Unclimbed Mountains?

[JesseM]

Long story short, I want to be the first person to summit a mountain. Does anyone know where I can find records of first ascents and the like? Or alternatively does anyone know of any mountains in NSW yet to be summited?
Thanks,
Jesse

[jonnosan]

Are you looking for rock climbs or bushwalks?
Given how many millennia people have been living in NSW I doubt there is any summit that can be walked to that people haven't already been on many times. But I expect there are probably cliffs that haven't been climbed yet.

[ribuck]

Maybe you need to find a newly-created summit. For example, a pillar of rock left standing in the middle of a quarry.

[GPSGuided]

The OP wanted a 'mountain', not a cairn.

[puredingo]

Hmmm yeah good luck with that one. I had a quick think and couldn't recall any mountain, hill or hump of significant size that doesn't have a log book, cairn or trig station on it.

As Jonno said people have been exploring, hunting, hiding and praying in such places for donkeys.... I reckon you would have more chance being the first person to summit a sky scraper in Sydney!!

[JesseM]

Yeah I wasn't too confident about wether there would be anything left. Does anyone have an idea of how I would go about finding records of first ascents and documented exploration of the national parks in NSW?

[DarrenM]

Hi JesseM,

Do you mind if I ask why? Naming rights or just a personal goal?

I've always thought that if it's the first time I've climbed something then that's all that matters. Much like skiing first descents. I couldn't care less how many have or haven't skied the line, as long as I have and it felt good then I win.

[GPSGuided]

Try and find more sparsely populated parts of the world for an opportunity.

[MickyB]

I've always thought that if it's the first time I've climbed something then that's all that matters. Much like skiing first descents. I couldn't care less how many have or haven't skied the line, as long as I have and it felt good then I win.

Agree although its always special when you get to places that not many people get to see.

[JesseM]

Its a personal goal more than anything else, always fun to have a side project on the go. Although thats not saying I haven't considered the bragging rights

[DaveNoble]

I'm sure there would be plenty of mountains that have not been climbed. One I can think of is Donkey Mountain in the Wolgan Valley. Its easy to get to the summit plateau, but to get to the actual summit itself would be quite a challenge.

Dave

[puredingo]

Hmmmm but how?...how could you really be sure?

I suppose one way you could narrow it down is nominate a target mountain, post your intention on various related forum groups and ask if it's been topped and if you get nobody claiming they have been there, well, that's close enough....

[JesseM]

Thanks for the heads up on Donkey Mountain, i'll check it out. Puredingo, I think you're right. The current plan is to make a couple of ascents, post them, and then let other people tell me i'm wrong. If no one speaks up, I'll claim it!

[GPSGuided]

May I ask what's your climbing experience? Bet that any that hasn't been climbed (if any) would have a serious technical reason. If it's easy, it's a gonner.

[puredingo]

Thanks for the heads up on Donkey Mountain, i'll check it out. Puredingo, I think you're right. The current plan is to make a couple of ascents, post them, and then let other people tell me i'm wrong. If no one speaks up, I'll claim it!

HAha!! That's the spirit. Either way your going to have a ball climbing them wether your the first or not.

I'll save you some time, don't bother with Mt Kembla...I was only up there today.

[Grabeach]

You're certainly in the wrong country for finding unclimbed mountains. Firstly, Australia has been geologically inactive for longer than just about anywhere else, so our true mountains have had longer to be worn down. Hence most aren't that high and can be walked (driven?) up. We've got our fair share of cliffs, but these usually aren't mountains, they're plateaus eroded by water. Secondly, the mountainous area eg. Great Dividing Range, are readily accessible to the higher populations along the coast. This would probably also make it difficult to find unclimbed mountains in the geologically more recently active New Zealand.

With these two factors in mind, I'd suggest New Guinea as the closest source.

[ribuck]

If you are considering a novelty ascent, I'd be surprised if the Wollemi Totem Pole has been climbed. This is what it looks like:
http://www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au/bushwa ... Winter.pdf

It would need considerable care to climb it without injury to yourself and without damage to the rock.

Also in the "novelty" category, you could construct a temporary installation on top of Kosciuszko and climb it, thereby being the person who has climbed higher than any other person in Australia, ever. Something like two ladders and a cross-piece lashed together in the shape of an "A" ought to do it.

[GPSGuided]

Talking of peaks. SOTA (Summit on the Air) ham people have a pretty complete list of the various summits in Australia.

http://www.sotamaps.org

[Grabeach]

Also in the "novelty" category, you could construct a temporary installation on top of Kosciuszko and climb it, thereby being the person who has climbed higher than any other person in Australia, ever.

Probably not. The 'trig' on top of Kosciusko when my parents drove us up there in the mid 1960s was a much taller tubular steel frame construction than the current stone one. I'm sure I was not the only one (though I may have been the youngest!) to shimmy up it.

You would first need to get photos of the old trig (I haven't found any on the 'net) to gauge the height. Maybe 6m ??? As private individuals can no longer can drive a vehicle up there, you would need to get permission for your project from the NPWS. Alternatively you could construct your tower off-site and hire a helicopter to bring it in and out. Good luck.

[DarrenM]

I've always thought that if it's the first time I've climbed something then that's all that matters. Much like skiing first descents. I couldn't care less how many have or haven't skied the line, as long as I have and it felt good then I win.

Agree although its always special when you get to places that not many people get to see.

True Mick!
I'd be guilty if I said being first isn't special.

[paul8]

JesseM,
Hard to find an unclimbed mountain in Australia.

But you can do the next best thing, climb a mountain with no record of it being climbed on the internet. So, after the climb, post your achievement here, and it will go down in the history as you being the first recorded climb to the mountain. There are heaps of such mountains

On the same subject, has anyone climbed the rock at the summit of Sentry Box Mountain in ACT?
Photos of the rock are in http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/sentry-box-act-australia.html (Photos #45 and #46).
There must be quite a few rock climbers who have climbed it. But have they recorded their climb on the internet? If there is no record, then JesseM, this mountain is for you

Paul

[Grabeach]

But you can do the next best thing, climb a mountain with no record of it being climbed on the internet. So, after the climb, post your achievement here, and it will go down in the history as you being the first recorded climb to the mountain. There are heaps of such mountains

Things were occurring out in the bush long before computers arrived. Peaks were climbed (and passes found and canyons descended) and recorded long before computers existed. Just because nobody has got round to copying it onto the internet doesn't mean it didn't happen!

[Lophophaps]

Clement Wragge had a weather station on the summit of Kosciuszko 116 years ago, so it's likely that someone has been on the roof. I've skied over the summit, with the cairn buried. Maybe a ladder will get the height ...

[kjbeath]

I think groups of mountains are the way to go. Highest 20 peaks of Wollemi or Barrington would be very interesting.

[WarrenH]

If I was looking for a mountain to climb that perhaps hasn't been climbed, I'd go the Bramina Wilderness. Firstly, I'd read the book 'Hume and Hovell 1824' by Allen EJ Andrews, which was published in 1981 by Blubber Head Press Hobart. ISBN 0 908528 07 8.This book has William Hovell's account and Dr Bland's account and Allan Andrews' assessment of the routes. The Mitchell Library and the National Library of Australia both have copies. Then look for the reasons that turned Hume and Hovell around in the Bramina ... and that's where you could start.

It is wild country in the Bramina and basically no one leaves the fire trails or they stay on the Hume and Hovell Walking Track. There would be places above the Goodradigbee River that no one has been let alone seen.

Another place where you will find mountains yet to be climbed is in the Southern Region of the Brogo Wilderness. This place is something else. I also recommend reading John Blay's book 'Treck Through the Back Country', published by Methuen Australia in 1987. ISBN 0 454 01236 5. To let you know what to avoid and why you don't really want to go there. This is wild gorge country like no other. Truly extraordinary country. It's so difficult in the southern section, most (if any) don't know where to start. But I suggest talking to the graziers who's properties butt up to the Southern Escarpment, to try to gain access from their farm tracks.

Then, when you conquer those places, take the Black Line through the Genoa Wilderness into the Byadbo Wilderness ... off the Black Line, there will be mountains there not climbed by white-walkers. If you want a reference for this, 'Wild Places' by Peter Prineas and Henry Gold, is inspiring, with great aerial photographs. The first publication of Wild Places by Kalianna Press, was printed in 1983 and it has larger mud-maps than the recent edition. I've the first printing of Wild Places and the ISBN for that is 0 9596273 1 6. The National Library has all the books mentioned above and some second hand book stores might too. The Hume and Hovell 1824 if available, will not be cheap.

These wilderness regions mentioned, are the greater wilderness regions, not just those areas called wilderness within NSW State run parks.

Warren.

PS, This time of year there will be White Walkers in these places. Winter has come ... but not with the usual white walkers we're used to seeing when out-and-about. So take a few shards of Dragon Glass with you. In the Southern wilderness regions don't let your fire go out at night ... there be' Dulaga, Wambeen and Thinan-malkias stalking your camps at night and in the Bramina there are the angry and savage spirits of the Guramal and the Brajerak. Good luck, take care and take lots of shots. I hope that this helps.

PPS, If you want to see my photos or drawings of how wild these places are, you should show me your shots first. You could discover these places for yourself firstly, if you're really wanting to be the first.

[Messidor]

Personally I think it depends how you define a mountain, and just how interesting you want it to be. I'm sure there are a small number of insignificant forested knolls out there in the NSW Diving Range that have escaped an ascent. Expanding out to the whole country, I think the best shot is the Outback. There are a few substantial and very remote ranges out there, like the Petermann Ranges. Outside of that, Tasmania is pretty well explored by bushwalkers, but the deep southwest coast - west of Lake Gordon - has numerous low mountains which are extremely difficult to get to. Look between the Propsting Range (which is climbed) and Mount Lewis. No guarantees though. Outside Australia, the best bets are Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, as already mentioned. The fjordland of NZ is dotted with hundreds, maybe thousands, of peaks in total. All of them would be challenging and most would be accessed by boat. There's also a very desert-like region of mountains west of Kaikoura where there may be a few unclimbed peaks due to the scale and lack of nearby roads. As for PNG, there would be many unclimbed major peaks, but they're that way for a reason. It's so unexplored that the highest point of the Finisterre Range (a really major range I might add) was only just climbed in 2014.