Hello Troops!

I don't know about you, but Im kinda getting to like my work days again... Seems its the only time I get to rest between these back-to-back long weekend climbing fests!! Yeee-Har!!

Friday

So its Friday afternoon, and most of Brisbane are heading home to mow the lawn in preparation weekend family BBQ's, (booring) but not our heros! They are jaming ropes, curry and beer into "SUPER-PUG" in anxious preparation for another long weekend of Climbing Craziness!! Its Anzac Day, and we were off to Urbenville. The fun started with Timmys subaru undergoing some minor modifications. Timmy - "whats the need for a demister in Australia, its not like we will see any FOG...." (famous last words) =]

Fog is awesome people!! Its super fun having 10 meters of visibility on a windy, hilly road, with no lines, deep droppoffs, and reflectors spaced at 25m intervals!! Its even more fun being tailgetaed by pot smoking hippies with their lights on high beam!! You know the fog is thick when you are doing less than 5kph with Timmy 10 meters behind shouting over the UHF "SLOW DOWN CAM!! I CANT SEE YOU"!! =]

We finally reached camp, and threw up dome tent city, 8 tents for 10 people. Maybe its not just my feet that smell! =] Camping at Urbenville is right next to a huge waterfall, which offers a fun watercrossing for Saturday mornings climbing.

Saturday

We were off to the pines. Slabby Urbenville slabbyness. I pushed Timmy on to a grade 12 warm-up... Timmy - "Grade 12 my ass" Later we found out it was a grade 16... (sorry timmy) really well bolted though, and way less scetchy that the super megga runout real grade 12 just next to it!! (again, sorry timmy).

Everyone climbed well at the Pines. The new routes that have gone up are great and the weather was perfect, we could have climbed till nightfall, but beer and curry was calling... "drink me, eat me..." *drool*

So with a boot full of firewood we headed back to camp for a great night of sitting round a toasty campfire. Once again my camp-oven-korma was a huge success. 8 hungry mouths plastered with contented curry grins.

The K2 "EXTREEEEEEM" club joined us for marshmellow toasting and endless laughs (thanks Mat you're a champion) long and late into the cool evening.

Sunday

Sunday morning after many coffees and other kick start the day rituals, the camp was packed and off to the crown we did flee. The crown is awesome. Park next to the surige works, get a lung full of thick wafting methane, have a larf at the "no swimming" signs then begin the epic uphill deathmarch to the butress of pure crown slab in the purest of slabby slabness!! Some climbing defenitions need to be adjusted here...

• Handhold - something you lean on for balance (you cant actualy hold it..)
• Foothold - the shiny part of less lichenous slab...
• Ledge - less slabby slab...
• Massive Ledge - a larger bit of less slabby slab, or a small crack...

Everyone was climbing well again, and I have to say, that I may have finally layed the slab demons to rest... let me clarify... I was still crapping in my pants for fear of sliding inot a world of pain... but instead of turning into a wimpering blubbering mess and freezing on the spot for the next 30min, I instead smeared onto the next bolt so that I could go to the pub instead!! So after an awesome weekend, and a couple of coldies at the local Crown Hotel our fearless and entrepid adventures trundled through the mountaious roads of winding fun and joy, onward to home...

Monday!

Later the very next day... =]

...our dynamic duo bound into action with shouts of "QUICK DAMO, TO THE FROG-MOBILE"! "HOLLY BLOWING-OFF-WORK TRAD-MAN, LONG WEEKENDS ARE AWESOME!!" =]

Damo and I arrived at the Mt French carpark around 3:30pm, we were the only car there... Ive never been the only car there... it just doesnt happen!! We quickly threw up our tents, and with the sun sinking, racked up and scrambled down the scree slope of Frog Butress for one quick afternoon climb. We jumped on the 17 variant of "Electronic Flag". A committing finger crack start leading to a hand crack to forearm jam to undercling fist jam to a crappy hand jam to a smeary mantle (and thats ony the first 10 metres)... The sun is low in the sky, deep orange and turning the cliff to a magnificent warming orange glow. Onward into a long sequence of bridging through a small roof sees me topping out at 40 meters to a magnificent sunset. The whole of the great divide across the horison is outlined by a deep orange glow! =]

Everything after that was as good or better!! Dinner at the Dugendan was magnificent with Neil, Megan, Alan, Damo and late comers (via Beudesert) Timmy and Angelique. Apetising our hunger was Steak so big the veges are served on top, best enjoyed with a tall pint of Kilkeny. Post pub campfire shenanicans ensued with a quest for the most magificent jousting stick whittled to a tiny marshmellow roasting tip! My amazing exploding chair provided much entertainment, and Neil's port warmed us from the inside right down to our boots!

Tuesday!

Tuesday morning my bladder clock woke me almost 10 minutes before my alarm!! 550am!! Shortly there after Adam, Ria and Zac arrive ready to climb. After a few coffees, pancakes and the clang of pots outside neils tent we were off down the screeslope for climbing. Being a public holiday and only 90 minutes from Brisbane, Frog was a popular spot. We spent the day running up some easy stuff.

Zac was keen for crack on his first ever Frog trip, so I ran him up "Mechanical Prune" for some bridging, slingfest, chockstone and getting your head stuck in a cave adventure with super pooping your pants exposure at the top thrown in for free!!

Next on the list, an old favorite, "Tardis" short sweet and in Zac's words "A Little Easy"... So, after taping my nuckles and having a little chuckle I shouted "come on Zac, lets climb some crack"!! =]

"Century" was her name and she was a 15meter hand crack to forearm crack to wasp nest crux to shoulder crack to whale finish at another wasp nest!! =] Zac didn't do too bad, though I've never seen it done as a face climb before.

Feeling on fire by now, and king of the world, "@#%$ Heap" was calling me... Zac had had his quota for the day, so the dynamic duo bounded into action. "QUICK DAMO, TO THE CRACK" "HOLY JAM-FEST TRAD-MAN" =]

Now on a monster high, 4 lead climbs in one day is more than usual for me, but everyone had had enough, so I ran up "The Stars Looked Down" (21) which we were top roping. That took the wind out of my whistle!!

So we called it a day and headed to the Pub. Everything seems better after beer. So today, I feel exhausted, and have had a smile plastered permanently on my face. Its going to take a while for me to come down off this high, my feet may be back on the ground by Friday, just in time for another long weekend climbing fest!! Thanks for a great time you guys, cant wait to get out there again!

Ive put photos on the club web site. Follow the link and look for the "CAMSEAR" photo gallery under "2006 Anzac Day - Urbs and Frog" gallery.qutcliffhangers.com/

Cam "work = rest day" Sear

Originally Posted: http://groups.google.com.au/group/qutcliffhangers/browse_thread/thread/2ae5b3060c665575/d18931c5c853b954?hl=en&lnk=gst&q=trip+report#d18931c5c853b954