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Piddington and DamCliffs 27-28 Dec.2017

Once again we were nearing the end of a busy year, with the sun at full force in summer there was a little window of opportunity to take the family and next generation of climbers to the Blue Mountains to soak up some of the plentiful sunshine. With the danger of becoming a little soft from our weekly gym sessions Will was determined to test out the sharp end at the majestic classic crack lines of Mount Piddington near Mount Victoria. While there is plenty of raw power in the next generation it was time to see if the headspace was there as well. Though the grades are generally low by today's sport climbing standards, beware the occassional suprise hard move high above your last carrot bolt. The technical skills required and the placing of natural protection on lead by and large still lends Piddington an air of old-school magic. This time Sophie, Louise, Liam, Cameron, Roman and Chris joined us for our family excursion.

All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.

Mount Piddington Lookout

Three days of Climbing and no more layers

Ivanhoe Dinner Blackheath

We gingerly fought our way through the heat of the day until our water supply was no more. Following the heat at Piddington and climbing on natural geat, the Ivanhoe in Blackheath provided welcoming shade with a meal and lots of fluids. Next morning it was time to change the pace and we headed for the welcoming shade of the Dam Cliffs the next morning. Arriving relatively early is key and we had the first half hour to ourselved before the usual crowds arrived. Enough time to lead severeal of the classic easy warmups and move across to the steeper lonely side where the mesmerising steep lines were yearning for attention. We managed a couple of laps on Dictator in a Deerstalker (23***) with its crimp, gast-on crux sequence to a rest jug. Then it was time to empty the tank completely on War and Peace (25****). By early afternoon, the crowd had swollen like the impending afternoon rain storm and we retreated to the refreshing coolness of the billabong above.

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.


Cameron	Chris belaying	Chris on the Carthaginian crux	Chris high on Eternity

Roman on Joseph crux	Roman and Cameron	The Eternity	High on the Eternity

Cameron high on Joseph	Chris On Edge	Chirs high on Carthaginian	Chris on Joseph

Roman on Neil Diamond	Will Carthaginian	Sophie and Will	Sophie on Flake Crack

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.

There are a few climbing spots in Australia were one may find a collection of classic lines side by side in the low grad range. Arapiles is one of the better known areas but Piddinton is well worth a visit. Out classics tick list of the day is as follows:

Joseph (14***) classic low angle crack line with a little move thrown in up high for good measure. Two brand new anchors make rappeling a joyous experience.
The Eternity (18***) strong contender for the most aesthetic and argably best crack line in the country. Swollows any of your gear greedily.
Psychopath (17***) another contender for the best and most picturesque fist size crack in the country.
The Carthaginian (15***) the name says it all: Carthaginian peace is the imposition of a very brutal "peace" achieved by completely crushing the enemy. In this case imagine an open book corner with technical layback and twin crack, that will completely crush your inner ego and set your soul free towards a sense of calm peace.
Neil Diamond Syndrome (20***) technically a sport climb but requires the placement of one cam so yes it counts. Features a stunning variety of moves from the initial rooflet to technical slabs and a couple of mantels for good measure. Brilliantly long so watch your rope length.
Tombstone Wall (15***) Sophie and Will send this excellent classic with its hard mantle start, exposed slab and final soaring arete.
Flake Crack (17****) arguably the most unique flake crack in the country with a nice stand at the top leading into an hand crack topped by a crux roof crossing. Keep a Number 2/3 camelot for after the crux or run it out to the anchor.
On Edge (22***) this is arguably a sport climb with very few bolts that maybe substituted with gear. However the cruxes are hard and the first bolt is five meters of the deck. Be careful and top rope this one its much more fun. Hard arete start to technical mantle on right side of arete leads to a crimp crux. The key is to get you right foot up high, the cruise to the top mantle crux over the last bulge. Enjoy on toprope or meet you maker on lead but choose wisely.