The Lost Boys in a day - part 1

Duncan and I have decided that we are going to attempt the third ascent of the largest technical rockclimb in Australia. The route is The Lost Boys (24 M1) on Mt Warning. 576m, 15 pitches, with half of the pitches grade 23 or harder. Runouts of 10m are common. The crux pitch features crumbly, crystalline rock.

The first ascent was done by Tim Balla and Malcolm Matheson (HB). "A minimum bolting ethic was adhered to...98 bolts adorn the route, 31 of which are belay anchors. On average, one can expect a runner every five to seven metres, resulting in exciting leads on every pitch. Yahoo!"

Duncan did the second ascent with Julian Bell back in the 90s. A stiff wind blew up while they were climbing and microwave sized blocks rained down on them from above, exploding like bombs on the slabs around them. Both these ascents took two days.

To put a twist on it, we're going to try to do it in a day, and have the ascent filmed. We're going to be going fast and light, with no gear to bivvy or retreat if things go pear shaped. We've stripped all our climbing gear down to the bare essentials, and Pinnacle Sports are sponsoring our ascent, supplying us with all the latest, lightest gear. Not that a superlight foam dome is going to do much if I get hit by a falling microwave!

This Sunday is our first recon trip into the cliff to drop off gear and rig ropes from above for the Phil Box Film Crew. It'll be my first time to Mount Warning and the 400m high, north-facing Wollumbin Shield that hosts the route.

I'm excited and nervous!