Blog from July, 2012

Grant Dixon, Tasmanian mountaineer and wilderness photographer,  will be presenting photo stories of four extended alpine journeys in the Himalayas - Nepal, Mustang, Pakistan and India - including an alpine crossing from Makalu to Everest. Sensational photography, stunning  glaciers, peaks and passes.

Where: Stanley Burbury Theatre, UTas

When:  Wed 29 August at 7.30pm

Cost:    $15 an individual, $8 concession

Why:    To raise funds for the Tasmanian National Parks Association

For further info and tickets (you can also get them at the door) phone Anne McConnell on 62391494

Hi all, the Climbers Club of Tasmania will have it's Annual General Meeting on the 10th September, 7.30pm upstairs at the Republic Bar and Cafe, North Hobart - Agenda below.

All are welcome and you can join on the night if you're not a member.

The main purpose of the meeting it to comply with the incorporation requirements where we have to have an AGM, elect officers, submit an annual return etc. In order to provide some interest beyond such tedium Simon Young is going to do a slide show including some of the development happening at Bare Rock and some of his recent overseas trip.
If anyone wants to nominate for a committee position and make it a vote please let me know before the meeting. Currently only the current holders of the positions have nominated.

See you there!

Climbers Club of Tasmania
Annual General Meeting
Date: September 10th
Time: 7.30pm
Location: Upstairs at the Republic Bar and Cafe, North Hobart

Chairman: Simon Young

Agenda

1. Welcome (Simon Young)

2. Treasurers Report (Andrew Geeves)

3. A resolution to seek an exemption from audit as per  http://www.consumer.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/119726/Guide_to_the_exemption_process.pdf

4. A resolution to include the following new clause in the CCT Constitution to support the above exemption. (This clause is taken directly from the Model Rules)

  6.1 Special General Meetings
  (1) The committee may convene a special general meeting of the Association at any time.
  (2) The committee, on the requisition in writing of at least 10 members of the Association, is to convene a special general meeting of the Association.
  (3) A requisition for a special general meeting –
    (a) is to state the objects of the meeting; and
    (b) is to be signed by each of the requisitionists; and
    (c) is to be deposited at the office of the Association; and
    (d) may consist of several documents, each signed by one or more of the requisitionists.
  (4) If the committee does not cause a special general meeting to be held within 21 days after the day on which a requisition is deposited at the office of the Association, any one or more of the requisitionists may convene the meeting within 3 months after the day of the deposit of the requisition.
  (5) A special general meeting convened by requisitionists is to be convened in the same manner, as nearly as practicable, as the manner in which a special general meeting would be convened by the committee.
  (6) All reasonable expenses incurred by requisitionists in convening a special general meeting are to be refunded by the Association.

5. Election of committee positions

• President
• Vice-President & Public Officer
• Secretary
• Treasurer

6. Other business

7. Slide Show: Simon Young

Hi all,

After what can only be described as a fantastic season... Bare Rock is closed to climbing for the Peregrine nesting season.

There will be at least a 6 week to 2 month closure, final duration will be made by the resident raptor expert after that period. I will post once again when it is all back up and running, but for now, I would greatly apreciate the continued support of the climbing community in looking after these magnificent birds and the cliff in general.

I apprecate the way in which climbers have supported this move and love the respect that has been shown to our property in general. Thanks to all the climbers who have been up over the last year, you made it a fantastic place to be. During the break, I will be working on developing a small fixed campsite (hut and tent platforms) on the top of the property, closest to the cliff. Anyone who wants to be involved in a building day / materials gathering... please get in touch. A big thanks to Simon Young for sourcing roofing iron for the hut already!

Kind regards

Andrew

Hi Folks

The bumbling around in the Pacific Northwest continues. I've been wanting to climb The Mountaineers Route on The Elephant's Perch in the Sawtooth Mountains in central Idaho for decades after reading about it in climbing magazines and on the Web. I've got a report on my blog in case anyone would like to read a trip report and see a few photos: http://bearbeaverbuffalo.blogspot.ca/2012/07/travelling-north.html

Cheers

Doug

Hi all

I'm visiting Hobart for work for a few weeks (moving here permanently at the end of September) and if possible I'd love to get out and taste some of the local climbing. My schedule is fairly flexible, and I could do any day up to the 4th August (except next Sunday). I have a harness and shoes with me, but being a work trip I didn't bring rope or rack. I haven't been out a whole lot lately, but I am typically comfortable leading 5.9/10a trad off the couch (which I guess is around 18 Australian) depending on runouts. Sport, trad, single or multipitch, I'd be happy to check anything out.

If anyone's willing and able, then email me on captainfastrousers@gmail.com

Will

See topos at this link for another ripping new route at Fingal. http://climbnortherntasmania.wordpress.com/2012/07/17/a-terrible-beauty-is-born-another-fingal-classic/

TCIA AGM This Thursday 7.00pm 5 July 2012 at the New Sydney Hotel, Bathurst St, Hobart.

Hello from the U.S.A. Di and I are currently holed up in a motel in Othello, Washington after climbing Outer Space on Snow Creek Wall in Leavenworth, then driving for a few hours. I thought you might like something to lift your mid-winter spirits, and add a bit of motivation for those Waterworks and Freuhauf training sessions.

Our day began with the hike up the Snow Creek Trail. It was an auspicious start to our outing, as we saw a family of 4 mountain goats just a short way up the hill after crossing the bridge that spans Icicle Creek.
The goats seemed to be turning rocks over and licking the surface underneath. Maybe getting some sort of salty element necessary for their metabolism?

We soon entered the park, marked by this sign:

It was our third hike up the trail in 8 days. We walked up a week ago to check out the approach, as it had been 26 years since we'd been in the area. 

We had also hiked in the next day to climb Orbit, the other moderate classic on the wall, so we were used to the walk which involves a bit of an uphill slog for the first bit. 

Snow Creek Wall soon loomed into view:

Most of the climbing on Snow Creek Wall is done on the left hand end, and Outer Space gets the majority of the traffic from both visiting climbers and locals alike. We made an early start, and three other parties were on the way up the route by the time we finished, with one other party climbing Orbit.

There were some devastating fires around the base of Snow Creek Wall in 1994. The bottom of the valley was choked with fallen trees but a route through had been established via a few logs. The lower part of the opposite slope, where the fire had really had a major effect was littered with downed trees and significant erosion. Higher up though the forest was still standing.

The next photo is from Orbit, and shows the Snow Creek Trail and some of the damage done by the fire:

While we were gearing up, another mama goat with a kid in town strolled by to check us out. The kid was very shy but the mama was very curious and came with about 10 metres:

Maybe it's because we were a lot earlier in the season this year, but we've seen an abundance of goat on this trip to the crag, whereas the last time we were here we didn't see any.

Anyway, here's a reasonably accurate topo of the classic line (some folks do a more direct start which involves some climbing at 10d):

(Orbit takes a line near the skyline, gaining the upper wall left of the most obvious roof).

As I have digressed, I couldn't help including a couple of photos from Orbit. This one is of Di nearing the long and involving third pitch:
And what is maybe our best goat photo, from near the summit:
The places some of these goats get is truly amazing!

Anyway, back to Outer Space.

It seems that 70 metre ropes are pretty much de rigueur for climbing in Leavenworth. The route is described in the guidebook as 6 pitches, but at least 2 - the long traverse on "pitch" 2 and the last "pitch" - are more than 60 metres, so bear that in mind if you come to do the route some time. 

The crux pitch however is relatively short at about 33 metres if you take the most direct option and is more sustained at the grade. Here is a fairly ordinary photo of me about to start the engaging traverse section (which can be fairly easily identified on the topo above):

Here's a photo I took a little ways up pitch 5 looking down on Di at the Pedestal Belay at the top of pitch 4:

Pitch 5 is nearly 50 metres (it was a rope-stretcher when we did this route in 1986 with 50 metre ropes!). Note the slung chicken head in the photo below:

We made it to the top in reasonable nick:

One thing to be aware of though if you go to do this route, is that the descent is "interesting". The first two thirds is fairly straightforward, if a bit exposed in places. The last bit can be a bit tricky. When we did Orbit a week ago, I managed to find the correct route - or at least a version of it. Di went a different way for the last bit and was nonplussed. We missed the turnoff this time and I followed Di down the way she went previously. This seems to be a common problem, judging from various comments that people make. Anyway, this "detour" added about an hour to the day out. All up just over 10 hours car to car. An hour and a half less than the day we had on Orbit, but that's another story.

Cheers

Doug