<guide><text<guide>
<text class="heading1" id="1">The Organ Pipes
<Pipes</text><texttext>
<text class="text" new="false" number="null." id="2">Climbing on Thethe Pipes is serious. Or at least it looks and feels that way! Occasional loose rock, complex route finding and a sense of exposure heightened by the kilometre drop down to sea level all contribute to a wilderness adventure. As Phil Robinson said in the 1981 edition: "In terms of mileage of routes, skinned knuckles, expenditure of effort and annual traffic, the Organ Pipes is the major focus of climbing activity in Tasmania."
This is still true today. YetAnd all this fun is justonly 20 minutes drive from the centre of the citytown. </text><texttext>
<text class="heading3" id="3">Rock
<>Rock</text><texttext>
<text class="text" new="false" number="null." id="4">A >The rock is comprised of a number of separate buttresses up to 120m high of vertical dolerite, typically in columns. The rock is very compact, though there is surface exfoliation in places due to bushfires. Large blocks that look precariously stacked are mostly just that. Be especially wary in spring, as frost action is instrumental in loosening previously solid blocks. Vegetation has crept back onto the less frequented routes andsince maythe needfires gentle gardening as you go.
</text><text in 1967. Route descriptions are constantly being reviewed to take the regrowth and subsquent gardening on these routes into account.<br/></text>
<text class="heading3" id="5">Aspect
<>Aspect</text><texttext>
<text class="text" id="6">Facing east and sheltered from the prevailing westerlies, the cragPipes catchescatch most of the morning sun. butHowever theits altitudeelevation at 1000m means it can get cold very quickly when the sun disappears.
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<text class="heading3" new="false" number="null." id="7">Access from the bottom
<bottom</text><texttext>
<text class="text" new="false" number="null." id="8">An access track to the bottom of the Pipes starts at the end of the climbers' carpark, a small parking bay on the LH side of the road 2.7 km past the Springs.
<br/><br/>Parking can be a bit of a pain although the situation has been improved by the Trust who have extended the carpark and added steps to the start of the track. The main parking bay in the climbers' carpark can accommodate sixseven cars at a squeeze if cars are parked perpendicularly to the road and close together. However at weekends it fills up rapidly and you are left with the alternatives of creative parking on the verge, parking at the Springs or the Chalet (ample parking but a longer walk), or parking at the summit and walking down. There have been cases of theft from cars here so beit warned: don't leave anything valuable is advisable not to leave items of value in your car that might attract thieves.
.<br/><br/>From the LH end of the parking bay, a definite track leads straight up the hill through a boulder field to meetintersect with the Organ Pipes Track (GPS MTW000). andFrom athis track junction, thatit providesis accesspossible to access the base of all routes aton the RH end of the Organ Pipes.</text><texttext>
<text class="text" new="false" number="null." id="9">For access to routes located between Broken Buttress and Flange Buttress, walk L (south) along the Organ Pipes Track and use the relevant 'feeder' tracks to access the base of the individual buttresses. See individual buttress sections in the text for details.
</text><texttext>
<text class="text" id="10">The track directly opposite the Organ Pipes track junction (GPS MTW000) leads on uphill. It This is the Northern Buttress feeder track and it provides access to the base of routes between the Columns and the Far North. The track arrivesmeets at the base of cliff at Northern Buttress (GPS MTW010) where the it bifurcatesforks. <br/><br/>The trackL fork to the Shipwreck forksprovides L providing access to the Columns, Exit/Entry, Amphitheatre Ledge, Rockaway Gully and the Northern Buttress - Shady side. <br/><br/>Taking the R fork provides access to Northern Buttress - SunnyLower side Cliff, Upper Cliff and the Far North.</text><texttext>
<text class="heading3" id="11">Access from the toptop</text>
</text><text <text class="text" new="false" number="null." id="12">From>Follow the woodenmarked platformtrack belowto the summitright lookout (GPS MTW100south) hopof the rail,main headpath down to the R and lookout shelter (GPS MTW100), and head down to pick up athe looselypad, definedagain padmarked, that heads right and descends to the top of the cliffColumns line near a patch of snow gums (GPS MTW110).
The first column to - the RTrust (south)has isasked thethat bulky Double Column. Further R are twin 'ears' of rock that mark the top of Split Column and the Ultrahard rap station (GPS MTW140). R of Split Column is the distinctive jammed block/slab of Battlements Column. The Freedom rap station is located on top of this column. The Daedalus rap station is found in the gully to the R of Battlements Column, on a yellow ledge about 15m down (50m GPS MTW150). Cairn Column is further to the R againclimbers don't hop over the fence on the viewing platforms as we have done in the past but stick to the main marked track to reduce erosion.<br/><br/>Walk right as viewed looking towards Hobart, along the edge of the cliff line to gain access to climbs on Double, Split, Battlements and Cairn Column. Detailed information on top down access for each of the columnsColumns is included in the body of the text. Landmarks south of Cairn Column such as Teardrop Gully are more <br/><br/>Continue to walk right to access sections of the crag further right of the Columns such as Central Buttress (Circus Wall & the Arena), Zoloft Wall and Teardrop Gully. Access down to these can be difficult to pick out but can be found by consulting the relevant section in the guide.body Theof columnthe to the L (north) text. <br/><br/>Walk left of the patch of snow gums is(GPS CossackMTW110) Column.to Itaccess has a rap station 10m down climbs on its LHS (GPS MTW120). Cossack Column.<br/><br/>Further left againof Cossack Column, following the curve of the cliff line, is the Amphitheatre and a rap station abovethat descends Ethnic Cornflake (50m, to the base of the cliff (marked by a blue dot, GPS MTW130). ThisFurther isleft probablyand thedownhill easiest way to gain access to is the bottomtop of the cliff near the start of Exit/Entry, whicha thennon-trivial can be used for walking access scramble to the bottombase of routes on the Columnscliff.</text>
not equipped with rap stations.</text><text <text class="heading3" new="false" number="null." id="13">Climbing Info
<Info</text><texttext>
<text class="text" new="false" number="null." id="14">Over 335400 routes have been recorded so far on the Organ Pipes proper. The majority are trad climbing but there is an increasing number of bolted walls and arêtes. Routes look serious and intimidating, but the stepped nature of the cliff line generally allows rest stances between difficulties.
</text><texttext>
<text class="text" new="false" number="null." id="15">The climbing is typically a mixture of face holds, jugs, and jams with only a few routes involvingrequiring use of pure crack techniquestechnique. Dolerite friction allows the feet to be placed almoston anywhere.small Havingedges saidand that,smears. thereThere are few a small number of quality easier climbs, many of which have been resurrected from the forest regrowth and most of these are steep and physical. Slabs or gentle walls are a rarity, Blue Meridian (17pitch one) on Great Tier being one of the few exceptions. TapingFor up the trad climber, taping of hands is neither wimpy nor a demonstration of poor technique. Indeed it might stave off the need for a blood transfusion.</text><texttext>
<text class="heading3" id="16">Gear
<>Gear</text><texttext>
<text class="text" new="false" number="null." id="17">A standard rack of cams (withto a couple of big ones for off widths - yum), hexes (yes we still use them here), wires, stoppers andfist size, a set or two of wires and two sets of RPs is usually sufficient. TwinDouble or (half) ropes (50m minimum) are the standard on the multi-pitch trad climbs, particularly as many of the abseils are usuallyto that50 - 60m long. BoltDouble bolt rap stations are now common and their locationlocations isare indicated in the climbing descriptions. Hangers are not generally required but there are still some carrots around - treat these with caution as they may have been there for somemany years.
</text><texttext>
<text class="text" new="false" number="null." id="18">Descriptions>Routes generallyare flowdescribed from RL to LR -starting Northwith tothe South:buttresses areason suchthe assouthern gulliesend thatclosest doto notthe followSprings thisand flowworking aretheir notedway into the descriptions.northern end nearest the Chalet.</text>
<gps new="true" id="19"><point >
<point code="MTW000" description="Junction of climbers track with Organ Pipes track" easting="519885" height="0" northing="5250836" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89482" longitude="147.24355" pid="34"/>
<point code="MTW010" description="Base of Northern Buttress" easting="519764" height="0" northing="5250829" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89489" longitude="147.24207" pid="35"/>
<point code="MTW020" description="The Shipwreck" easting="519740" height="0" northing="5250779" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89534" longitude="147.24177" pid="36"/>
<point code="MTW030" description="Start of Flange Buttress track" easting="519849" height="0" northing="5250698" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89607" longitude="147.24311" pid="37"/>
<point code="MTW040" description="Start of Central Buttress track" easting="519827" height="0" northing="5250667" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89635" longitude="147.24284" pid="38"/>
<point code="MTW070" description="Access to Bulging Buttress" easting="519753" height="0" northing="5250466" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89816" longitude="147.24194" pid="39"/>
<point code="MTW080" description="Junction of Organ Pipes Track and Sawmill Track" easting="519735" height="0" northing="5250377" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89896" longitude="147.24173" pid="40"/>
<point code="MTW100" description="Summit Lookout" easting="519452" height="0" northing="5250753" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89558" longitude="147.23825" pid="41"/>
<point code="MTW110" description="BottomTop of trackColumns fromcliff summit,line abovenear thesnow Columnsgum patch" easting="519663" height="0" northing="5250757" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89554" longitude="147.24083" pid="42"/>
<point code="MTW120" description="Cossack Column rap station" easting="519669" height="0" northing="5250800" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89515" longitude="147.24090" pid="43"/>
<point code="MTW130" description="Amphitheatre rap station" easting="519676" height="0" northing="5250831" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89487" longitude="147.24099" pid="44"/>
<point code="MTW140" description="Split Column rap station" easting="519683" height="0" northing="5250760" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89551" longitude="147.24108" pid="45"/>
<point code="MTW150" description="Daedalus rap station" easting="519698" height="0" northing="5250749" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89561" longitude="147.24126" pid="46"/>
<point code="MTW160" description="Early Bird bolts" easting="519667" height="0" northing="5250818" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89499" longitude="147.24088" pid="47"/>
<point code="MTW170" description="Berts Fear abseil " easting="519713" height="0" northing="5250690" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89614" longitude="147.24145" pid="48"/>
<point code="MTW180" description="Top of Teardrop Gully" easting="519698" height="0" northing="5250583" zone="55G"/><point latitude="-42.89711" longitude="147.24127" pid="49"/>
<point code="MTW190" description="Top of Fools Couloir (SW)" easting="519492" height="0" northing="5250515" zone="55G"/>< latitude="-42.89772" longitude="147.23875" pid="50"/>
</gps>
</guide>
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