BRC BLUE MOUNTAINS TRIP 2017

2017 culminated for the Brisbane Rockclimbing Club with an 8 day trip to the Blue Mountains (‘the Blueys’), in NSW. With over 3000 climbs across 50+ crags, the greatest problem with climbing at the Blueys is having enough time to climb everything that you want to try!

There was certainly no shortage of exceptional climbing on this trip and, with the weather turning on some beautiful days throughout our stay, there were very few rest days happening! With an ample array of trad, sport and multipitch climbing across a huge variety of grades, there was certainly something for everything on the Blueys trip!

From the variety of Mt York and Shipley Upper to the cruisy options at Bardens Lookout and the Soft Parade – and let’s not forget the memorable multipitches – the BRC certainly made the most of their time in the Blue Mountains!

Some of the multi-pitch highlights were ‘Bunny Bucket Buttress‘ (270m, 8 pitches, grade 18), ‘Sweet Dreams’ (120m, 6 pitches, grade 14) and, ‘Hotel California’ (350m, 10 pitches, grade 22). There were too many great climbs to mention, including some pumpy roof climbing that really put our climbers to the test. Thankfully there were some triumphant moments as climbers conquered their personal projects and also delivered some fantastic onsites at very respectable grades!

The Blue Mountains is abundant with amazing views and locations and although exposure was certainly a prominent feature at many of the more lofty locations, there were also some beautiful crags which offered less confronting surrounds.

New Year’s Eve was celebrated with a communal BBQ and some rock climbing trivia which tested everyone’s knowledge and skills! And the New Year’s Day tradition of climbing at Dam Cliffs was continued with some sublime sendage – including a procession of climbers on ‘Wet Feet’, a traverse above water which is impressive to watch and challenging to master (especially when all eyes are on you!)

All in all, the Blue Mountains turned on beautiful weather and some amazing locations which delighted all who attended. There were plenty of beautiful moments to be celebrated, but definitely enough challenges to bring us back again in the future!