The Palmdale Project

Project Line

Leading into toe hook madness, photo Jason Smith

Like every climber this rain has forced me and many others to put their projects on hold until better days arrive. Originally this weekend I was to be back up in the Mountains on my nemisis "The Poo", though I was not overly keen to drive all that way only to see a water fall flowing freely down some of the crucial holds. So what to do? Luckily for me a good friend of mine JP knows the central coast very very well. Piper came to the rescue. We had spoken a few weeks ago about this cave which he said was full of little rails, he was confident there was be the potential for some hard lines. Well, this was our chance to go and check it out. I left my house with a few mats, no food and my climbing gear just in case. I was thinking we would just go check it out and have a look around. We ended up being there for about 5.5 hrs pretty much trying to establish one line. Piper nearly did one other but we spent soooo much time on this one main line we were looking at. We came up with the beta only for myself to snap off the crucial hold time and time again. I think I snapped 3 crucial holds each time making the line harder and harder. We nearly gave up for the day only to say "one more shot", that shot something would click and we would find another way, this happened time and time again. In the end there was basically one last move we could not work out. Just before we left I had a thought of how we could potentially do it, though by then we were so boxed we didn't have the energy to try it again. The line is HARD! If we (I) didn't pull numerous holds off I recon it would have nearly gone today (maybe not the last move) but close. If that were the case Id say possibly V10/11, but now the holds have gotten way smaller or the moves a lot harder I am not sure what the grade will be? could be ok in awesome conditions though I still think it will pack a punch. At the moment I am thinking hard 11 maybe 12?? That's if the last move goes!!! Could be futuristic too?

Back on the blocs

Me on "All the tables are reversed in my private universe V10"

Michael on "Whats blue and green and red all over" V8

Only a quick post today as not too much has been going on since my last. Yesterday myself and a mate got down to Sydney for some bouldering action. It felt like one of the hottest days we have seen this summer and we chose to go bouldering, totally worth it though. We headed to an area I had not been before, "The Lip", close to Frontline. A small little cave with some very awesome moves! At the moment there is only 4 lines which go through the cave, an 8 mantle thing, a 10 again with a difficult mantle at the end, an 11 which is basically the 10 but a harder extended start and another link 11 which is definitely the line to be done. At the moment the link 11 has only had one ascent though I am sure there are a few people lined up for this one. It involves some huge moves, toe hooks, heal hooks in a massive compression session. Great work by Dan for establishing this problem, he must of been maxed out spanning some of the holds! I managed to complete the 8 mantle called "Whats blue and green and red all over" as well as "All the tables are reversed in my private universe" V10. I got the moves sorted for the other problems and will be sure to be back down that way in the near future to hopefully finish them off. Great to finally go to a new area, got me keen again for the blocs, where to focus my attention........?

Finally some progress

Progress in the form of a highpoint. The next best thing if there is no red point when you have been on a project for what seems like a lifetime. I have mentioned on my blog a few times about a route which has given me grief since I started to work it. The classic, very inspirational, awesome route Poopherator, 31. I have NEVER worked a route for so long, I have never even thought I’d be motivated enough to work such a route for this period of time, but here we are 4 years into the saga. Now it’s not like I have been on it consistently for those 4 years, in this time a lot has happened. In fact I actually received a call from Charles Sturt University with my acceptance getting into my degree under neither the route. Now I have finished the degree and yet here I am. Feels like time has paused, a very peculiar feeling where everything and everyone has changed somewhat, yet this is surprisingly so familiar. I returned to this route about a month ago, since then it had probably been close to a year since I had jumped on it. Yet tying into the route, climbing the awkward log to start, and initiating movement on it, BAM everything was the same. I had not forgotten anything, weird. I returned to the route 2 weeks after that only to find a waterfall coming off the top and flowing across some of the crucial holds. There was no drying it out, it was a right off for the day, a training day. This route originally done by Steve Grkovic in 2002 has had many people struggle to complete it. One of those routes where you do the moves easily and say, “yup I got this”, only to have your arse handed to you. I started working this route with no less than 5 people, none of which have done it since. Though I am positive all of us will complete it eventually! I have done it a million times with one fall at the “driveby” crux, only to pull up the rope, do the move and go to the top. I had never done the move on link before. That was all about to change! I returned to the Mountains last Saturday. Conditions very humid as you might have guessed due to all the rain and heat. Anyway, that day I managed to do the driveby move on link 3 times. Awesome, I fell a few moves after on two occasions due to snatching a crimp wrong and therefore not being able to get my body in the correct position. My last go of the day when a storm was brewing and the temp had probably dropped a few degrees I managed to fall off going for a good gaston. If I had latched this move there is a little rest followed by one more committing move. So whilst I have not done the route (yet) I am happy for progress on it. Ill do it one day, and as it’s been so long for me to get this far I cannot even speculate how long it’ll be, though I now KNOW I can do it. That’s climbing huh. Thanks for reading. See you out there. Pete.

A big year in the making

Once again I have not updated in a long while. There is good reason for this, mainly due to persisting injuries which inhibited me doing too much climbing. During this time I amused myself with surfing only to gain injuries in that too. What can I say, I must be getting old! However, I have returned yet again to climbing and have been training quite a bit. I have definitely found my mojo again. Since returning from the Grampians not too much got done really, I was very busy finishing my degree. Now that I have finished my degree I do feel I am able to get out more, kinda like the old days. The only thing now is to find job so I can pay for my travels. I have been able to get to the Mountains in the last week or so which was awesome, this gave me an idea as to where I am at and what I need to focus on for the future. I really miss the Mountains. Since starting my degree I have only been able to get there a handful of times a year. So what is happening for 2012? Well I have devised a periodised plan for most of the year. This is just a rough guide I guess and I am sure little changes will take place though it's good to have a plan. I have numerous goals which are spread from the Mountains (so much has been developed in new areas I haven't seen), Nowra, local crags & the Grampians. I am also hoping of a bigger overseas trip too. I just need to stay injury free. I will also get out for many more weekend trips so lets hope for a good year ahead. The pic above is of a little bloc me and the Mrs found down at Airies Inlet on the Great Ocean road.