Federation Climb

[Taurë-rana]

I led a trip up Fedder about 20 years ago, and found a gully on the way to the summit scarier than the exposed face as it was slippery. The exposed face is very grippy with ledges and only a problem if you step back - you die , which has happened. We had 3 Tasmanians and 1 mainlander in our party, the 3 Tasmanians were all OK with the exposure without ropes, the mainlander was not as happy.
We went up Moss Ridge and did the infamous mud wall scramble only to find that there was a route around it. I don't know if things are the same but it's worth checking before you claw your way up the mud.

[tandles]

I'm thinking of planning a trip to fed peak this summer. I will be travelling with folks that may want to use a rope.

What length of rope would folks reccommend for protecting parts of the direct acent/descent route? Would 20m be enough?

Has anyone used climbing protection on the route and if so what type?
Is it possible to just use slings on bollards or do you need to take a set of nuts?

[ithomas]

I led a trip up Fedder about 20 years ago, and found a gully on the way to the summit scarier than the exposed face as it was slippery. The exposed face is very grippy with ledges and only a problem if you step back - you die , which has happened. We had 3 Tasmanians and 1 mainlander in our party, the 3 Tasmanians were all OK with the exposure without ropes, the mainlander was not as happy.
We went up Moss Ridge and did the infamous mud wall scramble only to find that there was a route around it. I don't know if things are the same but it's worth checking before you claw your way up the mud.

A calm mind and trust in your feet and friends will get you up the summit block. I was recently up in Queensland with 3 Queenslanders and 1 Tasmanian in our party. The Queenslanders were all ok with crocodiles but the Tasmanian was not as happy. LOL.

[stu]

I'm thinking of planning a trip to fed peak this summer. I will be travelling with folks that may want to use a rope.

What length of rope would folks reccommend for protecting parts of the direct acent/descent route? Would 20m be enough?

Has anyone used climbing protection on the route and if so what type?
Is it possible to just use slings on bollards or do you need to take a set of nuts?

If you need to ask these questions I'd advise against using any climbing gear & get the rest of your paty prepped with some other mountains first (eg. Mt Anne, Western Arthurs etc.).
It's an easy ascent, provided you are careful & don't lose your way on the face.
Using climbing gear, if inexperienced with using climbing gear, is not a good option as it provides false security (for climber & belayer) & in the hands of someone with no experience will just add more danger to the whole team IMHO. It's not a local top rope crag, it's a big mountain in a remote location.

[whynotwalk]

Fedder6 small.jpg (18.71 KiB) Viewed 5062 times

I'm not sure how many cautionary tales you want to hear ... but a few years back I posted a series of pieces about climbing Federation on my blog.

It's not so much a description of how to do the climb as a series of personal reflections/meditations on what the climb meant to me. But there definitely are a few cautionary aspects to the descriptions - and some fun as well . The first one is here http://auntyscuttle.blogspot.com/2009/07/federation-peak-part-1.html ... for the rest just scroll to the bottom and click "newer post",

cheers

Peter

[Haydynb]

Hats off to all that could get up there...The pics scare me...let alone being that high up with nothing to save a slip!

[bluewombat]

I am curious to know from anyone who has used climbing gear on the normal route up Fedders, what type of belay anchors you used, hexs, chocks, cams etc and whether you can recall sizes. What length of rope did you use, a normal 50 or something shorter. PM me if you would prefer
bw

[jip1001]

A couple of other views of the climb. I thought the decent was slightly easier because the route was easier to follow than the ascent. We didn't use ropes.

[Stibb]

... but a few years back I posted a series of pieces about climbing Federation on my blog.

I loved reading that!!! you made me so nervous I finished a whole pack of Tim Tam

I have no intentions of ever climb up to the top but would love to have a close look from a safe distance. Those pictures are shocking

[Azza]

I am curious to know from anyone who has used climbing gear on the normal route up Fedders, what type of belay anchors you used, hexs, chocks, cams etc and whether you can recall sizes. What length of rope did you use, a normal 50 or something shorter. PM me if you would prefer
bw

My recollection of the direct ascent (been up there twice) is that there isn't much in the way of features to place gear.
Certainly nothing I'd want to trust, just look at the photos.

[pazzar]

I wouldn't like to use ropes up there, very few places that really need it anyway. It is mostly sidling ledges, not so much technical climbing, but I think you would figure out pretty quickly if it wasn't for you. I think Chockstone Gully was scarier, simply because you have a full pack on, and definately the Four Peaks seemed a lot harder than the climb up Federation. I think the guidebooks are spot on that if you needed to packhaul on the way in, you should reconsider climbing the summit.

I actually found the summit climb the easiest day of the 6 day traverse of the range, largely due to blistering heat, drizzle and packs on Moss Ridge, horizontal rain in the Four Peaks, and snow on the decent, following mud and swollen creeks out to Scott's Peak.

It is such a rewarding climb though!

[tandles]

Good to see this thread getting a bit of action! Looks like some fantastic exposure from those photos.

Thanks for your cautionary advice Stu. I'm an experienced climber and don't foresee anyone in our group would have a fall given the information about the route detailed here and else where. However, I think it is good to explore options for protecting a route where a fall (even if unlikely) could result in death. 500m is a loooong way to fall.

Still keen to hear from anyone who has used a rope and gear to protected the route.

[durks]

Still keen to hear from anyone who has used a rope and gear to protected the route.

I had a trip there in 2006, with my wife. She's not really a climber, so we took a rope (30m x 8mm), a couple of slings, and a couple of small nuts. We used the rope on the ascent and the descent to protect the tricky bits, and I was glad we'd taken it. We also used it to packhaul (once) in the Four Peaks area.

My memory's a bit hazy, but I think I just used the slings to arrange the belays, and didn't need to use any nuts. I wouldn't have used any *running* belays, if that's what you're asking; just set up fixed belays as necessary, and watched my wife up (and down) the tricky bits.

A shorter rope - say 20m - would equally do, I think, but the 30m x 8mm dynamic rope was what I was able to easily buy before we left - it's a standard rope that Beal sell. The extra length also makes arranging belays easier.

Having a rope is also potentially useful for the river crossings: the weather broke on us, and the creeks had risen a *lot* on the way out. (We went in and out from Scotts Peak Dam.)

Hope that helps.

[Explorer_Sam]

On the "Direct Ascent" scramble, is there actually a route up the rock face or do you have to find your own way up and down and rely on your own navigation?

[ILUVSWTAS]

Haven't done it, but there are scattered cairns on the way up.

[stu]

It does snake around quite a bit...but generally fairly obvious & as ILUV said there are scattered cairns..if you find yourself on an exposed ledge & don't see any cairns about you've probably gone the wrong way....and when in doubt retreat It's a great mountain & well worth the effort if you get views like these:

[Explorer_Sam]

Thankyou for the repsonses. I'm a Victorian and I haven't been to Tasmania yet, but I definitely want to have a crack at Federation Peak one day.