Hey Tas climbing folk - hope you're all doing well. Not quite sure how to get this directly onto the new route page as my Forum link doesn't work, so here it is. These are a few note worthy routes done whilst in Tas. I've finally managed to work out how to edit and have added these to the guide pages, but do not know how to update the photo/topos etc (see Tetragrammaton photo topo).


Tetragrammaton Buttress - Freycinet

Fodiator   43m  27    ***      (Andrew [Squib] Cubbon & Lizzy Oh, July 2017)

An excellent route. Quality climbing on impeccable rock, in one of the most exposed positions at Freycinet.

Start as for ‘Exocet’:

  1. 18m   18 - Climb up No More Mr Nice Guy to the left traverse line, but instead continue up and then build a gear belay at a comfortable stance in the corner.
  2. 25m   27 – Continue up the steep arête of Exocet until it reaches the roof. Instead of traversing right, place some bomber gear and blast straight up just right of the arête.

After some tricky moves, the difficulty eases and is protected by good RPs and wires. Move left and up the arête.

 

All gear was placed on lead after top rope/self-belay rehearsals (full rack from RPs & small cams to no. 3 Camelot). An old carrot bolt was removed prior to the ascent to provide a pure trad route on the second pitch. For a more pumpy excursion, but with bolts, climb Garry’s excellent route ‘Down Under’ (25), as an alternative first pitch.

 

 

 

Lego Buttress – Freycinet

 

Let Loose the Kraken   40m   23?   **         (Andrew [Squib] Cubbon & Toby ??????? Feb 2018)

 

A fantastic line of two varied, but equally difficult pitches (if you like that sort of thing!).

 

Start 10m right of ‘Lego’, in the obvious corner with left to right rising crack, capped by a large roof.

 

  1. 18m   23 – Climb the finger crack in the corner up to the 3m roof. Plug some gear and monkey around to the ledge on the left. Catch your breath and continue up the crack on the right to large ledge. Traverse left to belay on the spacious ledge below the ominous crack above.
  2. 22m   23 – Up the striking crack, which starts as hands and finishes as a squeeze chimney. A great fight!

All gear was placed on lead. Top pitch was rehearsed on top rope/self-belay. Gear required: from small cams to no.6 (thanks Andrew Geeves) and big bros (thanks Andrew Martin). More big stuff would have been good, but sane enough with 1 x no.6 and 2 x big bros.

(Climbing on the top pitch felt like grade 27 to me, but people who can actually climb off-width’s, like Toby, reckon more like 23! 2nd ascensionist can confirm grade….)

 

 

Hazards Main Wall

 

Full Sail Ahead   36m   22   *      (Andrew [Squib] Cubbon & Isaac Lethborg, Oct 2017)

 

A good line with good climbing on nice rock, but the second half is very poorly protected and higher up falling does not become an option, hence the lack of another star. Could be top-roped from the ‘Full Sail’ anchors.

 

Start as for ‘Full Sail’:

 

  1. 36m    22 – Climb the straight line of ‘Full Sail’ without moving left at any point. Difficult moves over the bulge with poor pro leads to a delicate, un-protectable corner. Tip toe your way up this with increasing trepidation until your first gear just below the anchors.

Ascent was done ground up, placing what little gear there was on lead. Slightly terrifying!

 

 

Carp Bay Point Pinnacle

Three routes were climbed on the obvious ‘pinnacle’ – a large boulder capped with another boulder on the ridge running down to Carp Bay Point, clearly visible from Sleepy Bay. A bit of a novelty and the summit was reached via the tree!

 

Amber Gambler   13m   24                   (Andrew [Squib] Cubbon, Dean Rollins, Lizzy Oh 2016?)

A fairly serious slabby pitch with delicate thin climbing up the obvious blunt arête. The only gear is found at around 7m (bomber cams up to no.2). Crux is above this, but below is probably 22ish.

Gear was placed on lead, after top rope rehersal.

 

Deano’s Red Line   10m  16        Up wide crack a few meters right of arete        (Dean Rollins, Lizzy Oh & Squib 2016?)

Lizzie’s Green a go go    12m  15       Up crack just right of arete. At horizontal, traverse left and off     (Lizzy Oh, Dean Rollins & Squib 2016?)