1 / 1

Three beautiful trad climbs in Australia, with Mayan Smith-Gobat and Benjamin Rueck

The video of Mayan Smith-Gobat and Benjamin Rueck on three superb trad climbs in Australia: Kachoong (Mount Arapiles), Passport to Insanity (The Fortress) and Welcome to Barbados (Red Cave).

Planetmountain

July 2014

Traduci in

1 / 1

Benjamin Rueck climbing Kachoong, Mount Arapiles

adidas

Which are the most famous trad climbs in Australia? Hard to say, but one must certainly be Kachoong, that incredible roof at Mount Arapiles, first climbed in 1977 by Glenn Tempest and Kevin Lindorff and made world famous at the end of the '80's by the Uli Wiesmeier photo that immortalised German climber Stefan Glowacz and his solo ascent. A route which – like Separate Reality in Yosemite climbed a year later by Ron Kauk – is one of those that simply has to be climbed.

Another trad route in Australia that simply has to be climbed is Passport to Insanity at The Fortress. First climbed in 1974 by Keith Lockwood and Joe Friend and freed 12 years later by Nyrie Dodd, this marvelous hand crack leads to a roof that juts out for 10m and even leads downwards! A legendary route, slap bang in the middle of nowhere!

To conclude this short list of must-climbs, we cannot fail to mention Welcome to Barbados, the 50m roof at Red Cave in the Grampians. First ascended in 1993 by Malcolm Matheson, ground-up, trad and second go. Not bad for a route graded 29/8a! All three routes were recently rediscovered by Mayan Smith-Gobat and Benjamin Rueck.