Up up and away

The Swiss Gneiss kit! got some new gear can't wait to give it a burn



Today is the day and I'm frantically packing for my flight to Milan tonight in the big silver bird. Super excited to be getting away, relax and climb for a whole three weeks! Weather over in Switzerland has crapped out a bit over the past week so I've packed my woolly hat and I'm hoping for some nice weather soon.

I get in on the 27th then I pick up big burly Pat Reynolds on the 28th and big strong viking Tor joins us on the 7th. Can't wait to catch up with these guys and crush some Gneiss.

I'll try keep plenty of updates and photos from the trip coming over the next few weeks

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Busy Busy

So I haven't updated in a while but have been very busy over the past month or so training and getting ready for Switzerland which is now only two weeks away. So crazy it's came around so fast! I haven't been climbing much at all but doing a lot of strength based training With Mark and the guys at Evolution climbing and training. These guys really know their stuff and is definitely the place to go if you want to get really strong : ) Thanks for the help guys!

I've started climbing again and I'm feeling better and better each week apart from being sore and tired all the time from the training. I'm hoping after a week or so of rest before I go I'll be feeling Tip Top when I hit the ground in Switzerland. It's going to be a great trip and I'm really looking forward to catching up with my mates Pat and Tor over there and hitting the Gneiss blocs. I'll definitely keep the updates happening and get some photos up as the trip goes along.

Happy Place

Tor linking up on the F.A. of Golden Pinch


I've been revisiting the Happy Place above the cliff line of Dark Forrest over the past couple of weeks. I really like this little cliff, it has a great feel about it. I repeated all the problems we put up there last year during a session there with the Norwegians, Tor and Simen and also Gary Compton.
There really are some great problems at this compact little area and I will get a guide up soon so you can all check it out.
Gaz C. on the Happy Pyramid



After repeating all the classics like Happy Pyramid V4 and Deadbolt V6 I finally managed to repeat Tor's Golden Pinch. I was really happy cause I couldn't touch it last time, I guess you need to be Viking strong like a Nord! I managed to clean up some projects there too over a few little arvo session's including the low start further down the slopey ledge into Deadbolt @ v7. A tricky undercling traverse on a variety of little knobs and nubbins produced Damage inc @ v8 and climbing out the low ledge under the roof then popping out and finishing up the mantle 'hydraulic' created 'Viking invader v9'.

The golden Pinch


I really will get this topo done soon, it's shady in the arvo so will be perfect for a late summer session.

Later

Lara Street

Ritchie on 'Aslaya'


Had a nice session at Lara Street on Sunday. Me and Katy met up with Chris Ritchie and Jason Taffle and headed up on Sunday morning. We ended up having a Cruisey day but managed to put a few nice new problems on the side of the Lara's Lips boulder. Chris added Aslaya nice V1 or V2, Jas added 'My ass is on fire, a spicy V3' I manage a few little problems including 'Prince of Persia V2', 'Johnny Utah V5' and 'Tongue n Cheek V5'. I also managed to finally haul my ass up 'Womb Raider V4' Which is a total classic by Pommy Jason. Nice one lads!

Mmmm new cragging

Found a cool little new area today up the top of Dark Forrest. Nice group of boulders with nice features, nothing super hard but a good little cruisey area. I put up 16 easy probs this arvo so I'll try and get some info up soon. Looks like some of it may have been climbed before?? but I'll put something together in the interest of getting of record of stuff. If any one ever has some recorded info for these crags let me know, i can always credit the first ascents.

Been resting the last few weeks so it felt good to be getting back out and getting some mileage. Now that it's training time again I'll post my training plans as soon as i have a chance. 11 weeks till Swiss to get my shit together.

Contact update

So I've had a couple of very close session's on contact v12 over the past week. I was hoping to send just in the nick of time before I start another block of training but the dream was not to be. On my best shot I manage to link through the hard bottom moves and fall just short of the top : (

I'll be back though and I know it will go down sooner or later.

Rest now for a few weeks and back into training mode.
I might post up my plans for this training block soon

Contact and the Dead Mans Thumb

Belted my thumb with my hammer which I haven't done in years, cold morning, good times! This week and next week was suppose to be an assault on Contact at the villas but now I can't even tie my laces. Hopefully It will feel OK to have some shots next week before I'm due for a rest and start training for Switzerland.

Fingers crossed

Back in the Capital

An old photo of me on the top out of the Phone Sex Extension. Photo by Tor
Ren @ North Black night session


Blasted back down to Canberra last Saturday after work. Arrived Corrin Dam at the Glitz boulder late in the arvo to get back on Cerebro v11. I've been super keen to get back on this fantastic line since last trip. I'd worked all the moves on some previous trips and was hoping I'd be able to link it all together. I managed an early high point sticking the last hard move but I celebrated too early! my foot popped and I was back on the mat quicker than I could say idiot!
I thought it was all over but after a few failed attempts I pulled my shit together and sent just on dark. I was super excited as I'd been training over the past few months with sending this as one of my goals, so it was nice to feel it had all been worth it.

I raced back over to Black Range to meet up with Ren and Stu, who were still boulder at 9.00pm when I arrived for their 3rd sess that day! I was impressed.

After a nice camp out at Black Range the boys were keen to head over to Corrin the next day to try phone sex v8. Ren was so close sticking the jug at the end of the business but unable to match. I thought it was a great effort considering all the climbing they had done the day before. I managed to do Duncan Brown's extension to Phone sex which traverses right and tops out up a scary slab to finish. Very excellent and definitely worth a lash if you have already done phone sex.

Making hay while the sun shines

Project no more, I finally completed the Dug out link up last night to produce 'Bases Loaded v10'. Like all things when it all goes well it felt not too bad on the send and I'm really physced to finish it up. This little cave has some classic lines now and has something at every grade from V5 to V10.

It gets really bad in that little cave when it's wet not because it seeps but because there is a natural water coarse that runs over the lip of the cave making the slopey top out impossible for weeks after rain. The conditions have been perfect there recently, probably some of the best I'd ever seen it in, so the pressure was really on to finish it before the rain comes again.

Happy Days

The coast now has 3 V10's and a slew of problems V8 or harder.

Bases Loaded v10
The dug out cave link up at the road house 15move horizontal roof into v9 exit

Deep Brain Trauma v10
The full brown room pergola link 25+ moves of roof lip with an added hard v8 sit start

Bullet and a Target v10
Wagstaffe top cave powerful upside down gaston and underclinging to tricky head wall


I also took a walk out to the Happy Place at Dark Forrest and found a nice new access that avoids the long walk/scramble/trespass access. So now it's a nice stroll to the top of the cliff to enjoy the view then duck down into the cave and it won't disturb any neighbours which is great! I'll update some access details in the guides soon.

Gramps Update

Me on Flesh Bar v9
Simon on Monkey Bars V8


So we're back from our quick little jaunt, it was a good little trip and great to get away. Couldn't say we did heaps of climbing but we were all pretty tuckered out and just enjoyed getting away for a rest as much as anything. After a big week at work me and Chris ended up staying up for a few beers on Friday night before the flight and jumped in bed around 2.00am before getting back up at 4.00am to race to the airport for our flight, oops. Simon had been up late too setting for the climb fit boulder series so when we hit the Mt Zero cabins Sat arvo we all crashed out.

Sunday was a nice day with a little rain still around we headed up to the Kindy. We bumped into the Melbourne crew and tried grip master v10 with them. Alister Robertson was crushing this tuff classic only to fall at the very end on several shots, he was looking so close so I'm sure it won't be long till it goes down. Me and Simon made a bit of progress on the moves but otherwise got spanked!

Later that arvo Simon sorted all the moves on Monkey Bars v8 and fell just before the end. I managed Flash Gordon v8 which was really nice and climbed beautifully, another Gramps classic. Chris worked the cut and waste traverse in between shots and made some nice links all the way to the end.

Monday the weather crapped out so it was back to the Kindy. Simon just missed out on the Monkey Bars which I thought was very unlucky cause he was looking so solid. It's in the bag for next time. I kept up my string of reversals by starting at the end of Flash Gordon and climbing back to finish on the handle bar of monkey bars. I called this Flesh Bar and proposed V9 as it felt harder for me and is worthwhile for the very different climbing. The idea was to finish up monkey bars but i fell halfway through so it will be one to come back for.

So a pretty quick trip but I feel 100% better having had a bit of time off work and lots of sleep.

Gramps, Gramps, Gramps

As the title implies I'm off to the Gramps in the morning with my good Mate Chris Ritchie and Simon Stevens and I can't wait! Work has been full on shit for the past month so a few days of uninterrupted cranking is just what the doctor ordered. I was looking forward to getting out with Philby too while we were down there but unfortunately he's exploded his knee doing some wild maneuvers in the gym :( bummer. Hope your better soon and keep crushing that hang board mate.

I'll report of the goings on of the trip next week.

Happy trails

Stepping out from the Dug out with the Bases Loaded

It's a great feeling to come back to something that felt impossible for you and to have it feel possible. It's a good reminder of your progress and how quickly you improve when you really work at it.

I have a long standing project at the Road House in the Dug out cave that I went back to try again today for the first time in maybe a year or so. It's basically a link up of two problems I established about 2 or 3 years ago.' The extended line ' which is a long 15 move v7 into the crux of 'fast ball v9' which originally was a very low percentage double dyno move from two horrible holds to the sloping lip of the cave. At the time it was the only way I could see of doing it and basically threw myself at it for weeks on end until i finally stuck it. Then I started to work the link which for about 100 shots went like this;

Cruise through the fifteen or so moves that i had wired only to fall off slapping the finish hold. Arrggh the frustration! until finally i cracked it and left it alone until now.

So i was very happy when i worked out a different finish today. It wasn't that i had missed the holds or anything I just think at the time I wasn't strong enough to use them. It kind of consists of crossing under your body to a poor undercling then punching out to this little arete on the lip of the roof and slapping out that until you gain the lip. It's not easier by any means just more probable for me and now there are two ways to do fast ball to suit your taste.

I'm really excited to get back and finish the whole link off now and see it through to the finish. It is definitely the longest FA project i've had on the coast and would be awesome to realize that little dream.

All this project talk got me thinking about some of the hard unclimbed projects about the coast. They're out there ripe for the taking, just waiting for someone to come along a nab them.

Here's a few that come to mind
(I've pre-named them in my head, fucking sad I know)

The Window, The fort woy woy
Starts from a big hole then gain a slopey pinch, match a battle a desperate top out.

Sparrow, Blackwall Mt
Below the Kit Kat wall on Mt Blackwall is one of the best v7's on the coast, The Crow established by Gary Hamilton many years ago. To the left of this is it's angry little brother, come out the little roof on a variety of ok holds till you round the bulging face using a heel hook on a spike and two nasty nasty crimpers.

Pit Brick boulder Arete proper, Lara street
This has to be one of the best and hardest undone lines. Start as for the excellent mick's arete but instead of escaping right to the face, blast directly up the steep slopey arete.Will be v11 and up.

Mega pinch project, Lara Street
Also on the pit brick boulder, slightly over hanging face climbed via various bad pinches. The desperate top out has been done by Jas Piper as 12 monkeys V4 and is hard in it's own right.

Eldorado, Golden section
From the right of the cave climb into the finish of Goldie Horn via some crazy roof moves

Challenger Right, The cape
Similar to the classic v4 challenger left but start from the right side of the arete, has proven much harder.

Old man river proj, River bed
Then finish of the established traverse 'river of dreams v5' which finishing on a slot below the lip of a roof. Make a big move to the slopey lip then some how gain the better holds higher up on the face to to out. Will be classic!

Riot Act, Pearl Jam Cave
The link up of the hard v8 'dissident' then traverse left and finish up the dyno 'yield v5'

Road Side boulder, Wagstaffe
The obvious hard line on the first boulder you pass on the walk in right next to the road cutting. From the back of the black cave traverse out the right side to gain the big slopey break then punch the top without falling on the road.

Bases Loaded, Road House
Hopefully soon to be completed link up of 'Extended line' v7 and 'Fast Ball' V9

So many more too! My brain hurts, I'm going to bed.

The Hairy Banana

It's been a very eventful week! It all started with me booking my flights to Switzerland for the end of the year. It's really exciting to have it to look forward to, It's a place I've always wanted to visit and I'm sure it will live up to all expectations :)

Then it was off to the airport on Tuesday to drop off Katy, she's off to Europe for six weeks with her friends. It was sad seeing her go but I'm sure the time will fly by and she will have a great time. So it's just me and bear holding down the fort for a while.

So after a disgraceful week of late nights and weekend work I ended up at the Villas with a couple of problems in mind. The first was 'Hairy Joe's Banana Shack v11' a funny name for a funny problem which consists of a really awkward first move to gain a decent 1 pad edge then it's just a matter of getting stood up and lunge for the finish hold. I finally managed to send after sticking the crux first move last time and blowing the finish ;( argh silly man.

Then it was time to get down to business on Contact v12. This is coming along really well and I think next time, fresh I might have a good chance of finishing it, fingers crossed.

I've been training a bit differently over the past 3 months and it feels like it's working well. So now I've got 4 frantic weeks of hopeful sending then it's back through the grinder till Cressciano.

Hitting the top of Hairy Joe

My dog Bear

Slip Stream

I checked out a new cave underneath Woy Woy Bay road Yesterday, that I dubbed Slip Stream. I believe Anthony Alexander bouldered here years ago although i'm not sure of the extent, maybe next time I catch up with him I can get some more info. Any how I'm really excited because the rock is solid and really nicely featured and all steep and there will be some really hard lines here! It's a long low ball cave with rock texture that is reminiscent of Crumbly in Sydney. The main draw back is that it gets alot of run off from the road so I think it will be wet alot but it could be a great summer spot when it's dry cause it gets no sun. I'm hoping that with a bit of cleaning it will be a great area so I'll keep you posted.

Canberra

A bit of belated post from last weekend.

Headed down for a quick Canberra trip with Doug Roden, Stu Ellis & Simon Stevens. We drove down Friday night and stayed at Sutton, there's some nice little cabins there we've stayed at a couple of times now. After a freezing night we headed over to Corrin Dam Road in the morning and started off on george's boulder where we met up with Janz & Ashley, then (after I got lost, don't ask me how) up to the Glitz boulder to finish the day off.

We all had a good day & agreed to come back soon.
Janz had a good day sending Phone Sex v8 forwards then backwards, Shape Shifters v10, Cerebro v11, vendetta v7 and the jokerv6. He was also close to a line we came up with, starting up then joker then reversing Cerebro. Not a bad day at the office.
Stu Managed the joker, Doug did joker and Phone sex, Simon sent Phone sex, joker and was making some really good links on Cerebro.
I managed to climb phone sex backwards which we dubbed 'reverse charges' and got a P.B. on Cerebro falling just short of the end.

spooged

Me and my good friend James Crowther headed back down to sissy this morning. We got there early and were excited to find conditions to be excellent! After a lengthly warm up and some hold drying I finally sent spooged v10. I was really happy cause I had fallen from the final move so many times over the past few months, i ended up doing a bit of a variation climbing through using the Mavis sequence and finishing direct. I think it's about the same grade wise, the mavis sequence is a bit harder but more controlled for me.

James had a good session too, he's been working on vitamin C v6 and managed to stick the last move climbing through from about half way. It won't be long till he has it sent i'm sure.

I've also added some access details for Dark Forrest to the guides. Topo's will be soon

Sissy By Night

Headed down to sissy for a night session last night with Phil Neville visiting from Victoria. Since it was Phil's first taste of sissy we did a bit of a circuit of lots of the classics up to V5. Phil managed a nice send of the frustrating classic Vitamin C v6 & I managed to fall off the last moves of both Mavis v8 & Spooged v10.

Good Times, hopefully we can get back there next time he's down.

Dark Forrest

Had a great day bouldering on Saturday at a newish spot I've been developing called 'Dark Forrest'. Stu Ellis & Simon Stevens from Sydney were keen to check it out so we met in the morning and headed out.

We got through a fair bit of the stuff I'd established last year and the boys also established a few new problems. Stu cleaned and climbed a beautiful face he named 'A taste of ants' which will be the new classic warm up as well as repeating 'Funky Monkey V5 . Simon established a desperate mantle type problem that reminded me of Macedomia at the front line. It will probably be around V5 or 6? In the monkey cave he also repeated 'Trip master monkey v7' & 'chunky monkey v6'.

I managed to climb a couple of juggy roof lines I'd been eyeing off too.

Hopefully we'll be heading back soon, lots of stuff to do

Dark forrest is located on a walking trail just off the hair pin on Phegans Bay Road. I will try to get a guide up soon for the established problems.

Blog Launch

I've decided to start this blog to keep track of some of the developments for the bouldering here on the central coast also to hopefully share some of the great rock we have here and what I've been getting up to. Hopefully I'll start to get some guides up here soon too.

Thanks
Dan