Getting Happy

So I've been sneaking back out over the past month or so to my little training ground at the Happy Place and managed to clean up a few old link up projects. Most of these are all link ups but are great pwr/end problems. I haven't updated the guide yet but i'll try to do that very soon. These are the problems in question

Dirty drowning man V7
Attack of the clones V8
Killer Loop V9
Magic Beans V9
Long Udon V10

I think my happy place projecting is done for a little while but I spied a few new lines so i'll be back.

I took a few mates out there from Sydney last weekend and they all thought it great. it was good to see people thrasing it out on the problems. Neil Wallace made a really fast ascent of The golden pinch v7 and Chris 'ipoppie' Ritchie almost managed a flash of the classic happy pyramid v4 sending 2nd shot.

We warmed up on the upper ridge with the boys repeating many of the moderates up there. Neil managed the FA of a classic line i'd been looking at on the gentle overhang wall next to the classic five spice v4. We worked the problem out with funky moves that lead to a spicy top out over a tree thats in the fall zone. 'seven swallows v6' is my new favourate problem

Trips, comps and coast rock

I've been a bit slack with updates of late but I haven't been getting out much around the coast but hopefully I'll be back at it over the next few months and clean up a few old projects I've got in mind.

I've been training loads at Ecat lately but not much outside aside for a few sneaky Gramps trips which are always excellent :) Climbed in the bouldering series on Saturday night at Ecat which was awesome! so many good problems and a really strong Field of some of Australia's top climbers. The boys did a great job setting some really interesting problems and out did themselves yet again. James Kassay took it out on the day, with Tom Farrell and Ben Cossey tied 2nd and Lee Cossey third.

Firing back up for some Coast action again soon too, so hopefully I'll get out and finish up some old projects in the coming months. I finished up one project at the Happy Place the other night which climbs out the low rail as for 'Viking Invader v9' but then climbs up the little bulging prow to finish up 'Another clone v6'. I was lucky to get this in the end as I couldn't do any of the moves on either of the problems initially, so they felt quite solid. After I re-worked all moves out I had a couple of shots form the start and got lucky sending 'Attack of the Clones' it felt like around v8. Now I just have to link it back into the underclinging traverse of 'Damage inc v8' and the full loop will be done.

Back in the Gramps

So we're back down the Gramps after wetting our appetites with a great trip down in Easter. Despite the hot conditions the Easter trip was great with a lot of sending especially Philby Neville who managed to dispatch all his projects in one weekend of sending fury including 'Monkey Bars v8', 'Happy Camper Trav v9' 'Shanghai v8'as well as 'haribo boulder v9' just for good measure. Awesome effort mate!

Conditions this time have been perfect and with loads of people down it's sure to be a great trip. It's just a shame we have to go home. I even made it up to the Gallery to belay Jason Piper on 'Monkey puzzle' He fell just before the anchors! but the gear is still on so he will do it next time I'm sure. Stellar effort though, Go coast power!

Coast Action

Been a bit slack with the updates but after a little break from the rock I've been getting out and about and cleaning up a few new problems too. Photo me on 'Mercy Killing'

I revisited a little crag I call slip stream just up the road from me a Phegans Bay which is an old Anthoney Alexander area. I cleaned up some of the lines and did a few nice easy problems up there as well as a nice v5 I called 'Mercy Killing' which is a bit of an eliminate but fun climbing none the less. Still plenty to do there and a few hard lines there too.

Pat Reynolds did a flying visit a few weeks back now and we hit up the brown room where he managed all the standard classics as well as a quick second ascent of 'Red October v7' he also came super close to doing 'Brutal v9' which needs a second ascent so hopefully he'll be back soon to crush it! We also ducked into the pearl jam cave to try 'dissident v8' which is still unrepeated. We both got smacked around on it and I struggled to repeat the moves again, maybe it's a little harder? definitely a steely number and one of the coast's harder 8's for sure.

The development continues around the Dark Forrest. I've been working through some really nice lines along the upper ridge and added a handful of nice easy new problems. Most of the stuff in this section are low in the grade range but some really nice climbing even the -v0 are great and interesting. Some stand outs were;

'Mexican Mavis v3' which has a funky mantle on an iron stone ledge.

'Fresh Squeezed v6' is a nice eliminate of 'the ark' which is a steep arete, the harder variation climbs the arete proper not using any face holds.

'Riddles abound tonight 'v4 is another great problem which climbs out a little cave to a weird slopey top out.

'Five spice v4/5' is probably my favourite new problem and climbs a gently overhanging face on perfect edges to a big move to the high slopey lip and a rounded top out classic!

Me and fellow coast climber Al headed to the Happy place again too and added two nice additions 'Yummy Noodle v6' which pinches up the tufa feature on the main wall from a sit start and a really nice problem I named 'front end loader v5' which climbs out a steep detached block below the main cliff.

The scrubbing continues.....

Making Contact

I finally managed to haul my old tired ass up contact @ the Villa's on Tuesday arvo. It will be nice to not have to do the long drive from the Coast to Sutherland for a little while. I had been going down about twice a week to try it since I've been home from Swiss. I nearly sent a few weeks ago but popped my footing going for the jug near the end :( I spent six sessions since being home plus five earlier last year. Happy Days.

Now rest and back to begin training for a huge winter!

Happy Place Guide

The Guide for "The Happy Place" has been updated, get on it!

http://www.climb.org.au/index.php?page_id=10&action=area&area_id=1459

Switzerland wrap up

The dream is over, boo hoo hoo. Just finished my first week back at work and I miss the beautiful Swiss Alps. The final week we had there was amazing, so much fun and an awesome crew. Thanks guys for making it a great trip, I'm sure your all loving being back to reality just as much as I am.

So after spending a frustrating few days waiting for the snow to bugger off and a fun trip to Interlarken (even though it was snowing too much to see the Igar)
we finally managed to cram a lot into the last three days with some beautiful and crisp conditions. Unfortunately I was a bit slack on the photo's cause of all the frantic climbing, sorry.

I had been really keen to get back on this roof problem called 'Backgammon' which is an 8a or a 7c stand. It has a huge move out the roof to a sloper then a go again to a good edge at nearly full span. We managed to work out a good way to do the move with a high heel and I was sure I would be able to do the problem having nearly stuck the move. I had a quick look at the easy finishing moves or at least that's what I thought! I got totally shut down. I wasn't able to work out a good way of linking the crux throw into the finishing traverse that exits the roof via a thin seam, Tragedy! So off we went with our tails between our legs to find some other problems.

We headed over to the Jungle book for Pat to try for a send on the sit start. Unfortunately the snow kept the top out wet and he never got the chance to finish it off. I felt bad for him, he had looked so solid on it and I'm sure he would have got it done if he had the chance. One for next time.

XP is this cool little 7c on a small triangular bloc in front of Jungle book. Me and Pat had been spying it since we got there and it was time to give it a go. Essentially it's a hard pull on from an undercling with bad feet then slap out some sharp holds to get out of the low pit, punch out to the arete and cruise to the top. After struggling with the first move initially we both manage to send. Pat also managed a quick send of this awesome 7a+ near by "Media Men" involved slapping up this fridge type block feature then a huge move at the top. He managed to over come the dicey top out without falling much to my relief.

One last big day. We decide to just get out and just have some fun and we ended up climbing alot of stuff it was really cool. So a quick run down.

Me, Pat and Tor all managed "street parade 7a" which is a classic Cresciano sloper traverse. Pat made a quick send of "voule a vont 7a" and a surprise ascent of the area classic "Arcadia 7c" which is a proud slopey arete. Pat and me also managed "voci dalla cantina 7b+" After a quick chat with Bern Zangeral we all did this classic high ball boulder which Pat scrambled like an egg and was one of the most memorable of the trip. Me and Tor also snuck in the classic "ci credo o non ci credo 7a" just before dark, happy days.

The last day is still a bit of a blur, I ran into Milan with Pat at 3am to get him off for his flight home then jumped back in bed for a couple hours before me, Tor and Simen headed out for one last quick hoorah. I had a quick look at this problem high up in the boulder field the previous day called "carlo il magnifico 7a+" it looked awesome, so we thought we'd head up and give it a shot. This thing is a seriously cool sharp arete feature slapping up opposing side pulls and the arete. We only had till about 1.00pm before we had to leave to get the boys to the train and me and Tor were both getting very close. It came right down to the wire in the end with me just managing to scrap a send in and Tor getting robbed when his hand blew of the side pull going to the finishing hold.

So there you go, the end of an unbelievable trip.