Instructor Simon Mentz Trip Coordinator Glen Donohue - glen.donohue@vicclimb.org.au 0418 332 637 Course This course is intended for existing and future VCC Trip Organisers to train in self-rescue. Skills covered include: the basics of prussicing escaping the belay (or how to setup the belay better) hauling seconds pulley systems for hauling, lowering injured climbers etc. Payment The VCC is funding the course with a co-payment of $50 from participants. You will also need to commit to running at least two club trips in the following year. These trips can be of a single day or longer. Payment is now required. Purchase a ticket below and follow the steps to make payment. Equipment You will need to bring: harness and helmet prussics x 3 (short 1m, 1.2m, 2.4m, 3m) 4 x screw gates PAS or safety lanyard belay plate or similar device suitable for double ropes a rack, but this is not essential. You will be instructed by the ‘legendary’ Simey in Summerday Valley, Northern Grampians. Access to this area is now limited to Licenced Tour Operators so this is a rare opportunity to visit this iconic crag once more. Meeting Meet at the Hollow Mountain Carpark at 8:45am for a 9:00am start. Participants need to organise their own camping/accomodation.

VCC weekend climbing trip. Want to experience some Western Victorian granite?  Then Red Rock and Ben Nevis in the Mt Cole State Forest near Beaufort is the cliff for you! The trip will also be verifying routes for the work-in-progress update of the VCC guidebook for the area. This is your chance to get an early look at the new routes established since the last version. Camping Camping will be at Chinamans Campground at the western end of Mt Cole State Park from Friday evening 9 May to mid-afternoon on Sunday, 11 May 2025. Camping is free and no bookings are required. There are toilets and a covered eating area. There is no mobile reception at the camp. Climbing The climbing is large slabs and faces that can require three 50m abseils to get to the bottom of the cliff. This is not a place for novices as you need to be able to pass a knot on abseil, as well as climb a rope using prussiks. See Chockstone for more information.  Apart from the usual gear (helmet, harness, boots, rope and rack etc), the slabs are bolt protected with 'carrots' and require hangers. The pro is well spaced (10m) so you need to be comfortable with long runouts. Bookings All intending participants must contact the VCC trip coordinator (Steve Toal - president@vicclimb.org.au) prior to the trip to confirm your intentions and experience. Bookings close on Wednesday, 7 May. Please email if you have any questions. Requirements Intermediate to advanced climbers only. Climbers must be comfortable with multi-pitch long rappels and multipitch slab climbing. 

Are you climbing at Araps/Dyurrite over the Easter long weekend and want to hang around for the rest of the week?  Then this trip is for you! The trip will be informal. VCC members will be available to climb with and this event will allow us to catch up with each other. Trip Organiser - Glen Donohue Email the trip organiser for more information on the trip. See below for how to register your interest in the trip.   Camping It's up to you book a campsite. We will be camping in The Pines camping area, though book a site wherever is available. Requirements This trip is only open to members, and intermediate and advanced climbers. Find your level here at the Trip Participant Guidelines or contact the trip organiser. Sorry, no novice or guest places are available for this event. Check out the VCC Events for suitable trips.  All intending participants can expect the trip organiser to ask for details about your climbing experience and gear. Bookings Register your interest by 'buying' an online ticket her using the 'Get Ticket' button. Members will need to log onto the VCC Member Portal to register and all participants will be required to provide an emergency contact person and number in their member profile. Follow the four steps when booking the ticket. There is no cost in Step 3 and you don’t need to download the tickets in Step 4.  Only one member per booking. The trip organiser will be in touch after you register.  Online bookings close Good Friday so we can go climbing. Late bookings are not guaranteed a place of the trip but contact the trip organiser to check availability.  Car Pooling No car pooling will be organised for this trip. However, contact the trip organiser if you need or can offer a lift. 

The premier climbing weekend of the year (4 days) at a premier location in Victoria (Araps/Dyurrite)!  Trip Organiser - Robert Bannwart Email the trip organiser for more information on the trip or to register your interest. Camping It's up to you book a campsite. We will be camping in The Pines camping area, though book a site wherever is available. Requirements This trip is open to members and guests, and novice, intermediate and advanced climbers. Find your level here at the Trip Participant Guidelines or contact the trip organiser. Novice climber spaces are strictly limited by the number of advanced climbers who come along. Novices should contact the trip organiser as soon as possible to register their interest. All intending participants can expect the trip organiser to ask for details about your climbing experience and gear. Booking Book into the trip by contacting the trip organiser (see above) or registering your interest by 'buying' an online ticket here using the 'Get Ticket' button. Members will need to log onto the VCC Member Portal to register. Guests will need to contact the trip organiser. All participants will be required to provide an emergency contact person and number in their member profile. Follow the four steps when booking the ticket. There is no cost in Step 3 and you don’t need to download the tickets in Step 4. Only one member per booking. The trip organiser will be in touch after you register online.  Online bookings close two days before the start date. Late bookings are not guaranteed a place of the trip but contact the trip organiser to check availability.  Car Pooling The club encourages car pooling. However, this is optional and each participant should make their own risk assessment. The trip organiser will contact participants before the trip to arrange carpools.

**Update** This trip was postponed and the new date is Saturday, 12 April.  After a multi-year wait, the road to Ben Cairn is open. Come along to enjoy the worst cliff in the world with some of the best climbs.  The trip will be cancelled if there is any rain in the preceding three days as it becomes unclimbable if even slightly damp. Trip Organiser - Dave Singleton Email the trip organiser (d_singo69@optusnet.com.au) for more information on the trip.  Meeting Meet in Ben Cairn carpark at 9.00 am. Requirements This trip is suitable for beginners and top roping at the crag is straightforward. Maximum of 16 participants. It is open to members and guests, and novice, intermediate and advanced climbers. Find your level here at the Trip Participant Guidelines or contact the trip organiser. Novice climber spaces are strictly limited by the number of advanced climbers who come along. Novices should contact the trip organiser as soon as possible to register their interest. All intending participants can expect the trip organiser to ask for details about your climbing experience and gear. Booking Book into the trip by contacting the trip organiser (see above). Car Pooling The club encourages car pooling. However, this is optional and each participant should make their own risk assessment. The trip organiser will contact participants before the trip to arrange carpools.

For two decades, Reel Rock has been sharing the biggest stories from the world of climbing, celebrating the human side behind the sport's greatest adventures and achievements. Reel Rock 19 showcases three world-premiere climbing films spanning disciplines, characters and continents: a heartfelt story of second chances in love and climbing on Squamish’s legendary Cobra Crack; an outrageous 18-day big wall epic on Patagonia’s towering Torre Central; and the pursuit of a lifelong dream—a 5.15 first ascent—made possible by an unlikely partnership. Check out their Facebook Event Page, which is used to announce prizes, post trailers and other information.  Book your tickets at Reel Rock 19. VCC members can get $5 off using this discount code. You need to log into your VCC account (using the 'Log in' button in the top right corner) to see the code. Otherwise, you see the dreaded 404 error - you have been warned! The free ticket giveaway has ended but you can still buy discounted tickets! The event organisers have provided four complementary tickets for VCC members. Enter the giveaway by 'buying a ticket' below. Entry to the giveaway closes on Sunday 23 March. Winners will be selected at random and notified on Monday, 24 March.   The draw is only available to VCC members (so log into your account to book into the draw) and limited to one entry per member. Remember, the draw 'ticket' is not yours until you are a winner. If you are feeling unlucky but want to attend the event, book your ticket for Reel Rock 19 now and take a friend if you win the draw. Good luck!

VCC members are invited to celebrate Mt Arapiles/Dyurrite with a night of films from Reel Rock and local filmmakers. See Arapiles Film Tour for details on dates, locations and tickets. Tickets are free! Climb West Altona - Saturday March 8 Gravity Worx Pascoe Vale- Sunday March 9 Boulder Lab Ferntree Gully - Saturday March 15 Northside Boulders Northcote- Sunday March 16 Up Climbing St Kilda - Saturday March 22 Cliffhanger Climbing Altona North - Sunday March 23

Come along and enjoy climbing at some of the crags in the Northern Grampians. Possibilities include The Ravine, I Forget Walls and the cooler crags of the north. For more details and booking, go to Events on the VCC website. Photo: Michael O’Reilly leading at ‘I Forget Walls’ by Jill Gara

The Western Victorian Climbing Club (WVCC) and VCC are joining for a March long weekend base camp. WVCC will be hosting the trip with climbing at Mt Cole, Red Rock and Ben Nevis.  Camping We will be camping at the Chinamans Campground at the western end of Mt Cole State Park from Friday evening 7 March to mid-afternoon on Monday 10 March 2025. Camping is free but you are advised to turn up early as it is a long weekend and the camping is first in-first served. There are toilets and a covered eating area, but no showers. You will need to bring all the necessaries for outdoor camping if you are coming for the weekend. camping gear food and water suitable clothing - check the weather forecast a few days prior. Climbing If you haven't climbed in Mt Cole, the rock is granite. On the top of the mount along the main forest road, the climbing is on granite tors and craglets with a mix of trad, bolts and bouldering. At Red Rock and Ben Nevis, the climbing is on large slabs/faces that require three 50m abseils in to get to the bottom of the cliff. This is not a place for novices as you need to be able to pass a knot on abseil, as well as be able to climb a rope using prussiks.  See Chockstone for more information.  You will need a 50-60m rope as well as a full rack. The slabs are bolt protected but the bolts are 'carrots' and require hangers, and are well spaced (10m), so you need to be comfortable with long runouts. You will need helmet, harness and boots. Bookings All intending participants must contact the VCC trip coordinator, Glen Donohue - glen.donohue@vicclimb.org.au, prior to the trip to confirm your intentions and experience. Bookings close on Wednesday, 5 March. Please email if you have any questions. VCC members can book into the trip from this event and I will contact them. You must log into your account to see the 'Get tickets' button to register. Only one member per booking please. Email me if you are not a member and want to attend the trip as a guest. Follow the four steps when booking the ticket. There is no cost in Step 3 and you don’t need to download the tickets in Step 4. Requirements Beginner places will be available but limited. 

Are you climbing at Araps/Djurite over the Melbourne Cup Day long weekend and want to hang around for the rest of the week?  Then this trip is for you!  The trip will be informal. VCC members will be available to climb with and this event will allow us to catch up with each other.    This trip is only open to members and intermediate and advanced climbers. Sorry, no beginner or guest places are available for this event. Check out the VCC website for suitable trips.  Members will need to log onto the VCC Member Portal to register and all participants will be required to provide an emergency contact in their member profile. Register your interest here and the trip organiser (Glen Donohue) will be in touch. For more information, click here to email the trip organiser.  Follow the four steps when booking the ticket. There is no cost in Step 3 and you don’t need to download the tickets in Step 4.  

REEL ROCK is back with a collection of world-premiere climbing + adventure films! Screening 16 March 2023, 7pm at The Astor!  Don't miss three heart-stopping new films featuring the year’s biggest climbing & adventure stories: a wild expedition on Nameless Tower in Pakistan; a new cutting-edge route in a massive limestone cave in France; and a journey to Palestine’s West Bank to explore the power of climbing to change lives. Presented by The North Face and supported by Black Diamond & Yeti. VCC Members can get a $5 discount when booking online. Log into the Members Portal (log in button in the top right corner) and click here for the Reel Rock 17 VCC member discount code.  You must be logged into your VCC Member account to see the code. Check here to find out about logging in for the first time.

Pre-registration is required for this event. See the VCC site for information. You must register with the VCC Trip Co-ordinator before booking this event.   The course is only open VCC members and limited places are available. Registered participants will be contacted when the balance of payment is due. Payment of the balance is required to secure your place. Please check out the Deposit and Cancellation Policy - VCC Learn2Lead Courses.   For more information about the course, contact Michael O'Reilly at clubtrips@vicclimb.org.au For help with payments, contact Glen Donohue at membership@vicclimb.org.au