Being on holiday has given me the time to explore a few more areas that I haven’t been to before so after living down in the sleepy SW for almost 10 years I finally headed up to Perth to see what the climbing was like up there.
One of the reasons I haven’t bothered heading up to Perth to climb is it take two and half hours to get there from where we live, in addition we have great traditional crags in beautiful settings only an a hour from us. However, it was time to make the trek and see just what they were like. In addition to a mob of smaller places there are two main quarries in Perth and we plumped for Statham. So after leaving home at 3:30, picking Chris up and having a food stop we finally rolled into the quarry just after sunrise at 6:00. Chris wandered straight over to look at a great ragged crack line that went up the highest part of any wall in the quarry:
We decided however to start on something less steep, to get used the rock and allow us the time to wake up. However, the guide we had was some 20 years old so didn’t have even half the routes we could see, but we plumped for a fun looking slabby pillar that had three lines going up it. I set off first as Chris hadn’t touched rock much over the last few months, so was the first to clip the bolts. As I worked my way up I got a view of the outer areas of Perth which included some residential but also a mob of industrial areas criss-crossed with power lines:
Chris was slow on second and not feeling it. But for anyone who climbs with me should know that it is not that easy to get out of leading one for one, so up he went on the left side of the pillar. The rock is hard but also brittle and there was evidence of many flakes and sizable chunks littered all around. You needed to check the holds as you used them and for the most they were good, but occasionally you felt something creak and it was enough to make us that bit more cautious on the first few ascents we did:
It was not until the third line on the Pillar that Chris got into it, making short work on seconding me up the central blank looking slab which we considered the best of the three lines. Maybe it was because there were less loose flakes, or the sun was peeping into the quarry and warming us up:
So all fired up, and after a sip of water Chris headed back to the line which caught his attention when we first rocked up. A ragged looking crack line that looked like it should go natural but was fully bolted. It didn’t look too bad but as he started up it was obvious that once again looks were deceiving:
He perceived taking his time and resting whenever possible, finally getting to the top sounding exhausted but happy and thoroughly enjoying the line. It wasn’t I lowered him that we noticed that the line was overhanging by some three meters, a bit of a sign of why it was so tricky. But it wasn’t till I got on it that I really understood, the holds felt slope and it kept you off balance for a lot of the time. A great line and lead:
The sun was beating down now so we wandered over to look at a few other lines in the shade A few other people had been playing on one climb earlier in the morning. They had to bail and rap down to get their gear so we guessed it was tricky, but looking at it is didn’t look appealing. So I went for the great looking open book corner that has a superb looking line of thin flakes up the guts of it. The line was pumpy and sustained, with a great thin finish which I felt I was about to slip off at any moment. We both loved the line and were starting to get to like the place more and more.
It was really starting to warm up as the clock was heading towards midday, so only a quick stop for a bite to eat before we went for the next line. This one looked the least intimidating of the lot so far but was in full sun, a mixture of short walls and slabs proving to be yet another fun line. Yes there is finally a photo of me, heading up after Chris led it:
I had spied a great looking line, a thin flake up a steep face but it was in full sun and after one climb in the sun we decided it wasn’t the best move. With not much left in the shade we went back to the line that hadn’t looked that appealing to us and which we had seen the other people bail on. It was my lead so I went for it, a steep and strange line which was technical with no rests. I managed to get most of the way up before my strength was gone. Even after a rest I slipped off the next move making it the first led fall of the day! One more bash and I get through with arms screaming out:
Chris got to the same spot and then fell, it took a bit of working but he got the last moves. This image gives an idea of the steepness of the wall and amount of energy left in both of us by now. So once Chris came down we decided that would be it for the day, but not until I went back up the line and got it clean on top-rope:
It was only coming up to 2pm so plenty of day light left and people were still climbing. It was surprising to see how many people were coming and going all day, but being so close to Perth why wouldn’t you grab a few hour sot get a climb in. Still we had been climbing for some 8hrs and really enjoyed it, knowing that there were other lines we liked to the look of making a return trip sometime worthwhile:
Couldn’t resist ending with this one, it was not an uncommon sight. The amount of holds that were being held on by glue was quite amazing, none from what we could see where actually placed and glued, but many were glued in to make sure they stayed put. I’ve seen this practise used at a few places in my climbing time but have to say it is probably the most amount of glue I have ever seen used at any crag. Still it is quarry climbing with bolts so why not glue as well eh, and in saying that there were some stonking lines and the place was well worth the trip:
Sandbagged 