Torched Quickdraws, failed redpoints and good times.

 Explosive quickdraws? Onya Nowra

Nowra home to some of Australia’s most physical and hard sport climbing has never been a place of inspiration to me… still isn’t. Yet what it lacks in exposure, beauty and awe it makes up for in intensity, aggressiveness and power. Short hard climbing typifies Nowra and it has always shut me down. Till this trip my experiences at Nowra were really only limited to two days at a time, on three different occasions. A trip to Rockhampton for Uni pracs and some mates from Tassie (Jed, Claire and Bec); heading up this way where the catalyst for the winter escape.

CJ and Anna were also up here and it was a good but brief catch up with a friend Merry before he shot off to North America. Rain had us kept at South Central (dirty, steep and chalked to the shitter) the first two days, which I was pretty physched on because a mate Wayneo had been talking up Ain’t no Sunshine 28 which lies here. The first day went just as expected, getting shut-down! I couldn’t get up my second warm-up route of the day kept whipping and then bailed on it when someone told me it was called Bag of Sand (sandbagging is to intentionally mislead someone as to the difficulty of a climb ie. putting a sand bag weight on someone). The next few routes came a little easier and then Ain’t no Sunshine it felt super hard and I got to the top once in three tries on the route I also tried Brown Badge but couldn’t even get off the ground on that, literally! So all in all day one went according to plan, pitches, pain, pump. Jed cooked bean burritos for dinner which was super yum.

Day two was a little slower warming up on some of the routes of the previous day and then a few runs on Ain’t No Sunshine my third try of the day felt pretty good linking the start to about half the route before coming off, the fourth try was a burn out and fatigue meant coming off and calling it a day. CJ had some pretty rad shots on it too and Bec can destroy the start so when we are rested and the sun is shining there may be some sendage. Day three meant rest and study so I visited the Nowra library, to do some course work for Nutrition. Jed, Bec and Claire groan every time I open my mouth because inevitably I quote some fact from my studies to try solidify it in my head. Unless of course it something that might help there climbing, but mostly it’s us driving between crags and me talking about blood components or cardiac cycles.

I spent my third day in the Nowra library studying and resting, I cooked two currys for dinner a Saag Aloo and a Black Bean curry with popadoms and chutney, not bad. We hit up the classic Thompson’s Point the next day everyone was psyched and crushing. I managed Cowboy Junkies second go and very nearly got Top one Thommo second try after bolt to bolting it on my first. Came back and did it next day. Then more rest and another day in the library, and Jack Jane cooked up a winner meal the entrée was blanched broccoli with boccacini lightly salted n peppered delicious! We started the day at The Grotto and pulled down on Worm on a Razor then Sheriff of Nothing then headed back to South Central so I could try redpoint Ain’t no Sunshine unfortunately the four days since I had been on it last meant I had lost the smoothness of movement required for me to efficiently climb it. A trip to Albion Park to visit Kerryn’s mum and her partner was a sweet interlude, great to sleep in a real bed and get fed like a king. Treated to a full roast dinner, thai for lunch and tuna mournee pies I felt rested and psyched for the next day.

Three coffees some serious psyche tunes I was up for crushing! Everyone else was resting so I trained it back to Nowra and got a belay of Jack Jane bolt to bolted to find the 5th draw a little worse for wear! Going for the redpoint I calmly cruised to the last few moves, then I guess I forgot to switch on hard mode and laimed the last few big moves. I threw myself at it for the rest of the day having some good tries especially after a big rest and walk out to a café for a coffee! With the last day looming I convinced the others to come back to climb near South Central. It was a tragedy, I was spent couldn’t even get up the warm-up clean and had to redpoint it! Slowly things got better I nearly onsighted Mega Mac and then did it second go feeling a little better but a lot more psyched I decided to have one last try at ANS it was close real close but no cigar and I was shoving gear in my pack and getting to the train station to catch my ride to Sydney. A good night with some cold beers talking trash with my mate Ollie in Sydney and an early start to catch my plane to Rockhampton for uni brought my Nowra trip to an end. Looking back it was a great trip, lots of pitches and great company. Now im sitting in a rotunda at Central Queensland Uni surrounded by palm trees, the sun is shining and I’m waiting for the lab to open up so we can cut things up!