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<guide><text class="heading1" new="false"
number="null.">Mount Roland</text><text class="Editor"
new="false"
number="null.">by Tony McKenny, Matt Perchard & Andrew Bissett, originally published in Craglets 6.</text><text
class="intro" new="false"
number="null.">Mt Roland dominates the skyline of the approaches to the Northwest but has received relatively little attention from passing climbers. Some shorter routes were apparently made in the mid seventies by local climbers but it wasn’t until 1977 that the first major route was made with the pioneering of Rysavi Ridge by a group of North West climbers. Over the next three years, another eleven climbs were added but since then there has been only one new climb recorded. There are still many acres of untouched rock to be explored but most climbers seem content to repeat the classic Rysavi Ridge.
Rysavy ridge is included in this guide because it is a classic, long climb at a moderate grade. There are numerous other routes at Mount Roland, a few of which are listed here. Allow a full day to complete any of these climbs (for the standard Rysavy, approximately six hours for the climb and two for the descent). </text><text
class="intro" new="false"
number="null.">To find the route get to Gowrie Park, near Sheffield in the State's central north. Drive along the main street (heading towards Cradle Mountain) until you see Rysavy road on your left. Drive along Rysavy road until the road ends and you reach a farm house (about 1km). The farm is owned by Steve Brown who pioneered the original line and subsequently bought the property. His home phone number is 64282465 and at present he is more than pleased to have climbers on the crags. However, the present tenant of the farm has a rottweiler ... so it is probably best if people contact Steve first. Walk up a track past the farmhouse and sheds towards the ridge, which can be seen at 144o magnetic from the gate. Head up the left hand side of the cleared paddocks for as far as you can. At the top of the paddock is a large pile of rocks. A line of marking tapes and cairns start here and head straight up (still 144o MAG) to the base of the climb (Note: There seems to be various routes up to the crags. Others have gone up to Silverridge Resort, parked at the top, located the line from the topo and thus a bearing, and then headed up through the bush. It's up to you to decide which route to follow - all part of the experience).</text><image
new="false" noPrint="false" number="null." src="Roland_Topo.PNG"
width="800">null</image><climb extra="" grade="14" length="80m"
name="Fortunes Change" new="false" number=""
stars="">Further to the L of Kestrel is a ridge with a face on the R side. Climb the obvious crack .
S. Brown, T. McKenny 1980
</climb><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">Jubilee Wall</text><climb extra="" grade="8"
length="190m"
name="Kestrel">Left of Slab Crack is an edge bordering the deep gully. The climb takes this and the steep upper sections. F.Dutton, J.Richardson, Mar/77.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="12" length="90m"
name="Slab Crack">Start on the wall left of Jubilee and below the most prominent slabs.
1. Ascend the loose rock to the ledge below this (or solo from the right). Climb the crack, then jam left across the wall to belay atop.
2. Climb the small pillar, move left, then climb the slabs above. Belay at the bushes on the ledge.
3. Move to the lefthand end of the ledge, and climb the slabs, the crack through the overhangs. Continue to a small tree, then right to another crack. Up this to another wall, and belay in the gully.
4. Finish up the chimney.
S.Brown, R.Hamilton, 1977.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="15" length="150m"
name="Jubilee Wall">From the start to Rysavy Ridge walk left for 10m or so, until below the overhang (which appears detached).
1. Climb the slabs to a thin crack. Up this to a small stance.
2. Up to the roof, traverse left and belay on top.
3. After a move or two left climb the superb slabs above to a bush covered ledge.
4 & 5. From the right-hand end of the ledge, climb a short slab and follow a crack through the overhang. Continue up the walls and chimneys to the large ledge. Descent is down ledges to the right and abseils to the gully floor (Kestrel is about 50m to the left and the two routes never get within cooee of each other).
T.McKenny, S.Brown, Aug/77.</climb><text
class="text">All of these routes finish above the steep slabs at the top. Descend by climbing up towards the notch, crossing the slabs, and then descending.</text><climb
extra="" grade="15" length="45m"
name="The Roof">Start atop any of the three previous routes.
1. Climb the crack that splits the block on the left. Finish up the short chimney.
2. Scramble on up. (F.Dutton)
Descend by abseil then traversing to the notch. T.McKenny, G.Marshall, 1978.</climb><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">Central Buttress</text><text class="text"
new="false"
number="null.">This area is in fact a collection of buttresses above the last climbs and to the L of the main Descent Gully. The first route was an attempt to climb the massive boiler plate slabs on the wall to the east of the Rysavi Ridge Descent Gully.</text><climb
extra="" grade="15" length="140m"
name="The Wandering Jew">Climb the descent route from the above routes, past the solitary gum, up the scrub, and to the crack up the slab. Traverse left to belay on the wall just right of The Roof. Avoid the crack and continue right across the wall, to gain the slab and finish. Descend as per that route. J.Richardson, R.Hamilton,1978.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="17" length="120m" name="Overhanging Bastion"
new="false" number=""
stars="">A fine exposed climb. Access to the next climb avoids the large chock stones in the Descent Gully by climbing up the gully to the R of Rysavi Ridge until a traverse can be made at about 150 m back L, over the ridge and into the Descent Gully. Continue up the Gully until below a very obvious clean-cut crack that splits the Buttress.
Alternatively, as for the first ascent, climb up the descent gully L of Rysavi Ridge. This trends R nearly halfway up and at this point a scrubby crack-gully splits the middle of the face on the L. Just L of this is an obvious clean crack with overhangs, best viewed from the scree in the bottom half of the descent gully.
Scramble about a third to halfway up the descent gully to a large green mossy cave. Ten meters below this is a damp 6m crack on the L wall.
1. 33m Climb the crack and wall, scramble for approx 8 m to foot of two short crack lines.
2. 33m Climb the RH crack, short walls and slab to tree belay at foot of corner. A scrubby pitch.
3. 26m The start of the real climb! Pass the tree on the Rand two large grassy clumps in the corner. Up corner to overhang, traverse R to nose and jam crack to hanging belay beneath second overhang.
4. 13m Surmount second overhang and jam steep crack to sloping ledge.
5. 13m Up corner on R to chock stone, hand traverse Rand over top. Belay on tree.
Either climb several pitches easily to summit or pendulum abseil R (50m) into a steep scrubby gully. A further 25m abseil leads into the main descent gully next to Rysavi Ridge.
P. Robinson, B. Rathbone, L. Linsell 22 Oct 1978</climb><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">Rysavy Area</text><climb extra="" grade="11"
length="350m"
name="Rysavy Ridge">The climb is fairly straight forward - you simply follow the path of least resistance up the ridge. Having said this it is NOT easy to escape from the top 100m or so of the ridge, the exposure is tremendous and the gear could be considered sparse if grade 11 is around your limit. At the top of the ridge scramble/ abseil down about 25m to the first abseil proper. A small tree is what you're after, but look for the slings other parties have left behind (you may need to replace these) to guide you. Four or five abseils should see you back at the bottom. S.Brown, J.Wood, J.Richardson, T.McKenny, Feb/77.</climb><text
class="text" new="false"
number="null.">One route has been made on the steep wall that forms the RH side of the Ridge.</text><climb
extra="" grade="17" length="150m" name="Second Encounter"
new="false" number=""
stars="">Climb up the RH gully to below a steep, fairly obvious crack. The route takes this to eventually join the Ridge. R. Mansfield, R. Clements. 1978</climb><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">Clit Ridge</text><text class="text" new="false"
number="null.">Tucked in between Rysavi Ridge and West Buttress is a subsidiary ridge that was subject to a mass assault by various North West climbers. The general opinion of the group as to its worth is not printable.</text><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">West Buttress</text><climb extra=""
grade="18 (16M0)" length="80m" name="First Taste" new="false"
number=""
stars="">The first route made on the West Buttress is in fact on the large wall 70m up the RH side of the gully to the R of the Ridge. The climb starts at the foot of a shallow groove that curves up to a square cut overhang. A tension traverse was made from the overhang to gain the next crack to the L which is followed to a tree belay. Climb the ascending ledge to the Rand finish up the wide crack in the wall above. Descend the wide ledge to the L and abseil back to the gully floor. R. Mansfield, D. Buckingham 1978. FFA: N. Smith, M. Hewitt
</climb><text
class="heading3" new="false"
number="null.">West Buttress Face</text><text class="text"
new="false"
number="null.">Several climbs have been made on the main face to the R of the Ridge. Fight round the base of the crag through the scrub past large faces and overhangs till you reach the massive “half moon” overhangs with gentle angled slabs below them.
To the L of these slabs is a rib and round that is a long chimney line, Orrifi, the most obvious feature from a distance in this area of the crag.</text><climb
extra="" grade="12" length="150m" name="Orrifi " new="false"
number=""
stars="">A most unusual route. Climb up to the base of the chimney and then chimney up to below a massive chockstone. From here the route goes underground. - larger people will have to force an alternative round the outside. A speleological exit is made over the chock and a belay taken. The climb continues with a superb chimney and another improbable squirm under a chockstone to finish. The chimney suddenly finishes here but it is probably possible to continue up the slabs above and to the L. Descent down and to the R. S. Brown, T. McKenny. 1978
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="15" length="100m" name="Simple Dreams"
new="false" number=""
stars="">This climb takes a line to the L of Orrifi and starts from the same place in the scrub.
Head up towards an open groove which is followed to a traverse R onto an exposed stance. From here, climb the wall above and traverse R to belay as for Orrifi above the first chockstone. Move back onto the wall and finish steeply up the crack. Walk off and scramble up to the R above the finish of Orrifi. N. Deka, R. Hamilton. 1978
</climb><climb
extra="" grade="18" length="60m" name="Mexican Wave" new="false"
number=""
stars="">Starts to the L of Simple Dreams, below the wall, which is just to the R of the offwidth overhangs, and below a corner that starts part way up the cliff.
1. 20m Climb the wall diagonally up through the obvious weakness to a shallow corner which leads to the corner proper. Climb on for a further 5m to a sloping ledge
2. 20m Climb up corner to broad sloping ledge
3. 20m Traverse up and L from the corner to another corner with a thin crack. Climb this and the wall above.
Descent by abseil down gully to the right.
N. Deka and N. Smith 1985
</climb><text
class="text" new="false" number="null.">To descend from both climbs, traverse round the cliff to the R and abseil down the slabs to the gully floor.</text></guide>
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