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About 30 people have prepurchased a guide to Ben Lomond, plus sale of advertising and a significant donation, we are well on the way. We are still about $8000 short in fundraising. If you would like to see the guidebook to this world class area out soon, then please support the guide by pre-purchasing your copy for the discount price of $35 (includes postage). Email gerry.narkowicz@bigpond.com to place your order.

The 2008 Mountain Festival is on 7-24th March.

Program is at: http://www.mountainfestival.org/events

Here's the film festival program:

THURSDAY 13 MARCH (Evening)

Evening Session - 8:30pm

Trial & Error: Progression
(Bjorn Enga, Canada, 2006, 7 min)
Ryan Leech is given a challenge: to create the most progressive and challenging mountain bike line possible through an old-growth forest and then ride it. Witness a short expose of a top biking talent who pushes his skills in a new environment, one that is slated to be destroyed.

Gravity Chasers
(Flying Fat Man Productions, Scotland, 2007, 7 mins)
Bridge and cliff jumping in the highlands in Scotland. If it's high enough they will jump it.

Black Canyon
(Peter Mortimer, USA, 2006, 10 min)
Colorado's Black Canyon is as beautiful as it is intimidating. Two-thousand-foot drops, loose rock and poison ivy thwart the path to some of the most gorgeous and difficult alpine crack lines that tempt free ascents. Join up with the two best men for the job, Jared Ogden and Topher Donahue, as they conquer the choice lines, debate the drunken Aussies and support a harrowing near-death rescue on rock.
Beyond Iraq
(Tom Eldridge, Iraq/USA, 2006, 9 min)
The war in Iraq has already created a new generation of American veterans injured in combat. Beyond Iraq follows a few of these young soldiers as they overcome their significant disabilities to find freedom and adventure swooshing down ski slopes in the Colorado Rockies.

Coast to Coast
(Olivier Aubert, South Africa/Switzerland, 2006, 52 min)
Not many new frontiers are left for today's adventurers. Flying from the east coast of Africa to the west in an ultra-light plane must qualify as one of the few. South African Mike and Swiss Olivier search for beauty in the skies each time they take off and spread joy on the ground wherever they touch down.

FRIDAY 14 MARCH (Evening)

Evening Session #1 - 6:30pm
Evening Session #2 - 8:45pm

First Ascent: The Obscurist
(Peter Mortimer, USA, 2006, 12 min)
In a quest for first ascents in Yosemite, two partners climb the most outrageous roof cracks they can find.

Emmy: The story of an Orphan
(Bobby Bailey, USA, 2006, 22 min)
Ditching school to go fishing, Emmy is Uganda's Huckleberry Finn. He is the fourth-born of five children, none from the same father, and each father was killed by different effects of the Lord Resistance Army's reign of terror over Northern Uganda. The wounds of war are not always inflicted by bullets, and the killers are not always the soldiers. This is the story of a family made from who was left.

Floating Over Snow
(Benjamin Leveque, France, 2007, 6 min)
Welcome to the newest winter sport: Snowkiting. This film shows how you can use the power of the wind to ride huge snow landscapes. Filmed near Grenoble during the winter of 2007, this is adrenaline packaged up in some stunning visuals courtesy of the French Alps.
Badgered
(Sharon Colman, UK, 2005, 8 min)
This film shares the animated tale of a badger who just wants the world to let him sleep.

Defect
(Dan Heaton, USA, 2005, 10 min)
A handful of world-class riders challenge perceptions by demonstrating the latest innovations in mountain, trials, and street unicycling. Kris Holm is our hero at large.

Papa Tortuga
(Rob Wilson, USA, 2006, 22 min)
Fernando Manzano was just 16 years old when he found his calling. For the past 31 years, he has dedicated himself to bringing the lora sea turtle back from the edge of extinction. In the small town of Tecolutla, Mexico, he has battled relentlessly against weather, natural predators and poachers - with no outside financial support.

SATURDAY 15 MARCH (Matinee)

Matinee Session - 2:00pm

Good Riddance Air Pollution
(Nick Hilligoss, Australia, 2003, 5 min)
An unscheduled stop on a railroad crossing leads to a radical redesign of the Eco Van. So what do you get when you join the front half of a VW Beetle with the rear of a Morris Minor van? A quiet pollution-free vehicle - albeit one without an engine. But alternative energy sources are waiting to be tapped: the sun, the wind, the rain... maybe even a couple of freeloading rats.

Safari
(Catherine Chalmers, USA, 2006, 8 min)
This short film shows a close-up view of the interactions of a cockroach and its friends, images of the animal kingdom from a new and sometimes startling perspective.

Voyage to 109 Metres
(Jerome Espla, France, 2006, 6 min)
In September 2006, Guillaume Nery dove to a depth of 109 meters with a single breath to become the new constant-weight free-diving world record holder. Guillaume's real story is about his exploration of the soul in the cold depths of dark water.

Trial & Error: Progression
(Bjorn Enga, Canada, 2006, 7 min)
Ryan Leech is given a challenge: to create the most progressive and challenging mountain bike line possible through an old-growth forest and then ride it. Witness a short expose of a top biking talent who pushes his skills in a new environment, one that is slated to be destroyed.

Building the Future - Energy
(Nicolas Brown, UK, 2007, 54 min)
If everything we hear about peak oil and the impending world-wide energy crisis is true, then it's clear that we need to start doing something to move beyond oil as soon as possible. But what? This film explores the stories of several forward-thinking individuals who aren't just worried about our planet; they are doing something to help save it. From an enormous solar collector in the Australian outback to hydroelectric power that does not require a dam, you can rest assured that someone is looking out for the rest of us.

SATURDAY 15 MARCH (Evening)

Evening Session #1 - 6:30pm
Evening Session #2 - 8:45pm

Big Summit Speed Riding Eiger
(Francois Bon, France, 2006, 5 min)
On Jun 14, 2006, Francois Bon and Antoine Montant executed the world's first speed-flying descent of the Eiger in Switzerland. Wearing skis and a paragliding sail, they descended from the top edge of the iconic mountain's west face to the bottom of its notorious north face, skiing and flying low over a long steep minefield of ice and rock and snow.

Running Down the Man
(Ben Knight & Travis Rummel, USA, 2007, 17 min)
They said it couldn't be done. One man's quest to prove Baja's Rooster fish could be tamed with a fly rod. Starring champion fly fisher Frank Smethurst, this documentary tells the story of a man who has spent almost a decade trying to pioneer a way to catch this magnificent fish by chasing it down on foot with only one chance at a perfect cast.

The Good Fight
(Mark Fraser & James Fox, USA, 2006, 15 min)
Environmental crusader Martin Litton, now 90, details his role in saving the Grand Canyon during the 1950s.

Paving Shangri la
(Andrew Stevenson, Bermuda, 2005, 15 min)
An annual visitor to the Annapurnas, author and photographer Andrew Stevenson uses a video camera to record a way of life that will soon fade into the lost horizon of a forgotten time. Walking 100 miles in the middle of winter through the Himalayas, Andrew stays in the homes of locals he has befriended over the last two decades. These spectacular images of mule trains, yak caravans and local traditions depict the cost of completing this military highway.

Harvest Moon
(Rob Frost, USA, 1995, 40 min)
Harvest Moon documents a Swiss expedition to climb a new route on 22,650-foot Thalay Sagar in the Garwhal Himalaya of northern India. The filmmaker follows four men - Stephan Siegrist, Denis Burdet, Thomas Senf and Ralph Weber - as they set out to tackle the ominous northwest ridge of the mountain's 4,600-foot north face and includes interviews with first ascentionist John Thackray (1979), north face first ascentionist Andy LIndblade (1997), and Americans Jay Smith and Kitty Calhoun.

SUNDAY 16 MARCH (Matinee)

Matinee Session - 4:15pm

Moongirl
(Henry Selick, USA, 2005, 9 min)
One night while out fishing, a boy and his pet squirrel are caught by a giant fish-of-stars and taken to meet the girl in the moon.

Good Riddance: Termites
(Nick Hilligoss, Australia, 2003, 5 min)
From the five-part animated series Good Riddance!, we follow the exploits of Eco, the clean, green pest controller with a clever biological solution for every problem. In this instalment, while Eco is out ridding the world of pests the natural way, a nest of termites is literally eating him out of house and home. This calls for the expert termite eater, the echidna, and not a moment too soon.

Kids Who Rip
(Rod Parmenter, USA, 2006, 16 min)
Follow the next generation of superstars as they show off their jaw-dropping tricks, riding big waves and catching big air just like the professionals. Kids Who Rip invites you into a new world where the future is wide open. Are you ready to take the plunge? (Good luck keeping up.)

A Life Among Whales
(Bill Haney, USA/Netherlands, 2005, 56 min)
An exploration of the life and work of whale biologist and MacArthur Fellowship winner Dr. Roger Payne, who has advanced the boundaries of science and activism since the 1970s, beginning with his pioneering work on whale songs to his current study of ocean pollution. With haunting imagery, the film studies our stewardship of the Earth and our co-existence with some of its most intriguing creatures.

SUNDAY 16 MARCH (Evening)

Evening Session #1 - 6:30pm
Evening Session #2 - 8:45pm

Roam
(The Collective, Canada, 2006, 15 min)
Travel with the world's top mountain bike riders as they explore new and amazing ways of riding in new and old places.

A Land Out of Time
(Mark Harvey, USA, 2006, 10 min)
The biggest land grab in American history is devouring the Rocky Mountain West as the oil-and-gas industry leases millions of acres of public land, with plans to drill hundreds of thousands of gas wells. The drilling blitz ranges from New Mexico to Montana and threatens some of America's last and best wild lands. Westerners who have lived on the land for generations tell the story and foment a backlash against the Bush Administration energy policies.

Nine Winters Old
(Bill Heath, USA, 2006, 64 min)
An acclaimed yet offbeat ski photographer celebrates winter and its devotees. Rich visuals and a captivating original score are backdrops for humorous and heart-warming stories of those, young and old, who come alive for wintertime.

These photos are of the first ascent of The Dildo, a crazy little very overhanging dolerite pinnacle on the summit of Mt Wellington.

Every hold is friction - my hands are ruined. It went at about V5.

Photos by Dave Humphries. For some reason I can't get them to be in the right order.

Tony McKenny and Peter Booth have whipped up a guide to the ice climbing on the Ben: Ben Lomond Ice.

Maybe this winter will be a bit better, and I'll actually get up there!

Phil Box on his new bolted Ben Lomond Sport route called Tachyon Blues.

The rock on Ben Lomond is perfect for putting up sport routes. The friction is superb. All those aretes and faces are just begging for new routing. I can't wait to get back there.

The new management plan for the Tasman National Park is open for comment until March.
The new plan includes the 3 capes walk.
You can download the plan at: http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/publications/tech/tasman/summary.html
(the actual pdf is at http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/publications/tech/tasman/tasman08.pdf )

Comments can be made to representations@parks.tas.gov.au (read the guide at the start of the PDF).

Given there is a lot of climbing in the park, climbers should be interested in this plan. I'm not sure if there are any adverse impacts in the plan. There are perhaps positive benefits from the new walk because tracks will be upgraded, and new tracks may provide access to new climbing areas.

There is specific mention of climbing in s 5.4.8 (p24,25 of the new PDF).

Of particular interest are these paras:

Artificial anchors have been installed without authority by climbers and are used extensively by climbers and are used extensively at Mt Brown, Cape Hauy, Cape Pillar and The Moai (near Bivouac Bay) as described in several climbing guidebooks. These anchors damage the rock formations and, if they proliferate over time, may also degrade the climbing experience.

Action 2 - Consult with climbers on climbing policy and practices in the park including investigation of models used elsewhere such as designated rock climbing areas.

Wow, bolts degrade the climbing experience? That's fighting talk!

Given that there is a stated action to consult with climbers, there really needs to be a representative group of some sort here. Despite some initial work, the CCT is still dead. However Tony McKenny organised a group of interested individuals to meet with the Wellington Parks Trust etc. I suggest we need a similar approach here - the worst thing would be for Parks to "consult" with somebody who doesn't represent the broader climbing community.

I know its a bit rude and naughty to put a thread here, but I need somewhere to live in Launceston as my flatamates have had enough of the cold and are heading back to Queensland. I am a climber/cyclist/mountain biker with surprisingly good personal hygiene for a climber/cyclist/mountain biker. If you know anyone who needs a flatmate, let me know. It would be greatly appriciated.

Tristan

Thanks to the 12 people who have pre-purchased the guide to Ben Lomond. Thats over $400 towards our fundraising target of $12,000. If you would like to order your copy at the discount price of $35 (includes postage), email gerry.narkowicz@bigpond.com Expect the guide in 6 to 9 months

The draft plan for the Springs development is available:

http://www.wellingtonpark.tas.gov.au/management/development/springs/#springs-zone-masterplan http://www.wellingtonpark.tas.gov.au/pdf/draftspringsmasterplan.pdf

Recommendations of the plan include:

You can email comments to eastonm@hobartcity.com.au

A couple of pics of two guys slack lining from the totem pole to the mainland, plus some pics of an ascent of the tote:

http://danandjo2007.blogspot.com/2008/01/tasmania-4-totem-pole.html

The pics below are from Joe Goding from his recent trip to Tassie. They include some DWS at Blackmans Bay, and some shots taken from a boat cruise out to Cape Pillar. Cripes there is a lot of rock out there!

As far as I know there are a few routes on "The Blade" at Cape Pillar done by Bob McMahon, Gerry Narkowicz, Ben Maddison et al. There was an article in Rock a while back. But AFAIK there are no routes at Black Head. There is a world of potential out there for somebody with a boat.

Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.
Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.
Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.
Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar area. Photo Joe Goding.
Cape Raoul, Pond Wall. Photo Joe Goding.	Blackmans Bay deepwater soloing. Photo Joe Goding.	Blackmans Bay deepwater soloing. Photo Joe Goding.	Blackmans Bay deepwater soloing. Photo Joe Goding.
Island off Black Head, Cape Pillar. AFAIK unclimbed. Photo Joe Goding.	Blackmans Bay deepwater soloing. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar. Photo Joe Goding.
Cape Pillar. Photo Joe Goding.	Cape Pillar. Photo Joe Goding.

I'm considering relocating to Tasmania and looking for advice/opinions about where might be suitable for meeting these requirements:

• COOL summers ((average mid-high 20's),

• Local crag/s (within 30 min drive) well-endowed with variety of good routes (preferably adventure style more than bolted) & bouldering,

• other cliffs with good climbing, etc within day-trip/weekend driving range,

• Realistic chance of low cost rental property out-of-town (preferably 20-30 min drive);

• Away from big cities but small one/s okay (big enough to have College/Art School facilities),

• other people interested in climbing/outdoors,

• active arts community

Any suggestions most welcome.

Cheers, Caela

Boulder CO USA climber seeking climbing partner Jan 4th - Jan 8th for Organ Pipes, Tasman Peninsula - Moai, and Freycinet Peninsula. Have large rack and rope. Leading up to grade 19. Interested in the Totem pole if you are strong and experienced climber leading 25. Call 0421844987 or email byronmu@yahoo.com. Note: Heading north on Jan 8th towards Launceston. Leaving Tassie on Jan 12th.

Cheers,
Byron

If you are looking to climb Rysavy Ridge over the next little while it would be highly advisable to arrive in a vehicle you feel comfortable driving up the road and across the paddock in. Currently thistles cover the paddock and are waist to head high. Additionally, the buzzies are in full spate. Even with gaiters on, the walk through the paddock would be an unpleasant beginning to an otherwise excellent day out.

I think the current topo from Craglets for the Prow is a bit wrong, I think "The Prow" is the arete with the undercut base to the right of the marked routes, so Quadrella, Crank and Quartet must be numbers 2, 3 & 4 in the topo? Can anybody shed any light on this, and exactly where Gangabang goes?

The image that I will redraw the topo on is below, if anybody wants to draw lines on it and send it back to me.

The current topo is:

The routes described are:

The Prow

These routes are described in relation to the Prow, the prominent orange buttress on the point about 100m north of the Light Fingered Maddison wall. It is clearly visible from the top of White Water Wall. Best approached by walking down a gully just north of the Prow and then walking back along the shelves.
On the buttress south of the Prow, overhanging at the base with a slab on the right wall are the following (accidentally not marked on topo ):

Quadrella 18m 15
The crack on the arete, gained by climbing into the overhanging slot left of the arete and then stepping right onto the nose and up the arete. D, L.Stephenson, J, Marg Otlowski, Dec 90.

Crank 18m 20
Just right of the arete. Bouldery start and up the right diagonal crack. Back left to the horizontal break and up the seam just right of the arete. It's a bit contrived avoiding the easy crack on the left, but fun off the ground. D.Stephenson, J.Otlowski, Dec 90.

Quartet 18m 17
The slab right of the arete. Pull up on to the slab, climb to the horizontal break and head right up the ramp. D, L.Stephenson, J, Marg Otlowski, Dec 90.

2. The Prow 22m 20
The prominent orange capped arete, overhanging at base. Climb up to the left side of the buttress, move right, up the steep flake, to a stance on the nose. Climb a few feet up the left hand seam, step right across the slab, and follow the thin crack on the arete to the top. D.Stephenson, J & M. Otlowski, Dec 90.

3. Gangabang 22m 16
The wall right of The Prow. Climb a pillar and cracks to finish up thin cracks just right of The Prow arete (NB climbs marked 4 and 5 on topo don't exist). D.Stephenson, J & M.Otlowski, Dec 90.

The image for the new topo: