Climbing Anchors

Why go to Beulah Festivus

2012-02-27T12:11:00.002+11:00

The Beulah Festivus is located on a beautiful Granite strewn property west of Armidale. Todd and Greta have been running the event on a Private Station for the past 5 years and it really is a great place to hangout and enjoy everything that is good about climbing. There are literally hundreds of boulders of varying sizes and angles all over the property which are only available to be climbed for the 4 days of the Festivus (due to being on private property).

From the start Todd and Greta wanted the Festivus to have a focus on the finding and creation of new Boulder problems and climbs. The Gone Postal prize is awarded to the person that finds, scrubs and sends the most problems over the weekend to help encourage this. This is one of the key reasons we really love it. New routes and trying new places/climbs are an integral part of climbing. No matter what grade you climb or boulder there is enough Granite on Beulah to allow everyone the chance to put up a new problem and enjoy the problem solving and challenge that climbing something first involves. Who knows it may ignite a spark in you.

There are also a heap of established problems (several hundred now) so there is lots of established challenges as well as new ones.

Of course there is a lot more to it than just climbing including hanging out with a heap of like minded climbers, the various comps throughout the weekend, the great New England countryside and weather (hopefully its dry), evening camp fire and the hospitality of Todd, Greta and Cliff (property owner). There are also a bunch of great sponsors involved this year so plenty of stuff will be given away.

We will be there again this year and we would love to see you there if you have the chance to make this Easter long weekend.

Thank You!

2011-12-01T09:54:00.001+11:00

2011 has been a great year and we would like to say thanks to everyone who has emailed us, phoned us, liked us on facebook, mentioned us to a friend, dropped into the shop or bought gear from us over the last year. As we head into the hectic Christmas (and holiday) period we would like to say 'thanks' by giving everyone who orders gear from us a special 'Thank You Pack'. These packs will each include stickers and chalk and a random selection of gear. Each pack will be of different value and MAY include:

BD Gridlock Biner
BD Hoodwire Biner
BD Nitron Screw Gate
BD Oz Wire Gate
Metolius FS Mini Biner
Petzl Ange S Biner
Omega Pacific Wire Gate Biner
BD Beanie
Petzl Logo Quickdraw Sling
T shirts
Brushes
Chalk Bags

We look forward to continuing to source and supply exciting climbing brands in 2012.

Terms:

Limit of 1 'Thank you pack' per customer

Valid for orders received between 1 December and 31 December 2011

Contents of each pack will be different and may contain items not on the list above.
The value of the gear in the packs will be determined by the order value.

Black Diamond Vector Helmet Sneak Peak

2011-10-17T21:18:00.000+11:00

Black Diamond are releasing a new helmet to replace their discontinued Tracer Helmet, should be available in early 2012. Initial pics look pretty sweet

Pics here:

Metolius Rope Master Field Review

2011-10-17T16:13:00.000+11:00

Whilst travelling and climbing in Kalymnos on a recent UpSkill Climbing Camp Luke and Kurt Doherty put a Metolius Rope Master Rope bag through the ringer. Before they left they filed the following field review.

The Rope Master Rope Bag in Action

Synchronicity First Ascent

2011-09-18T13:51:00.000+10:00

Great day out at the crag yesterday with Artie and new local climber Michael.

Michael Attempting 2nd Ascent of Synchronicity

Thankfully waihoo crag is in the shade till about 3pm so it was an excellent place to avoid the hot weather. I finally managed to drag myself up the First Ascent of Synchronicity yesterday. It is a really fun route and quite unique for the Coff''s area being an all trad (has a bolted lower off) roof climb. I think its about 25 but time will tell when it gets some repeats.

Michael had a couple of shots at getting the second ascent with completely different sequences involving finger locks and long spans which was awesome to watch. The fact that he has come from Boonah may have something to do with is perchant for finger locks!

Artie bolting the first line in the cave of white

He also had the thankless task of cleaning the roof at the end of the day which was much appreciated.

Meanwhile Artie had been spending the day bolting the first project in a new section of the crag. This section of the cliff is a largish white cave which is about 18m height and 10m overhung and is quite different to other climbing areas around the area so will be a great addition when completed. There will probably be 10-12 bouldery routes through it hopefully The line he has equipped is a great line out through the middle of this consistently steep section of cliff. It goes through 3 roof lets and had a great 30degree overhung prow in the middle of it. It looks to be a classic.

After completing Synchronicity I started working on my bolted pocketed roof (loosely dubbed 'The Pretender'). There are so many pockets most of the time was spent trying to figure out which ones to use and where to put my feet. Crux looks to be pulling the lip but even getting there was more difficult than I thought as many of the pockets are slopier than id like :).

Another work in progress.

Working on pocketed project.

Great to be getting more time on rock. Weather is going to start heating up here pretty soon so need to make the most of the moderate weather.

Steve

Facebook Free Stuff

2011-09-09T10:54:00.002+10:00

Each Friday we are giving away new gear on Facebook. We will post a new item up each time its available and will draw the winner from our facebook freinds list (or likers of that particular post) at the time indicated in the Facebook Post.

So if you dont already like us, do so now:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Climbing-Anchors/6872769955

Changing Plans

2011-09-04T17:07:00.000+10:00

Today I have that awesome feeling throughout my body that reminds me that yesterday was hard work.

I returned to Waihoo cliff yesterday with Toby, intent on having a shot at Synchronicity placing the gear ground up, but ended up not even getting on it. We headed out mid morning and Toby was keen to check out some new lines and look at bolting his first project.

I decided to rap in and check out a pocketed roof 10m left of the trad crack roof. This roof is amazing, its about 5m, dead horizontal and full of pockets and flakes.

Bolting Horizontal Roofs are Fun

Once I reached into the roof from the lip I decided to go ahead and bolt it. This effectively ruined my chances of climbing as the bolting totally destroyed me. My stomach, shoulder and back muscles can testify to tat today. Good fun though. So now I have a trad and sport route roof project right next to each other which is handy. Now to get back and actually try them...

Toby also cleaned and bolted his first line and managed to get a few climbs in so it was a productive half day for us.

Smitten Movie Review - Gear Baron Arty

2011-08-09T16:08:00.002+10:00

Smitten the Movie

A Review by Gear Baron Arty

Well the long awaited movie showcasing the elite of Australia’s climbing talent has arrived, and the very first thing I noticed, even before the first piece of climbing action or interview, was that the MA15+ rating is appropriate. I believe Ed Thornhill had this in mind when he began to put this one together, however I’m not sure how the rest of the climbing world is going to take this. Certainly don’t sit down with all the kids to watch this for the first time, and perhaps not your curious grandmother who has never seen a climbing movie before. That said, the most appropriate word for Smitten is Australian – the Aussie vibe runs deep through every portion of this movie, from the interviews to the action, and in the strange and sometimes disturbing shorts preceding each segment. Despite the funny opening scene, after five minutes I was concerned that Smitten was going to run short on climbing action (I am a bit of a climbing porn freak though, I want it non-stop, brick hard and dangerous, lots of screaming, you get the idea...), however, very quickly I realised that I was going to get every bit of the action I wanted.

Zac Vertrees and Jarmilla Tyrril complement crushing in the Blue Mountains and Arapiles very well with a quirky and antagonistic interview, and I’m sure that everyone who’s been spanked by Punks in the Gym in the past will want to slap Zac for his grade banter.

Chris Webb-Parsons does a fantastic blend of Chopper Reid and the ‘I have come to cleen zee pool’ porn star (you know the ad I’m talking about) as he buries James Kassay in a hole in the scrub, and then the two squeeze boulder testpieces to dust in the Grampians and Sydney. And James gets his own back very nicely soon after. Hilarious.

Then Lucky Chance terrifies everyone with his antics in the Blueys – I’m sure when Dean Potter watches this he’ll suddenly feel like he’s not alone any more. The opening death swing-to-base jump is so frightening I was holding my breath watching it on screen. I can’t imagine what the camera crew was thinking when filming it, and after nearly dying on his final attempt of the day I doubt there will be anyone lining up to repeat the feat any time soon. Several other base jumps, and a naked free solo to base jump is another reason to not let small kids see this movie.

For the climbing mums out there, Monique Forestier will give piles of inspiration that having children doesn’t mean you can’t pull down you dream project if you really want it, and gives a very simple and beautiful description of why she loves climbing on real rock. Those few words will resonate with a lot of climbers the world over, and certainly did with me. And Tom ‘The Butcher’ Farrell shows why he’s become one of Australia’s best boulderers with hard ascents on Sydney sandstone.

The final segment on Ben and Lee Cossey is probably the most Australian segment of them all. An interview with mum and dad - who strangely seem to learn of their sons achievements only after the climbing press has informed the rest of the world – is just like so many other Australian families I have known. Combine this with the stereotypical black and orange sandstone of the Blueys and Taipan Wall in the Gramps, and all you need is a cold tinny and a snag or three on the barbie. Ben’s efforts on the gorgeous and completely freaking hard Groove Train, and the hilarious expletives on sticking the end jug on the send, rounds out the movie beautifully. I doubt I’ve ever watched someone try so hard before. I also don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say rad so many times...

Art

Gear Baron reviews are written by friends of Climbing Anchors.

Smitten Movie Night and Knox Climbing Day

2011-08-01T11:54:00.000+10:00

Being one of the sponsors of Smitten, we were keen to host a screen once the movie was released and this came to fruition on Friday Night. We cleared the floor of gear, chucked up a white sheet on the wall, supplied some food and drinks and opened our doors for a fun night. Special thanks needs to go to the people from Armidale, Port Macquarie, the Gold Coast and Coffs locals that came along! Also thanks to Cath, my Nephews Matt and Josh, and Toby Holmes for helping with set up and running of the night.

The venue early in the evening

Zac in Smitten

We ended up having 35 people on the night which, considering the local climber population size, is an excellent result and raised about $300 for local anchor renewal (badly needed at some older crags in the area).

The movie itself was awesome. Thanks Ed and all the climbers for creating a great piece of Australian climbing culture. Will have to write up a review separately but if you haven't yet seen it I strongly recommend it as it showcases some of Australia's best climbers, most iconic hard climbs and some incredible base jumping chaos. Favourite scenes for me would have to be Zac's (see picture on right), loved the slow mo's, and Bens ascent of Groove Train, simply awesome. Just be prepared for some swearing.

Brain took home the Rock and Ice Subscription

Thanks to some Smitten Sponsors a number of lucky door prizes were given away on the night including:

- Rock and Ice magazine subscription (Winner: Brian)

- 2 x Rock Magazine Subscriptions (Winners: Dylan and Walter)

- Rock Magazine T Shirt (Winner: Arianne)

- Black Diamond Pavement Bag (Winner: Brendan)

With the help of Toby (who created a great slide show of local and well known climbs from further a field) we also hosted a route naming competition. The person who correctly named the most routes was awarded a new Totem Cam with second and third taking home a bouldering bucket and bag of chalk. The result was close and contentious with the eventual winner being Artie, with Leon and Andrew taking out 2nd place jointly.

Lowen and Rich from Dynobar came along and supplied free samples of the soon to be released Dynobar energy bars. Yummy, thanks guys! These were particularly tasty at the crag the next day.

So all in all a great night watching an excellent Australian climbing film with a great bunch of people.

Bruce on Andy Goodvibes.

On Saturday a bunch of climbers headed out to one of Coffs Local crags, Fort Knox for a social climbing day. About 20 came along with a great friendly atmosphere and lots of climbs getting ticked and attempted. Routes that got plenty of attention included - Nials Roof, Missing Monkens, Magic Dick 16, John West, The Malloy, Kanoon, Andy Good Vibes, and Most of Pooh wall.

Stupidly I must have been thinking about Ben Cosseys description of his fall from Tiapan wall and found myself overbalancing near a small drop off (no where near the crazy heights he fell from) and had to jump off only to crack my ankle (lucky didn't have the convulsions or wet pants that Ben had either) which pretty much ruined my climbing chances for the day. I found jumaring didn't hurt the ankle so bolted a new project in the Alcove (loosely titled Milk and Honey) and Artie and I replaced the anchors and crux bolt on Martys Route to put the money raised by the Smitten evening to instant use.

Thanks everyone involved for a great weekend.

Mind Games

2011-07-22T12:34:00.001+10:00

I am by no means a bold climber. Most commonly I sport climb and when I trad climb its generally a few grades below my limit (ie hardest trad route was 23, sport 27). That's a bit of a disparity!

A few weeks ago Brian and I found a new piece of cliff which looked like it was worth putting some time into developing. It has 90 second walking access, solid rock and some nice looking (short) lines. After the first day, with the help of Artie, had put up 4 sport routes including Former Special Agent 24, Super Groover 20 (nice steep finish), a slab called Beached 18 and a short arete called Yosemite action hero 19 (named after its towering exposure).

On my next trip I decided to rap down a punchy looking roof climb that I though could make a fun project. After aiding my way in on trad gear to see if there were holds I soon realised that the gear on the roof was good and it would be a better climb as a trad route. This meant I needed to step up. The line was going to be significantly harder than other trad lines I'd tried, at my current grade limit or above it instead of well below it and a dead horizontal roof. This type of project was something I had not attempted before and was going to require a shift in mindset.

In order to do this i set myself three objectives:
1- Ascend the line by whatever means required,
2 - Climb the line cleanly on gear,
3 - Climb the line cleanly while placing all the gear on lead.

Getting caught in the cluster on first roof moves.

At present I'm not climbing as regularly as I would like so my grade limit is about grade 25. It was obvious the roof climb was going to be at this level or higher, horizontal at the crux and 100% trad. To say I was scared when I tied in to try the line for the first time was probably an understatement. Even though the line is only about 15m long I had about 20 cams on my harnesses and a whole lot of fear. This was where my mind really started to effect my climbing. I got up the initial arete and wall to the roof (easy climbing) but was already pumped. I was over gripping, breathing heavily and certainly not thinking clearly. So started the first aid ascent of the line. I think I had about 7 piece of gear in the 4m roof (which was way overkill and led to cluster issues) and I rested on all of them. At this stage I was also trying the moves as well but couldn't see how the final move was going to go. Thankfully I got to the end of roof and clipped the final piece of gear. I was still very intimidated and scared as can be seen by my pathetic squeal in this quality piece of filming (see below) and encouragement from my 9 year old son when a piece of gear I was sitting moved.

At least I got to the end of the line. Objective 1 complete.

First attempts. Not the normal style of trad climb I do

On my second tie in I knew the gear in the roof was solid so I had slightly more confidence but I still wasn't sure if I could do the moves so felt quite intimidated. Due to the previous attempt I was very pumped and only got up to roof before I needed a rest again. From there I worked my way out to the final move of the roof that I had not yet done. After much poking around with different foot and hand configurations I did the move off the rope and all of a sudden felt a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. The moves were possible for me. The line now felt achievable whereas until that point it had just felt daunting and beyond my reach. I was to smashed to try again that day so I left the gear in the roof and left it for the following weekend.

I am continually amazed at how much the mind effects your ability to climb. When i was first aiding out the roof, hardly able to pull a move everything felt hard, scary and impossible. Once I knew the climb was possible and the gear was solid everything felt ok, I was no longer overgripping and could control my climbing. I came back the next weekend and tied in hoping to work the moves a little more and make some progress. One my first shot I felt very composed and managed to send the route on the preplaced gear. What the! I had struggled against my brain the weekend before and every move had felt insane and this week I did it all first go.

Objective 2 complete.

What this meant now was I needed to clean all the gear out and have a go placing the gear ground up for a clean ascent. Placing the gear on lead on this route is definitely quite a bit harder than having preplaced gear as you have to place at least 2 pieces whilst actually in the roof (another 1-2 pieces you can reach before you get into the roof proper). I managed to get half way out the roof placing the gear on lead before the arms turned to lead weights so the project is still a work in progress awaiting a first free ascent (hopefully not for much longer).

Objective 3 Not yet complete.

The line has been christened Synchronicity.

New Blog

2011-07-19T14:24:00.000+10:00

We are happy to release our new blog interface. We plan to add content regularly on our climbing, gear reviews, and climbing information in general.
Steve

Drawing the Tendon Rope Prizes

2011-07-19T13:35:00.003+10:00

So we ended up getting 845 entries in our Tendon Rope Competition which has been fantastic! Thanks to everyone who liked our facebook page and added reviews to our site, much appreciated. We will have some more random giveaways for facebook friends coming up so stay tuned.
The Prizes

The Entries
We compiled a spreadsheet of all the entries and assigned a number between 100 and 845 to each of the entries.

Drawing the Prize
Randomness was achieved by drawing out three numbers from a Flashed Sugar Daddy Chalk Bucket. Each time a number was chosen it was put back in (so it could be chosen again) and the three numbers were written down in order.

Drawing the first place

these numbers were then checked against the spreadsheet we had compiled and the following 4 people were chosen in order:
1st Number 366 Mathew Guenette - (choice of any of the 4 ropes)
2nd Number 192 Isabelle Morgans - (choice of any of the 3 remaining ropes after 1st have chosen theirs)
3rd - Number 473 Dean Conacher - (choice of any of the 2 remaining ropes after 1st and 2nd have chosen theirs)
4th - Number 478 Ian Mallyon - (gets remaining rope)
We were feeling generous so we drew 4 more winners, each of whom will receive a Tendon 60cm and 120cm Dyneema Sling each
5th Number 314 - Ricky Smith
6th Number 694 - Mark Mackinnon
7th Number 746 - Scott Fraser
8th Number 394 - Mark Kingston

Congratulations to the winners, sorry to those who missed out but stay tuned as we will have some other random competitions coming up.

We will be contacting the winners to get their addresses and send off their prizes ASAP. Or if you are a winner feel free to contact us.