Climbing Ozymandias at Mt Buffalo! - STAN'S WEEKLY ADVENTURES (Ep. 10)

Got on one of my favourite routes at Mt Buffalo Ryan. Good times!
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[@robertkellick9185]

Well done boys

[@cravingkarst]

Killer video!

[@RooDavis]

Brilliant Stan, not just the climb, but the way you filmed and produced it. Love it

[@fitbystan]

Thanks Roo! Hope you guys are well!

[@cindyhenderson2452]

So cool Stan

[@fitbystan]

Thank you! It was a great day out!!

[@finlaysedgman9129]

Beautiful

[@fitbystan]

Thank you!

[@getoutdoors8868]

Whoa - Stan another ascent - I hope you picked up your cam that you left up there 😀. Great clip and plug for Wadonga Tafe

[@fitbystan]

Thanks Bewsy! I found my Cam!! Hope you're well!!

[@davidrainbow370]

Fuck Stan ....unbelievable. You should have your own sbs etc show! You can do it all. Sorry for the swear word but couldn't help it. David.

[@fitbystan]

Hahah thanks David!!

[@Aout_44]

Bro I was just abseiling with my school there

[@fitbystan]

Yeeww!

[@gregkelly7692]

Great video one my favourite places in Australia mt buffalo and nth East vic in general is beautiful summer or winter. Great memories of staying in tatra lodge on a full moon night. Climbing cathedral and horn . Hope to do ozymandias one day but definitely need more geat

[@fitbystan]

That's Awesome Greg! Mt Buffalo is a special place. Hopefully you get to experience Ozy one day!!

[@enjii]

I've come back to this a few times now. Any tips for this adventure? Anything you would bring/leave behind for a 2nd go? Still a while away till I'll be aid climbing but this is very much on my own pantry wall.

[@fitbystan]

Epic! Glad it's been useful. I've done it a few times now, a few useful things for the route. RESOURCES: - Check out Max Beta's trip report: circus-maximus.blogspot.com/2006/01/ozymandias-cheats-beta.html This is the first thing I read before doing it the first time, gives you a more detailed description RE gear etc. - Also,Chris McNamara's "How to Big Wall Climb". This is one of the best resources I've seen online to quickly see, learn and understand some Big Wall/Aid specific skills: www.supertopo.com/a/How-To-Big-Wall-Climb-Table-of-Contents/a139n.html PRACTICE: - Practice wise, if you head to a local crag, set up a TR solo, or get belayed up with your partner you can practice the process of aid climbing and get used to the skills. And RE hooks/RPs/Small Gear etc you can walk along the bottom of crag (ideally, somewhere that isn't a climbing area incase you break off holds), place small gear and hooks and then bounce on them to understand what they'll hold, this is good psychologically. Also, don't look up as you bounce test gear. Wear a helmet and keep you eyes forward so you don't get a piece of gear popping you in the face! - Go until you're comfortable and get your head around the systems (hauling, lower out, jumaring, etc etc) and then get on it. Aid climbing is slow and you'll learn a lot on the route. NOTES FOR THE ROUTE: - Approach: Rapping to the bottom is good, although a fair bit of faff, especially below Fuhrer Ledge; there are lots of things for the rope to get caught on. If you have a 100m+ rope you may be able to leave it fixed on the Defender of the Faith rappel and save a few pitches of abseiling. My preference is to walk in, more reliable and less mental energy. If water levels are high (e.g after lots of rain/snow melt) the river will be high by from my experience crossable without needing to swim. Keep an eye out for Cairns. - You can fill water at the creek at the bottom (obv make your own decision RE treating the water) to save weight/energy on the approach. - Take cam hooks (I keep mine on the non-locking biner at the end of my etriers. It doesn't seem to get in the way and makes it speedy on a few of the pitches where you can do a few hook moves and place gear for protection rather than progress. Super handy. Medium sized hooks, and one small one.) and maybe a sky hook (some people use them) and bat hook (for old bolt holes if you're short). - Big grassy isn't big or grassy, hammock or portal-edge is useful. Big grassy is a good spot to bivy because you can walk around which makes it easier to set up the ledge, bathroom, organize gear etc. Always keep your gear (sleeping bags etc clipped!). - I line the haul bag with a high density foam mat which I use as my sleeping mat. It can't pop, is insulating and will help keep anything hard from contacting the inside of the haul bag and wearing a hole through your bag as it is hauled. - Take extra water (you can always dump it - this is controversial but running out of water sucks and is fatiguing), also take food so you can eat out of your pockets, a camel back while aiding is useful too. One pitch may take a few hours. - Have a warm belay jacket. To save space you can always take one jacket between the two of you and swap with the belayer. Same goes with ascenders, haul devices, and etriers (you can take 3 ets total and swap with the leader). A lot of stuff can be shared. - Take a fifi hook and daisy chains, esp for the roof. You can improvise with a quickdraw but fifi's are way for efficient. - Make a poo tube with PVC or you can get a 1-2kg flour container from woolies (like in the video) which works well. - Duct tape is something I've taken in the past, you can repair things, protect edges, and stick stuff together. Climbing tape could work too and is probs a good versatile FA thing. - For a multi day ascent of Ozy I use a dynamic lead rope and a static to haul. You can take two dynamics but hauling is a bit more work, you'll have the redundancy of a back up rope but the haul line tends to get thrashed. - Cut a 1.25L coke/water bottle in half and put it over the haul bag knot. This will save your rope from getting worn through as it's being hauled! They're a few things off the top of my head. There's probs more but I hope that's useful. If you want to catch up for a coffee/chat feel free to reach out.

[@pomdomz]

Great video Stan! - Dan

[@fitbystan]

Thanks Dan! Hope you're well!

[@chriswallace3888]

Mate these video's are well done!

[@fitbystan]

Thanks bro! Hope you're well!!

[@chriswallace3888]

Yeah man! Wish I made it back to buffalo this season. If I could climb ozy effortlessly as you did, maybe I would've had time, but I know the week I need for recover afterwards would've made it too difficult to fit in haha

[@fitbystan]

Hahhaha it's a bit of a mission!! Let me know when you're back in the area!