Blog from January, 2005

Went out to oatlands on the weekend (30/1/2005) and the lake has dried right up again, allowing access to the island, and making for nice low humidity, and sparing the Devils Kitchen cave from inundation for another year.

I have removed the Frenchmans Cap and Mt Geryon guides due to Wild Publications threatening legal action for breach of copyright.

This is interesting in light of Doug Bruce's post on the ownership of the Mt Wellington guide.

How about a new guidebook?

Lots of people have been talking about the fact that the current (1992) Mt Wellington guide is out of print. It's also now well out of date, compounding the difficulties for visiting climbers to get much info if they want to experience southern Tasmania's most accessible and best crag. In the intervening period something like 100 new routes in both the trad and sport genres have been done, many of them equal in quality to climbs you'd do anywhere on the planet. Meanwhile, there is much discussion about the quality and grading of some of the routes in the 1992 guide, particularly those lines that don't get much traffic and have become seriously vegetated. Most people would probably agree that a new guide is long overdue. Many questions arise about how to bring such a creation to fruition, especially in the peculiar, factional and introspective world that is the Tasmanian climbing "community".

Who, if anyone, owns the copywrite to current info? The '92 guide is copywrited to the CCT, which for all intents and purposes is a defunct organisation. I would argue that the info in the guidebook belongs to the public and should be used by anyone who wants to use it, especially as the current guide is a follow on from and generally reproduces verbatim almost all of what Phil Robinson produced in his previous (also CCT sponsored) guide, which itself was largely gleaned from Climbers Club circulars and info passed directly on to Phil. Having said this, if a new guide were to emerge, it would be nice to think that a team of interested locals could work together to harvest the wealth of experience and knowledge of a wide range of people and compile a book that is worthy of the area.

Where would the money come from to fund it, who will own it and get the profits from it? The most obvious answer is whoever comes up with the energy and money to produce it. Currently there are two competing forces producing guide books in Tassie: the Craglets group and Climb Tasmania. Both of these groups have their own agendas, which doesn't necessarily involve considering what the wider climbing community is interested in as far as guidebooks go. Although the CCT is inactive it does still exist in name, one item of its charter is to disseminate information on climbing in Tasmania and it has a bank account with some thousands of dollars in it. I for one would like to see this money used towards funding a new Mt Wellington guide rather than sitting dormant in the bank.
Additionally, the Hobart City Council might look favourably on subsiding a guidebook, considering all the money they put into encouraging recreation on the mountain. Some advertising could also help defray the costs of a guide.

There are lots of things to think about, but wouldn't it be good if there was a new, top quality book in print?

Hi,
I have just moved to Tassie and am currently in the process of not only trying to finding a place to live but also some local places to climb and people to climb with.
I am working in Burnie and it would be great if anyone could point me in the right direction as to wear some of the closest and best climbing spot are for me in the North West. I realise that there is some good climbing around launceston but was wondering if there is any closer for an after work bolder or climb.
Cheers
Anna

There is a new Craglets update pdf on the Craglets page.

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone knows of any on sight ascents of the Totem Pole since Monique Forestier's ascent of the Free ROute in January 2003.

I lead both pitches of the route on sight on Dec 21 04, and I've been wondering ever since. There wasn't a speck of chalk on the entire route except under the big alcove on the 2nd pitch, which leads me to believe my ascent was the first (of any style) of the 04/05 summer season.

Thanks,

Mark

Dave and Nick have found more new boulders (some even worth climbing on) at the Springs and added some new problems. Topos coming soon.