January Climbing Adventures
A weekend away in Arapiles
This year Matt and I have a goal to get away most months for a weekend/long weekend climbing. Aside from Feb and March which are a bit packed preparing for Matt to complete in Land Speed Week in March.
I plan to write about these trips each month. I have an aim to limit the climbing jargon but and also build a little climbing glossary, so even if you aren’t a climber, you can still follow along. I’m keen to hear what you think of these climbing editions, so please tap the heart or leave a comment!
In January we spent a long weekend in Mount Arapiles. We departed after work on Thursday, arriving just after 11. Sleepy, we levelled the van, cleaned our teeth and climbed into bed.
Day 1 ~ Friday
Friday morning we woke to a beautiful Arapiles day. This time last year it was hot! Too hot to climb in the middle of the day, which meant we were up early had a very long lunch break in the shade and climbed into the evening, sometimes walking back down in the dark.
This trip we were able to climb most of the day, enabling us some earlier nights.
Our plans for Friday were to check out Golden Fleece Wall, an area with a good mix of single pitch climbs with something Matt and I could both lead. This would be my first time climbing in this area.
We had set out to warm up on Jason (16) with Matt leading, then for me to lead Pedro (11) and finish up with Golden Fleece (18). On arrival we could see the crack for the first half of Jason was slick and dripping after rain earlier in the week so decided to climb Beautiful Possibilities (15) just to its left. This was an enjoyable climb to warm up on but being in full sun, we were already feeling the heat on the wall!
By the time we finished, the Golden Fleece Wall was quite busy (and noisy) with a uni group setting up top ropes. I’m a pretty nervous and slow leader, so we decided to skip Pedro and climb Golden Fleece before it got any hotter…or louder.
After lunch at camp, we hiked back up to the shady Organ Pipes, where I led the two 40m pitches of Conifer Crack (9).
Day 2 ~ Saturday
On the Saturday we set out to climb a couple of multi pitches in the Pharos area. Matt was keep to climb Oceanoid (17) and I was keen to lead The Shroud (10). There was already other climbes on Oceanoid when we arrived so we took our time setting up.
The start of the climb was a little chaotic with Matt dropping a set of nuts getting his second bit of gear in. The leader from the group who had just finished offered to scramble up and pass them to Matt saving me from awkwardly tossing hardwear up to him!
The crux before the crux, took Matt a few goes to commit to it (as did I seconding), first to get gear in then to go for it. This section doesn’t have particularly hard moves, but they are awkward. It’s an overhung traverse left with poor feet. There are some great jugs for your hands, but you can’t see them and have to do a typical Arapiles commit to the move to use them!
After this section there is actually more technical (harder) climbing, it’s just not as airy or committing. Even as a seconder, there was a fair bit of hesitation before making the initial moves onto the traverse. Though I’m not going to fall far seconding, with the traverse I knew I was in for a swing if I didn’t make a move and I couldn’t see exactly where I would end up if that happened. So I was keen to make the inital moves clean.
After a fair bit of back and froth on the first move, I eventually made it through, though my nerves had me pumped and my hand felt like they were barely gripping the holds, despite being really good jugs.
By the time I got through the actual crux of the climb and then the easier climbing to the end of the first pitch I was exhausted. The mental exercise of climbing as an anxious climber takes a lot out of you. It is something I am working on (applying my yoga and meditation off the mat) but will take time and more climbing.
Sometimes I find seconding just as exhausting as leading because I feel nervous when Matt is leading. This is especially the case during the first few metres of climbing, when there is little stopping you from hitting the ground if you fall. I feel it again when I get to the crux, anxious at the thought of Matt having just led it!
With my fatigue and the longer time than expected on the first pitch we decided against climbing the second pitch, knowing that he first pitch was the better of the two and walked back down the decent gully.
The decent gully took as past Punks in the Gym (32), first climbed in 1985, and was for a while was the hardest climb anywhere in the world!
We took a long lunch break in the shade, I meditated, Matt hung out with the skinks. We decided against the Shroud as again, which by that point was in full sun and the rock was feeling hot, so headed straight to the Organ Pipes for me to lead Didgeridoo (12).
We were a little disappointed with what was planned to be a big climbing day being about half the climbing we intended but with heat and some big weeks at work we need to manage our expectations.
Day 3 ~ Sunday
We generally try finish off a long weekend away with an early start and a decent multi pitch before lunch, packing up and the drive back home. This trip we chose Dunes (13) in Central Gully. Usually 4 pitches over 100m of climbing, Matt started us off, with me leading the second pitch and extending it by a few metres to try get to some shade at a larger belay ledge (the Oasis for those following along in the guidebook or on the Crag).
We would not recommend using the Oasis for Dunes, or at least not how we did it! We had to leave the ledge from a different spot which was a little awkward, due to where I set up the belay. There is a lot to learn leading and a lot to think about. It’s one thing learning to place gear well and safely, its a whole other thing and a lot more experience to lead climb efficiently.
Matt ended up linking the final two pitches and topping out, battling with rope drag.
Once we reached the top, we packed up the rope and spent a few minutes taking photos for Between a Rock and Hard Pose. The top of the Dunes Buttress is a nice big flat rock, with the Pines Campground and other cliffs in the background.
Don’t worry it looks like I’m closer to the edge than I am here, Matt got cleaver with the angles. There is always at least one body length between me and the edge.
The trek back down is a few hundred metres along the top of the mountain before you reach the lookout carpark and a walking trail for an easy walk back down. A bit of a bush bash through overgrown ferns to get back to our bags at the bottom of the climb before another 15 minutes-ish, continuing downhill back to camp.
Home
I gathered lunch for the road, while Matt started packing up, we had a quick freshen up before the drive home.
Yoga Classes at Jeeva
Arm Balance Workshop 02 March - Flash sale happening this week!
The focus of the workshop is to get you ready to lift off into a few different arm balances including crow, crane eight-angle pose and grasshopper (no handstands). You will learn to progressively load the shoulders and wrists, open the hips and set a foundation to get into the balances. But most importantly we will play!
Tea and refreshments will be served after the workshop.
This workshop is ideal for intermediate yogis.
Recommendations
Reading War and Peace and finishing One Day I’ll Remember This, the second edition of Helen Garner’s diaries which I hooed to finish last year but didgot too sleepy new years eve to continue reading and have only read a page here and there since.
Watching Fleishman is in Trouble, I tried reading it by didn’t get past the first thirty pages. I’m enjoying watching much more.
Listening to my new Unwind 2024 Playlist. It’s at about 30 minutes now and I’ll continue adding to it throughout the year.
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The next class lands next Sunday!
Most of the climbing bit went over my head but I still enjoyed reading it!