Very sad. Based on the extreme temperatures and possible wet weather, we made the decision to cancel the attempt on Lost Boys for this year.
Showing posts with label The Lost Boys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Lost Boys. Show all posts
Look at it now! Saturday was the proposed ascent day. We are screwed.
Friday Slight chance of a late shower or storm Max 27
Saturday Slight chance of a late shower or storm Max 28
Sunday Chance of a late shower or storm Max 30
The weather is NOT looking good for another attempt. Sure it looks dry, but it's hideously hot. We could boil alive on those endless black slabs.
Tuesday Fine Max 27
Wednesday Fine Max 29
Thursday Fine Max 29
We've talked. We've discussed it. We can't let it go without a fight. It's all weather dependent, but if the weather Gods decide to smile on us, another attempt will be made. And soon.
Check out that for an earthworm! Pic: Phil.
Lee, Shaun, Duncan and JJ on the walk-in. Pic: Phil
Wall in primo conditions for climbing. Pic: Phil
During the walk in the rain got so heavy we had to pull out the tarp. Duncan, me, Shaun, Phil. Pic: JJ.
Phil spent the night huddled in a hollowed out tree. Pic: JJ.
Me waking up to see the fantastic conditions the new day brought. Bring on the climbing!!! Pic: JJWell, after one of the most harrowing nights I've ever spent huddled under a tarp, we called off the mission. The schedule would have seen us begin climbing at about 4:30am, and even at 7:30am, the wall was completely wet. It rained all night, until the early hours of the morning.
Even though we walked in in the rain, we thought it was slowing and would stop, giving the wall time to dry enough for an attempt. At about 6pm last night in drizzling rain we thought we had camp fairly well sorted; and then all hell broke loose. The rain started bucketing down and our position next to the base of the wall put us directly in the path of what turned very quickly into a waterfall. Suddenly, four inches of water was gushing through camp. I have this on video.
Of the five of us, Phil had the best spot, curled in the foetal position inside a hollowed out tree. He looked like a big ugly possum. Shaun got the award for most hardcore - sitting on a rock in shorts and not in a sleeping bag until sometime past 1am. Duncan was the water magnet, and attempted to sleep on a sodden thermorest in a two inch deep river. JJ was the most appreciated, boiling up tea for everyone at 1am, and checking everyone was still alive periodically. And me; well I probably got the most sleep (a few hours) due to having a ridgerest (foam) and a semi water-repelling sleeping bag. Though, in the morning, I was wet from the waist down.
We are yet to decide if another attempt will be made; everything depends on the weather. The Aboriginal name for Mt Warning means Cloud Catcher. Now we know why.
Sitting in base camp in full-on downpour. If it stops we may be ok, if not, the ascent attempt is screwed. Waterfalls down the face!
Just got word that Shaun Palmer has joined the team. We've got a crew!
Just received word that chef extrordinaire and all around climbing machine and nice guy JJ O'Brien has signed on to Team Warning. JJ and Phil are going to be a superb support team and film crew.
I picked up a digital audio recorder today, and all of the audio from the ascent (i.e. swearing and arguing and wimpering) will be recorded. We can then use this in the film we plan to make of the ascent.
Using the marvels of technology, Sam (in Base Camp) is going to keep the blog updated as we progress. Expect at least nightly updates!
Time to go - gotta keep packing.
Weather looking a bit dodgy on the walk-in day. We might want to think about some wet weather gear.
Ascent day (Sunday) is still good.
Saturday Afternoon shower or thunderstorm. Max 24
Sunday Mostly fine. Max 22
The weather is cooling down for the weekend - perfect!
Gold Coast/Tweed HeadsThursday Very warm, windy. Max 28
Friday Fine, cooler. Max 23
Saturday Fine walk-in Max 23
Sunday Fine ascent day Max 22
Sunday was a hell day. It went something like this:
- drive to mt warning (2 hours)
- walk in to cliff with heavy packs (2.5 hours) - dump gear
- walk to top of cliff (2 hours)
- find top of route
- fix 200m of static down to halfway ledge for video/photos (1 hour)
- rap remaining distance to ground (1 hour)
- avoid giant python
- walk out (1.5 hours)
- drive home (2 hours)
With cooler temperatures and hopefully a breeze, the schedule has been moved up.
D-Day is this coming Sunday! 5 days to go...
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!
I'm excited and nervous!
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