My candle burns at both ends, it will not last the night
But ah, my foes, and oh. my friends - it gives a lovely light.
Saturday the 29th of December started overcast with a few sprinkles but developed into a stunning and hot day perfect for climbing at the old-school Barrenjoey routes of Palm Beach. Most of us had been there at least once some 10 years ago and more, but after hearing that many of the old manky bolts had been replaced we were keen for a trip back into climbing folklore. The main area at South-West Barrenjoey retained much of its old mystique and while we were wading through waste deep water to gain the track up toward the routes, upon our return several hours later, the path was completely dry and the tide had dropped by a solid meter.
We found the landmark Crack of Dawn (15*) pretty easily and concentrated on this small patch of high quality routes nearby. All of the old bolts had been replaced with shiny new ones, but no rings just the old-style carrot bolts to keep the same style. There were also brand new rap stations for most of the climbs in this area. You can find a detailed description here: Sydneyrockies.org.au. There is also a PDF file for download here: The Crag. This time Diane, Louise and the twins (Chris and Roman) were joined by Gordon, Jason, Leo and Mat. Later Jay arrived to join a mix of sushiclimbers and south-central coast hard boys for a fun day in the stunning vistas of Palm Beach. Our tick list for the day included the following classics:
We quickly polished of Liquid Insanity (18**) with its hard crimpy start just to the left of Crack of Dawn. Jason went up the hard variation of Arachibutyrophobia (19) close left to Crack of Dawn and both felt hard for the grade. Gordon took out his trad rack and expertly led Crack of Dawn and the seriously undergraded Judgement Day (14) with its corner and chimney. Diane and the twins went up Carrie Bradshaw (14) with its hard start. Finally Leo and Roman polished of Marsupial Smearer (18**) with its bulging roof. There was no way to rap this excellent route so we escaped to the belay station of Liquid Insanity for a difficult clean of the route.
It was getting hot and our chocolate reserves had been diminished by Diane so it was time to leave for the boulders at Palm Beach.
 When we made our way across from Barrenjoey to Palm Beach the sun was out in full force, but we still had some energy in the tank for the burly boulders with the soft sand landing. The famous strenuous traverse coupled with a few highball top-outs finally slowed us down in the late afternoon and we all hit the nearby surf for a well deserved cool down.
Yet, another perfect day....
Roman 29 November 2012. |
