Bouldering trip to Castle Hill

By Alastair Campbell | Posted: Monday December 2, 2024

Last Friday saw ten boys and two teachers set off for the first OBHS bouldering trip to the Castle Hill Basin.

A six hour trip passed uneventfully and tents were quickly set up at Kowai Pass Domain Campground, Springfield. We were soon on our way to Castle Hill for a brief sample of the climbing to come. A quick realisation was that grades climbed in the gym meant nothing in the outdoors.

Saturday was a day spent in the Quantum Field trying as many boulder problems as possible. The weather was perfect, the climbing challenging and the smiles big. A highlight was Flynn, Luca and Mr Adler climbing the slab classic “Bliss”. In the afternoon we were joined by 2023 Old Boys James Huyler, Connor Purvis and Jensen Smith along with Summer from OGHS. This added to our fun group exploring all that was to be climbed. The day finished with the classic fun problem called, “Run and Jump” which provided a lot of entertainment.

Sunday was a scorcher with the glorious weather of the Basin on full display. The day was spent in the Spittle Field. By now the boys were becoming more skilled with unique techniques required for success at Castle Hill. The grand finale was the classic highball slab “Nasal Slip”. While no one successfully made it the whole way up, there were many valiant attempts.

All that was left was the Monday drive home with an early stop for a Sheffield pie. 

Finally, as the teacher in charge of this it was a pleasure to take this group away. Everything was done with a smile, always willing to help and support each other. This has been the culmination of a year’s worth of planning and was totally worthwhile. In over 20 years of teaching this has been a real highlight for me.

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