Porongurups

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  • 8 November 2012 at 7:26 PM #14533 Reply
    Logos

      Hey hey

      I’m heading down to the Porongurups with a buddy shortly and was hoping to find some additional info on a couple of the routes out there.

      We just want to spend a day on one of the longer lines and then go play at Castle Rock.

      I was checking out the guide book and thought “Sucked in Ben” on Gibraltar or “Rehearsing the Fate of Absalom” on Marmabup…particularly interested in the latter.

      We have both done lots of trad up to 21 and we have all the gear. I was just hoping to talk to people who had climbed these lines. I just want info on belays, rough time frames and the nature of runouts etc…..any info that would help make it a streamlined mish (I like adventure, but I haven’t been on the rock for a while and we don’t have heaps of time).

      Anyway extra any info would be greatly appreciated, even just personal opinions on these climbs or recommendations for others of a similar grade and length.

      Thanks 🙂

      8 November 2012 at 8:25 PM #14534 Reply
      szoke szabolcs

        hey mate,

        first of all, sorry for the English, its not my first language..:) second, I was about 2 weeks ago climbing in the Porongurups, on the Sucked in Ben route…it is a nice route, and it is entirely bolted, you don`t need to put a single trad to climb, the distances  between the bolts it is fair, and it is on easy route…if you climb 21 on trad, you would probably climb with one hand tight to your back this route…belays are on double bolts with small carabiners in them for abseiling if you choose so…I climbed it in about 3-4 hours, then abseiled back down…I had two 60 m ropes with me…the first pitch is about 35 m, second is about the same, 3 -4 and 5 are around 45 m .For the last pitch if you are confident you can climb it without a rope, is that easy 🙂

        it is a nice route, I would surely climb it again if I go in the Porongurups, the only problem for me at least was finding the access to the rock :)…

        have a nice climb, hope I was helpful 🙂

        regards,

        Szoke Szabolcs

         

         

        9 November 2012 at 6:26 AM #14538 Reply
        kym

          Hey mate Sucked in Ben is ok but the belays are uncomfortable and it is quite runout. Raven is far more enjoyable, the bolts are easy to spot (all fixed hangers) the route is more varied and starts about 50m left of SIB and right of Illusions of Grandeur and Main Street. The description of the route is a few pages back under the heading “Gibraltar Rock – New Route??” It sounds like people may be getting confused between SIB and Raven. The latter has fixed hangers and starts at a short crack before a leftward rising traverse as its first pitch. Then heads up to the cave etc… You can either be halfway up the first pitch of Raven or still on the ground looking for the first carrot on SIB…When you top out its probably easier to walk off and head down the east side rather than abseiling…

          9 November 2012 at 6:38 AM #14539 Reply
          kym

            Sorry, SIB is still better protected than a lot of the older routes(!) and one of the longest. Also worth a mention is Neil and Jon’s route Dance of the Slab Spiders (I think thats the name) bout gr19 and on the steeper west face. Starts left of a mega cairn which marks the start of Matt and Jim’s line The Real Al Pedro bout gr20 both are 2 pitches, require bolt plates and are very worthwhile.. Think I placed a number one camalot on Al Pedro or maybe a medium wire near the start but cant really remember..

            11 November 2012 at 11:40 AM #14548 Reply
            Logos

              Thanks heaps Szoke and Kym 🙂 That’s helpful info.

              Yeah, based on what I’ve heard Szoke, it sounds like you may have climbed Raven (?).

              I think we’ll try and hit up Sucked in Ben, but am also pretty keen on on Rehearsing the Fate of Absolom over on Marmabup.

              Any word on this climb?

               

              Cheers guys.

              12 November 2012 at 9:42 AM #14551 Reply
              Neil

                Absolom is great. Crack pitches are well protected and the slab is better bolted than most in that part of the world. I doubt you will have any issues if you can do trad 21.

                Access isn’t as easy as Gibraltar Rock…. the bush bash up from the south side can be pretty horrid these days (there was a big fire a while back and the regrowth has been thick). It’s now best to take the walk track or fireroad to the saddle between Nancy Peak and Devil’s Slid and then head up to the summit and down to the base of the routes.

                Keep your eyes open as there have been secret squirrels in these parts of late !

                 

                 

                13 November 2012 at 12:02 AM #14562 Reply
                Logos

                  Thanks for the info. Yep gonna try and get Absolom, Ben and Riddy  in. Haven’t done any longer routes in a while. Can’t wait 🙂

                  Cheers

                  16 November 2012 at 9:34 PM #14619 Reply
                  szoke szabolcs

                    🙂 yap, its looks like I climbed another route, sorry about the misleading info, it was not my intention 🙂

                    just curios though, where can I find info about the route I have climbed, Raven, because I can not find it anywhere 🙂

                    regards,

                    Szoke Szabolcs

                    17 November 2012 at 9:00 PM #14650 Reply
                    richard

                      Difference is Raven has hangers, SIB needs bolt plates.  For Raven see https://www.climberswa.asn.au/topic/gibraltar-rock-new-route/

                      I think Riddy has reputation being a bit run-out.

                      11 December 2012 at 9:54 PM #30734 Reply
                      Andrew

                        Does anyone have hot tips for  finding the walk-in to routes at Gibraltar rock? I was there a few weeks ago; found both the large slab by the road talked about in the WA guide and the disused track just to the east, but an hour of bush bashing from both of then got me seemingly nowhere! is it just a matter of pushing on through or is there at least some semblance of path if you know where to look??! We were heading for dockyard wall new version.

                        many thanks,

                         

                        andrw

                        13 December 2012 at 10:37 AM #31652 Reply
                        Tuam

                          Sounds like you may not have gone far enough on the fire road. Last Dec the path was reasonable. The start marked with tape . It follows a spur on the west side of a water course. Comes to the base of slabs. Above the slabs the last 50m can be a hard bush bash, though there is a path there too, if you can find it.

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