Camera's Broke

No new stuff for a little while, can't afford a new camera!
Just expect some awesome old photos.

piz : )

About The living rock

This is a blog on the origins of climbing in Australia. And being a blog, if you're interested in chronological order, the story actually starts at the bottom of this longish page. I've published it to share some of my own experiences, along with information I've gathered with the help of many people over the past 10 years or so. It tells a story of the emergence of the idea of climbing in Australia before World War II and continues the story of the development of what is now known as 'adventure' or 'traditional' climbing in postwar Queensland, through my own and other former and current climbers' voices. The time period covered by this contribution stretches from the very beginnings of human interaction with the Australian landscape, switching to mostly Queensland activity after the second world war. Primarily, these observations do not focus on the period beyond the late 1970s when climbing'began to fragment into several, distinctly different elements: sport climbing, in particular, gradually pushed what became known as 'trad' or 'adventure' climbing to the periphery. The detailed story of climbing in Australia from the 1980s onwards is for others to write.

Like all histories, this is a version of events. It does not pretend to be the definitive account (if there is such a thing) and comes from an obvious Queensland perspective. It offers an alternative to the predominant view of Australian climbing history that has tended to assume that climbing as a mass sport started in New South Wales and Victoria. The somewhat episodic examples here provide some insight into the extraordinary range of mostly young men and women who have felt compelled to move beyond the usual pathways to explore the more elusive aspects of the Australian landscape. Although 'modern' Australian climbing began less than 100 years ago, a small number of individuals has been exploring high places here since the European invasion. Indigenous people had already inscribed every aspect of the landscape into their cosmology for millennia. But this is a story about climbing as a European 'invention'. Each climbing community around Australia and beyond has its own stories, its own histories and I hope this encourages others to tell them. Please pass on this web address to anyone you think may be interested or who has information to add (or correct) what I've presented here.

Reproducing images or text

This blog represents a small fraction of the material that I and others have accumulated during this ongoing project. It has relied on the goodwill and trust of many climbers, current and past, who agreed to be interviewed and who have offered access to their private photograph collections. Please respect the copyright on the photographs published here, asking permission from the original owners (through me, if you like) before reproducing any of the material. But share this with friends, by all means.

Picture: On Mount Barney. Michael Meadows collection.

More to come

I have completed a draft of a book manuscript and am now working with a Melbourne publisher. My aim has been to ensure that as many as possible of the images gathered and personal stories related to me by the climbers who have created this history are passed on to future generations drawn to the heights. The research for this continuing project has so far unearthed around 3000 images (most from private, previously unpublished collections) and close to 4000 archival documents (letters, diaries, newspaper and journal articles etc) relating to Australian climbing history. I discovered stories of adventure that have rarely, if ever, been told. I think it offers an insight into a fascinating history that few Australians--climbers especially--are aware. Please enjoy this small sample of Australia's rich, climbing heritage.

Picture: The author contemplating life on the east face of Tibrogargan. Michael Meadows collection.

Ouray Backpacking

Jane at the top of the pass. She was really happy at this point because we were at the highest point of the trail and it was basically all down hill from here. Beautiful scenery, the headwaters of streams, soft high alpine grasses and shrubs. What a place to camp and watch the sunset!

On day two, the trail crossed the base of this rotten cliff band. We saw a ton of mountain goats traversing the top of the wall above us and as Jane was crossing a section of washed out trail. The goats sent down boulders and luckily Jane was able to scamper out of the way back to me. Otherwise she was going to be crippled or dead from all the rockfall and the gully that she was barely standing in.

At the bottom of the mountain, we came to the river and could see how high the water rose from the flash flood, just two weeks before.

Jane cruising through the hillside with flowers as tall as her! It drizzled on and off that day, but it was still awesome.

Sound of Music anyone. Ahhh yeah.
Get out and have fun!

piz : )

Ouray Backpacking with Jane!

Jane at the top of the pass. After being beaten down for 4 miles and 4000ft of vertical gain we did it! There was a little rain and some breaks for food but we made it!!

Jane feeling the love of a heavy pack and a long and steep hill (or should I say mountain)!! You can do it love. : )

Ah just after a little rain shower. Something has to keep the grass green!!!

Jane getting the first nice views of the hike.

Bridge to Heaven trail was where we began this adventure!

Get out and have fun!!

piz : )

Last of Tehipite Climbing

Fighting Irish cloud...nah I don't think so.

One of the upper pitches of the final 1200ft. This route was already established and is a wonderful 6 pitch (each pitch being 200+ ft long) route that goes at about 5.11. The route has a first and last slab pitch with great vertical crack climbing in between! Here is a sporty endevour with very few bolts being placed on the slab.

Ari nearing the top of our route on the last techy 5.11 crux. Notice that he is always ready to party with that shirt on!!

Ari coming up the monster 4th pitch of 5.11 big hands. Straight up and straight down perfect splitter and not a loose part of the wall in sight. What was amazing about this wall is that we hardly had to do any cleaning. The wall had no flakey rock or crumbley stone. It is really a choice line on a choice piece of stone. Compared to El Cap it certainly is a rival in rock quality.

Triple roofs, pitch 4.

RaNDoM

Bangs Canyon, just outside Grand Junction. I have been hiking and climbing in the canyon establishing new crack climbs on the variable sandstone. There are a few problems left to be completed and then I will move on, but until then I will head out there after work and see what I can clean up into a nice sandy crack climbing experience. My first route ascends the middle of the highest tower, it is an 5.11+ slightly overhanging 4 and 5 inch corner called Flash Flood. What good fun!! This route can be approached from the Mica Mine trail and it is the biggest and highest obvious dihedral in the tower section on the right side of the trail before you reach the white quartz part of the trail. Approach from the base of that cliff line and hike up the ridge to the route. It will require a little bit of scrambling. Once you pass through a narrow slot (walking but take off your pack) you will be on a shelf, follow it to where it ends and traverse to the belay at the dihedral over what looks like a huge block. Gear for Flash Flood is 1 #3, 3 #4's 2 #5's. I did it with a little less and was pretty nervous. Enjoy!

I just cleaned and put in anchors on this dihedral. It looks like a nice easy pitch to get the the half way point and then a little excitement out the overhanging off width dihedral. Bring the big gear and plan on getting scrappy! I went out Friday after work and thanks to Jane was able to have a belay for this one. It turns out to be an easy flake start, a little spicy due to some rock that you don't think is solid but it actually is solid to the belay. 5.9. Then the upper pitch climbs this chimney/OW at 5.10-. I got sucked into its depths and had to come back out. There is a bit of newness to the route but it is a fun outing if you don't want to clip bolts at the gneiss. I recommend a rack from .75 -5inch, 2 #3's, 2 #4's, and 2 #5's. There are anchors at each belay and a 60m rope is plenty for both raps. Overall, its a 5.9 to a 5.10 and I called it High Water. Not the cleanest route but fun desert scrapping! It is located just before the Mica on on the south side of the canyon. You can take the old dirt road up to it from where the mica mine trail turns white with quartz. You kind of look at the line the whole way up from the trail.

I bargained this dresser from a local thrift store for 20 bucks! What a great anniversary present for Jane. Here we are painting it black so the undercoat looks dark when we put a light coat of teal over the top! Painting with your wife is a great rest day activity.

Climbing with Pike at Unaweep Canyon. The granite walls are similar to the Black Canyon and there is a ton of new routing to be done. I will slowly get to this stuff and have fun combing the cliff lines for new route potential!

Parking at the Mothers Buttress in Unaweep Canyon. My first day here in many years. We battled out the passing storms and got some great pitches in before dark! Thanks Pike for the tour!

Get out and climb and be safe!

piz : )