Innholdsfortegnelse for Autumn 2024 i Vertical Life

Vertical Life acknowledges that we live, work, recreate and climb on stolen land, and that sovereignty was never ceded. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians across Australia and Aotearoa, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We recognise the continuing connection of all First Nations peoples to Country and Culture across all lands and waterways since time immemorial, and reaffirm our commitment to reflection, reconciliation and solidarity. Issue #46 of Vertical life was printed on Wangal Country.…

WELCOME TO OUR LOCAL LORE COLUMN, WHERE WE DROP A PIN ON THE CLIMBING MAP AND ASK LOCALS TO GIVE US THE BETA. FROM LOCAL CLIMBING LEGENDS AND LORE TO MUST-DO-ROUTES AND HISTORICAL DEEP DIVES, WE’RE LETTING OUR FAVOURITE LOCALS LOOSE ON THESE PAGES TO TELL US HOW WE SHOULD BE SPENDING OUR TIME IN THEIR BACKYARDS. QUEENSLANDER KYLE ADDY TAKES US DEEP INTO THE CRACK CLIMBER’S PARADISE, FROG BUTTRESS, JUST IN TIME TO START PLANNING YOUR WINTER ROAD TRIP. “WHERE A HAND IN A CRACK IS LIKE A CRACK IN THE HEAD… YOU’LL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!”—STUART CAMPS Calm down, deep breaths. My heartbeat is deafening. I question the decisions that have led me to my current position. I am perched high on the flank of an open…

When it comes to sun hoodies, the Cormac is best described as a jack of all trades, master of none. Out of the six sun hoodies I own (I’m an addict), it doesn’t beat them at any particular trait, but it performs high enough in almost all of them that it’s often the one I grab. FIT: My pet peeves when it comes to climbing tops are sleeves that are too short and hems that untuck from my harness; thankfully the Cormac suffered from neither of these flaws. I found the Cormac to run a bit on the larger side (size L) with a more “flowy” cut, this combined with the “Atmos Heather” colour made me feel a bit like Timothée Chalamet in Dune. This felt very different from my…

As 2024 gets underway and any half baked January 1 resolutions are thankfully long forgotten, this issue of Vertical Life delves into different ways people chase their goals and what that means to them. New Year resolutions are often unrealistic. I mean, I’m not going to magically will myself into being unafraid of falling just because a new year has ticked over, or stop eating chocolate overnight (not with a multi-year addiction under my belt). But in this issue we look at the long process of doing something incredible. There are a lot of ambitions explored and processes unwound. Tom O’ Halloran writes about the seven years (yep, SEVEN YEARS!) he spent projecting what may be Australia’s hardest route, Hump of Trouble. By the time he sent it, he wasn’t…

Aussie mountaineer Allie Pepper is attempting to climb the world’s 14 highest peaks without supplemental oxygen in record time. Back in Australia for the summer to train and plan, she shares what happens off the mountain to keep momentum for 14 Peaks No o2. Namaste beautiful people! Greetings from the w, Gundungurra country. I am in between climbing seasons right now and it is a busy time for me. My 14 Peaks project is not only massive in terms of the mountains but it’s a mammoth project to fund. I have an entire team onboard helping me with that side of the project. It literally takes a team to achieve this dream, I cannot do it alone. Off the mountain here in Australia, I work with a business manager, a…

In May last year, a crew of slack-lining superstars rigged a record-setting new line in WA. Jeremy and Nick share the story—and the photos—of the mammoth team effort that made it happen. Grabbing the wheel and slamming the car door shut, I was ready to head south of Perth down the same familiar Forrest Highway. Except this time I was heading for a place only one of our crew had ever been—Forest Edge Recreation Camp, in Waroona, WA. I was headed there to be part of an attempt at what would be WA’s longest ever highline—an ambitious 520m affair. Essentially a school camp, the location was an unusual place to try and rig a highline, but it had all the right ingredients: steep hills with a clear valley below, camp…

IT WAS A DIFFERENT TIME WHEN MIKL LEARNT TO CLIMB AS A SCHOOLBOY. IT WAS A TIME BEFORE THE MODERN GEAR THAT WE KNOW AND LOVE TODAY MADE CLIMBING JUST THAT MUCH SAFER. BUT DESPITE BETTER HARNESSES, BELAY DEVICES AND PROTECTION, FUDDY DUDDY—THREE PITCHES, 95M, AND NOW GRADED 15–CONTINUES TO TERRIFY BLUE MOUNTAINS TRAD CLIMBERS TO THIS DAY. The following piece is an edited extract from Michael Law’s memoir, Law Unto Himself, Open Spaces Publishing, 2013. I’d guess the date was 1972, the highpoint of the modern climbing era, when John Croker and I stood beneath the awesome gash of “Fuddy Duddy”. From where we were it looked about two inches shorter than Everest, and would probably take a wee bit more huffing and puffing. My glorious leader, John Croker,…

While the Method S might share a name with Black Diamond’s original Method (the green ones), that’s just about all they share. The two are quite different shoes. How are they different? Well, if I had to guess what the “S” stood for in Method S, my money would be on “soft”. This shoe is the rubber-clad vision of climbing powerhouse Seb Bouin, brought to life by Greek resoling royalty George Vlahandreas (of Fixarock). FIT: The Method S is a moderately downturned, slightly asymmetrical shape, and undoubtedly high-volume shoe (especially through the forefoot and heel) with a tall toe box to accommodate more aggressive levels of toe curl from a performance fit. The first thing I did upon receiving the shoes was force everyone around me to try them on,…

This issue we say goodbye to reviewer Araminta McLennan, who we were lucky enough to have Reading, Watching and Listening her way through the finest climbing content she could find for the last two years. She is putting the pen down for a little while, to focus on preparation for outdoor adventures in Canada and the US. Sad though we are to see Minty move on, we are also excited to introduce new reviewer Daniel Butler, a Sydney-based trad climber and general outdoor enthusiast. Read FREEDOM OF THE HILLS BY THE MOUNTAINEERS Initially authored in 1960 by The Mountaineers, an American alpine club, the instructional book is a mainstay of the bookshelves of rock climbers and mountaineers worldwide. Referred to by Conrad Anker as “the definitive guide to mountains and…

RECORD-SETTING UK CLIMBER HAZEL FINDLAY HAS LONG BEEN WELL-KNOWN FOR HER BOLD ASCENTS. WITH AN INTEREST IN PSYCHOLOGY, SHE’S ALSO DUG DEEP INTO THE MENTAL GAME BEHIND PERFORMANCE. HAZEL’S KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE ARE GOLD FOR CLIMBERS AND ASPIRING CLIMBERS EVERYWHERE, AND WE ARE BEYOND THRILLED TO BRING YOU SOME OF HER INSIGHTS INTO HOW TO HONE YOUR OWN PERFORMANCE, ON ROCK AND IN LIFE. Vertical Life: You’ve always been known as a bold climber. How naturally did the psychological elements of climbing come to you, and how much did you learn as you went? Hazel Findlay: Because I started climbing when I was younger and my Dad mentored me I got a bit of a headstart with learning how to be comfortable on the wall. But people often don't know…

Climbing safety is everyone’s responsibility, and it’s something our editorial team are incredibly passionate about. Our Tale of Whoa column is our continued commitment to creating a culture of safety within our community. Last spring we introduced readers to Jacinda Boully, the brains behind Frog in Froq (pronounced “frock”)—an annual fancy dress trad climbing event at Frog Buttress. This issue, Louise Shepherd delves into a safety learning that happened to occur at that very event. On the weekend of August 20, 2023, Frog Buttress turned into a vertical fashion parade—albeit with all of the models wearing helmets. Classic lines were festooned with climbers wearing brilliant flowing dresses, op shop specials and homemade creations. Frog in a Froq, organised by a group of Brisbane trad queens, is an annual celebration of…

Climbing in summer can be a struggle, particularly for those with sweaty skin like myself. As if my tips weren’t bad enough after a 1-hour approach on a 30C day, I then add to the chaos by cracking open a thermos of scalding hot send juice (AKA coffee). Why do I do this? Because Wolfang Güllich said so! This leaves me with a few options. I could lug a Makita fan to the crag and drink my coffee in front of it, I could drink a tube of Antihydral alongside my coffee, or I could just brew some iced filter coffee and save myself a phone call with the Poisons Info Hotline. Some people also brew coffee the day before and leave it in the esky/fridge, but I find coffee…