Traxion Action is a new multi-pitch climb up Mount Tibrogargan north of Brisbane, and it’s easy enough that you can pack the percolator!

Highlights

  • Easy to moderate climbing
  • Great ledges for lunch/view appreciation
  • Great to work on efficient rope management
  • An all-round great climb!

210 metres, straight up!

After first taking a crack at this climb in May, this route is fast becoming my go-to for every time someone says, ‘we should do a multi sometime!’ Whilst there’s an abundance of multi-pitch climbing to be found on Mount Tibrogargan, Traxion Action is one of the longest, and also completely bolted, making it a great introduction to multi-pitch climbing!

 

We opted for a very ‘anti-alpine’ start and got to the base of the climb around 9:30am. The route stayed within the shade until about 12-1pm (this will make it a great summer adventure!) Traxion is graded at 17 in the Ewbanks scale, but this only describes the first pitch, and the difficulty eases off for the rest of the climb. The overall climb took us around three and a half hours; we definitely didn’t rush to the top but did link some of the pitches together to save time. We finished up the last pitch around 1:30pm, making for a great lunch on the summit. 

 

Time to get back to the bottom! There are a few options on Tibrogargan to do this, the first being to rappel straight back down the way you came up. This can be done safely with a single 60m rope (make sure you tie knots at the end of the rope). The second, and fastest option, is to walk down the tourist route on the west face. This doesn’t involve any rappelling, but is reasonably steep. The last option is to rappel down ‘The Caves Route’ on the east face of the mountain. This is by far the longest choice, but also the most fun! 

Well, now you know where it is, get on it! This route has been an awesome addition to the mountain and the more traffic it sees, the more people will be inspired to create more like it!

Read access notes on The Crag.

 

Gear Required

  • 10 draws as a minimum, double if you want to link pitches together, and some longer ones for the first pitch will make rope drag less of a problem
  • 60m rope is fine even if you link pitches
  • Lockers and slings for anchors
  • Prusiks and spare lockers just in case
  • Helmet – it’s a new route and there may be loose rock up there.

How To Get There

This climb is accessed from the climber’s carpark near the bottom of Tibro. This is found by turning off the Steve Irwin Way just before Matthew Flinders Park and taking the second left track under the train line. As this is such a new climb it hasn’t found its way into a guidebook at the time of writing. Detailed approach information can be found on thecrag.com.

Activities

  • Hiking
  • Climbing
  • Abseiling (not strictly necessary if you take the tourist route down)

Skill Level

Whilst this can be considered an entry-level multi-pitch climb, this is for intermediate climbers; not complete beginners. At least one in your party should have multi-pitch experience, and having an understanding of some self-rescue techniques can never go astray!

Distance Covered

The walk-in takes around 15 minutes or so, and it’s 210 metres upwards!