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3rd Jun 2010 James Pearson - Totem Pole Ascent
James Pearson sends us his report on an eventful Journey to Oz (or I should say Taz) and his ascent of the amazing 'Totem Pole' E6 6B in English grading...
"For climbers the world over, there are few things more iconic than The Totem Pole in Tasmania. Partly for its incredible structure and situation, and partly for the near tragic events of the 13th of February 1998 (a Friday believe it or not) which would change the life of one of England’s leading climbers forever.
The tale of Paul’s (Pritchard) accident, and the subsequent rescue has become part of climbing legend, immortalising the Tote as one of the most momentous challenges in the southern hemisphere and also acting as a word of warning for all aspiring ascentionists...
My trip to Tasmania materialised out of nowhere! My plans for April were all set; I was to join some fellow The North Face athletes out in Turkey on a sport climbing trip for the entire month, but then one morning a message appeared in my facebook inbox with an exciting and intriguing invitation...
My friends Heidi, Matt and Cedar would be spending April in Australia for a mix of new route exploration in Tasmania and classic cragging on the mainland. Australia had been a gaping hole on my “travelled to” list for way to long so at the last moment I decided to join them on the first part of their journey in Taz, then later in the month revert to my original plan of Turkey....."
James is wearing the Rock Lite helmet see more here
