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<guide><text class="heading1">Articles</text>
<text
class="text">This page contains articles on Jamming, English grades and a brief history.</text>
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class="heading2">Jamming on Dolerite by Ian Snape
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class="text">For those finely honed athletes, body sculpted in the gym, but daunted by the prospect of 'the jam', here is a simple chart to aid progression through the art.
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class="heading2">Pre-school
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new="false"
number="null.">Two of the lower graded jam cracks on the Pipes can be found in the Johnstone's Knob area. Gear Freak and Pipedream, both 16, provide a straightforward pre-school in the art. Shelter in the Storm (17), just to the L of Pipedream, also involves the odd jam, but it's possibly under graded
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class="heading3">Jamming test pieces
</text><climb extra=""
grade="17" name="Chasm Wall Centaur " number="1"
stars="">The test is whether you chose to jam it at 17, or crimp the crux at 18. If you chose the latter, stop here
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19" name="Battle Cruiser " number="2"
stars="">One jam that's very difficult to avoid
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="18" name="Ano's Sojourn " number="3"
stars="">This short sustained little test piece is a good intermediate jam test that has seen many failed attempts to layback the crux
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19" name="Punk " number="4"
stars="">Like Ano's...only more of it. A climb that used to be mostly straight hands in yesteryear, is today a fist jam in places, and is tomorrows offwidth as the column continues to move. Do it now before it moves up the list.
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="20" name="Icarus " number="5"
stars="">What a line. Tape up.
</climb><climb extra=""
grade="20" length="" name="Opportunity " new="false"
number="6 ."
stars="">Described in the guide as 'surprising'...a must do before Jam Test #7.
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="20" name="Tartarus " number="7"
stars="">A combination of tricky manoeuvres that requires strength, endurance and the ability to let go to place runners. A climb that commands respect.
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="20" name="Daedelus " number="8"
stars="">An offwidth that is rarely climbed. The first of two Henry Barber routes that have a reputation that is probably well deserved. As intimidating to look at as to lead.
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="22" name="Savage Journey " number="9"
stars="">Best led without cams for that Barber experience. Sustained excellence.
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="20" name="Galah Performance " number="10"
stars="">A magical line full of old school charm. Widely recognized as being high in the grade, this little climb has dished out more spankings than Madam Lash.
</climb><text
class="text">Generally considered by those experienced in the art to be at least two grades harder to on-sight than Icarus (test #5).
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class="text">Congratulations, you have know shown the mental fortitude to jam when it's not needed, you have climbed 'surprising' jams, shown respect and successfully climbed cracks that require strength, endurance and a comprehensive repertoire of jamming techniques. You are now qualified to confidently tackle any of the harder crack climbs on the pipes.
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class="heading1">And a comment on Grading... again, from Ian Snape
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class="text">For those from the UK who are confused by the cunning simplicity of the single digit Ewbank grading scheme, and prefer complex algebra involving letter and numbers, here is a selected comparison chart with examples to help the transition.
</text><climb
extra="" grade="21" length="HVS 5c" name="Blood on the Racks "
stars="">A few bouldery moves with a runner every 10 cm above your head
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="21" length="E3.5c" name="Farewell to Arms "
stars="">Sustained
</climb><climb extra="" grade="19"
length="E1.5b/c" name="Malignant Mushroom " new="false"
number=""
stars="">A tricky move with good protection
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="20" length="E3.5c/6a" name="Tacho "
stars="">A hard move with barely adequate protection - Yorkshire E3
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19" length="E1.5b"
name="Just a Little Bit Longer "
stars="">Consistent climbing never too far from protection
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="20" length="E3.5c,5b" name="Icarus "
stars="">Sustained and well protected.
</climb><climb extra=""
grade="18" length="VS5a" name="Incredible Journey "
stars="">Short pitch with a few metres of jamming
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19" length="E2.5,5a" name="Battle Cruiser "
stars="">Sustained and tricky crux
</climb><climb extra=""
grade="17" length="HVS5a" name="Chancellor Direct "
stars="">Delightful
</climb><climb extra="" grade="17"
length="E2.5b" name="Suzerain "
stars="">Not at all like Chancellor
</climb><text
class="text">The astute pommy climber will note that some climbs graded between 17 and 21 in the comparison table would be given HVS on a UK mountain crag. Well, you don't need to be climbing 17 to experience quality HVS climbing on the pipes. Nefertiti (15), Moonraker (16), and Xenophenese (16) amongst others are also in the region HVS 4c/5a.
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class="heading2">A short, biased and selective review of just about everything
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class="heading3">And in the beginning...
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class="text" new="false"
number="null.">Tasmanian climbing has reflected the changes and evolution that has occurred across Australia and overseas, if sometimes a little belatedly. The first climbs were recorded about fifty years ago with the ascent of Skyline Minor (9) in 1958 although Jim Peterson and Darryl Webber were active a few years earlier. Even in the late nineties there were still the odd wooden wedge in cracks, hanks of hawser tat round spikes and rusting pegs. In the very early 1960s, the Van Diemen Alpine Club and University Mountaineering Club were established and a number of routes including the ever popular Pegasus (14) were made on Northern Buttress. Activity on the Pipes, however, increased significantly after 1965 with the formation of the Climbers Club of Tasmania with ascents such as Faust (16) and Ophthalmia (18) (so much ash around after the bushfire!) by John Moore and Reg Williams, Nefertiti (15) by Moore and Phillip Stranger and the outstand Moonraker (16) by Mike Douglas and Williams. Hexes, nuts and tube chocks (lengths of aluminium tubing slung with the new tape for the uninitiated) were the go, and in 1968 the visiting Brit, John Ewbank, showed how they could be used on climbs like the Shield (20), Centaur (17) and the stunning crackline, Icarus (20) giving the local lads a major boost. Following on, Ian Lewis and Lyle Closs, two talented local climbers, put up many climbs the early seventies including classics such as Third Bird (18), the elegant Chancellor Direct (17) and the not so politically correct, Great Bitch (18).</text><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">All that glitters
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new="false"
number="null.">A Golden Age of climbing for a particular cliff or area always seems to have ended just before you started... or so every one insists. For the Mountain though, the late seventies and early eighties were indeed a golden time. Technology was changing again with the advent of cams and wires and a passing parade of youthful local heroes and visiting stars improved standards out of sight as they explored new buttresses and crags and had lots and lots of fun. Kim Carrigan, then the best climber in Australia, Mike Law and Greg Child teamed with local climbers including David Bowman and Lewis to leave their mark with a swag of climbs such as Tartarus (20), Battle Cruiser (19) (with one of the very best pitches on the Pipes - see, I said it was biased!) and Starship Trooper (22), another pearler, Lone Stranger (20), and of course everyone's favourite, Brown Madonna (19). Henry Barber called in on his blitzkrieg tour of Oz in 1975, on sight soloed Double Column Central (17), and added the jamming test pieces of Daedalus (20), and Savage Journey (22) at Lost World.</text><text
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number="null.">The action, though, was with the local lads. A youthful Simon Parsons, along with Phil Biggs, Doug Fife, Phil Steane and Phil Cullen had a ball, venturing out onto new territory with climbs such as the stunning Sky Rocket (20), easily the best climb in the world (bias again), the amazing arête of Killer Canary (23) and the jamming test piece, Punk (19) although you had better hurry to climb that one as the main pillar is moving... Pete Steane, Garn Cooper (a legendary climber reputed to have led Resurrection Shuffle (21) in blunnies) and Al Adams were also in on the action with the ever popular Blue Meridian (17), Bad Attitude (18), so aptly named, and a number of other quality routes. During 1985 Justin Kennedy put up the then hardest route on the Pipes, Second Coming (26) with Parsons.</text><text
class="text">When the weather was bad, or for variety, there was always the smaller crags. Joe Friend added the "best crack on the mountain", Atlantis (21) at Lost World, and Phil Steane blasted on with a whole range of climbs such as Glam (19) and Heavenly Head Job (18) as well as starting the development of New World with Rob DeCesare. Adams found an Opportunity (20) at Lost World and Biggs, Parsons and Fyfe were exploring the upside down world at Sphinx Rock with Phoenix (24), Tutankhamen(21) and Pharos (24), setting the scene for the developments to come some ten years later.
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class="text">By 1987, Nic Deka had moved to Hobart from the North-western Tasmania and set about making his mark with a couple of routes in then rarely visited Broken Buttress area. From 1988 to 1990 new activity was dominated by Deka and Dave Stephenson. With a variety of partners between them they added such classics as Beaten and Abused, a thin 22 right of SSSI, Space Cowboy (20), Gladiator (21), the very aptly named Farewell to Arms (21), and the one pitch classic of the grade, Carpe Diem (19).
</text><text
class="heading3">Yesterday
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class="text">The 90s kicked off with Adrian (H) Herington's ascent of Pugnacious (22), a balancy little number with Stu Scott and Pete Steane, the later teaming up with Fife, returned from abroad, to produce some significant bold leads such as Cold Power (21) and Massacre Madness (21) and the three star face of Left Out (21) by Fife, while also helping Adams with his Tired Clichés (19).
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class="text">These rotes were on the cusp of a significant period of change. As new longer route lines dried up, new technology in the form of the portable power drill yet again enabled climbers to explore new ground as they moved out onto the exposed faces and arêtes often in spectacular positions: 50 minute drilling efforts were now a thing of the past. Matt Perchard and Owen Prall kicked in with climbs such as Live Fast, Die Young (24) and Would Jesus Play Guitar in a Thrash Metal Band (24) but it was the arrival of Roger Parkyn from New Zealand that signalled a seismic shift in ethics, attitudes and standards. He created a swag of new routes on all the dolerite crags, with probably the finest being the soaring two pitch In Flagrante Delicto (24), magic climbing. Sam Edwards established the sensational Pleasant Screams (26), Slap Dancer (27) and his signature route, After Midnight (24) - "amazing what a lad can do with school holidays and a nickel-cadmium power pack" quoth Parkyn!
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class="heading3">Today
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class="text">The charge has continued into the new millennium. Al Williams has added several soon to be classics such as Wootang (25) and the Colour of Magic (26). Kim Robinson was Sucked In (24) and dealt with Terror Firmer (25). The new routes keep coming, with another recent arrival Nick Hancock climbing his Tower of Power (25) and Doug McConnell bolting up Best Climb in the Gorge (25).
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number="null.">Meanwhile the rise in standards on the smaller outcrops has been meteoric. Robinson has established the hardest route to date at Lost World with Cheshire Cat (29) while Garry Phillips and Jake Bresnehan have re written the book at Sphinx Rock with climbs such Space Invader (30) and Spaced Out (31), and Future Shock (31) at the recently re-discovered Neika cliffs
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number="null.">The scene in Hobart has always been small, not surprising given the low population but there have been more than a few climbing characters. Some mercurial stars rapidly burnt out and drifted off to mountain biking or even canoeing, while others have endured on down the years. If you see some lonely soloist, high in an obscure wall it may well be Phil Robinson prospecting for new routes. Thirty years after adding Roaring Forties (14) he continues to add to the stock of trad climbs often with son Kim. Recent additions include Hakea (21) and Dynamic Journey (20). Simon Parsons, twenty five years after climbing Ultrasound (23) was back in 2006 after injury to add the direct start, coming in at 28, followed by Pleasent Screams Direct at 29 possibly the hardest pitch, certainly the most sustanined pitch on the Pipes and on dolerite. Extraordinary.
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class="heading3">And tomorrow
</text><text class="text">Each generation has added their own private history to the Mountain. To quote the first guide: "Many people will probably be content with climbing the established classics. For others the history is far from ended".
</text></guide>
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