Hi Guys,

While the Organ Pipes guidebook has a 'selected best' or similar list of the best routes at each grade, the Freycinet guide currently doesn't have this.
I think this is a great page of info for visiting climbers (and locals) and could be a worthwhile addition to the Freycinet guide, as there are many routes with stars up there.

What are peoples' thoughts on this? Is it too much hassle?

Alex

19 Comments

  1. Tony McKenny

    Great idea although it might take a while for a concensus on the "best " routes to be reached. Could end in tears :-). 

    Maybe in major cliffs/ areas or just the whole area or..... Want to kick it off?

    Tony

  2. Simon Young

    i think its a good idea! even write it up as 'recommended classics' or something.

    no ones going to argue against telling people to check out say Alchemy wall, beamans direct, japhlion(if your into that sorta thing) etc.

    what i think would be even better, is a 'selected best guide' of tasmania. a seperate guide thats available for sale, that is aimed at travellers. thesarvo is great in that it has all the climbing route info for tasmania. but i imagine someone who doesnt know the state at all would have a very hard time working out what to do on say a two week trip. i think it'd be sweet to have a heap of the best days out in one book.

    but that all sounds like a bit of effort....

  3. alex lewis AUTHOR

    Ok here goes for some suggestions: feel free to add/remove!

    12: Apline
    13:
    14:
    15: Unnamed (www)
    16: Japhlion, Ice Nine
    17: baystone blues, RH negative(sandbag?)
    18: Harlequin, Mithras,
    19: Anything on alchemy, no more mr nice guy, After the Goldrush
    20: Light Fingered Maddison
    21:Alchemy, tetragrammatron (?),
    22:Incipience, Beamans Direct, White Sail
    23:Antimatter
    24:Heat of the night
    25: On the highway to hell, The meaning of life, Turbo Hammer
    26: The holy Grail (although havent done it), Doug's Power Route
    27: The Grand Adjudicator, The Dark side
    28:Power of the Percolator, Animal Instincts Direct, Maxwell's Demon
    29:Backyard Surgery, Entre
    30: Astro Boy

    I've probably forgotten some obvious ones.

    The easiest option would be to have a simple list like the one above at the start eg pipes guide.
    Another option would be to have a few sentences outlining the 'recommended classics' for each major area eg coastal cliffs, hazards main wall, star factory...

    As for consensus, the organ pipes list must have been made somehow! and a little bit of controversy never hurt anyone

  4. Jon Nermut

    Yeah why not

    For reference here are all the current 3 star routes at freycinet.Kinda surprising there are so few at the low grades given freycinet is the best easy climbing in the state:

    79 results

    Apline 70m 12 Whitewater Wall
    Paisley with Stripes 20m 14 Cape Tourville
    Pneisses 240m 15 Hazards Main Wall
    Unnamed 50m 15 Whitewater Wall
    Baystone Blues 45m 17 Whitewater Wall
    Beowulf 35m 17 Lassies Wall and Harlequin
    Continuum 60m 17 Hazards Main Wall
    RH Negative 60m 17 Mt Amos
    Dive Between The Whirling Blades 57m 18 Mt Dove
    Harlequin 35m 18 Lassies Wall and Harlequin
    Mithras 20m 18 White Stack Area
    Something Weird 20m 18 Schouten Island
    After the Goldrush 70m 19 Whitewater Wall
    Blue-eyed Blonde 25m 19 Little Bluestone Bay
    No More Mr Nice Guy 25m 19 Little Bluestone Bay
    No Turn Unstoned 45m 19 Whitewater Wall
    Ogma Sun Face 15m 19 Little Bluestone Bay
    Stud City 100m 19 Hazards Main Wall
    It Ain't Kosher 42m 20 Mt Dove
    Light Fingered Maddison 15m 20 Whitewater Wall
    Ocean of Wisdom 270m 20 Flowstone Wall
    Adrift 45m 21 Schouten Island
    Alchemy 25m 21 Little Bluestone Bay
    Eager Triggers, Hidden Loot And Desperate Men 42m 21 Schouten Island
    Time & Tide Waits For No Man 10m 21 Mt Dove
    Arocknaphobia 160m 22 Flowstone Wall
    Beaman's Route Direct 45m 22 Lassies Wall and Harlequin
    Cortez 45m 22 Schouten Island
    Creeping Death 25m 22 Lassies Wall and Harlequin
    Incipience 50m 22 Mt Amos
    Stairway to Heaven 20m 22 Schouten Island
    Sweet Revenge 45m 22 Lassies Wall and Harlequin
    Antimatter 25m 23 The Star Factory
    Hold onto Your IQ 25m 23 Schouten Island
    Lud Heat 13m 23 Hazards Craglets
    Schouten Star 25m 23 Schouten Island
    Deliverance (aka Squeal Like a Pig) 40m 24 Mt Dove
    Infundibulum 10m 24 Hazards Craglets
    King Constipator 40m 24 Little Bluestone Bay
    Nunc Dimitis 16m 24 Hazards Main Wall
    Swearin' In Bavarian 30m 24 Mt Dove
    The Axiom 30m 24 Hazards Main Wall
    Action Replay 12m 25 Hazards Craglets
    Atonement 20m 25 Flowstone Wall
    Blue Pfizer 20m 25 Friendly Point
    E 25m 25 Cape Tourville
    Immaculate Misconception 20m 25 Little Bluestone Bay
    In League with the Devil 20m 25 White Stack Area
    Monty Python's Flying Circus 8m 25 The Star Factory
    On The Highway to Hell 80m 25 The Star Factory
    The Life of Meaning 35m 25 The Star Factory
    Turbo Hammer 20m 25 The Star Factory
    A Head Full of Speed 15m 26 Friendly Point
    Dougs Power Climb 15m 26 The Star Factory
    Eidolon 12m 26 Cape Tourville
    Exocet 48m 26 Little Bluestone Bay
    Gubernaculum 10m 26 Lassies Wall and Harlequin
    Red Hill Town 26 The Star Factory
    The Holy Grail 40m 26 The Star Factory
    The Reason 20m 26 The Star Factory
    Via Magna 20m 26 Hazards Main Wall
    Blank Generation 25m 27 Friendly Point
    Catch 22 50m 27 Mt Amos
    Ferret On A Leash 25m 27 The Star Factory
    Star Wars 25m 27 The Star Factory
    The Dark Side 30m 27 White Stack Area
    The Grand Adjudicator 25m 27 The Star Factory
    The Supposed Golden Path 25m 27 The Star Factory
    Wild Winds 15m 27 The Star Factory
    Animal Instincts Direct 15m 28 Whitewater Wall
    Forever Young 25m 28 Lassies Wall and Harlequin
    Maxwell's Demon 20m 28 The Star Factory
    Power Of The Percolator 28m 28 The Star Factory
    Simply The Best 20m 28 The Star Factory
    Total Eclipse of the Heart 20m 28 The Star Factory
    Back Yard Surgery 20m 29 The Star Factory
    Entree 25m 29 The Star Factory
    Astro Boy 20m 30 The Star Factory
    Wizard Of Oz 27m 32 The Star Factory

  5. garry phillips

    I think its a good idea as well.  There are a few routes that need a star shake up any way on the hazards especially.  Simons idea of a selected best is a good idea as well, may be even recommended crags to visit as well.

    As for tears tont dont worry about that.  

    1. Jon Nermut

      Btw Will was going to write a sport climbing over view of Tas listing the best areas and routes and season... haven't seen it yet... If that happened I was going to do similar sections for trad, adventure & bouldering

      What might be cool is a way to vote on any route in the guides, then spit out a list of the top 50 or top 100 routes in Tas

      1. Will Bartlett

        Hey all

        Sweet idea Alex, will be rad. Yeah Jon, I reckon I'll write a sport climbing overview for Tas for sure, just need a little bit of time. Just so travelling climbers have a bit of a guide to what's what, as I found working at MD's lots of climbers would come in over the Summer and ask about where all the sport climbing is, and where to find it on this site etc. Just coming back from a trip to the Bluies with Carter's new Sport Climbing guidebook which makes finding the best sport routes a breeze it seems logical to have at least a good, free overview for Tas.

        So I was basically thinking having the three major areas of Hillwood, the Paradiso and the Factory, as well as the Pipes, Adamsfield, Fingal, Sphinx, Neika. Other suggestions? Also what do people think for a format etc? And star ratings? Happy for it to be a joint effort, I have a bias towards the South of the state so any ideas would be great.

        Cheers,

        Will

        1. Jon Nermut

          cool

          btw from my point of view, I'm not keen to have actual route descriptions copy and pasted into these type of overviews or Tonys bumblies guide, as then you've got to maintain the info in multiple places which sucks from a system admin point of view

          might be able to come up with something clever to reference routes so we can have lists of routes that click through to the descriptions or some sort of filtered version of a guide

          i guess if we know what it looks like then i can come up with a technical solution

          1. Will Bartlett

            yeah no worries Jon, I was just thinking a general overview of the areas, then something about each cliff with hints/tips etc and access and maybe a selected route list for each. I'll get onto it, might be a little while in the making as lots to catchup on from being away! Cheers

            1. Gerry Narkowicz

              Hey Alex. To save time for your suggestion, have a look at Climb Tasmania selected best, which already has about 100 of the best routes and cliffs of freycinet in it. The list was compiled about 6 years ago by Bob McMahon, Alex Wilson, Nick Hancock and even my old mate Doug Bruce. I don't there has been heaps of classic new routes done since then so the guide would still have most of the best routes covered. You are welcome to use Climb Tas guide as a base for your proposed best of Freycinet.

              1. alex lewis AUTHOR

                Thanks Gerry,
                I wasnt really suggesting another guidebook be written, all i wanted to see happen was a half page list like the organ pipes guide has in it. If others want to write a whole book about it then go for it, but the climb tasmania book does fill this niche, although not in as much detail as some people are suggesting to be done on here. (I'm not against another guide being written I just dont have time to do it).
                Alex

  6. Tony McKenny

    We have wanted to do a "The Bumblies Guide to Tasmanian Climbing" for ages, aimed at the beginners, and the ancients (I of course include myself and the Old Codgers Climbing Group....) , and  all those that dream of hard climbing but realise that their focus is really the easier classics..... reckon it would sell heaps! :-).

    1. Doug Bruce

      A guide with climbs of limited difficulty focusing on routes up to a certain grade at least has the potential to sell but the question is, where do you make the cut-off point? Up to 21? That is a number the North Americans can relate to as it is about where 5.10 finishes. My feeling is that 18 (where 5.10 starts) is too low. Maybe the trick would be to briefly reference routes up to a couple of grades harder that are nearby the routes you are describing. I reckon it would have to be a nice glossy publication to sell though. Otherwise why wouldn't people just print out the bits they want from the free info on thesarvo?

      1. Tony McKenny

        I guess that was a throw away comment regarding "selling" a Bumbly Guide although I can see a whole genre of similar guides - "A Bumblies Guide to Victoria" etc etc. Next the world.....

        More of a selected guide really,  like a selected sports climb guide  (similar to what Will is proposing) or the Climb Tasmania guide - some would say  that one it is really a mid-range guide, few easier routes, not many hard routes - and I agree 20/21 would be the top grade. Not much time? New to the State? Grab a Bumbly Guide! Might just talk to Jon to see how much work is involved before I think on the idea any further. Would be ideal if you could press a "best climbs filter" button and thesarvo would print out a selection of the grades you want on the cliffs you want plus the descriptions of how to get to the cliff etc. Can imagine Jon's reaction to the work in setting that up.... :-).

        1. Doug Bruce

          Re "Would be ideal if you could press a "best climbs filter" button and thesarvo would print out a selection of the grades you want on the cliffs you want plus the descriptions of how to get to the cliff etc. Can imagine Jon's reaction to the work in setting that up.... :-)." I think that's what nerdy folk are really good at tho, eh!

          Seriously, it would be fantastic! E.G.: list: >14<22; *-***; Organ Pipes+Freycinet+Ben Lomond

          What a fun little trip!

          1. Tony McKenny

            Hmmmm. Not sure "nerdy" is my description of Jon, particulalry as he is bigger and stronger than me!!!!! Wouldn't be suprised if the site can already actually do all that if I just new how to press the right buttons. It seems to do just about everything else I want.

            1. Doug Bruce

              You're out of the loop, Tony. "Nerdy" is a compliment these days for people who have the elite skills mere keyboard punchers like you and I do not!

              1. Jon Nermut

                no its not Doug

                1. Doug Bruce

                  Whoops! I guess it's ME who's out of the loop! So what is the compliment we pay to such techno-wizards such as thee?

                  On another note, here's a great little clip of fantastic crack climbing with real commitment: Coming to grips with Cobra Crack - or not!