Ball's Pyramid

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Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic
Gunkie

climber
Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 4, 2015 - 09:38am PT
Anyone from ST ever hear about this thing or possibly ever climbed it? This would be one heck of a messy adventure. Tallest sea stack in the world @ 1844'. Seems pretty easy to get to.

Climbing

In 1964 a Sydney team, which included adventurer Dick Smith and other members of the Scouting movement, attempted to climb to the summit of the pyramid. However, they were forced to turn back on the fifth day as they ran short of food and water.

The first successful climb to the summit was made on 14 February 1965 by a team of climbers from the Sydney Rock Climbing Club, consisting of Bryden Allen, John Davis, Jack Pettigrew and David Witham.[4]

In 1979, Smith returned to the pyramid, together with climbers John Worrall and Hugh Ward. They successfully reached the summit and unfurled a flag of New South Wales provided to them by Premier Neville Wran, declaring the island Australian territory (a formality which it seems had not previously been done).

Climbing was banned in 1982 under amendments to the Lord Howe Island Act, and in 1986, all access to the island was banned by the Lord Howe Island Board. In 1990, the policy was relaxed to allow some climbing under strict conditions, which in recent years has required an application to the relevant state minister.



donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Oct 4, 2015 - 10:59am PT
Not the highest, but arguably the hardest summit in Oceania. Gets my nod for one of the "seven real summits."
Shiprock afloat.
justthemaid

climber
Jim Henson's Basement
Oct 4, 2015 - 11:06am PT
Yup- one of my favorite threads.

inThefog's post has a link to the climbing history.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1031298/Balls-Pyramid

The story about the Lord Howe stick bug- classic!

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1908541&tn=160
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Oct 4, 2015 - 11:45am PT
Yeah...I thought it was relatively remote.
Batrock

Trad climber
Burbank
Oct 4, 2015 - 12:44pm PT
Balls, hehe
Marsupial Rat

Trad climber
Australia
Oct 4, 2015 - 02:35pm PT
Hi Gunkie and related to this topic, the bloke who taught my friends and I to climb was David Whitam who was in the first summit party and the link below provides more information. An especially vivid memory I have of him is multi-pitching at Araps as a kid and David sitting in a deck chair wayyy below and yelling up at us “place more gear you bastards” and using a loudhailer on occasion too.

https://www.adventurepro.com.au/news/?action=details&id=david_witham_calls_it_a_day#.VhGXxW5ogrc
ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
Oct 4, 2015 - 10:43pm PT
[Click to View YouTube Video]
little Z

Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
Dec 12, 2017 - 02:04pm PT
if you're flying from Sydney to Los Angeles, you'll fly right over it. If the weather is clear, and it's daytime, there is a decent view out the portside. Having a clean window helps too.

dfinnecy

Social climber
'stralia
Dec 12, 2017 - 05:48pm PT
I flew over it on the way into LHI, impressive!
Lord Howe Island is a very small community, meaning if you want to (illegally) climb Balls you can't just head to the island and get a charter. So you need a vessel from the mainland. But it does periodically get poached.
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