Wearing my professional helmet as an adventure consultant, this time at Ballymore stadium. Photos: Lee Cujes

jjobrien - poster boy for Crux 5 splash page

"Queensland - The Steep State" The Crux Magazine story

Featuring the Phil Box photo that went to number one in the U.S. for 3 months on rockclimbing.com

Click on the story to enlarge and read.

The Rock! mag story

Poster that appeared in Crux 4

Photo: Neil Montieth

"Call of Duty" 28 Coolum Cave The very long and very steep "Call of Duty" is an extension of the original Gareth Llewellyn line "Weapon of Choice".

Photo: Antoine Mousette

"A Gaze Blank and Pitiless as the Sun" 30 Summit Caves, Tibrogargen

project

Photo: Lee Cujes

"Gasoline Rainbow" 28

My first climb at the grade. Gas Rain is probably still my favourite line at Coolum, it's a second pitch start, steepening up after the second bolt. I took so many plunges from the crux of this route, some of them beauties with an armfull of rope out to clip, just falling into clean air.
36 attempts finally acheived a tick.


photo: Phil Box

"Screaming Insanity" 26

"Screaming" is without a doubt the crag classic. A vicious little start then big horns through steep country to a pumpy finish. At the time of bolting it was unclimbable by any Queenslander. Now even with it's extension "Wholly Calamity" it's a warm up route for locals.
I've clocked well over 100 ascents.


Photo: Lee Cujes

"A Kneebar Too Far" 29 Coolum Cave

I could have died happy after ticking this one.
73 attempts and several cycles of injury and recovery. The swoop out of the roof really spooked me the first few times, a few people had collected the wall on the other side. Then once my focus had shifted away from the fall and toward the next moves it was pure joy.

photo: Phil Box

Ultraviolet 25 Coolum Cave Queensland Australia

Big long moves to good holds and exposure to burn. Nothing too technical, just keep hanging on untill the top.


Photo: Phil Box