PIMP MY WOODIE COMP
Featured in the sumer 07/08 issue of Crux

Mick (aka Boris) Beckers - Marlo Woodie

In the sleepy town of Marlo
In a shed of moderate proportions
Stands the woodie that we built
Allowing endless bodily contortions

Tuesday nights the time to show off
Your skills on plastic and wood
To catch up on the week gone by
And sample the home brew you should

There's not much rock here
On the East Gippsland coast
Hence our pride and joy called the woodie
Here's some photos to show off and boast

 

We built this in two stages about 18 months ago, although it has been around in various forms prior to that. Now we have found a permanent home for the old girl at Marlo and it has meant a few expansions could be made. The most recent addition is the lower roof section. She's still not quite finished. We need to finish the upper roof and will add a stalactite for good measure.

There's small core of climbers here in Marlo/Orbost and we get together every Tuesday for a bouldering session on the woodie. In summer and when the weather is better we head down to Cape Conran to the granite boulders. We love East Gippsland to bits but there just isn't that much rock around unfortunately. The woodie has provided us with hours of amusement, keeps us strong and is a great social event. To date we've let anyone come and climb for a gold coin donation. This helps promote the sport in the region but most importantly allows us to coax people into belaying for us on rock over the weekend. There are a few crags out this way but all involve a lengthy 4WD trip and the rock just isn't that good. hence the need for a woodie. There's the limestone and a few secret crags at Buchan; the solid rock of the Deddick Valley; long multi pitch routes on unsecured, uncleaned lines in Little River Gorge (McKillops Bridge); Granite high ball problems on Mt Ellery and Genoa Peak; and the yet to be explored Coopracambra area (very remote). Pulpit Rocks and Bitangabee Bay are just across the border but being Mexicans it doesn't feel right to call this a home crag - even though there are bugger all New South Welshman that visit. Its taken Jono Schmidt to write up this area in Crux and the Canberra Climbers Association to write up the guide - where are the Welshmen?

A typical Tuesday night on the woodie goes something like this:

5:00 pm Boris rocks up and breaks into climbing shed.
5.01 pm Cracks beer and puts on CD.
5:05 pm Eddie opens shed, finds Boris inside, reminds him where key is. Eddie cracks beer
5:10 pm Warm up traverses,
5:20 pm Climb hard routes couldn't nail at end of last weeks session
5:30 pm Boris puts up new routes, deliberately using the smallest crimpers and flattest slopers. More for the enjoyment of seeing others struggle through.
5:45 pm Sykesy shows up with kayak on roof boasting of an awesome paddle somewhere down the Snowy or Mitchell.
5:50 pm Tries to carry a truck load of gear from car to shed in a single push - crash mat, shoes, camera, tripod, grog, yellow box.....
5:51 pm Drops half of load within 2 metres.
5:55 pm Sykesy finds jumper and sunnies left behind last week.

6:00 pm Eddie and Boris show Sykesy new climbs. He doesn't pay attention.
6:01 pm Sykesy starts, grabs biggest jug in sight. Eddie points out the jug is not part of the climb and can't be used.
6:02 pm Points out to Sykesy that the other jug he's heading for is not part of the route either
6:06 pm Gets through crux and finishes climb. Eddie and Sykesy agree it's difficult.
6:07 pm Boris runs around the climb to prove its not.
6:15 pm Talk about new photos on Flickr.com. Climb some more. Drink some more.
6:30 pm Dave the builder shows up on mountain bike, Chilli the dog follows.
6:31 pm Dave makes coffee
6:35 pm New routes pointed out to Dave. Eddie and Sykesy still think they're difficult. Dave breezes through for an onisght.

7:00 pm Classic lines are repeated. Boris puts up new routes.
7:30 pm Another beer is cracked and hot dogs go on the stove.
7:37 pm Hot dogs, cheese and dead horse.
7:45 pm Climbing again. Dave cracks joke making Eddie fart through crux sequence.
7:46 pm Spotters clear out from underneath and let the crash mats catch the fall.
7:50 pm Climb and take photos of crazy moves for Flickr.com

8:00 pm Still climbing although getting more ridiculous now
8:05 pm Competition time. Boris shows off new dyno move. Others try to repeat. Dave gets through with some beta. Eddie's too tied. Sykesy almost rips holds from wall.
8:27 pm Dave circuits the wall to test endurance. No one gets close to his record
8:50 pm Time trials (quickest traverse around the wall). Dave and Sykesy come in around 1 min 20, Eddie manages 1 min 11, Boris kills it with 39 seconds.

9:00 pm Still climbing but slowing down.
9:30 pm Everyone's had enough. Shoes come off.
9:31 pm Boris apologises for smell emanating from shoes.
9:35 pm Discuss plans for weekend and potential to climb
9:45 pm Home time.

 

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