Day 1

When I think of climbing in South East Queensland, I think of Frog Butress, heaven on a stick and pure idealic bliss that brings a smile to my face, a tear to my eye and makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over!! So it wasnt too hard for Damo to twist my arm into a 2 day Frog-venture, our second for the season. It is always best to get as much sleep as possible before a Frog-Fest, but given that its also best to start climbing at sunrise, its little wonder that no one ever gets much pre-frog sleep. No Frog trip is complete without pre-frog Pies at Suggarloaf Bakery, they're tecnomologimical now, they've a caffeen-machinee!! =) My first lead for the season... "Electronic-Flag", I chose the 17 variant, and entertained Lara as I peeled off the bouldery start several times before finaly sticking the fingerlocks and launching into the seccond fistjammy crux, where I thought my pre climbing pie was going to make a seccond apearance.... it was a great intro to the season for me, and Lara was pshyced.

We found the rest of the gang. Tristan, Anita and Peter had just done "Plume"(Classic 19), which we were able to top rope, and Damo and Karina were on "Faki"(a sweet 15). It was nearly noon, and the sun was realy starting to bite. Damo and I were keen to do nothing, but Sinead (with sis in tow) was keen to climb everything and anything in sight, so she bundled us all up and dragged us off to the Scree slope where Tristan and Anita were plaguing on "Empedlectimated Pinaple"(20).

The scree slope is basically the walk-in-out route... so lets just say, we didnt get much farther. We played there for a bit, finally got Tristan's gear down, then headed for the Pub.

After a few beers, Damo and I (the stayers) were treated to the biggest plates of pub food ever! Damos Steak hung over the size of his plate so much, he almost couldn't finish it (I'm not kidding, maybe he's gettin old!) My plate was piled so high with chips, cheesy-bake-surprise and roast veges that I almost couldn't see the rissoles at its core!! After a good hour digesting, followed by 10 hours camp sleeping, we would really be ready for climbing.

Day 2

Day 2 was a great day! It started with amping in the carpark with Return-to-sender (Sean had his laptop, and no climbing partner). We were on a mission, and had even made a list! Damo and I are never this prepared!! First, "Smoked-Banana" (40m 16), an awesome climb with heaps of jamming leading up to a couple of overhung "majic" (rotating) chockstones, before launching into a hideous bodyjaming chimney topout!! Damo looked at ease, and truly warmed up for climb 2, "Infinity" (40m 19), an absolute ooober classic and undoubtedly the best climb I have ever done at Frog!! It just keeps coming, perfect hand jam after perfect handjam with some fisting and fingerlocking and laybacking and footjammy goodness thrown in for good measure. We almost scored a hex from the climb, but the owners came by looking for it... they say they'd rapped down to it and worked on it for about 20 minutes (each)... took me less than a minute hanging from a hand jam of pure bliss, with a little twist of the nut tool... didn't even have to hit the thing!! Sweeeet. (they owe me a beer).

All the climbs we did were made sooo much better for zero rope drag, thanks to Ria and Adam's majic twin ropes, "Sacralishuss" and "Sacrablurrr". (ps, Adam, I NEEEED these in my life, they complete me)... Next, "Satans-Smokestack" (40m 16) after doing a really awkward and kinda crappily protected massive crack start, it widens enough that you can get right inside a 4 sided chimney!! It was fun... enough said.

3 climbs done, and feeling great, thunder sounded on the horizon, and the word on the crag was "BAIL, ITS GOONA FLOOD!!" But Damo had other plans. Off we went in search of adventure! Last climb for the day, "Ependepnict-Pinapple"(15m 20). The climb started with vertical sunshine (scottish talk for rain), and Damo lapped it up! Throw in a nut here, toss in a nut there, whack another nut in up there, look at a realy crappy wedged tricam (more booty) throw in a few hexes and he's topping out to the sound of THUNDER, the gods were bowing down to him! He mad the thing look so easy, its got jamming, fingerlocks, crimpers, bridging, its Heaven on a STICK!!

We were stoaked, what a day, the sun came out, and we, two weary soldiers trundled off home to face another week of day-in day-out nose to the grind stone monotonous 9-5 crap... the only thing keeping us sane... thoughts of our next trip to SE-Queenslands jam-tackular, trad-wonderland, Frog-Buttress.

!!! the names and information in this report could be misspelt, missquoted, made up, or complete and utter nonsense.....

Cam "damo-sherpa" Sear

Originally Posted 22/4/07: http://qutcliffhangers.yuku.com/topic/662/t/21st-April-Frog.html?page=2