Bouldering Cave

Well, its nearly done. Nick and Evan, with help yesterday from Callum, have nearly finished the training bouldering cave. With just the kickboard, a bit of painting and then the holds put on to go.
Here's a few pictures of the boys efforts. There's a great breeze that comes under the house which will mean training won't be such a chore with temperatures in the mid 30's here in Sweaty Brisbane.

The first section, minus kickboard.

The boys put the first of the steeper section forming the roof in place. We plan to have lots of problems on the wall but also a few circuits so we can do laps.










Don't drop it Evan......I'm looking for the bolts.

Nearly done....wow!

Well thats the latest on the training cave. We are off climbing now so that's your lot. Until next time. Happy climbing/bouldering.

Bankside Boulders, Tooheys Forest

With time at a premium, we decided to stay close to home and visits the Bankside Boulders at Tooheys Forest. These boulders have been made more accessible thanks to the development and cleaning by Bruce Taylor see http://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/queensland/toohey-forest/area18416477

We headed for the 'Tippy Boulder' and did a few of Bruce's problems, Sister Nell V0 and Rainbow Warrior V3. We then decided to look at the obvious line between the two problems.

Evan was first to send Mid Strength V4 which starts on the side pull near the pocket in the middle of the photo above, up to a small rail with your left hand, feet up then left again to crimp on top of boulder, mantle to finish.

Nick looked at the obvious sit start on the rail above the bouldering matt. Head up and right to the next rail. Move to the holds either side of the light section in the photo above. Feet up then move to the small pocket. Slap for the top and mantle. There's no holds on the top its a mantle or nothing. this project was going to go at V4/5 until Evan snapped the only decent starting foot hold off.

We then moved to the Nom Nom Nom boulder, did Brendan Heywood's Nom Nom Nom & Num Num Num.

Brad (Nick in Picture) then started on his project.  Starting on 'Sasquat' .............

moving left above the mouth using a cross over move on side pulls, and finishing up Nom Nom Nom.

If you stick to the smaller side pulls, we think this will go at V5 ish?

See you!

Another day bashing at the Coil.

With hope that it wasn't going to be too hot, we set out to look for new rock to climb on. Brisbane isn't well known for having an abundance of quality rock, but that doesn't deter us from trying to find new or forgotten bouldering areas. However after 2 hours of bush bashing with no luck, and with thoughts of 'why can't we be back in Northumberland' becoming stronger, we gave up decided to return to the OCD boulder at Coil Preservation Reserve.

Jake was first up repeating Ferg's problem at the far left of the boulder where the tree had previously been.

Brad completed his traverse which started around the left corner of OCD. Using a small pocket with your left hand and a side pull low down with your right (holds that were previously obscured by our friend the tree), move right to a good hold at head hight, match, sort your feet out then span for a small side pull. Cross over and top out. 'Ripe for eliminates' goes at V2, Nicks idea to using the small crimps instead of matching, goes at V4 (project).

Nick then completed a problem he had been trying on boxing day.............

'Saturday night finger' goes at V4...............

Boxing Day at Coil Preservation Reserve

Boxing day in the UK is traditionally a day for climbing/bouldering with mates. It's a means of justifying the excesses of the previous day. With this in mind, and with temperatures only reaching the mid 20's, we set off for an evenings bouldering on the OCD boulder and surrounding area. 

On arrival we found that some kind person, or more likely one of Brisbane's violent storms, had pushed over (disposed of) a old tree that had been growing at the far end of the OCD boulder. With the old tree gone, well it was lying on the boulder so we moved it, and then set about cleaning more of the boulder to expose 5 new problems in the V0-V5 range.

Here's a few photo's.......

Fergus made a standing start to 'Ferg's problem' at V0.

Brad put a sit start on it at V2. (Left hand on left side pull, right on the small crimp and pull up. Only left foot on, flag with right).

Nick added a new problem with an extremely low sit start right next to 'Ferg's problem', at V4 called 'Bad smells at Christmas'.


We then moved back from the OCD boulder to 'Freddie day out boulders'.

Nick added a sit start to his 'No More Smelly Fat Pants' V2. (We are discussing a grade as it shred's your skin).

Whilst Fergus did 'A Toast to Jake the Snake' at V0.




















Well that's it. I'll be posting some photo's of our bouldering wall (for those back at home), bouldering gym (for those here in Brisbane) shortly. When I say our, its Nick and Evan who are doing the hard graft....nothing changes. Looks like it may well be the biggest cave, roof complex in Brisbane.

Happy Bouldering/Climbing.

Strandedclimbers. 

Summer evening at Tooheys Forest

We, Nick and Brad, grabbed a couple of hours daylight after work to do a spot of bouldering at Tooheys a couple of days ago. It was 31 degrees when we arrived at 4;30pm. The top of the rock was hot and greasy, making topping out interesting. Anyway, here's a few shot of the evening.

Warming up

After warming up, we moved onto a problem we had tried last time we were at Tooheys. Next to 'The Mushroom' is Magic Mushroom. Sit Start at the back wall on a side pull and undercut, move onto a good hold with your right hand, stretch up as in photo.......

 .......up with right hand then into the small hold with your left on the roof, not the drilled hold of 'The Mushroon'....

                                                                                                                              .......then reach over and up for a pinch (told you it was hot!).......

                                                                                                                              ............left hand up and match on roof........

                                                                                                                              ........then left foot up and push down with your heel.....

                                                                                                                               .......rock over and mantle, the crux, well it was tonight when the rock felt a little greasy....

......and mantle over to finish

We think this problem goes at about V4, maybe a bit harder in the summer than the winter when friction is better, and it needs friction on the top. What do you think?

Round the other side of this boulder is a good problem starting under the roof and moving up to where Nick has his right foot. Then its onto the face, onto better low holds as in photo,

left foot up high onto front of boulder and slap up for a small side pull. Right foot up, squeeze in and slap again for top.

New camera today, so hopefully better pictures from Coil Preservation on Sunday. Happy Climbing/bouldering.

Donnelly's Castle

Colder weather equals greater friction.....so why are we living in Brisbane....?

A trip to the Donnelly's Castle, towards the NSW border in Winter made us feel like we were back home.

Nick on a typical Castle problem

Callum practicing Northumberland 'spotting'

Callum cranking hard.

Training- Update....the bouldering cave is starting to take shape.

Training.....update.

I'd like to say that I had been working hard with Nick and Evan building the bouldering cave...but I haven't. Instead I have been moving house again. This time just locally though and not to another different country, although we are all missing home a lot at the moment. Anyway here's some images of the wall. It should measure 3.6m wide and 5.2m long, about 20m² in total. There's a 400mm kick board then a 45⁰ overhang leading to the roof section.

When we haven't been able to get outside we get down to Brisbane's Premier Climbing wall. The air conditioning at 'The Rock' (at The Spot on Sandstone Place in Parkinson www.thespot.net.au phone 07 3809 4100), provides welcome relief from the summer weather here in Brisbane and a good place to train. It's staffed Scotty, Jonny, Nathan, Olivia, and the team, a great bunch all of whom climb. Its also a very friendly, non pretentious place to climb with new route setting on a very regular basis using CLEAN holds from Walltopia www.walltopia.com, a manufacturer that's very popular in Europe and who make a massive variety of holds for some of the best and biggest (30m high) climbing walls back home in the UK.


(I must mention Rockworks here, who make great walls and have built several venues close to where I'm from in the UK see (www.rockworks.co.uk).

A great little roof section here to use on lead nights!

How CLEAN do these holds look.

It was great to get down to the wall late on Wednesday to find that it had just got quiet. (Evan and Fergus getting ready). A nice crowd of climbers soon arrived at the wall. Great atmosphere!

















My favourite section. Just use the features. No holds allowed.

















Thank goodness for the 'BeastMaker'. Is this how Dan Varian got so strong? Its a must for any good home training regime beastmaker.co.uk We have spent many an hour on one of our beastmakers....

And on the campus board. You wouldn't believe how long it seemed to take to get the frame for this up on the wall....