Blog from March, 2013

Hi all,

As a thank you to the HCC track workers who have been working now for some months on the access tracks to the Organ Pipes, the CCT is organising a BBQ on Thursday 14 March at the Water Works Reserve ( BBQ 1), from 1.00pm to 3.00pm.  Meat, salads  and soft drinks provided. Be great to get as many people along as possible to say thanks, and share a yarn over a beer.

RSVP please if you can come by Tuesday 12 March – we appreciate it is in the working week (okay for the retirees!) but it has to fit in with the work-crew and their family commitments etc.

The tracks are looking great now, and it's really good to have a good working relationship with the local council. Set's a very good precedent in maintaining access issues etc. So don't be shy, come along and get involved!

Simon Young

Anyone climbing this summer on the Pipes in places other than Northern Buttress will have noticed that routes are becoming easier to access. Despite early fears amongst some members of the local climbing community, I think that most folks would agree that the result is relatively low impact on the environment for the gains. Most of the tracks heading up from the Organ Pipes Track - actually all but the Northern Buttress track - start up scree slopes. For one particular route - access to The Flange - the route has been noticeably widened. Most of the others have had a bit of scrub removed to make the route a bit more obvious and easier to follow.

The Hobart City Council track workers have now nearly finished what they started back in December. A few more bits of clearing, a bit of rock pitching below Great Tier and placement of the signs on the top of the mountain showing the routes down to the Amphitheatre, etc is all that remains to be done.

Below are some photos showing:

• signage on the main Organ Pipes track leading up to one of the buttresses:

• a sign showing two tracks diverging partway up to the cliff:

• before and after at the base of Blue Meridian (a little work still needs to be done):

• and a photo of an old geezer in the same place, giving a perspective on how this actually relates to people on the track:

Cheers

Doug

I propose a new trad route grading system inspired by the superior ethical standards of Simon Young - it's called SIMON STYLE or 'SS' for short (no connection to that Nazi paramilitary organization).

All trad routes could be given an `SS' rating depending how they compare to the commonly held standard Simon has encountered in his worldwide travels and by which he practices.

The three ratings are like the star system:

SSS - SUPER SIMON STYLE.. The triple `S' rating is for routes done ground-up with no rap inspection or cleaning, for those first ascensionists who rose to the challenge and took the rock at face value and just climbed it in its natural state, onsight. This is the ultimate style, though naked and solo should rate a SSSS rating - SALUBRIOUS SUPER SIMON STYLE. I can't remember the last time I put up a new route in SSS style, but I think it was some poxy crack up the Gorge.

SS - SIMPLE SIMON STYLE. A double `S' rating is not as super, sensational, stellar or superior as a `SSS' route. Something like `Running On Air' at Mt Anne which Simon and Alex did - a noble attempt at super Simon style, but fell short because of one hang on the crux pitch.

S - SHIT SIMON STYLE. A single `S' rating is for trad routes done in shit style such as rap inspection, cleaning and trundling the line prior to climbing, tantamount to sanitizing the trad experience - you might as well place a bolt.It doesn't matter that the route was led placing gear on lead and flashed without a fall - its still Shit Simon Style. This would include all Gerry's routes on Ben Lomond this summer - absolute shit. As for trad routes on pre-placed gear, or dogging the gear in before redpoint, that is lower than shit; that would be stinking, shocking, substandard shit Simon Style (another category?)

So next time you put up a new trad route consider Simon Style and assess whether your route was super, simple or shit according to what SIMON SAYS.