Monday 3 October 2011

Quartzite Goodness!!

ZAC VERTREES WARMING UP ON PUNKS IN THE GYM 32 photo SMITTEN
Migrating down south for spring...I'm currently residing in a small peppermint cottage in the sleepy town of Mitre with one long standing project on my mind, the mighty Somalia! This line blasts up the front wall of the Pharos at Araps and has stood the test of time. Conceived by pom Nick White  and bolted over a quarter of century ago.The orientation of this line aids the desperate nature of the climb as it is facing south east  and bakes from sun up to sun set, so those slick bum's become well lubricated with midday sun making crux 1, a digit mono almost impossible to grasp. So these gorgeous sunny spring days that we are currently experiencing are doing little to help my confidence when it comes to fronting the wall of the Pharos for a hack at a mega classic long standing project that seems to have become unfashionable over the years. A mono fetish is recommended, but remember you must set your heart to the controls of the sun, or just come for a tan. To brake up the monotony of the siege I have been taking the odd field trip to the best stone on the planet, the Grampians, exploring new areas with the local hard man HB Malcolm Matheson down in The Lost World. It is one of the Gramps undiscovered gems with several three star routes on offer and touted as having some of the best pitches in the country.  My pick of the litter being a Space Odyssey and what a journey it is with two exciting pitches of 26 & 27 the latter being remnant of a wrestling match up the underside of a ships prow that feels well above the tree line.
I'll keep you posted on the progress, Zac.

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