Ascents by Anton Korsun having Distinct route

Kept nervously awaiting the crux on each sequence... it never came 🥲

Possibly the first repeat by someone not on the FA team (neither Jason nor I knew anyone else who had done it) - and I have to say this is a brilliant addition to Blue Mountains climbing!

Despite some soft rock that can be expected on a long new route, almost all the loose stuff will clean up with another few repeats and all belays are protected from rockfall. There isn't anything too ugly, and gear is much better than expected (look both ways in the chimney).

When it comes to large gear, we brought three 4's a 5 and a 6. The 5 and at least two of the 4's are necessary, but the 6 only protected the first few ~gr18 moves of P1 and spent the rest of the climb sandbagging the follower.

P1 - Not the best gear, whether you bring the 6 or not. Up worrying flake or corner with care.

P2 - Brilliant climbing and gear once past the chossy start, very much Samarkand P2 in style but 5 grades easier!

P3/4 - If you want the full value ~60m marathon chimney experience, end P3 early below chimney/roof (hanging stance off threads - do it 🤪). Then P4 quests forever into the void... we had a 70m rope, not sure if a 60 reaches.

P5 - Funnily enough, the most dangerous part of the route is probably the fully bolted ~gr15 traverse. Easy, but be careful with breaking footers on second, you don't want to take that swing!

P6 - Is ok. Bolts.

P7 - Is absolutely insane for the grade - brilliant and relentless face climbing. I think that the true "line" wanders left after 3 meters, and stays left of the first bolt (don't clip it! climb left of it entirely on gear) before rejoining the bolts at the 2nd bolt and questing up past the 3rd and some more gear.

Whatever I climbed felt every way 22, but going direct and clipping the first bolt looked even harder.

All in all: great climbing and good gear, easy access and wild hanging belays - go do it!

“I was trying to get on to Echo Crack…”, read a message from Zac. I did a double take.

“Either tomorrow or next weekend”, read the next one.

And so it began. “Tomorrow” and next weekend, and the weekend after and… Considering how many days our happy little vertical conga line has spent hanging around here, we’ve done cockatoo’s diddly squat actual climbing (and I've taken just as many photos).

Yesterday unravelled in much the same way. I quickly discovered that:

1. If your 3:1 rig lets you play ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ on the rap line, it is indeed “proper stuck, dude”,

2. I suck at rock-paper-jumars,

3. My life is worth a fist-bump.

But I accepted my fate, and quietly began jugging my rope, clipping my gear and shitting my pants. Back at the alcove (after freeing the rap and going down again for P3) we found ourselves armed with one bosuns chair and one headlamp, which are about as useful as a coconut and a mandolin when the sun begins to set.

Oh, “and the send?” you ask. Yep, I was happy to get P4 clean, but the highlight (punny right?) of the day was Zac seconding it in total darkness without a headlamp. He will deny, but I’m convinced it was all a secret plot to boost his employability with a certain physiotherapy clinic, for which he is only a few wooden chocks away.

Probably my longest standing project, mostly because finding a belayer for "desperate ringlocks with nothing else to do at the crag" has proved difficult... maybe I should change my marketing strategy?

Team sends with Zac

Top rope solo with rest at the hanging block. That thing sounds hollow, is a pretty key hold and remains there by the grace of all the saints and spirits you can pray to.

Would be a nice lead if the block was reinforced.

Had a bad time. I don’t know if this counts as an offwidth (was told it’s not), but I do know that I went up with two 5’s and a 6 and basically shat myself from pure terror.

So yea, it’s probably an offwidth.