<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<guide><text class="heading1" new="false"
number="null.">Ben Lomond</text><text class="Editor" new="false"
number="null.">by Matt Perchard, Roger Parkyn & Andrew Bissett (after previous work by Robert McMahon), originally published in Craglets.</text><text
class="text">The cliffs of Ben Lomond provide arguably the best climbing in Tasmania. Anyone interested in the finer points of jamming can perfect their skills here, with soaring, unblemished cracks rising 200m straight up. But beware, one of the problems of climbing here is gear related - it is not uncommon that you will require at least four pieces of identical protection, so perfect are the cracks - some are known to require a rack of at least fifteen friends! The other down-side is that some climbers also find some of the climbing a little boring, so unchanging is its nature.
Being near one of Tasmania’s premier skiing resorts (if there is such a thing), climbing is only possible during the summer months. For those inclined, winter climbing would certainly provide new problems - don’t forget the ice screws! At an elevation of at least 1300m, the crags are very high (by Australian standards). Even in summer weather changes will occur very quickly, so don’t forget your warm gear or be prepared to shiver. On warm summers afternoons though, this place is complete bliss.
Ben Lomond is located about 50km south-east of Launceston. It shouldn’t take much more than an hour to be at some of the closer crags, though with walks of up to two hours some are more suitable as weekend epics. Watch out for wildlife in the wee-hours, as the National Park is crawling with it. Anyone stupid enough to climb in the Car Villa area during winter should note that they do not need to pay the entrance fee; this is for access via Jacobs Ladder to the ski resort. During summer there is no entrance station.
There are few facilities in the park, so bring everything - lunch, clothes and water (for some crags). Don’t forget either some tape for your hands or bandages - the choice is yours!
The best map of the area is probably the Ben Lomond National Park Map and Notes, available from most camping stores, though it’s hardly necessary.
This cliffs on Ben Lomond are widely considered to be in a no bolt zone. This is not the opinion of a mere individual, but the current consensus of the Tasmanian climbing community. In the future this situation may change so it should be considered an open topic for discussion (consensus climbing ethics aren’t, after all, carved in stone). In the meantime please respect their current natural status; you are unlikely to run out of challenging climbs anyway. The current consensus for permanent rap anchors is more relaxed, as their appears to be some agreement that they would be a worthwhile addition (their environmental advantages include the elimination of both abseil tape and erosion and plant damage on descent routes).</text><text
class="heading2" new="false"
number="null.">Snake Buttress</text><text
class="text">This buttress is located about 300m east (left) of The Pavillion. There are about a dozen routes here, but these are the three that are easiest to find. As you approach the buttress there is an obvious gully on the left end with a large roundish chockstone about three quarters of the way up. Left of this gully is a tall ramp like buttress that leans against the cliff. Both of the following routes are on this ramp. Descent is facilitated by walking down.</text><climb
extra="" grade="15" length="110m"
name="V.D. Waltz">Ascend the steep face on righthand side of the buttress to belay on a large ledge. Move right and then up the corner to belay on an even larger ledge. Up and over the bump in ridge and then up the main wall. M.McHugh, R.McMahon, 1972.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="10" length="110m"
name="V.D. Blues">As for the previous climb, except the first pitch takes the easier left slanting ramp on the left of the buttress. Frew, Burnett, 1973.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="15" length="90m"
name="Sweet Surrender">Takes the obvious line on the right of the gully mentioned above. Climb the crack in the corner, bridging around two roofs. Protection is adequate, but a little devious for the grade. Belay in the corner or on the block above the second roof. A short easy pitch, best avoided by doing the following climb.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19" length="25m"
name="French Kisses in the Darkened Doorway">A variant finish to the previous climb. From belay two of Sweet Surrender, traverse across and ascend the intermittent crack on the opposite face. Quite sustained.</climb><text
class="heading2" new="false"
number="null.">The Pavillion</text><text
class="text">The Pavillion can be seen from the Carr Villa scout hut. It is the large, foreboding looking buttress that sits on the lefthand side (as you look up from below) of the walking track from the summit The best way to get there is to follow this track until you are level with the base of The Pavillion. At this point you should see a faint track that veers off left across a scree slope towards the cliff. Keep skirting the bottom of the cliff until you can see a large ledge that runs along the base. This is best reached by bashing up the line of smashed scrub formed by some rockfall (you can’t miss this, it looks like someone’s been there with a brush cutter). Once on this terrace head to the left. The next climbs are found there.</text><climb
extra="" grade="20"
name="Brother Jack Straw">At the lefthand end of this terrace (to keep going you have to start climbing, although after 5m or so you’d reach the top of a block). The line above you is the one you’re after.
1) Bridge up a little way, then follow the line up. Beware of the loose pillar. When the going looks like it is going to get really hard, go left (at the obvious horizontal) and then up to belay on a large ledge.
2) You should start this pitch on the lefthand end of the belay ledge (10m or so left of the chimney the splits the buttress). Follow the cracks up to a rounded roof, pass this on the right, then trend right to a good belay slot.
3) You can finish straight up, or better still is to head left under the roof, passing it on the left, then head back right and on to the top.
Descent is usually made by walking down, via the summit/Carr Villa track.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="22"
name="Sirrocco">About 10m right of Brother Jack Straw is a right trending/curving line.
1) Follow this up to the top of a pillar.
2) Continue up the line until it is possible to move right into the chimney. Continue up.
3) Up to the top.
Descent as above.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="17" length="60m"
name="Krokadyl">20m right of the big gully up the cliff.
1) 25m 17. A splitter line in the face to a double bolt belay on top of detached, coffin-like, block.
2) 40m 17. Continue up right-facing corner with finger-sized crack.
3) 10m 15. Up chimney to double bolt belay.</climb><text
class="heading2" new="false"
number="null.">Local Loser</text><text
class="text">Directly above Car Villa is a small but steep little cliff known as Local Loser. It is clearly visible above the Scout Hut, at the top of the scree slope, a short twenty-minutes walk away, and is well worth the effort. The cliff is also pleasantly sunny.</text><climb
extra="" grade="18" length="30m"
name="Black Act">Follow the groove on the left of the cliff to the ledge below the 30° roof. Power up the leftward leaning crack up through the roof and finish. I.Thomson, R.McMahon, Jan/78.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="14" length="45m"
name="Local Loser">The first route on the cliff. Follow the flakes in the corner left of the overhands. Move out left over dinner-plates under the roof, finishing up the corner leading out right. R.McMahon, B.Easter, Mar/73.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="18" length="45m"
name="Vitrac">On first ascent this was a pretty serious lead - new protection makes it better protected these days. Climb the obvious corner, with some difficult thin sections. R.McMahon, 1973.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="23"
name="Maltese Falcons">Climb the overhanging face, mostly on layaways and sloping pockets. Supposedly one of the most technical routes on the mountain. J.Smart, Jul/80.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="20" length="40m"
name="Hidden Secrets">Climb up the corner system, over the bulge, then traverse right. Climb upwards when you get to the famous “creaky hold”. Belay on the large ledge. Colin Rees.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="23" length="40m"
name="Born Loser">Located 20m downhill from the righthand end of the buttress and left of Local Winner is a prominent corner system ending at a roof. Bridge up the first easy corner (19), desperately up the next blank section (21), and the next corner (21) till 2m below the roof. Move right to a big jug and mantelshelf (with last runners) then pull up onto the sloping ledge. Step right around the overhanging wall and move up (crux) before easing to grade 19 face climbing to the ledge. The FFA took five 8m screamers from the crux over two attempts before cracking it. G.Narkowitz, Jul/84.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="19" length="35m"
name="Local Winner">Climb the corner, then break out right onto the face - don’t go up the next corner. The face has adequate (although spaced) protection and leads to a prominent undercling. Move slightly right again, then up to finish. G.Narkowitz, R.McMahon, Jul/83.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="17" length="45m"
name="Lapus Lazuli">Begin in the cleft on the right of the cliff and strike out left up the face. Ordinary climbing with a poxy finish; definitely not “the classic of the cliff”. McMahon, Thomson, Jan/78.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="20" length="35m"
name="Spirit of Place">Start behind the pinnacle of rock (which is not shown on the topo). Bridge up until you can gain the thin finger crack, then follow the line to the top. G.Narkowicz, Feb/84.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="14" length="35m"
name="Woffal">Climb straight up the cleft. Again, one of those climbs more reminiscent of caving than climbing; this is not what you come to the Ben for. McMahon, Burnett, K.Smith, 1973.</climb><text
class="heading2" new="false"
number="null.">Bullfighter Buttress</text><text
class="text">Left of Frew’s Flutes is a columnar cliff of immaculate precision which is no more than 60m high, called Bullfighter Buttress. The climbs look much harder on sight than they are in fact.</text><text
class="heading2" new="false"
number="null.">Robins Buttress</text><text
class="text">The crag of Frews Flutes and Robin’s Buttress provides the most consistently hard cliff on the mountain and the most regular columnar cliff in the state (Australia?). Varying in height from 30 to 180m it is close to a 1km long. The distinct face on the left is named Robin’s Buttress after English climber Robin Thomson who, fresh from Yosemite, pioneered many of the exhausting jam cracks in 1978.</text><text class="text">The rock is wholly sympathetic in frictional texture but unrelentingly steep. Note that a high degree of fitness is required, even on the easiest routes.
The climbs on Robin’s Buttress are approached by traversing right across the scree from Car Villa. Stay up high to avoid the bands of scrub (personally I think it’s quicker to cross the scrub first to avoid the scree - Ed.). It is approximately twenty minutes walk from Car Villa to the buttress. On reaching the “saddle” under the big cliff, look up and you’ll hopefully see the penis of rock at the base of the cliff proper. This is where the abseil comes down, and where Rajah and the like start.</text></guide>
|