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Hi all,
Waterworks Quarry Cliff is currently closed following work undertaken by HCC in removing loose rock at the top of the cliff. Long-term, this is a good thing for the crag and safety of users.
There are a number of damaged anchors / bolts that will be replaced by the CCT over the following weeks. The area is still stabilising and there is extensive rubble / loose rock at the anchors on the various ledges at the top of the cliff. The situation currently is quite dangerous. This will continue to be the case until the area stabilises over the following weeks / months. The cliff will re-open in early November once bolt replacement and some further minor cleaning works have been completed by the CCT.
In the mean-time - it is suggested that you do not climb here. Once the cliff has re-opened, be particularly mindful of loose rock, especially during / after heavy rainfall and windy days.
Cheers,
Chris
Hi all,
The CCT was recently contacted by several members who had concerns around fixed anchors (bolts) at the new Genesis crag. The CCT tested these early last week (10/9/24), with a Hilty load tester, and the fixed anchors did not pass an anchor pull test.
Load testing and inspection of the bolts found two issues: 1) Poor rock quality and 2) fixed anchor installation not following best practice and CCT Fixed Anchor Guidelines. Multiple anchors failed at 7.5kN due to rock failure, and they also failed a separate torque test with very little effort. These issues likely affect all anchors at the crag, and relying on any of the fixed anchors is not recommended.
The CCT immediately took steps to ensure this information was apparent to anyone considering visiting the cliff.
The CCT is currently consulting with a very experienced route developer to test some potential replacement options. We will seek to provide updates.
The big takeaway is that fixed anchors need to be placed with care and experience, and should follow best practice. CCT Fixed anchor guidelines can be found on our website: www.climbersclubtas.org.au/cct-publications. These guidelines were developed with almost unanimous agreement amongst Tassie’s experienced route developers. The guidelines outline the current standard suitable for route development in Tasmania, and should be followed in most cases. Genesis is very soft rock and likely constitutes a special case which may require additional consideration.
We are monitoring comments here regularly to keep the focus on facts. Climbing is an inherently dangerous activity, and all climbers are responsible for their own safety and assessment of fixed protection.
Hi all,
The CCT has just launched a new website!
https://www.climbersclubtas.org.au/
The new website has been a collective effort of the CCT committee over the last 6 months and will help the CCT in fostering better communication for our activities both within and outside the climbing community. This will now become the homepage for CCT resources, contact information and formal updates. Thesarvo will continue to operate in its current form and continue to provide an excellent guidebook, forum and archive for the Tasmanian climbing community. Massive thanks to Jon Nermut who continues to run thesarvo and built the website.
Membership
The other important change to be aware of is that we have now moved to a paid annual membership. An annual CCT Membership will cost $20, and can easily be completed via the new website (see link below). Whilst membership to the CCT has historically been free, the new platform will help an active CCT continue to undertake great initiatives such as the recent re-bolting at Hillwood and Lowdina, as well as continue to advocate to achieve our goals. Your ongoing support is appreciated!
https://www.climbersclubtas.org.au/membership
Please direct any general queries to cct@climbersclubtas.org.au
Hi Climbers.
I'm really late with the Raptor Reminder this year. Soz.
Keep an eye out for peregrine falcons when ever you're out on the cragz . It's the breeeding season right now . If you find yourself with falcons flying back and forth vocalising near your climbing then you're close enough to a nest site to be stressing them out and or keeping them off their eggs. Best to find a spot somewhere else. Thankfully they don't nest at every crag. Classic crags to have your bird antenna dialled up include Sisters Beach area, Duckreach area, Hillwood, Sand river, Bare Rock and Lowdina. Falcons have also been know to nest around Main wall at Freycinet.
We saw peregrines at Lowdina in early July which was sweet. As I don't remember seeing them the year before. I'd love to hear any observations from any crag in Tasmania.
A classic long read here : http://www.thesarvo.com/confluence/display/cctpublic/Raptor+Nesting
Or a light read here: https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profiles/peregrine-falcon/
ALSO, it's no coincidence but it's also Wedgetail eagle nesting season, they also freak out when people are around their nest sites. As far as I know the only crag this affects is the North Ridge at Sand River. Please don't plan to go there until end of January next year. The Eagles will appreciate it even if they don't communicate it effectively.
Thaaanks :)
Brand new Wild Country nut key at Waterworks Quarry today. Let me know the tape colours and if it is yours, how I can return it to you. T
Hi all,
This is not intended to start raging online vitriol, but rather to prompt a conversation about route development in Tassie - an issue that I am sure a lot of climbers think about but seems to be rarely discussed these days. Please have a read of the attached document, which summarises my thoughts on the state of bolting on the Organ Pipes and some other areas in the state. I intend to raise these issues with the CCT, but I also think it's important that this is an ongoing and constructive conversation within the broader climbing community.
Cheers, Pat
There's another new crag at Fortescue Bay.. This time at Bivouac Bay. Can be done as a day trip, or enjoyed as a weekend camped at Bivouac Bay campsite. The rock is here is quite good and there's quite a good collection of climbs. The trio of the Moai, Golden Pillar and Bivouac Bay crag on this side of the bay makes camping at Bivouac Bay a nice option now, with a suite of different options.
Big news - after two years of effort the Crag Stewards program is now fully live!!
Crag emails are up and running on theSarvo, and will be listed on The Crag shortly. These automatically direct emails to appropriate Stewards. You can view the Crag Stewardship Program document, which contains more details of the program, here: CCT Crag Stewardship v3.4.pdf
Thanks to the nominated Stewards for helping us maintain the relationships, access, and safety of our climbing areas, and to the many people who have put in the work to get the program to this stage. Stay tuned for a formal launch event!
- Chris
Someone has kindly offered to donate an old 10.1 mm climbing rope for use as a hand line (e.g. Bruny Aviary) or for a similar purpose where suitable. Please let me know if you need something and I will put you into contact with them. Cheers.
I'll be upgrading the servers that thesarvo runs on over the next week, which is long overdue.
There will be some outages and probably some temporarily busted stuff.
Does anyone have experience framing for the 1m x 1m fiberglass climbing wall panels (many with ~150mm holes for insert climbing holds). See photo.
Mark Sands has acquired 25 of these panels and wants to build a bouldering wall in his 12m geodesic dome.
Also, if anyone is keen to get action photos on some of the more aesthetic locations, I'd love to organize a photoshoot or two while I'm in town!
Hi there lovely folks, my friend is looking to head down to Whitewater wall for some New Year’s Eve sending. He gets in to Launny at midday on 31st Dec but public transport options are obviously not looking too juicy… many beers/beverages of your choice and eternal gratitude shall be bestowed upon any kind soul who could get a lovely climber matey down to Freycinet in time for his new years plans . Thanks all
Kempton Quoin has been closed by the landowner to all forms of climbing.
Discussions with the landowner will continue in the new year, so please put off any trips to the crag until future access has been resolved.