Blog from April, 2008

Well when the message came through on my phone from a unknown number and read:

Big crack day wednesday? Bring your A game bro.

it could only be the one and only CRAZY JOHN (John Fischer). So it was on! I picked John up at 7am the weather was a perfect. we were both amped for a big day, me maybe more so because I am off to Yosemite in just over a week. BRING IT ON.

So our new multi pitch reads some thing like this:

Split Column 19 35 meters
Holiday in Cambodia 21 35 meters
Ultrasound 24 35 meters
Sandybay rd 18 35 meters
Daedalus 20 55 meters
Icarus 20 80 meters
Tartarus 21 60 meters
Sky Rocket 20 55 meters
Potem Tole 19 50 meters
Galah Performance 20!!! 20 meters
Resurrection Shuffle 21 30 meters

it was an 11 hour day and we lead all climbs with John starting with Split Column and so on. 28 stars, 490 meters (nearly half of El Cap!). It was a no fall day (just!!). Galah Performance being short and sweet turned out to be the crux. we warmed down by head touch on Resurrection Shuffle. This was one of the coolest days I have had on the pipes, the only bad thing is that is daylight savings and we didn't head over to lost world to do the direct finish of Atlantis, Cruise Air and Savage Journey. Next time...

Cheers
Jake

Think about this the next time you complain about the sodden loddens: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23509814-30417,00.html

Good to see someone put their money where their mouth is!

A couple of people have asked for this, and it can't hurt to ask the question to gauge where opinion is on this.

Below is an online poll asking whether you think there should be a bolted rap route (as opposed to bolted climbs) on Frew's Flutes, Ben Lomond.

You have to be logged in to vote, you can only vote once.

Got an email from Garry Phillips in Canada, and some photos below:

Hi there John
Hope all is well.
Can you make up a page for our road trip on the sarvo please, ill send photos through soon. Here is a little writing though

Well we have been on the road now for 3.5 weeks. We managed to climb some great ice and mixed routes in the Canadian Rockies. High lightsd for us werr Polar Circus 5 Whitemans falls 5+ and a heap of mixed routes up to M8. Also a load of other waterfalls, but to many to name.
However the avalanche conditions on the northern slopes prevented some risk so we decided to bail early and head to indian creek.
This place is rad, splitter cracks every where. Its good to be back on warm rock . At the moment we are both preparing ourselves for yosemite, trying my best on all crack types. Off widths the hardest. Man im glad i have the big green cam!
We are camping in the desert its so special, all the stars, the towers and the howling dogs at night. Not to mention the warm camp fires. Last night there was a sand storm, we got covered in sand and then later it hailed!
We ticked some super classics here all ready supercrack, 3am crack, incredible hand crack, scarface etc etc. Its just so good.
Scarface was a bit of a battle being tight hands, but i was psyched to onsighted it.
I wish all of you back home could be here to see it. The cracks are like they have been lazer cut, either side of them is smooth blood red
walls. Its so good. One of the hard parts is deciding between simon and i who goes for the onsight!
any way take care all
garry

Photos

six shooters desert towers at sunset	simon warming up on perfect corner route	warm weather no more ice ahhhhh	sunset and playing around at campsite
carlsberg column	one of the six shooters	drinking tea on polar circus	campsite with bridget jack towers behind
Camp fire	puma g24 fingers to tips crux at end	simon leading last pitch polar circus chandallier hard ice	should be here jake my friend
scarface grade 22 insane route ring locks and tight hands	simon on classic grade 20		Garry on polar circus at night
Two happy boys	Simon on second pitch of polar circus	Mixed rock and ice climbing	Happy to have made it, blood on face from falling ice