Like father like daughter

Will & Martha

Happiness does not empty
Tomorrow of its troubles
Neither does it rob yesterday of its meaning
it just fills today with potential

2015 started with a big bang not unlike the one five billion years ago and that’s no exaggeration - I think. After we got chased out of the Wards Hill crag at the Central Coast by clouds of hungry sandflies and mozzies in the last week of 2014, it was time for an early revenge and takes-two at one of the Central Coast’s hardest cliffs. So Jason, the twins, Gordon, Louise and Roman returned for a grudge-rematch early in the year. This crag is not for the faint-hearted with the best warm up being Black Panther (21***), which felt much harder and totally gets you bumped as soon as you are of the ground. After that it only gets a lot steeper, harder and more desperate. Most of the grades are in the 25 range and everything is three stars so basically you get to pick your project and then just go hard for the day.

Chris Black Panther	RomanBlack Panther	taking belaying serious	Beautie in the bush
Lactic Acidosis	Twins	Gordon and Louise	Gordon and Roman

Since there are too many lines to choose from why not go for one of the most famous ones: Lactic Acidosis (24***) was our test piece and it did not disappoint. First of all it felt about 26 in the heat of midday but that was probably just sunstroke setting in. Three cruxes with easier moves in between will keep you on your toes all the way to the anchors. After a couple of hard moves to get on the wall you encounter the first and hardest of the three cruxes - a sloping ramp leftward with no footholds. You just smear and gain a sloping crack which you turn upside down into two underclings. Tethering with four bad points you look upward and a jug waits just out of reach so you dyno wildly hoping to get something. Once you get this right and move to the next bolt you sigh with relieve 5 meters after your last clip. Second crux is a deadpoint into a shallow right-leading crack. You can stick it fairly easy with your right hand but matching on it to swop your left and the reach far out right to gain another jug is tough. Crux two is done with and from the jug you dead-point high into a deep but rounded two finger pocket. This is where the last crux waits. From the goodish pocket you gain a crimper and then nothing.  I eventually found an edge far up right after switching hands but this took a few goes and I am not sure if the sequence was right. At the anchors I marvel at this majestic line. The grade could be anything really since I worked my way up bolt to bolt, enjoying every incredible move.

Jason and Roman Junior also gave the line a good crack but the direct sun was getting the better of us so we moved back to Black Panther for a few more shots. Then it was time for lunch and we headed back to picturesque Hardies Bay for some scrumptious food. Jason recommended Beautie Beach just around the corner and it did not disappoint in recuperating our tired fingertips. We all drove back to Jason’s place to chill at the pool but we still had a little gas in the tank so round two at nearby Point Clare was the perfect choice. After a couple of quick warm ups it was time to explore the relatively unknown second tier of the crag and to our surprise we found quite a few new ring bolted lines many of which where perfect for beginners. However there was time for one more test piece: Funky See Funky Does (22**) with a very nice crux boulder problem in the middle.  This pretty much finished us off for a massive pizza pig-out a Jason’s place. Jason on Mr.Windows Jason on FunkySeeFunkyDoes Josh on Main Wall Note: Several days later Jason had a motorbike accident and a very close call with destiny. This page is dedicated to his swift recovery. We will be back soon for more…… Multiple Joshes on Point Clare's Main Wall Roman 3 January 2015

Copyright 2005 Dr.Roman Rosenbaum. All Rights Reserved.