SOHO Main Face, Cenrtral Crags, from www.hongkongclimbing.com
I was pumped up for a big day on the rock on Saturday to make up for not really doing any serious routes last week. I had a 'tick list' in my mind that looked ambitious but possible (just) with the first one the only one I'd done before:
As it turns out my climbing partner had hurt his back during the week so it pretty much meant that we weren't going to be able to get through this bunch and that I was going to be doing all the leading. I'd also decided that I was going to wear my helmet on every climb just because it's good practice, but don't worry about scaning the rest of this post, I didn't get a chance to "test" my helmet and hopefully won't have to!
So I started up LKF (route "3" above) which having done it twice before makes it pretty easy and a bit of a soft touch at F6a. No worries, I practically ran up that thing although as per usual Nick put my speed to shame. On to Centralsaurus! (route "7" above) I was a bit nervous and the bottom of the route was slimey from rain earlier in the week. After a false start and sliding off the first move once, I was on the wall and was so nervous you could practically call me "Johnny". Apparently the helmet doesn't make me more 'courageous' and in fact I didn't really notice it was there which isn't really such a bad thing.
[Spoiler Warning!] Route Beta Ahead:
So the route starts up a series of slight overhanging blocky steps with fairly good handholds to gain the main face where things die down to crimp-ville and for me: scare-town. The route makes very thin moves up the wall and a race between me and a half-chewed slug up the wall would've been hard to call. Eventually the angle softens a bit and gets a bit slabby although it's still pretty absorbing climbing. A few moves up the top slab and you gain the anchor, sadly for me this happens a couple of meters after the mid-point of my 50m rope meaning that a standard rappel would deposit me roughly 3-4 meters above the ground and probably with a visit to the doctor. In the end we had to make a diagonal rap to a station a bit further down and then set everything up for another rappel. Next rope: 60m, for sure. Here, I must apologise again to Nick for my --s--l--o--w-- siege of the climb while he patiently belayed with a sore back.
After my extended dance with fear up Centralsaurus we had barely enough time left for a single regular route let alone another haunting on the tougher Peel St so we decided to brawl with the relatively easier Club 64 (route marked 10). Again I lead, but this time the climbing proved to be easy but interesting with the toughest section the final moves to the anchor. Once again the route proved too long for my 50m rope and we rapped most of the way down the route into a bit of a gully wrapped the rope around a couple of trees and "batman-ed" down the rope. We packed up, my trad rack being solely for weight training yet again, and hiked out. Not the tick-fest that I was hoping for but I'm still pretty stoked with my lead on Centralsaurus. More photos to follow... I'll take some of the route next time I'm there.
Peace out,
Joe
- Lan Kwai Fong, F6a (Aus: 17/18ish) * - A warm-up route (but still serious) that I've done before.
- Centralsaurus, F6a+ (Aus: 19ish) * - A great looking thin line up the main SOHO face.
- Peel St, F6b (Aus: 20ish) *** - Supposedly the best route at Central Crags
- The golliwogal lives!, F6a+ (Aus: 18ish) (looks like it deserves stars) - A great looking trad climb even if a little dirty
- Independence Day, F6a+ (Aus: 19ish) *** - A really varied looking bolted route
As it turns out my climbing partner had hurt his back during the week so it pretty much meant that we weren't going to be able to get through this bunch and that I was going to be doing all the leading. I'd also decided that I was going to wear my helmet on every climb just because it's good practice, but don't worry about scaning the rest of this post, I didn't get a chance to "test" my helmet and hopefully won't have to!
So I started up LKF (route "3" above) which having done it twice before makes it pretty easy and a bit of a soft touch at F6a. No worries, I practically ran up that thing although as per usual Nick put my speed to shame. On to Centralsaurus! (route "7" above) I was a bit nervous and the bottom of the route was slimey from rain earlier in the week. After a false start and sliding off the first move once, I was on the wall and was so nervous you could practically call me "Johnny". Apparently the helmet doesn't make me more 'courageous' and in fact I didn't really notice it was there which isn't really such a bad thing.
[Spoiler Warning!] Route Beta Ahead:
So the route starts up a series of slight overhanging blocky steps with fairly good handholds to gain the main face where things die down to crimp-ville and for me: scare-town. The route makes very thin moves up the wall and a race between me and a half-chewed slug up the wall would've been hard to call. Eventually the angle softens a bit and gets a bit slabby although it's still pretty absorbing climbing. A few moves up the top slab and you gain the anchor, sadly for me this happens a couple of meters after the mid-point of my 50m rope meaning that a standard rappel would deposit me roughly 3-4 meters above the ground and probably with a visit to the doctor. In the end we had to make a diagonal rap to a station a bit further down and then set everything up for another rappel. Next rope: 60m, for sure. Here, I must apologise again to Nick for my --s--l--o--w-- siege of the climb while he patiently belayed with a sore back.
After my extended dance with fear up Centralsaurus we had barely enough time left for a single regular route let alone another haunting on the tougher Peel St so we decided to brawl with the relatively easier Club 64 (route marked 10). Again I lead, but this time the climbing proved to be easy but interesting with the toughest section the final moves to the anchor. Once again the route proved too long for my 50m rope and we rapped most of the way down the route into a bit of a gully wrapped the rope around a couple of trees and "batman-ed" down the rope. We packed up, my trad rack being solely for weight training yet again, and hiked out. Not the tick-fest that I was hoping for but I'm still pretty stoked with my lead on Centralsaurus. More photos to follow... I'll take some of the route next time I'm there.
Peace out,
Joe
2 comments:
You are one crazy cat joeyboy!!! :)
maybe the karaoke on a full stomach is a better pastime with regards to speedy's coiffure.
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