UKC

Arapiles (Australia) is home to over 2,000 quality routes, condensed into one, and let's be honest, fairly small mountain. There are climbs within a stones throw of the infamous Pines campground, and you don't have to walk far at all to access hundreds of worthwhile routes. Basically if you can't find a line you like at Araps, then you're in the wrong sport.

Roger Wilko gives us a blow by blow account of one Arapiles' classic, Lamplighter, perhaps the best VS in the World.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=645

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC:

ha i guessed correctly.....yes it is indeed a great climb.....excellent article as well.

I would encourage any uk climbers who want to improve their trad to get out there. Fantastic rock which just sucks up gear and loads of classics across the grade spectrum. The 1 star routes would no doubt get 3 in the peak. It's a long way to go, and i have been for just 5 days from london....but 2 weeks would be the perfect trip.

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC: Good article, well written.

In reply to Morgan Woods: Thanks for the comment. Agree with you about Arapiles in general - best venue in the world for climbers of modest ability. Can't comment on the higher grades of course.
Not sure about short trips out there. Got to make good use of your CO2 allowance and jet lag can be quite an issue.

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC:

Great place and a great route.

But there has been one mystery that no one has ever been able to explain to me. At the piles is a Plaque on a boulder a stones throw form the Pines. It refers to the explorer who discovered Arapiles but does not refer to Australia, instead it refers to Australia-felix. ???

In reply to A Nidderdale boulderer.:

Bloody hell after all these years!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Felix

In reply to A Nidderdale boulderer.: the Arapiles plaque, situated, funnily enough in the Plaque Area, commemorates explorer Major Mitchell, Surveyor-general of NSW. He tricked you by using latin. He called western Victoria 'Australia felix' - lucky or bountiful Australia.

In reply to steve craddock:
A few years ago I climbed a route which I think is called Plaque route which involved a mantelshelf move on to the plaque itself. I will try and upload the photo.

It is a great multipitch crag and I am off to Arapiles in April, but I miss gritstone. The first love (scratched) the deepest...

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC: what do you suppose mr wilko means by his comment that on the abseil down you can "inspect some of the routes that REAL climbers do."?

does he mean that anyone who climbs VS somehow isn't a real climber (whatever one of those is)?

cheerio!

In reply to martin k: I think he is indulging in that familar old habit - climber's self-deprecation. I happen to know that he feels anyone who thinks they are a climber is one, no matter what others may think.

In reply to Rog Wilko: it's not all that familiar! it makes the reader think that the route they've just read about wasn't all that worthwhile in the first place.

cheerio!

In reply to martin k:

yes it is.

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC: A great climb, try this link or look it up on thecrag.com. http://www.thecrag.com/cgi-bin/viewphoto.cgi?id=2053415&viewreturn=inde...

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC:
Too true! Nice article, but I don't think there's any need for the last sentance in my opinion.
Sam

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC:
"Above you lurks a repellent wide crack-cum-narrow chimney, which if you'd taken my advice and looked at the picture in the guidebook before you started you'd know wasn't the way"

Guess which way I went??? Pushed the grade up somewhat.

In reply to Sam L: Sorry, should have stuck up the irony flag. Thought my tongue was obviously well in my cheek.

What is the best time of year for Arapiles / Gramps later in the year? Sept / Oct / Nov? We went in May last time, temps were OK most of the time, although some days were too hot in the direct sun.

In reply to Chris F: Easter time is good, though the easter weekend is stupidly busy, good for crag booty though! I'd have thought the spring would be great too, just avoid the high summer I think!
Sam

In reply to Chris F: I went for almost the whole month of October and conditions were excellent. One or two days were too hot (37C) and others were cold (downie temps) in the mornings. But remarkably for such variation in temps you can still climb. Certainly infinitely more reliable than the UK.

Admittedly there was a drought on and there should have been more rain. November should be fine as well.

Enjoyed Rog's article. I didn't do that climb - did Judgement Day twice instead!

In reply to Mick Ryan - Editor - UKC:

What's Arapiles liable to be like in July/August? Heading that way this year and would love to do some routes there.
Ta
Darron

In reply to Darron: Cold at night, and not too busy, but fine I think-I know people who stayed the whole winter there. Dunno how warm in the daytime, not hot I'd think.
Sam

In reply to Sam L: My daughter and partner Steve live in Natimuk. She relates the story of a day last summer when the temp was 40C (that's 104 in old money) and Steve said "let's go climbing". He also said bring a big jumper, much to Zoe's amazement! They did a couple of routes in one of the shady gullies, and did indeed need those jumpers as there was a chill wind blowing down it all day. But Steve has lived there over 20 years, so I guess that counts as local knowledge!

In reply to Stig: Cheers. Looks like we will be there in Mid October, so hopefully get it good.