Thursday Steep'n'Hot Ups'n'Downs in Urumau-ns

Parked up on Fosters and rang Nelson.  Him and Craig (who'd parked at the gondola and ridden over the Bridle Path (in 29 degree heat)) were at the top already so they headed off for a lap while I climbed to the top.  It was hot going.  Right to the top, I perched myself on the top of the rocks and waited.  Eventually I saw them come into view below, and saw Craig head off down, but Nelson coming up to me.  

We set off down Stormer, and veered into Zombie Lurch.  Nelson did the log ride.  I just wasn't feeling gungho tonight, so I stayed on the ground.  All the steepness tech was fine, but trickery like logs and big gaps were beyond me this evening.  Into the climb back up Sloanstar and ugh, but my puff was clear having had 2 blasts of asthma-begone before I left the car.  Around the front and up the zigs again.  

From the not-quite-top this time down Sunnyside, with Nelson taking a turn on the super mad steep drop off to the right.  I went down the top of Sunny and he rode to meet me there.  Then down this, loose dusty steep goodness.  Corner that's always got me before was fine and then we took a slightly further line out and down.  Climbing again, zig and zag to the top top again.  

This time into Jackasaurus, dropping over the droppy starts.  I really wasn't feeling 100% confident and so what looked like a gap jump but wasn't, spooked me.  Down to the gutsy dropzone, steeper than I remember getting to it.  I rolled in several times and then still chickened out...  Down from there and I cleaned some more good steeps that were probably just as bad as the piece I chickened out on.  Into Grommies, nice hoon down through here, not even hesitating to drop the log drop.  Around into the Slabstacles, rocky wall drops.  Good for a bit of a freak out but easy as...  Climbing again.  This time just up around and off down the new exit trail (which meander-flows nicely). And down to the car.

The ups are steeeep and the downs are tech.

Extreme ups and downs, minimal distance... 4.94 kms with 309 m (according to MMR -  but my calculation based on low points and high points is 351 m) climbed.

Saturday Morning, Climby AF megatech

Saturday morning, before the rain came, Nelsie and me met at Fosters Tce and headed up into the Urumau.  Climbing the 4wd steep pig section bumped into James and Caro, had a good old catch up and was fresher for the rest of the climb.  Then, remembered to turn on the MMR at the junction point (thereby missing 60odd? m of climb).  Up around, dropping into the usual down the steeps and yumpies, then off down Stormer for a refresher course in Urumau.  Down into Grommies, which has been smoothed and honed.  I dropped the log drop first pop this time making me smoother and quicker.  At the 'bottom' we continued on down all the way to the road, just to check out for any new lines...  Climbed back up, walking a bit here and there.  From the 'bottom' we got back into the climb with the first switchbacks tidied for easier climbing (but not so much the slightly later sections).  Around the front and up the open zigs for round two.  

Dropped down Jackosaurus this time, trying to session the rock step part way down.  No matter how much I told myself I'd be fine, I kept baulking.  Meantime, Nelson rode it like 3 or 4 times.  I ended up carrying down.  The rest of it was sweet, and we bailed out eventually into the bottom of Stormer and on down Grommies, this time trying out the new line to the right which is intimidatingly steep dropping over these solid rock slabs ("slabstacles" as coined by dude we met at top after this).  Mint!  climbed back up to the main bit and on up the climbing mode again.  Around the front and up the open, catching a couple of dudes and a young son up here, chatting and checking out a mega tech drop line over the left.  ugh, no way.  

This time, all the way from the top, down Jack ridge then into Zombie, blazing this (carefully dodging onga-onga galore).  I bailed on the jump at the bottom, and then we rode the wooden feature out and climbed out again.  

Back to the top and checked out a drop over from off the side top here.  Nelson did it a couple times and I took Sunnyside, meeting him eventually lower down.  Took a call in here from T and realised it was 12pm, so time to get rolling home.  Dropped down the overgrown steepline exit and out.

Over 500m of climbing in a little over 7kms... High climbing to distance ratio. 

Tech too, and how, Urumau.