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Pages Pinnacle. The mysterious crag with the infamous 6hr, uphill, river crossing approach. This was enough to deter me from even considering going to Pages as hiking is inherently an approach sport and should be kept as far away from the purity that is sport climbing. That being said, as the rumored awful approach got worse with each person that told its story, it got easier with each step taken. All in all, it was maybe 45 minutes of hiking on quite an excellent track. Still not condoning hiking, but it’s not all bad. However, In true climbers fashion, we got about 3 minutes away from the pinnacle of the mountain and decided to not go and treat ourselves with the 360 degree view of the Gold Coast Hinterland.
Happier than I would have been had I done any extra walking to the top, we made our way down to the crag, passing some interesting rock until we reached the real ‘pinnacle.’ Gold Coast Wall. The crag was 7m of slap into a steep, juggy headwall. I’ve never been one to exaggerate but it was like a little baby Ceuse. Perhaps the only notable difference was that Alex Megos had been replaced by Lewis Williamson. Gold Coast Wall has a wide range of climbing with something for everyone. The left and right hand sides of the wall possess routes ranging in grades from 14-23 whilst the middle section is almost like an amphitheater of steep, 24-27 climbing. The rock at Pages is very different to the other crags around SEQ, with little tiny hidden pockets and difficult to read routes, it was a new experience in my climbing and it quickly made its way into my, admittedly ever growing, list of favourite crags.
Most of the UQMC action seemed to happening around ‘Beach Bums’ and ‘Strip Clubs’ (not an unfamiliar location) with newer climbers, newer leaders and some more experienced people all trying their hand at both of these routes. The highlight of these routes was perhaps Alvin using Michael Green (who was on top rope) as a human stick clip to pull the rope up into the next bolt. An aid move that would bring a tear to any Jack Seawright, perhaps cementing just how beautiful the art of sport climbing is.
After the day and the team were dead and done, we headed out of the crag using Meike’s terrible approach. Up and down over slippery rock and bashing through trees, I was once again reminded why I don't like walking when I don’t have to. I have since learned of new approach beta and can only apologise to the group that came with me to Pages the week after whom did extra walking for no feasible reason.
All in all. A great club day out and a little taste of all things UQMC has to offer. Leading, Top-Roping, Aiding, and perhaps a slightly above average time. I’ll definitely be finding the time to go out again!
Written by Martin Weir