibition Wall, a 20m 21.  Exhibition Wall is a slab climb protected on rusty carrots with even rustier hangers (weird rectangular chunks of mild steel stuck on the bolts).  It was the first all-bolt protected route in the Mountains.  It goes up an impressive wall, and was recommended by many of the locals.  Aaron pulled off the onsight and Lee flashed it, all the while bemoaning that it was a slab (he hates slabs).  Steve had a go and cruised his way to the top (he loves slabs) and then it was my turn and I got the flash as well.  A brilliant climb on crimps mostly, with well placed rests and great moves.  Be wary of the "sting in the tail", a few very hard desperate crimp moves at the very end of the climb, which almost dispatched Lee and I.

Day 4 Saturday the ninth of December 2000

Canyoning attempt number one

We decided it was time for a rest day and a bit of canyoning adventure (my kinda rest day).  Unfortunately we all slept in way too late (stirring at around 12:00pm), and only made it into Mountain Designs at about 2:00pm where we bought various bits of gear including the guidebook.  This process took about another hour and then we were finally onto finding a canyon, but no, we’d bought the wrong guidebook, all we had was a crappy little one and we needed the bigger better one.  Back to MDs, exchange guidebook, look at time. Whoa up, its 3:30pm and all the canyons we want to do are described as ‘a very long day out.’  Canyoning attempt number one thwarted.  We spent the remainder of the day shopping for food and other bits and pieces of gear, and then headed off to Diamond Falls to have a look at the hard routes which we dream of getting up.  We saw the hardest route in Australia, Garth’s Grey Area, as well as the amazing Some Kind of Bliss, 31 which Garth onsighted. 

On the drive back down from Diamond Falls we came across a big traffic jam which had several carloads of climbers stuck on the narrow, steep exit road.  Upon inspection we found out that a carload of Japanese tourists somehow wound up with their back, passenger side wheel over the large curb on the left side of the road, with the car facing uphill.  No idea how they got it there but anyway, when we arrived we found out that for these guys to get towed by NRMA, they had to sign up, yada yada, which would take a total of three hours to get their car moved.  “I don’t think so,” said Lee, “I’m not waiting around for three hours, I want to get back to the cave.”  He then set about organizing the climbers to lift the car off of the curb.  We all grabbed a bit of the back end of the car and upon Lee’s counting itchi, nee, san, (the first time he’d used his Japanese since high school), we would lift the car a little ways and then set it down again, reset ourselves, repeat, repeat.  This worked fairly well except for the fact that the brakes were on the back wheels, and we were lifting the back completely off of the ground, causing the car to roll onto us.  After we got the car fully back onto the road, one of our Japanese friends pulled together enough English to say “Thiz pozizon iz danzerus” (this position is dangerous).  After much laughing and Aaron vowing to name a route thiz pozizon iz danzerus, Aaron hopped in and began rolling it backwards down the hill and eventually managed to clutch start it and turn it around for the Japanese.  Yay!  We can get back to the cave!  Not before the Japanese produced a disposable camera and took pictures of the whole group in front of the car.  And so ended a rather strange day.

Above: Aaron scoping out the hardest routes in Australia on Diamond Falls' main wall

Lee put up the draws on Madge McDonald, 12m, 25, while Aaron put up draws on Trix Roughly, a 12m 26.  Both climbs receive three stars in the guidebook and they’re well deserved.  Lee managed to tick Madge on his fourth shot, and Aaron nailed Trix on his third shot, which gave Aaron a new hardest redpoint. Steve had a go on Madge, but the climbing style didn’t match his preference.  On my third shot at Madge I made it to the very top out moves, but peeled off trying to match on a sidecling and go for the top hold, right next to the anchors! Spewing!  I didn’t get the redpoint that day.

After Aaron ticked Trix he redpointed Nev Herrod, 12m 23 a climb with nice jugs through a huge barrel roof – like climbing a massive Coke can.  He left the draws up for Lee, who managed to flash it.  Sick of overhung routes, Steve went around the corner to try Chase The Lady - a slab (his specialty) 23, described in the guidebook as harder than some 24s.  Indeed it was too, if not even harder still.  It spat Steve off about halfway, and when Aaron tried it (who had ticked a 26 earlier in the day) it spat him off as well.  He managed to make it to Steve’s high point using moves that looked more stressful than anything he’d had on Trix, then lowered off.  To get the draws down, we called on Toby, a kid who dropped out of year 11 this year to climb.  This kid was a machine.  When we first arrived at the crag, he warmed up by soloing up and down twice on a 23!  Throughout the day we’d seen him pull off impressive ascents of multiple 26s and some harder stuff, and a huge 4 points off, sideways dyno on Bernie Loves Sausages (27).  His belayer had at least 8m slack out.  We were looking forward to the fall as much as the dyno!  Anyway Toby had taken the draws down for us on a couple of other routes, and this grade 23 slab (cough, splutter) spat him off as well!  When we did get our draws down we vowed never to try that route again.  After that Steve had a go at Nev Herrod but lowered off after a huge battle in the sun.  Once again we called on Toby the draw-collecting machine (there should be one at every crag) to retrieve our draws for us.  It made a great day out with awesome atmosphere.

Above: Aaron being lowered off after his successful ascent of Nev Herrod (23)

Day 6 Monday the eleventh of December 2000

Bardens Lookout

On Monday we decided to go to Bardens Lookout where we would be able to choose from a large variety of routes from easy to hard, both trad and sport.

Aaron took the first lead of the day on Hang Onto Yourself, a 25m 22.  The climb starts with a few easy moves to a no feet traverse across a horizontal break in the rock out onto an arête above an overhang.  It gave us all a flash pump and the potential for a painful whipper was there.  Aaron onsighted it and I got it with one fall trying to get onto the arête.  Lee onsighted Little Triggers, 20m 19, which involved a lot of trad gear, then came over and flashed Hang Onto Yourself.  After Aaron and I did it, Steve flashed Starman, 20m 22 which Lee also flashed.  I redpointed Lady Stardust, 20m 22.  On my first shot I came off due to not thinking the move through properly and trying a stupid dyno.  I got it on my second shot after a huge rest halfway up trying to work out how to do the next move.  Aaron flashed it, then had a play around on Holy Leaping Shortarses, Batman (24) which had a lot of desperate crimping up to a huge roof.  He took a couple of falls before clipping the anchors, and didn’t bother going for the redpoint.

On the way back to the cave we stopped off at a park in Blackheath to fill up our water bottles, rinse off under the taps, and use the facilities.  To our great delight the park had several big, concrete boulder things, which we established several problems on, all involving getting to the top without the use of the hands.  Aaron put up a problem where you have to take a massive standing jump to get both legs onto a sloping ledge, if you could stick that you had several technical foot slopers to get to the summit.  None of us could repeat it.  After jumping around the park all over the boulders (weird looks from the locals), we called it a day and headed back to the cave in the dark.

Above: Aaron onsighting Hang Onto Yourself (22).

Day 7 Tuesday the twelfth of December 2000

Rest day, canyoning attempt number two.

We were determined to get to a canyon this time.  We got up at 6:00am and headed out to find Hole In The Wall canyon.  The first part went according to plan.  We took all the right turns down all the right roads.  So far so good.  But then, while driving along the last few kilometres of dirt road before the car park, the road suddenly split in two.  With no idea which one to take, we took the one that looked most used.  This happened multiple other times until we got to a dead end and decided that this is where the hiking must start, so, in the 35 degree heat, dressed in thermals and wet suits (except for Aaron whose thermals were last seen on top of the car before we left) and with no water we set off for the canyon.  Several wrong turns, backtracks and two hours later we had a bit of a conference.  As far as we could tell not a single thing we had passed was ‘definitely’ what the guide had described, and in fact, very little of what we had passed sounded anything like what was in the guide.  And, despite the fact that nearly all of the walking we had been doing was downhill, we couldn’t see water anywhere except for a few muddy puddles in the middle of the road.  That combined with the fact that there seemed to be an awful lot of footprints going in the other direction, made us turn around and head back.  So, after four hours of hiking we arrived back at the car and pulled out what little water we had left after yesterday at the crag, about one and a half litres, and downed it between the four of us.

After that little disaster of a trip we decided to go to the Dams Cliffs, a beautiful swimming hole we could cool off in, which also had 8m cliffs rising straight out of the water that you could solo and jump off.  A brilliant (read tense) bit of four wheel driving by Steve, down a steep, slanted, washed-out dirt and rock road saw us arrive at the dam which provided welcome relief from the heat and doubled as a good wash and water source.  After we got bored of swimming and soloing, we headed off to the Freezer, a steep sport climbing crag in the nearby area. 

Lee onsighted the three star Good Big Dog 20m 24 for his hardest onsight of the trip and flashed Extension Lead, 18m 22 after I did it.  After some rests, Aaron ticked Rat$, 18m 24, and onsighted Ice Cubed, 20m 23.  Steve got Old Blobby 20m 20 - “You can sit on every hold except the first three”.

Above: Steve takes the plunge off the Dams Cliffs

Day 9, Thursday the fourteenth of December 2000

Upper Shipley

Upper Shipley is a diverse sport climbing crag, with routes ranging from hideous overhangs, right through to desperate crimping up slabs.  Perfect for our group, Aaron and Lee could go skitz on huge overhangs, while Steve and I could crimp our way up slabs, and John who joined us that day could sample a bit of it all.

Aaron and Lee spent most of their day trying to redpoint Loop The Loop a 25m 25 with three stars.  Neither of them got the redpoint, though Aaron on his last attempt made it to the anchors, but didn’t clip, because there is technically one more move on the climb, a massive dyno.  He threw for it but peeled off, wishing he’d gone ahead and made the clip. 

Steve and I started off by leading up Jack High, and Weekend Warrior, both 15m 19s.  John top roped these and then I hopped onto Sexi Mexi, 15m 23.  I took a couple of rests, and then clipped the anchors.  The top section has a large runout, with potential for a nasty fall because of the rock’s angle (you’d bounce off the cliff until you came to a stop several meters below).  I redpointed it on my third go.  Steve, having the time of his life on the slabs, onsighted Girly Germs, 15m 21, and then pulled off an awesome flash of Sexi Mexi, his hardest tick.  Towards the end of the day Lee onsighted These People Are Sandwiches, 15m 22, while Aaron ticked a few of the easier 19s we’d been doing. Going for the flash of Sexi Mexi, Aaron fell off, which was extremely validating for Steve. Nothing like slabs to mix things up.

Above: Lee putting the draws up on Loop The Loop (25)

Aaron, John and I braved the ‘rung route’ (one of the rung ladders which has to be led) to get to the start of High Side, 23m 23.  The climb is incredibly steep, with a huge roof to get through, and a headwall at the top that looks delightful compared to the rest of the climb until you realize just how far the draws are hanging off of it.  The crux is near the start of the climb and involves some throws to crimps, and some funky footwork that gets you into a completely sideways position on the cliff.  From there it’s up through a steadily increasing overhang until you get to a funky no hands rest by bridging a corner underneath a roof.  Very exposed!  Next you dangle around off some huge jugs in the roof, and pull through to get a no hands rest by sitting in a hueco sort of thing, and then its up the headwall on huge jugs, that are a long way apart.  Beautiful moves the entire way through the climb.  Well deserved three stars.  Aaron had the first lead on it, but came off at the sequence-dependant crux.  Next up it was my turn and I came off in the same place, worked out the sequence, and pulled through the rest of the climb, but unfortunately cut my fingers on some sharp gravel inside one of the jugs, so I never went for the redpoint.  Aaron got the redpoint, and then John had a go on toprope, but didn’t make it through the roof, while Lee made his way over to try it.  He took one fall at the crux.

While we had been doing High Side, Lee and Steve climbed Wingman Anytime, 15m 21 and Bullshit Iceman, 15m 22.  While climbing Wingman Steve pulled off a huge rock which we heard smash the ground from nearly a hundred meters away.  Later in the day Steve tried an access route, a slab supposedly 19, which easily would have passed for 22 in our books. Looks as though holds had been busted off the start.  John tried a few of the routes on top rope, and led the supposed 19 access pitch, his first lead in about six months.  We then packed up and braved the engineering feats again to get back to the car.

Above: Aaron redpointing High Side (23)

Sizzler was the closest thing you could get to Frog in the Blue Mountains.  Screaming “For Queensland!”, Lee grunted his way up the handcrack to the leaning wide section which was the crux. Poor protection and wide jamming techniques had the sweat pouring off Lee.  Mantling a small ledge 4m below the top saw Lee WAY out from his last gear, facing a huge plunge. What followed was an unprotectable wide corner crack. With all his remaining quickdraws, Lee slung a 2 inch bush (the only available gear), and launched up, laybacking for his life. Thankfully, he reached the belay without peeling. While seconding, Steve came off in the wide section and said the route was one of the hardest things he’d been on on the trip.

Determined to have an epic on our otherwise well-planned trip, Aaron decided to do the hardest route listed in the guide on Old Baldy - Central Direct, a 108m 18, going straight up the middle of the face.  Since I didn’t know how to lead naturally, and John hadn’t led on gear for 6 months, Aaron had to do all the leading.  The first pitch is well protected on good bolts, but was a lot harder than 18.  The rock was crap quality, and the first pitch involved much desperate crimping on horizontal breaks even going into a slight overhang.  Between all of us we only had 8 bolt plates, and so Aaron had several dilemmas trying to use his teeth to move the wedge of the wires down, to hang the cable over the bolts. 

John and I seconded cleanly, and then Aaron started up the second pitch, which turned out to be much like the first, but far less protected.  The first bolt was about 5m above the belay, and as Aaron approached it, his chalk bag came untied and hurtled past John off the cliff, carrying with it all of our bolt plates.  Aaron down climbed and set up a lot of his wires to use as hangers, borrowed John’s chalk bag, and set off again.  The moves were very desperate, and when he finally clipped the first bolt we were all very relieved.  Getting to the second bolt, another 6m up, involved a huge traverse out to the left, which meant if he fell he would have hurtled straight into John and me.  We kept our heads low and bodies into the cliff (I was feeling glad I had a helmet) as Aaron pulled off several desperate moves which we thought were going to spit him off.  The entire pitch was runout after runout, and when he found the belay we were all much relieved.

Above: Aaron, John and Will on Central Direct/Stiletto (18/21)