Frog Buttress

Up at 4 AM to try and get some crack climbing in before the heat gets unbearable. It was so humid even before dawn that I was sweating while packing my climbing gear, not a good sign of things to come.

We left Brisbane for Mt French while it was still dark, the day already hot and humid by the time we arrived at the top of Frog Buttress.

Joe lead 'Piranha' (20) and Tony, Shaoxing and I seconded. The climbing was hard but good, I still struggled at the chimney and a section of crack climbing, but I made the ascent dripping with sweat.

Joe and Tony left to climb a different route while I lead the first pitch of 'Witches Cauldron' (12). A nice easy climb to practice leading on trad. I had climbed that route before, but this was my first time placing my own protection.

That was climbed without any problems, so we decided to end the day on 'Clockwork Orange Climb' (14). I started leading and was going well until the crux, an awkward move up a short crack section. I couldn't commit through this section, so I lowered to the ground in shame while the others easily climbed it.

As penance I lugged all the climbing packs to the top of the cliff, not a very long distance but the combination of the heat, my hike from the previous day, and a bout of insomnia the night before caused it to be a struggle.

We packed up and after a quick stop at Boonah for a cold drink we started back to Brisbane.

It is very frustrating being terrible at crack climbing, hopefully it will click sooner rather than later and I can start to tick off a few more climbs there.

Still, it was a fun, if exhausting day, and placing my own gear felt good. With the onset of cooler weather I'll have no excuse to visit Frog Buttress more often and start climbing better!

More photos here 

Frog Buttress

It isn't Frog Buttress climbing season quite yet, but we decided to head down very early in the morning to make the most of the day before the sun made it too hot to climb.

I went with two guys who between them have about 80 years of climbing experience, and have even been the first ascentionists on some of the climbs there back in the late 70's / early 80's.

Needless to say they blew me about of the water when it came to the climbs, but I was happy to sweat, curse and struggle up the crack climbing classics while they patiently waited for me to finish.

It was a hot and humid day, and by lunch the sun was beating down on the rock so we called it a day. Crack climbing is not my forte, but the abundance of classic climbs down this way are a reason to work on my jamming technique and get better.

It isn't a style you can learn in the gym, guess I'll have to keep coming down...

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Climbing at Frog Buttress

A late entry, but a few weeks ago I Chris A. and I went out to Mt French to try and get some trad climbing in before the official end of the Frog Buttress season.

We started out early hoping to get some climbs in before the stifling heat kicked in, but we lucked out and had a perfect day of climbing. Cloudy skies but a cool wind that kept the worst of the heat away.

It is great to walk down the scree slow and be greeted with beautiful cracks as far as the eye can see. Chris, being a trad / crack junkie, had a few climbs selected so we started up 'Theory' (14) which took us up to a ledge for some more routes.

Once there we climbed 'Moonlighter' (16) and 'Southern Comfort (19). The later had a great lay back start for a few metres, then the crack contracted so that only the to the barest of fingertips would fit. A few metres on some nice holds appeared and it was face climbing the rest of the way. I took a few attempts of top rope before Chris lead the route in style.

We rappelled back down to try some more climbs, with Chris urging me to try some pure crack climbs. I tried to resist the urge to climb the face, relying on jamming my hands, forearms and feet in the vertical crack. It was skin shredding stuff, but didn't seem to work for me. A skill that will only get better with practice, but not something you can learn in a gym. As usual, Chris breezed up, climbing in his element.

Luckily while I was sweating, groaning, swearing and making excuses, he was in a beautiful belay spot. I joined him at the top of Century (16) and relished the late afternoon view.

Wanting to make the most of the day we had just enough time to get in another two climbs. We climbed 'Horse Drawn Zepplin' (16) and 'Electric Mud' (13), finished up for the day just at the sun went down over the Great Dividing Range.

Back to the car park for a quick beer, a quick huge meal of chips at the Dugandan Pub, then back home for a well earned rest.

Frog Buttress is an amazing place, I definitely need to practice my trad leading and crack climbing skills. Always good to have climbing goals, and having a world class crack climbing crag in my backyard makes for perfect motivation.

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Crack climbing at Frog Buttress

Time for a lesson in trad climbing! No bolts, just a selection of cams, nuts and hexes placed in rock cracks to protect falls. A perfect way to spend a Saturday!

We left Brisbane in the early hours of the morning and drove through the thick fog to Boonah, where we stopped at Mount French and made our way to the world class crag 'Frog Buttress'.

Our first route was 'Witch's Cauldron', a 12m grade 12 climb. Usually this grade would be trivial to climb, but being unaccustomed to crack climbing, hand and feet jamming, not to mention climbing on trad gear, it was a tough start to the day.

Luckily Chris (a seasoned trad climber from California) was there to teach the finer points of this style of climbing, and lead the routes to pre-place protection (cams, nuts, hexes) for us to use. After two leads of this route (including a fun climb up through a chimney) we moved on to something more challenging.

Our next stop was 'Smoked Banana', a 40m grade 17. Described as a classic Frog Buttress climb, Chris lead again (excellently placing protection) and then it was my turn to lead. Jamming up the first parallel cracks was easier this time, it was a little harder past the ledge where only a single crack continued.

I managed to jam my way up this, climbing higher until I reached an overhanging section, made possible to ascend by several chockstones jammed between two larger slabs.

Past this section the rock opened into a body crack. This is where things got interesting. I had been climbing with a small backpack containing a water bladder as by this point the rock was in full sun. I was already bathed in sweat, but the body crack was so small that I had to throw my backpack down to continue.

Even then, I could only barely fit into the crack. My shoulders and chest were wedged tight, I could barely move sideways, let alone gain leverage to get any higher. Running out of options and not wanting to bail on the climb, I went for it. Sucking in my chest, getting any leverage I could from my hands and feet, I rose slightly, then exhaled to jam my chest against the rock. I held! Again and I again I repeated this tactic, after a few feet the crack widened and I was able to smear my hands and feet on the rock to get some more purchase. Eventually I was free of the crack, and back again climbing. It was a short but exposed finish to the anchors, topping out over the rock I let out a yell and sat down in a pool of my own sweat to take in the view. An incredible climb!

We drove back to Boonah for an ice-coffee and lunch, before heading back to the crag in the late afternoon.

Feeling tired but still having a climb left in me, I opted to lead 'Shit Heap', a 10m grade 14. Climbing first I also placed all my own protection for the first time. I found the route difficult, the cracks either too big or more often too small for me hands. But I endured, placing cams where possible, gradually jamming higher and higher. I topped out, un-roped, and climbed down the 'stairs' behind the route to the bottom. Chris was up next to check my gear placements, and they passed the test! (I also rested on a cam for a little while when leading, quite unnerving when first putting all your weight on it).

I was done for the day, but Chris decided to climb 'Dave Mank's Electric Gorilla' a 20m grade 18-20. He cruised up the crack, showing us all how things are supposed to be done.

It was late in the day so we trekked back to the car park for a cold beer, sorted all the gear out and headed home.

An incredible Saturday, I couldn't ask for a better introduction to trad and crack climbing. Amazing rock, gorgeous views, I left tired but elated. I'll be back for more.....

More photos here