Photos by philbox

Hotel California 350m 21. The first two pitches are the crux to this monster.

Lee (Manacubus) way out there after doing the 30 metre traverse above the lip on Hotel Claifornia. Blue Mountains New South Wales, Australia. Pic by Phil Box

Hows this for a heelhook. That`s me (Phil Box) up there on Cowboy Clip at Boronia Point in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney Australia. Lee took the pic on my Nikon 5000 digy cam.

Ergophobe is looking really solid up until he got to the spindle where he fell off. Ergophobe and Theresa stayed at my place for a couple of nights after I took them up Mt. Tibrogargan. The second day I took them into the rainforest on a tour. At the end of the second day I took them down to the shed where my woodies are set up and Ergo and Theresa got spanked entirely on the way steep overhung lead wall. Twas a fun time climbing with them though. It was excellent that I actually got to meet some rc.commers.

Theresa Phil and Tom posing here whilst doing a rock scramble down Teviot creek towards Teviot Falls. Teviot Falls is located at the head of the Condamine River in South East Queensland, Australia. This would have to be one of the prettiest rock scrambles going as even in the harshest drought there is always water flowing down this creek and over the falls. You`ll notice the tree ferns in the background on the left and on the right there is a bank of ferns growing out of the rocks. I love this place and it`s high on my list of places I take people.

Ergophobe sitting in the cave on the second pitch belay on a route called Trojan on the upper overhangs, Mt. Tibrogargan, Glasshouse Mts. South East Queensland, Australia. Ergophobe (aka Tom Lambert) and Theresa Ho are currently in Australia on an extended roady. They have just completed their diving on the Great Barrier Reef and are now into the climbing leg of the trip. Pic taken by Phil Box on Toms Sony digy stills cam. ...Phil...

Lee Skidmore (Manacubus) indulging in the extreme sport of book reading. This sport is normally indulged in when competing in the much more mundane occupation of belaying on anA3+ horror show called Cuddles on the upper overhangs on Mt. Beerwah, Glasshouse Mountains, South East Queensland, Australia. Pic was taken by Phil Box using the stills capture card of his Panasonic digy cam.

Russian Aid System. Pic shows leg cuffs and aidtriers. The Russian Aid system is the bomb for aiding. Reach is much higher, reports of at least 18 inches to 2 feet higher reach is gained for those hard to get to placements. There`s talk of the Fish Russ Walling making these in the future, go Russ. I`ve used these on several occassions now and highly recommend them. ...Phil...

This is a pic I took at Frog Buttress of the correct way to set up a Silent Partner. This was set up using the directions to the letter. I ahve even used clove hitch back up knots although only one is pictured here. The SP is a cinch to use and I used it with a 9.1mm rope which saw the SP glide effortlessly up the rope. These things are the bomb for long aid pitches which would otherwise put your partner to sleep.

This is where Grant and I try to pump ourselves silly. The wall is six metres high and 9 metres overhung giving about 13.2 metres climbing, almost all of which is near horizontal. The timber bits you see are flakes with undercut edges, we haven`t yet had anyone get to the end on this route. There`s one route up through the middle that Matt and I have done 8 times in a row each, so that equates to about a hundred metres of roof climbing. ...Phil...

This is a pic of an aid hook placement on Brown Corduroy Trousers 30 metre Oz grade 28 at Frog Buttress, South East Queensland Oz. Lotsa scary thin placements on this climb and I even get to place my weeniest RP above this hook placement. Hear that wire sing on those RP`s eh, ooh scary eh. ...Phil...

Don`t jump it aint worth it. I work up on a roof a lot and I`d like a dollar for every time I`ve ever heard that sentence shouted up from down below. Anyway this pic was taken at The Hole In The Wall, Mt. Castle, South East Queensland, Australia. I was up there guiding a group of 40 kids across the knifeblade ridge.

A rare glimpse of Mt. Warnings Wollumbin Shield through the almost impenetrable rainforest. The walk in which takes aprox 4 hours is a mere 2 miles or so. the forest is festooned with waiterwhile vine and Giant Stinging trees will catch the unwary leaving a sting that will last for up to 6 months. The wall is about 4 to 5 hundred metres high and is about a thousand metres wide. Only two routes are currently documented for this wall. There was a failed attempt to bring a climb down from the top by a party who rapped in and free climbed each pitch before rapping to do the next pitch. Their attempt was thwarted by a 16 metre roof.

Ballnuts rule, especially for aiding. Even the weenie ones will hold a pretty decent fall as Grant my climbing partner will attest. The only thing is that you have to seat them in otherwise they will pull. Cleaning them is a cinch with a tug upwards to release the bond with the rock and then release the trigger and they`ll slide right out. I love my ballnuts.

Pete might take his portaledge up a wall but how is this for a great natural belay ledge. Comes complete with a comfy sofa. This is the fourth pitch belay on Escension 260 metres A2+ Oz grade 17 Mt. Warning. Northern New South Wales Australia. Cameron Fairbairn is lounging around in the spear lilly whilst I am about to tackle the blank short traverse which is usually climbed with a bathook move but I will cheat with of all things a cheat stick and miss out on the excitement of hanging in a bathook. We are about 60 metres off the top of the aproach slabs

James Pfrunder finding the going a little tough on Pendulus, Oz grade 23 roof. Pendulus is a 20 metre climb which starts off about 60 metres off the deck on a sloper ledge and goes up through a bulgy crimper face and then into a 3.5 metre roof and then on up past jugs to top out after working hard. This route is at Redcliffs, South East Queensland, Australia. Notice the hole through the lip, this hole can be used to pull the lip and is an unusual feture inasmuch as it can be used from the inside as well as the outside. ...Phil...

Cameron Fairbairn pulling through on the first moves off the aproach slabs on escension A2+17 260 metres Mt.Warning Northern New South Wales. Funny when the crux is the first move on a 260 metre climb. The move entails mantling on to a 45 degree ledge via a sideways pull on a small arete off to the right. Feet are almost nonexistant as you pull wildly and work those hands up the small arete whilst heel hooking the sloper ledge.

Grant Edser onsighting the 3 and a half metre roof of Pendulus 20 metre Oz grade 23. PP starts off from a ledge 60 metres off the ground and the roof is wildly exposed another 10 metres above that. PP is on a cliff called Redcliffs near Murphys Creek, 100 k`s west of Brisbane South East Queensland Australia. Photo by Phil Box, I think from memory this is a slide which I scanned into my computer. You`ll notice how dirty Grants legs are, he came straight from work.