Nowra - July 2019

Nowra is always a revelation, it is a clash with the reality of hard climbing. A reality check that can either motivate you to get stronger and come back for more, or be completely humiliated and go home with your tail between your legs –demoralised, spanked and finished. Forever polarising, it can be your worst nightmare and the best experience in your life all at once and utterly depending on how the wind blows and how good your breakfast was in the morning. Were the bagels just right, was the toast crisp enough and the eggs oh yes they make a big difference. Other than that youth, ape-factor, height, raw power and strong believe can be a big factor as well. So this is Nowra, it will bring out the best in you and the worst all at once in tidal wave of emotions – at once humbling and sublimely enlightening and at other times  will leave you helplessly dangling at the end of a rope – completely annihilated. This was our introductory trip for the next generation: Will, Andrew, Roman and Chris all found out what Nowra signifies to a generation of climbers whose heritage infuses the place with an aura that is as strong today as it was years ago when I chased my own dreams. Louise and Roman were there as guides for this rite-of-passage. It had been some twenty years since my last flogging at Nowra and the wounds were still raw, it was time for another bout and tough I was a little older, time was on my side and experience in my tool kid. Never mind, none of that really helped and Nowra was and still is the best hard place in Australia – period.

For this first trip to the old stomping ground, we wanted to get a tour of the whole place so we picked the three hardest and best places we could think of and spend one day in each location. Dayone was dedicated to the craglets along the amazing Bomaderry Creek area of North Nowra winding nicely along the river on both sides each side steeper than the next. We started our day by walking along the cliff line past the impressive steepness of Rosies towards our warm-up area Mortein Wall.

• Flood 18* was our wake up call with hard moves that we weren’t yet ready for. Things improved a little with the classic:

• Bitch Itch 20**  but we just could not walk past the immaculate smooth orange bulges of

• Jock Itch 23**  with some of the most aesthetic moves I have ever seen on rock. Pity about that last reachy crux. The moves are sublime and a little wandery with multiple possible solutions until the final traverse to the left ends in a perfect undercling. And then Nowra comes at you hard with a left hand sidepull to a diabolically long reach for a sloper, pump again and you are done but it’s tough and gut-wrenching. With our warm-up spanking done with moved over to the business section: Rosies. This is were a huge collection of hard classics waits. Chris through himself on the inviting shortness of

• Luscious Hooters 26*  with only 6 meters and 3 draws this became a classic lesson in Nowra spanking. A couple of shots and we moved right along.

• Space Cadet 26 was not much better and by now the place became a little crowded and the line that Roman Junior wanted to attempt was busy with some of our mates from Sydney.

• Frosty 29*** was taken. I decided to work on Mega Mac 25*** but realized very quickly that I was not ready for the crimpy start, after the first clip when the boys asked me if we should go somewhere else I gladly agreed and left with enough skin on my fingers to find a new project.

We moved across the river to South Central were thing are even steeper. It was afternoon by now and we needed to choose our projects carefully now. One route each is about all that is possible here:

• The Duralex Kid (25**)  Roman and Andrew threw themselves at this amazing line. Nice powerful moves on good holds get you to a half way rest of sorts. Then the crux lay-away is soul destroying. I could not work out a clean way of doing this move and ended up dynoing to a shallow two finger pocket, I stuck this only once and then had to dyno twice more to the chain. I was finished after attempt one.

• Aint’ No Sunshine (28***) this was Chris’s introduction to Nowra hardness – the moves are still desperate and taught a very good lesson that day. Hard to believe that this was free soloed.

• Dungeon Master (31***) Roman did not hesitate and went straight to the most intimidating line bunching straight through the enormous roof. Another good lesson. The long reachy start move shut him down but he cruised his way through the roof on two nice laps.
  It was pretty dark by the time we left and day one had been much more than we expected, Nowra was true to its legacy and we loved every moment of it. A quick trip through town to pick up a roast chicken and we were off to our rental house at Greenwell point with its quiet and serene surroundings. Showers, watching episodes of real rock the snacks tasted so good before dreams of tomorrow engulfed us.

Day Two dawned with windy conditions and we chose the protection offered by the Grotto Cliffline were the remarkable PC crag was waiting to be explored. Climbing down from the lookout it immediately became aware that there was not going to be any good warm-ups around at this steep crag. We spend a little bit of time searching left and right to connect to the other crags but don’t bother the bush bashing is too long and hard. Eventually, I found:

• Fukdifino (22*) which is a reasonably nice warm-up along a steep juggy overhanging flake to a rest at the top and the first anchor. There is an additional boulder problem at the top of this leading to a second anchor which is really nice and well worth doing.

• TriggaNigga (25***) probably the easiest of the many 25 here with a classic thin crimpy boulder sequence up high. Everybody had a crack at this hyper classic.  This was also Will’s route of choice and he valiantly threw himself at the high cruck. His wipers were record breaking and we witnessed some of the best big falls of the weekend.

• Bachelor’s Ball (25**) has a sloper cruck section to a good rest and potential kneebar. Followed by another crux rail to a good jug. Then very steep juggy climbing to the anchors.

• Thank you come again (25*)  this was Andre’s short crimp route of choice and he came so agonisingly close. Crimps from hell through a steep roof section. Yuck.

• Hard Candy (27***) Both Roman and Chris had a crack at this pocket monster with its final desperate heart-breaking dyno crux. Bleeding fingers meant it was time to move on.

• Turn your eyes insane (26***) Chris chose this dynamic route with a powerful lunge start to a good hold crossing the first roof. Then steep and pumpy climbing with a knee bar rest.

• Brother in a body bag (28***) Roman chose this monster and send it second shot in the fading light.
  

Day two finished with head-torches as we climbed our way up to the lookout and back into town. The Australian hotel did not deliver and we moved on to the local falaphel take away which melted in our mouths as we gleefully watched Adam Ondra strut his stuff on the big screen – dreaming of the next day. Day Three was our last day and we planned to spend it a Point Perpendicular but the wind gusts were particularly vicious and we decided on Tompsons Point instead. It was a good choice with high winds throughout the day even at Tompsons, were t. he gullies provided a welcome relieve. We started our warm-up on the classic

• Orca (18***) together with its brother Korca (18**) around the arête provide an excellent warm-up. We rushed quickly to put the first couple of draws on the classic piece-de-resistance:

• Cowboy Junkets (25***) probably the best and most photographic roof climb in Nowra with sublime horizontal moves from the very start. The crux start to get established was harder than I remembered. The reachy move to the lip was okay but my fingers were frozen solid for the reachy crux to the pocket. Both Chris and Roman sent quickly. Now it was Louise’s turn and she sent two very nice and tricky routes:

• Slab and Tickle (17*) along a balancy arête

• The Money or the Box (19**) slab followed by little roof above. It was getting increasingly windy and we still had the drive home ahead of us but there was still time to check out another area: The Pocketed Wall area.
  

• Je Baise Ma Frangine (21*) probably the spoogiest climb on this wall but it had a rope up so I could not help myself. Good moves lead to a dead stop, where a side pull reaches a far away crimp across acres of chalked up slopers. Tough and hard to read but the memory kept flooding back.

• Butts of Beef (25**) Andrew valiantly threw himself at this bouldery roof crossing with quite a reputation for butt-wipping. Difficult to clip second draw with groundfall potential so watch you butt.
  

• The Hustler (24***) this was perhaps the line of the weekend. After you pull through the thin headwall you are faced with a sea of jugs across an ocean of steepness. There is enough tricky moves to keep you guessing until the end but be aware of the rope drag it will get you right at the end when you try to clip the anchor. Oh so good….
  Meanwhile Roman had slipped away and got a belay on the notorious:

• Stone Roses (26***) with its hideous mono move and tendon tester.

It was blistering cold by now and the wind-chill factor didn't help, by 3pm with failing forearms we were desparate to get our numb finger tips out of the cold wind. Up the gully and a quick selfie and we were back on the Princes Highway heading for Sydney in the setting sun. A few snacks from the local petrol station and a coffee to keep me awake and we were on our way with a fist full of memories and some revengefull thoughts for next time. We will be back……………

Roman 6 July 2019