Seasons - When to Climb
Which leads me neatly into seasonal considerations at Arapiles. The climate is almost perfect for climbing, with only the hottest days of summer or the coldest and wettest days of winter too unpleasant.
In summer (December-February) the cliff is hot and dry. The wise climber needs to climb in the early morning or evening, or stick to the darker gullies like King Rat, Intrepid, PB. Areas like Central Gully Right Side, the back of the Pharos & Bushrangers can all be in the shade when you need it.
Spring (Sept-Dec) can be tempestuous with wind and not infrequent wet days. It is generally a good time to climb although occasionally it is best to hide in a gully or put up with a rest day in Natimuk's cafes.
Winter (Jun-Sept) can be cold and wet but is also often mild and nice enough to climb in the sun. Areas like the Watchtower faces or Central Gully Left Side act as good suntraps. The boulders are always a nice option in either winter sun or if raining (provided you pick the right boulders).
Autumn (March-May) is the season where Arapiles is perfect. Long stable periods of 18-25o weather make perfect climbing weather. On top of this the light in the Wimmera is particularly nice this time of year, and sunsets simply amazing.
The Climbing:
The rock is quartzite, a hard metamorphosed sandstone. Arapiles is an old cliff, weather beaten and rambling. Yet the walls of the gullies are incredibly steep and smooth, a contrast to the tops of all climbs where the ravages of time have sculpted the best and biggest hand holds in the world!
Most holds at Arapiles are solid, from the big buckets on the easier routes to the small edges on the hardest routes. And the place is covered in holds, millions of them. They just might be a bit small or sparse where you are sometimes!
The easier routes tend to be just under vertical although some are amazingly steep and exposed. Even on these, big holds keep appearing for your incredulously searching hands so making the route surprisingly easy.
There are some slabs, but they are not friction slabs like on granite, instead they tend to be climbed on small, well-spaced edges and slopey holds.
As climbs get harder they also go from steep to severely overhanging and the holds become fewer and less positive. Arapiles rock lends itself to small fingertip edges and large smooth slopes that are hard to hold. The rock is so smooth at times that even the stickiest rubber boots will just skate away.
It is on these steep climbs that the potentially very pumpy nature of Arapiles climbing comes to the fore. You can arrive at the top of a climb (or back at the bottom!) feeling like someone has syringed lead into your arms and stuck them in a flame. There are also quite a few large roofs at Arapiles which are climbed on large holds, racing against your rapidly draining strength.
The solidity of the rock also means the protection is generally dependable. On all but the blankest pieces of rock there are cracks, holes and seams into which runners can be enticed.
The gear on the lower grade routes is usually easy to arrange and totally bomb-proof. A complete set of Friends and Rocks, size 5 and above, are often more than enough.
As well, the featured cliff tops have threads and bollards abounding for belays. This makes setting topropes easy, good if you are coming without much gear.
As the climbs get harder then smaller Rocks on wire and RPs come into their own. The latter are small brass-headed wedges on wire which have a taper better suited to Arapiles pockets. They were invented by a local climber Roland Pauligk for just that reason. In the hard quartzite even the smaller sizes are still secure.
There are bolts at Arapiles, but not many. Most tend to be carrots, just a bolt driven into a drilled hold. You need to carry boltplates in your chalk-bag to slip over the heads to be able to clip them.
The abundance of protection and lack of bolts means Arapiles is definitely not a sport crag. It is a cliff where the older traditions of climbing survive; those of doing climbs from the ground up, placing protection as you go and possibly getting scared. It is a good idea for climbers not used to placing natural protection to try a few easier routes until they get the hang of it.
There are a few areas such as Doggers Gully and Flight Wall, where a profusion of bolts has meant sport climbers could climb in their fashion, however most serious practitioners travel over to the nearby Grampians where a few bolted sportcrags have been developed
