Update

After two awsome weeks of trad climbing in Arapilies and Grampions we are now back in the Blue Montains. The weather is however horrible, with a LOT of wind.... I had no idea Australia was this windy... Peole ask me what we do over here, and its not really much to tell... We slep (a lot), then we eat (also a lot) and then we climb a little and hand out around the campfire (eating some more) and knit (we have started Arapilies knitting club...). So to anyone claiming Vibeke aleways stresses, she dont :) Because of this my blog do not really consist of much except climbing photos... Lisa once told me she didnt know anyone else who had traveled so much, and seen so little :)

I must however tell I have lost my phone (litterally). It fell down a multipich climb called Skink, and I could only find the batteri (smashed) on the deck underneath. So if anyone have sent me sms or anything like it and I didnt answer, no worries, I still like you, I just couldnt answer :) So to get in tuch with me, email is probably the only way....

Arapiles!!! It looks like a pile of choss, but its awsome!!

Campfire birthday party!

Vibke making brownies on the fire for my birthday.

Joris, Kayla and Katja made this beutifull birthday decoration :) Notice the carabiners :)

Me bouldering (trying to boulder) Woody (V4) which is a tree.... Climbers are wierd... Vibeke on the crux of Skink (18). (I fell here) I am actually belaying her from a hanging belay, not a fan... I did not only loose my phone on skink, I also fell myself... Pink is Vibeke belaying, blue me before falling and green after.. My first proper long fall on trad! Scary, but my pice held! This is also where my phone fell, it did however not have a rope like me. Vibeke making the rapell ready Me on Tannin (19), my favourite at Arapiles!

Arapilies and Grampions

We are still alive and we are still hanging put in the area around Arapiles and Grampions, it is still the coolest place ever, and we do very little except eating, sleeping and climbing :)

Me leading my first 18 on trad, Walking on the moon, a wierd crack? chimney overhanging slab thing.. :) Awsome!

Arapiles

We are now in Arapiles (or Araps) Which basically is just totally awsome. Imagine solid rock and trad climbing with perfect placements. Add some wierd moves and good exposure and lot of really nice people and you got it :) Perfect!

Vibeke on Agamemnon (11) chimney
Vibeke



Vibeke seconding a pitch of Bard (14) consisting of 5 piches including a wierd traverse and some awsome exposure.

Araps from Bard

Some of the people we met on the local pub i Natimuk eating dinner. Me, Dave, Joris, peruian guy, Maria and Thy. I have no excuse if I climb bad anymore, Dave has no fingers on one hand and Thy is 1.50 and both climb WAY harder than me....

Nowra and Arapiles

We spent 5 days in Nowra, before driving down to Melbourne. After bying climbing guides in Melbourne we drove on north west to a place calles Arapiles. Which is totally the coolest place ever! It has the best trad climbing I have ever seen!

By the way, I saw Hanna Montana on the plane. I kind of like the song :) (well, I should, its called the Climb)

I can almost see it

That dream I am dreaming

But there's a voice inside my head saying

"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking

Every move I make feels

Lost with no direction

My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying

Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be a uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb

A kangoroo in Arapiles

Vibeke excited about Arapiles

Point Perpendicular, sea cliff trad climbing, awsome views!

......

Dinner in Nowra.

Bluies and Nowra

I am now finally completly well again, and we have started to really get in some climbing! We went to the blue mountains (the bluies) after driving down the coast from brisbane. The area was completly awsome! However, it was damn coold and extremly windy.... We spent two days there before desciding that we maybe rather should return there in some weeks when it hopefully is better temperature :)

So we rather drowe down to Nowra south of Sydney. Which is really nice, temprature and sport climbing.

The plan next seems to get down to Melbourne and climb at Grampions and Arapilies.


(Unfortunatly I havent got to much time to update my blog in the libary in Nowra, so the pictures are not cronalogical and I didnt mange to turn them... Sorry about that!)

Vibeke on a climb in Nowra
A German guy we met i Nowra, Christian. On a really nice 20.

Blue mountains

Me and the blue mountains. Look at my pretty new and very varm hat! :)

Me and Vibeke and sunset over Nowra

Kangoroo in South West Rock along the cost.

Me, Vibeke and the bluies

Some american dudes (walker and brian from ohio) we met in the bluies and Vibeke. (They where very proud of their flanel shirts :)

First days in Australia

Well, now the road trip have started! We spent 2 days in Brisbane, which was not too exciting. It has a really nice climbing shop (that off all things also sell ice axes...) with cool people and a really cool crag in the middle off the city. We then whent to Boonha, where a crag called Frog butress is. Here I got quite sick with flu but Vibeke got to climb. Since I was to sick to climb we went to the coast to see if we (Vibeke at least) could surf a bit instead. Now we are in Lennox head near Byron bay, which is really nice (much nicer than commerciliced Surfers paradice!), and Vibeke is out surfing while I actually have time to update my blog....

In singapore airport Vibeke went to Fish spa where she got massage and little fish ate of her feets... Vibeke, me and Brisbane


Surfers paradice (which is really now surferce paradice...) But at least we have been there....

Our Wicked van!! (Thanks to Jake for that tip:) We love it!


Quote on the back of the van :)

Mt Warning. I had Vibeke run up to get out some energy after just drinving the day :)

Vibeke and the surfboard she rented :) Its pink! I want one too!!!! Vibeke surfing. As sick I am designated photographer...

Around the world

Mine and Vibekes great climb and have fun trip has now officially begon! We landed in Brisbane this morning, surviving around 40 hours traveling. After trying hard to stay awake the whole day, its finally soon time to sleep :) I most say, Australia is looks good so far, I just look forward to see it in a less tired state of mind... I do however already miss Norway a little, getting involved with some stupid idiot (meaning really cool guy) just before leaving was definetly a good ide, but do have its downsides...

However, the point now was just to give a brief introduction to our great, but more or less non exixting plans for these months. We are as mentioned, now in Brisbane, on a youth hostel. Tomorrow, we are gonna pick up our Wicked Camper Van, that will be our home for the next 5 weeks. We are then heading to Glasshouse mountains and later Blue mountains, where we basically wanna climb. Then we are of to NZ, where my great goal is to climb 1080 and the letter G. We then split ut and I head of to US, Las Vegas and Red Rocks to meat Greg. After that I am gonna end my great round the world trip with a visit to Kristin in Moss!

I'll keep you all posted on what is happening! (Check also out Vibekes blog)

12.34.56 07.08.09