Scene of the climb. Samarkand **** (25), 180 meters, at Pierces Pass, Blue Mountains. It takes the vertical corner system. “A startling crack line, overhangs 25m in the first 100m.”
This week I have something a bit different for you, a little photo essay because sometimes it’s nice to tell a bit of a story. When the opportunity to photograph Ben Lane and Paul Thomson on Sarmarkand came up I jumped at the chance. It’s one of the classic, if not the classic, hard multi-pitch trad routes in the Blue Mountains; it’s something I’d wanted to shoot for a long time. It was a great day out, the lads cruised it. Back home by 3pm, that’s the way to do it in the Grose, and just as well as it got rather breezy out there! Hope you like the shots; please let me know if you’d like to see more photos essays like this.
Busy time of year for everyone, so I’ll be quick here with a few things you should know before Christmas:
- We have the coffee-table book Rock Climbing Down Under: Australia Exposed on special until Christmas, just $65 plus postage. This belongs on every climbers bookshelf. Just get it.
- If you’re after something very special, there are still some Limited Edition copies available. Its stunning five-layer lenticular cover has to be seen to be appreciated…
- Last week we launched a print ordering facility on my web site and now the overseas galleries are live too. Too late for Christmas orders now unfortunately, but browse the galleries and see the options here and we’re ready to help when you’re keen to decorate your walls – or when you’re after a beautiful gift.
- Our new Blue Mountains Climbing guidebook has been selling like hot cakes. Thanks everyone for the support; we’re proud of this baby. Essential for anyone who climbs around here.
- At last our Kickstarter T-Shirts arrived and we have been distributing them this week. They have been a long time coming, thank you everyone for your patience. We only got a few extras made, available here. Stylish as! Another gift idea.
- Join Monique Forestier and myself on the 10 day climbing trip that we are hosting with World Expeditions in Sicily, October 2016. All the info is here. It’s going to be FUN!
Our Christmas deadline for orders from our web shop? Australian orders: best to order by Monday latest, you might get lucky ordering Tuesday depending on the time and where it’s going to. But to help out we will upgrade every Oz order to Express Post automatically — at our expense, until Christmas.
Be safe and have a great Christmas! Thanks for reading!
~ Simon
Hmmm, how to equalise these manky old rap bolts….?
Ah, that’s better, Alpine Butterflys.
A little sorting out… but using a 200m rope on the Samarkand rap route avoided dodgy re-belays (that you have to bounce in to) and by-passing knots.
Who gives a toss? Ben Lane does.
Lowering the rope; ingenious rope burn avoidance technique.
Master abseiler Paul Thomson slithering down 200m of Sterling Rope goodness.
Paul leading pitch 2. From the guidebook: “40m (25) Free up wall on left and move right to line. Face climb up crack past the disturbing “Spock Block” where the first ascenionists originally belayed, and continue up increasingly pumpy crack until final layback crux to good ledge.”
A quick change of angle and we find Ben cruising pitch 3. “25m (23) Tips layback to good ledge.”
Ben savours the exposure while Paul follows p3.
Paul leads pitch 4. “35m (22) Up V-corner. Out right at top to ledge and bolt belay.”
Funky exit to pitch 4.
Ben does the honors on pitch 5. “35m (21) Crack up wall, heading left to cave on Lunch Ledge.”
Here comes the sun! And that’s not the only reason we were glad to finish early; the winds gusted to 80kmh that afternoon!
Info, ordering and stockist list –> here.
