March 2024 Candy Mountain
Date: March 16, 2024
Location: Candy Mountain, Mt Tibrogargen
Last Saturday our merry party of 12 met up to climb some rock at Candy Mountain. Unperturbed by the forecast rain and threatening cloudy skies we had an awesome day at the crag, sending one route after another and sharing in the deep satisfaction of climbing progress amongst the crew, from new and old members alike.
The Crag
Candy Mountain is a great little crag at the base of the mighty Mt Tibrogargan. With short sport climbs ranging from grades 11 to 20, it’s an excellent introduction to outdoor climbing and great for those wanting to build confidence on top rope or go next level and start leading. It’s also a personal favourite of mine, for the shady afternoon vibes, meaning you don’t need to be up at the crack of dawn to avoid the sun, and can still enjoy a lazy weekend sleep in and have a full day of climbing in relative shady comfort.
Thrill of the Day
New member to the club and new to outdoor climbing, Sophie was impressively smashing out all the climbs, literally! Sophie rescued a loose centuries old chunk of volcanic granite rock and brought it back down safely to ground, possibly adding a grade to the climb? This was a handy reminder to always wear your helmet whilst climbing and belaying. Mt Tibrogargen is often known for chossy routes and loose rock can be tumbled from Multipitch climbers above. It was also a surprise to see nature loving photographer Marisa let out a scream when a beautiful Golden Orb spider was keenly spotted nearby.
Climbers Milestones
It was a joy to watch Mikey and Ale, both after a little break from climbing, brush away the cobwebs and return to lead climbing with vigor. The catch cry for the day was OndAle OndAle!
Lessons Learnt
Scotty Does ‘Shave for a Cause’ with his new baldy top took on mentor role as he showed Sophie the ropes on how to lead climb and lead-belay. Sophie did a perfect mock lead climb and got to experience the actions of leading while in the safety of a top rope set up. Scotty demonstrated how to correctly clip a fixed hanger, and also pointed out some bad habits belaying with a Gri Gri.
Trip report wrap-up
Our 3rd trip for the year was a great success. Newest members got to venture out onto real rock, whilst others got to practice and hone there climbing and leading skills with the fun and camaraderie of our merry crew of crushers. There was no whip of the day, because everyone was just too good!
As always, we can't wait for more adventures with you all! Let's catch up by the rocks real soon!
Happy climbing,
Brisbane Rockclimbing Club
