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The Australian Climbing Rack
So, what's so different about the aussie climbing rack compared to everywhere
else? Well you may ask. I thought there was no difference between your everage
UK rack and the aussie climbing rack. Sure, the climbing here in NSW is on
sandstone, but I was used to that from my apprenticeship in Old South Wales.
What could be different?
I'll tell you what's different mate. Carrots.
"What's a carrot?" I hear my naive foreign climbing counterparts ask. I'll tell
you what a carrot is. The bane of an expat climber's existence.I'll tell you
waht a carrot is!
A carrot is basically a rusty piece of what could barely be described as metal
protruding from the brittle sandstone a couple of millimetres, over which
you're first meant to hook a bolt-plate. Once you've done that, sweating and
pumping out, you're meant to get a quickdraw through the eye of said
hanger, which is easier said than done.
You see, carrots rarely give a snug fit for the hanger, so what happens is this;
The hanger will rotate. it will rattle. it will try to escape from the
quickdraw, and it will frustrate your efforts at getting clipped in with all
its rusty little might. Eventually when you get it clipped and climb past it,
it will rattle and creak and generally try its best to freak you out. and don't
ask what happens if you fall on one. Best to avoid that if possible.
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