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Big Kangaroo, South Face, Kearney-Thomas


TeleRoss

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Well, after climbing this route last summer with Sky I swore that I would never go back, even though the prospect of freeing this line was somewhat appealing...the thought of fighting through the chimneys and offwidths to get to the good steep stuff put me off...until a few months ago when I started to mention to Sky that I was going to head back. He wanted nothing to do with it, so naturally I turned to Eric, a one man offwidth crusher. He was psyched to check it out, so without much ado, off we went.

We arrived at the hairpin under clearing skies, much relieved that the forecast seemed to be wrong concerning the rain.

 

ClearingSkies.jpg

 

 

All set for some offwidth fun...YAY!! BigGear.jpg

 

 

 

The approach is straightforward, if a bit spicy with the steep snow coming down the east side of Kangaroo Ridge.

I led the first pitch, a rising ramp weaving in and out of loose blocks and large flakes.

Eric got the chimney/offwidth, which he calmly dispatched of without so much as a grunt. Eric also got the wild 8' deep chimney pitch. Lots 'o' fun.

 

p21.jpg

 

LovinTheChimney.jpg

 

HatingTheChimney.jpg

 

GladToBeOut.jpg

 

 

Then I got the long finger crack pitch. Starts with a splitter in a corner, pulls a little bulge, made even more exciting when a foothold broke off...thank god for bomber finger jams, then continues up a steep layback/off fingers crack....stellar. The last crux pitch climbs an undercling out a wide roof to a wild chockstone mantle...funky but super fun.

Eric and I both really enjoyed this route...much better the second time around. The whole thing goes free at 11a

cheers

Ross

LotsORock.jpg

 

NiceView.jpg

 

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yes you are--you love ow/squeeze chims with spice...and the topper 20' of hand/fistcrack makes that pitch oh so worthwhile. :/

 

Ross is so generous, he let me lead the 2p of off-size fun in exchange for taking the .11 block of 2 pitches up top: a STEEP pitch of stellar and varied fingers and hands; then the wild 'jump on the fumble' move, a strenuous undercling fling to embrace the football chockstone. this was a fun route!

 

a couple pics here, and a couple more in the gallery:

 

"intimidating-looking" L-facing chimney etc:

S_Face_Big_Kanga_p2.jpg

 

Ross follows p2:

2007_06_30_Pics_-_WA_Pass_Ross_025.jpg

S_Face_Big_Kanga_p2_Ross.jpg

S_Face_Big_Kanga_hand_crack.jpg

 

Here's the novel football (too busy belaying this strenuous lead to get an action pic):

S_Face_Kanga_p4_football_chockstone.jpg

 

cool cannonhole in big kanga:

big_kangaroo_cannonhole.jpg

  • Rawk on! 1
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