I first met Krish, probably in 2008 or 09 which was the year I moved back to Bunbury after Uni. I had a little exposure to climbing, mostly top-roping at Churchmans Brook, bouldering at Blackwall Reach and indoor climbing at Rockface (sorry this isn’t about me is it).

I discovered the PCYC in Bunbury and quickly made an appearance down there. Here I found Krish very welcoming and encouraging, not just towards myself, but to any newcomer to the gym – anyone who went there would agree. Krish worked really hard to keep that place alive and he was definitely part of the energy that was felt there, and that we all miss now.

We managed to get outdoors a few times over that period but the real chance I got to form the relationship with Krish was our 5 day adventure to the South Coast with Rongy and Andrew. This opened my eyes to the humbling crags and also was my first real taste of a multi-day adventure on the rock and allowed me to form solid relationships with the three guys. It also exposed me to Krish’s incredible efficiency and planning. In the weeks leading up to the trip there were multiple emails with lists and spreadsheets, arranging the gear list and the ‘who-brings-what’ as well as our itinerary nailed!  

In 2016 Krish and I worked in the same building. This allowed us to indulge in weekly before-work visits to Welly Dam. We barely missed a week, rain, hail or shine and we got to see each other perform on good days, bad days and otherwise in all conditions – the routes stayed the same but the human dynamics are huge. I think this gave us a great opportunity not only to get fit together but to develop a good respect for each other on and off the rock.

Krish has indulged my little challenges I like to set myself, including my desire to get to a new crag each year. This has taken us off on a few weekend missions to new places where we’ve been able to work through the adventures that come along with entering new crags for the first time. Together we find a good balance of enthusiasm and ‘sensibleness’ so that we always make it out unscathed to climb another day.

What it’s like climbing with Krish: The obvious one is his incredible enthusiasm for the activity. It is hard not to get caught up in his immense passion for everything about climbing. He’s always up for challenges, adventures and diversity. Krish’s energy and efficiency is also something which I enjoy. I know when at the crag, we will maximise every minute which both suits my needs (having family life to return to) and gives me maximum enjoyment.

Krish also has a knack for reading peoples patterns and body language. He can tell when you are at certain limits in energy, confidence or otherwise and he throws just the right amount of ‘encouragement’ at you to make you try things you didn’t think you could. This may be calling out ‘come on’ while you are struggling at a crux or he may actually be physically clipping gear to your harness and tying your figure eight for you when you haven’t actually decided whether you are going to try the route or not!!

One thing I’m used to is looking down from the first few metres of a route and seeing the absence of a belayer… a quick glance to the nearest vantage point and there you’ll find him happily snapping away with his camera. Better yet, he may even rig up complex systems so that he can safely belay you from said vantage point!

That said, Krish has a very caring nature, he likes to ensure everyone’s needs are met. Sometimes to his detriment, he cares too much and will take it personally if things don’t go particularly well at the crag. You can see this in the way he sticks by people who have suffered injury like Lou and Steve, Krish checks in regularly and helps wherever he can. Lastly, his ability to capture the ‘vibe’ of a climbing trip and present it in a story is impressive and I’ve enjoyed reading about his adventures (even the ones I’m not on) and look forward to many more.

If you are keen click on this link to find out what Kym said about me.  While not essential reading to find out about Kym, there may be some cross referencing in my words about him.

When Lisa and I went for a walk one day we stumbled across the zawns at Smiths Beach, actually I might have driven there directed the walk in that direction on purpose because of rumours I’d heard.  I was gobsmacked, how could this location have gone unnoticed.  Well it hadn’t Kym had already put up a line of two and my first introduction to Kym was via emails about this location.  We never climbed here together and it took close to two years before we finally got out on rock, this was at Moses Rocks and we put up Rude Awakening.  Since then I feel like I have become a part of Kym and his family, when picking him up for a trip out his daughter Tess wouldn’t let us go until I had done some art or read a book or two with her:

On our return Tess and her mum Meg would have done some baking so it would be time for a cup of tea an cake.  His second daughter Claire is equally lovely, as is Beau who by no fault of his own put them through some stressful times during his first year.  In fact Kym and Meg are troupers who seem to cut through challenges together and have always come out the other side ready to carry on with a positive attitude.  Kym is as passionate about rock as I am, I would dare say even more so.  Always keen to explore and find new locations.  Occasionally our rock finding missions wouldn’t have a lot of climbing, but we did get to some great locations.  Kym is very caring and considerate, I would even say he is selfless even when it comes to climbing offering up those elusive first ascents to others when he has bolted a new line:

While I have done a bit of bouldering, it’s not really what I enjoy.  But Kym has an energy about him that is hard not to get caught up in.  Any and every line is great, worth the time and effort, no progression goes unnoticed and he encourages people like no other.  It’s almost like he is living the experience that whoever is climbing is actually having.  He loves the classics and we’ve climbed some epic routes together, but his real desire is continually searching for something new to try.  Definitely not afraid of pushing himself and he will work a route like no one else I’ve seen no matter how steep, exposed or sustained:

He moved down to Albany a few years back, it was a great move for him and his family and they are doing really well there.  To be honest they are the sort of family that would make the best of any location and situation.  But what Albany does have is endless rock and endless untouched rock.  And where he is located it is practically on his doorstep.  Every week Kym manages to find a new boulder or a new possible crag, he’s always putting up first ascents whether boulder problems, sport routes or gnarly trad.  Even when he says to me that he isn’t really feeling it, the next day I’ll get a message about some impressive new route or problem he’s completed.  I’ve not been down to Albany half as many times as I should have, not just to climb but also to say hello to the family:

But when I have we have gone hard, whether classic routes at the Mount Gibraltar or new ascents on amazing crags.  Not only Kym but the local Albany crew are very welcoming and I’ve been taken to many a new location and offered up the sharp end on new projects.  The days can’t start early with a young family, but once we are out we keep going until our arms are busting, legs are jelly and our finger tips are tingling.  While he has all this energy and passion for climbing he still manages lots of quality time with his family for whom he would do anything, and is also studying full time and impressively smashing that out.  Kym is without doubt the most driven person I climb with, but is also capable of changing the pace to match whoever he is climbing with:

I think it was around 2010 that I got a tip off from a friend who was looking for surf breaks and spotted a small cliff at Smiths Beach in the South West. I put a post up on the Climbing Association of Western Australia website, asking if anyone had done any climbs there. Shortly after I received an email from Krish who was keen to put some time into developing it. I hadn’t met him yet and only heard of him through a local climbing instructor, Mick, who told me that he was a bit of a trad climbing beast.

I hadn’t been rock climbing all that long and I could tell straight away from the email that he had the sickness for putting up new routes. Before I knew it he had snaked all of my projects at Smiths and uploaded a mini-guide of the area. It was obvious this bloke didn’t muck around.

The first time we actually climbed together was at Moses Rock. He took the first lead on a brand new route and I could tell he was fairly experienced. Unfortunately I did notice tri-cams on his rack which had me a little concerned, was this a sure sign of boldness? It seems that it was. He survived all those scary English crags as well as outback Australia and isn’t scared of flaring cracks, choss or runouts. We topped out on “Rude Awakening” and established a handful of new lines that day. Over the next few years we climbed loads of South West classics and sniffed out new routes around Smiths Beach, Welly Dam and of course Willyabrup including establishing a whole crag.

Krish has no problem taking the lead if you aren’t up for it and is always in high spirits. His psyche is infectious and it’s hard to find anyone more stoked on climbing than he is. I feel privileged to have met him, his friends and his family. Krish is one of the most genuine people I’ve known and he’s taught me many things about climbing (and life).

Since I live in Albany now we don’t climb together as often as we once did but when we do it’s usually pretty exciting, especially when we rack up at the base of a new route on the South Coast to try for some on-sight glory. Sometimes we get it and other times we get our arses kicked, but every time we try hard.  Here’s to many more great days out on the rock mate stay psyched! 

If you are keen click on this link to find out what Lou said about me.  While not essential reading to find out about Lou, there may be some cross referencing in my words about her.

Lou emailed me in the early days asking about days that the PCYC were open.  She would come along with Jake (Gino) her husband and daughter Ella who was just a year or so older than Elseya.  At times the girls would be off playing on the other equipment while we climbed or cracked on with a busy bee.  From the early days Lou was one of the crew, she enjoyed climbing but loved the social side of it all.  The PCYC was perfect for providing both sides in equal balance.  We have been out many times and I think it is reasonable for me to say that while she is more than capable, she has never been a confident leader.  She is also one of the late starter people, trying to convince her to get out early really is a waste of time:

Put her on bolts and her confidence goes up, and while she says she likes trad there have been many a time when she has not had the confidence in the most bomber pieces.  Some routes I’ve seen her stack five pieces within a meter or two, claiming none are any good when in fact they are all great.  She can however climb, she is very fit and active and despite her whinging at our weekly evening boulder sessions she can pull off the hard moves when others flail.  She’s also followed me up some solid routes, and I can recall taking her to Smiths Beach when the swell was up.  Despite raging white waters below her she was still focused and climbed well.  I’ve always tried to encourage Lou to go for it, and her finest moment came from when without any prompting she decided that she liked the look of an unclimbed wall:

Climbing a first ascent on sight with no prior inspection is impressive, you really have no idea what to expect.  It felt out of character for her but she went for it and even when she came across a large loose handhold still held it together and worked round it.  So became New Kids on the Block.  While it wasn’t her hardest lead, it was her most impressive moment on rock and showed an ability to trust her gear and focus on the route.  Lou has never really liked camming devices, a bit like me in my early years.  She would rarely place them and this was to her detriment when she should have and took a nasty fall that put her out of action for a very long time.  She’s been unable to truly shake that experience and while she still climbs, she is even more nervous leading now than ever:

We’ve certainly given it a go and she says she’s keen to get back on the horse, but it is slow going and she manages to find other distractions.  With long breaks in-between it feels like each time we go out she is back to basics, there is a need to go through the process of relearning the art of trad.  She is still an active member of our crew and loves the social side, as such she is better suited to being out there in a group.  Fitness wise she is still strong and comes to our boulder sessions, at which she will still pull it out of the bag.  The hard part is finding a morning when she can get outdoors, as study and work consumes most of her time, brain power and drive:

The best time to grab her is in-between uni semesters, but these periods are not long enough and too far apart to rebuild that confidence.  So Lou will forever be the student and will continue to get out occasionally, it’s just at a relaxed and enjoyable pace with plenty of banter.  She is also the one that puts forward the most ideas for social nights, with theme meals that will bring out the diehard climbers as well as the occasionals and tag-alongs, and all of our partners and kids.  She’ll continue to boulder, socialise and occasionally get out on rock, and at the end of the day as long as you enjoy the moment that is all that counts.

Like majority of the climbing mob, I first met Krish at the PCYC around 8 years ago now. My initial contact was through the CAWA networking forum where Krish reached out and invited myself, husband Jake and daughter Ella to jump on the PCYC top ropes in a freezing gymnasium. We had only really climbed at Arapiles, as beginners and enjoyed it. After moving west, climbing was a great way to meet new people. It’s been 8 years of great mateship with this crew now.

Krish wouldn’t be the first to take me outdoors in the South West, the introduction to coastal climbing came from PK, who was the first to throw me on trad. Terrified, I loved it and soon after, I nagged my way onto the great traditional climbing crags of the South West with Krish as teacher, who would really show me how trad climbing could open up a great form of competitive, mindful sport.

Krish is right, I love my sport and the physical challenge, I’m competitive regardless of whether I appear or sound confident, and with Krish pushing limits, I quickly fell in love with hardware… all except cams! Krish’s excitement is hilarious. He really gets excited by climbing, you can really see how energised climbing makes Krish. Its motivating.

My favourite trad climbing session was an outing to Wilyabrup, where I mastered Sirius. Not a high trad grade but a gnarly traversing route, I remember Krish being all like, ‘you’ll be right just get on with it girl an do it…’ and I did. He likely used other pom vernacular, which I likely didn’t understand, followed by dad jokes about farts… There’s always dad jokes.

But I climb less and less, with study occupying a great deal of my free time, and my other passion of rugby union following a close second, I haven’t spent much time on the rock. When I do head out, it is with Krish and often his wife and dear friend Lisa, as one can sit in a good space of being challenged and enjoy the climbing, but also climb safe; it feels very much like going back to basics with each fleeting opportunity I get now.

When I first met Krish I recall he was not accustom to group climbing, or social anything! But I’ve seen him soften over time and really enjoy the shared loved of climbing in a social context, be it bouldering or a session at Welly Dam for a celebration with plenty of tea, plenty of food and a lot of banter. Its pretty neat to be able to just rock up with this mob and climb and just enjoy the challenge, the company and Krish’s bad dad jokes…

If you are keen click on this link to find out what Mikey said about me.  While not essential reading to find out about Mikey, there may be some cross referencing in my words about him.

Mikey moved over to Queensland soon after we really got to know him, and it took an age before I headed out on rock with him again.  That all changed when I happened to luck on a trip for a conference to Brisbane.  I tagged on an extra few days allowing me to be taken to Frog by Mikey and Helen.  It was lovely for me to be able to rock up to their place and for them to organise all the camping and climbing gear!  We headed to Frog and he promptly suggested climbs for me to try, again an unusual situation for me.  It was a great trip and cemented our friendship:

On the first day at Frog I did my usual of maximising the time there, encouraging Mikey to bag one more route before we packed up.  On a couple of routes Mikey looked like he was going to give up and sit in his harness, which I simply couldn’t allow.  Each time with lots of encouragement he pushed through and bagged the clean ascent.  This probably stems from the people he had been climbing with not being very strong or confident.  Mikey however is a very good and safe climber and has many of the traits his brother Howsie has.  In those days a little encouragement proved that.  The second day he was sore but we still soldiered on for half a day:

After this trip we would catch up every time he came back to visit family.  I’ve never seen Mikey rattled, and he always seems happy.  Days out with him are often filled with laughs.  He has an air of being relaxed and carefree about climbing, and there isn’t quite the same intensity about him as there is with Howsie.  He did however set himself the 10,000m challenge, and as such was keen to find as many lines as possible to lead cleanly.  This meant our trips out had a slightly greater sense of urgency about them, with the challenge set to be completed by the time he turned 30.  In taking this challenge he got to see more of the south west crags than many a local climber has, always in search of leads he hadn’t attempted or led clean before:

He certainly has a lot of stamina, I would belay him up the routes and often start seconding up before I was on belay.  There was no dilly-dallying on these days.  Once I got to the top he would be heading back down as soon as possible to jump on the next lead.  His drive and energy seemed endless and there were only a couple of routes that spat him off, and I’m willing to guess that it was more from fatigue than ability.  Mikey was also the one to find the best way to top out on Savage Sausage Sniffer at Welly Dam, above, and the hold is still called the Mikey pinch to this day.  It did however surprise me to find out after the every last route of his challenge that the grade 18 line was the hardest trad line he had climbed:

It must be something in the Howe blood but Mikey and Helen have also had two boys, Rupert and Bryn.  So these days he doesn’t get out climbing quite as much, either back home or over here, but whenever he pops over for a visits we still try to get out at least once.  I think he has got used to me offering up the leads and even on the last trip out I got him to lead everything.  Without a mission to drive him and having a young family to spend more time with, he must have lost a bit of his stamina as he had to down climb the last route of the day to shake out before polishing it off.  That said he is always good value when you head out, and I feel lucky that the Howe boys still invite me to tag along:

Krish and I met first at the PCYC when I was back in Bunbury in 2011. The first time I really got to have a proper climb with him was when he came over to Queensland and we ventured down to Frog Buttress.

Since then I have since been climbing with Krish just about every time I get back to WA. When I was attempting my 10,000m challenge Krish was an ideal belayer. He was almost always available, keen for many early starts, knew the climbs like the back of his hand (so had the itinerary planned out before we got there) and had climbed them all before (so was happy for me to lead everything).

Krish has been pivotal in getting me up my hardest leads on trad. He has any inherent ability to convince me that a climb is within my abilities when I myself am not so sure.

I am sure many will agree that his desire for the perfect photo can sometimes go a bit far. For me this was most notable on the final 8m of my 10,000m challenge when he rerouted and extended the belay by about 12m to a ledge that was higher than the climb I was doing. While I still sent the climb the rope drag made the crux a bit more intense.

If you are keen click on this link to find out what Nana said about me.  While not essential reading to find out about them, there may be some cross referencing in my words about these four people.

Gav and Moni used to come down the PCYC, and it was a while before we got to meet the other half of the Stewart Clan, Geoff and Nana.  While I have climbed with just two of the four at times, in most cases the four will arrive as a car load.  They all have busy lives with many other interests and climbing is just one.  After the PCYC closed we did on occasion cram into a single car and head to the wall that used to be in Dunsborough.  But the preference, when possible, is always to be outside.  They have all had a go at leading, although Moni (above) is probably the least drawn to climbing.  I’ve never pushed these guys too hard, well maybe Gav once or twice.  With them it is best to just go with the flow and enjoy being out there:

They live a stone throw away from each other in Peppy Beach, and when we moved to Peppy ourselves I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Geoff and Nana (above and below) had a boulder wall.  I would pop over there and be greeted by Angus’s howling and bowled over by Maverick (their dogs).  Short and fun routes are the go for this crew, while they have climbed at numerous places Castle Rock or the Bookshelf offer the most social and chilled climbing locations.  Below Nana is popping her leading cherry and did so with a bang as she took a lead fall.  Geoff and Nana were there when Lou took her bad fall, and we had many a chat about this and in showing their character it didn’t put them off and they still get out:

Gav (below) is strong and has a lot of stamina, he can pull through the hard parts as long as there is some good gear nearby.  He is probably the most fearless at leading, going in all serious and concentrated but when he pulls off “the move” you can see a grin start to emerge across his face and he relaxes into it.  I have at times pushed him close to the edge, but I’m pleased to say he has always come out unscathed.  I reckon Nana comes in second for determination.  She gets super intense and focused.  More so during out boulder sessions, but on occasion on rock too.  This can get to a point where she gets frustrated if she can’t do something, and while she realises it doesn’t help it is a hard trait to shake.  Funnily enough she is also the person most likely to go for the worse possible handhold available:

Moni will be happy to do a couple of climbs and then kick back enjoy the surroundings and company, she’s like Lisa in that regard.  Very chilled and easy going and she brings a relaxed feel to the group.  Geoff enjoys the challenge but I’ve never seen him go hard, in part as he has to be careful as he unfortunately stuffed his shoulder while building his boulder wall!  It’s a great mix of personalities, strengths and weaknesses.  Get them together and there is always a fun time to be had.  They are happy for early starts and going to new places.  Being a social bunch they can easily be swayed by the suggestion, usually by Glen, of a pit stop on the way back.  Although that is probably more the boys, at the thought of a cold one, than the girls:

While we don’t get out climbing too much these days we do keep in touch a lot.  While they are busy people with plenty of other things to distract them, what with living in Peppy, one of those distractions is the deep blue.  This summer has been particularly impressive out in the ocean and they have taken Lisa and I to some new spots on our local beach that have blown our minds.  So with this crew it is not just the climbing and bouldering that bring us together, it is also the snorkelling, gardening, Moni’s massages and of course general socials and catch-ups to check in and see how we are going, nearly always with a pot of tea on the go:

This is what Nana had to say:

Well the first thing I would like to say, is my life would not have been very satisfactory if it weren’t for the likes of Gav and Moni introducing us to the mysterious and exciting world of climbing.

There are two stages in the timeline but I can’t say which came first. But we met you through Gav and Moni either at the indoor gym or outdoors. First impressions never really tell you much about a person, but when I met you, I felt that I was privileged to have met “The Guru” of the climbing world in the south west.

I remember a time, that I stupidly failed to advise you that you had back clipped and then mentioned it later. Well that day I learned from the guru that You Must Always Speak Up!! I let my lack of experience get the better of me and thought I was probably not experienced enough to warn such an avid climber that he had made a boo boo!! Lesson learned!!

Although we have not been out on the real rock much of late, we have loved hanging out with you and Lisa in your shed. Hanging precariously from a terrible hold that I notoriously seem to pick every time we play the follow game.

You have also managed to succeeded in the fine art of colour correction for my perfect cup of tea, and that’s what true friendship really is.

I will finish this with one fond memory out at Castle Rock. My first lead and I took a fall and didn’t find it scary at all. I knew with you encouraging me from above I had the ability to power on. This was a wonderful experience I will forever be grateful for, so thank you.

From meeting you, I then met your beautiful wife whom is one of my bestest friends in the world… so you deliver full package of awesomeness.

If you are keen click on this link to find out what Rongy said about me.  While not essential reading to find out about Rongy, there may be some cross referencing in my words about him.

Rongy is the person that I have probably had some of my more my epic adventures.  For example, it was with Rongy that we got to climb in the zawn at Moses rocks with a beach at our feet as shown above.  The only time in fifteen years of going there that I have seen that.  He is the first person to build a boulder wall to keep fit, it was insanely steep and felt punishing to most of us.  Not surprisingly he became and still is very strong and climbs in an extremely solid and confident manner.  While he will at times need to assess what lies ahead, usually once he starts moving you know he has a plan.  He’s analysed the situation and figured out what he needs to do to break through:

While I have been to Bluff Knoll on several occasions it is only with him that I have actually succeeded in getting up it.  Although admittedly on other occasions the weather had beaten us back.  With such confidence on rock and an ability to work things out relatively quickly and safely he became unafraid of pushing limits.  Both in difficulty of climbing and also exposure, he has a mantra that you only give up when you fall off, there is no sitting back in the harness if you haven’t tried.  Not surprisingly by the time we went on our South Coast trip, unlike Andrew, he already had a load of leading experience under his belt and it showed in some of the leads he pulled off:

Being single at the time and with a lust for big adventures it was easy for him to focus on climbing and pursued that with a relentless passion.  He planned to travel and climb, it took a number of false starts but he eventually fulfilled his dreams and visited epic spots in Australia, China and Europe.  His diversity of climbing skills were boosted and he clocked up impressive numbers.  All this worldly travel gave him a new perspective on life, as all true travel should, he was however still single and very focused.  During this time we hatched a plan to head to the Blue Mountains:

This trip was jam packed with climbing, we scoured numerous locations and climbed and climbed and climbed.  Quite literally until my fingers bleed.  Rongy however hardily showed a scratch!  Compared to me he has these thick fingers with pads that hardly sweat and never wear out.  I’ve yet to find out his secret.  Hardly ever using chalk he is still able to stick small smeary holds on sweaty days.  You might now be surprised to hear that Rongy does have a couple of other passions. One being marine life, he’s always had aquariums both through work and personally.  Every so often a tank would need a shake up and he would have us collect rocks to create new underwater habitats and haul them out with tired legs after a trips out:

His other passion was rally driving, not something that I’ve personally witnessed although he did show off a few skills on some of the dirt roads we have had to use.  However, life changes and Rongy found Alana, Katie and Ben.  Since these days the trips out still occur only less frequently.  He’s finding a balance that works, but like me climbing is important to maintaining a healthy mind and outlook on life.  As such Alana has come to realise that if Rongy doesn’t get out climbing a shadow starts to creep over his general mood.  For Rongy he’s got it bad, climbing is in his blood and once it gets in there it is near impossible to shake: