Thread: Ayers Rock

Originally Posted by rapserv

I had the opportunity to climb the rock last year but only managed to make it about half way due to a bug I managed to catch at the most inopportune time. I read the warnings on the notice board and reluctantly took their advice not to climb

However, from another perspective, I did talk to a lot of people at the time who did do the climb... both to the top and not... and a lot of them expressed their absolute fear experienced at some sections during the climb.
I watched from a distance one female japanese tourist who was glued to the chain at one of the most dangerous narrow sections and too petified to move. I observed a number of people trying to get by her by reluctantly letting go of the chain and inching their way round. It gave me the shivers watching just how close they were to the edge of a near vertical unprotected drop. Its no wonder that their have been something like 39 deaths on this rock. (supposedly mostly from heart attacks)
It made me seriously think about attempting it again in the future.
On a secondary note, It also made me wonder why in my workplace I can't work at a height over 2m without wearing some kind of protective fall arrestor harness and yet they will let anyone climb to a height of some 350m in what can be dubious weather conditions with a high risk of injury or probable death in the event of a fall... whatever happened to 'duty of care' by owners, authorities and tour operators?
I would have thought that instead of a safety chain a light harness system (permanently attached to the climber) would still allow the climber to experience the 'rush' of the climb whilst ensuring their safety (and everyone elses).
I understand that this post may seem a little 'alarmist' or seeking to deaden the excitement of the 'thrillseekers' out there, but it is not meant to be...... only to make people aware that there are genuinely terrified people on these climbs who do not realise the risk until they are up there.

Now for the flaming ..

Yeah completely agreed but I don't think you go quite far enough I mean we could still have people unclipping their harnesses or even jamming their fingers.

Really what we should be proposing is an elevator straight to the top. This would allow greater equity for those who couldn't complete the climb for whatever reason be it obesity, injury or other reasons and should also ensure those poor frightened tourists are safely taken to the top of the rock.

An elevator may however be a little hard to install so perhaps a chairlift would be more appropriate and then we could just to add to the attraction and install a flying fox down again with appropriate safety controls of course.

And of course to ensure no one can be blamed for heart attacks or falls anywhere else in Australia we should immediately begin a national campaign to either level all our mountains to ensure no one could fall off them or at least fence all our dangerous and open cliff faces.

I'm so pleased that we as a society are ready to identify and meet such dangerous health and safety issues head on.

Originally Posted by zulu Delta 534

That trip looks as though it could have had some interesting moments going by the mud spray on the windscreen. I can remember only too vividly how slippery some of the "jump-ups" out there could become with only a slight amount of moisture.
Fair bit of grass ( Indian Dock I presume) present in your shots. What time of year where you out there?

I cant really remember but think it was winter as I spent Christmas day 1968 on City beach Perth.
What I do remember is 5 mins after the photo was taken I broke a rear axle. My fault as went to reverse in high, too soft, so slipped it into low forgetting the hubs were still out. Bang. Had to drive to Port Augusta on the front axle to buy another. The road then was unsealed and wet so made for an interesting trip.

Originally Posted by rapserv

I had the opportunity to climb the rock last year but only managed to make it about half way due to a bug I managed to catch at the most inopportune time. I read the warnings on the notice board and reluctantly took their advice not to climb

However, from another perspective, I did talk to a lot of people at the time who did do the climb... both to the top and not... and a lot of them expressed their absolute fear experienced at some sections during the climb.
I watched from a distance one female japanese tourist who was glued to the chain at one of the most dangerous narrow sections and too petified to move. I observed a number of people trying to get by her by reluctantly letting go of the chain and inching their way round. It gave me the shivers watching just how close they were to the edge of a near vertical unprotected drop. Its no wonder that their have been something like 39 deaths on this rock. (supposedly mostly from heart attacks)
It made me seriously think about attempting it again in the future.
On a secondary note, It also made me wonder why in my workplace I can't work at a height over 2m without wearing some kind of protective fall arrestor harness and yet they will let anyone climb to a height of some 350m in what can be dubious weather conditions with a high risk of injury or probable death in the event of a fall... whatever happened to 'duty of care' by owners, authorities and tour operators?
I would have thought that instead of a safety chain a light harness system (permanently attached to the climber) would still allow the climber to experience the 'rush' of the climb whilst ensuring their safety (and everyone elses).
I understand that this post may seem a little 'alarmist' or seeking to deaden the excitement of the 'thrillseekers' out there, but it is not meant to be...... only to make people aware that there are genuinely terrified people on these climbs who do not realise the risk until they are up there.

Now for the flaming ..

I think that you need to look at this from the perspective of someone who is vey familiar with "the rock".

Numpty, for years, filled the coke machine and the chips machine at the top of Ayers Rock daily. If anyone should know what is the best solution, it should be him!

Maybe Numpty should confer his wisdom re this?

(I agree though, occupational H & S )


123rover50, shouldve been able to get one at Coober or off the track at Andamooka..

I climbed Ayers Rock, in 1969 as it was called then, yes I was younger then but can still remember it was not easy, I had a few pauses on the way up. It was coming down that I had the biggest problem especially the last section. My feet were at an unusual angle and they felt like they were going to break off at the ankle. But the crowning moment of the day was the light plane flight over Ayres Rock and the Olgas. That is still fixed in my memory to this day. And a lot of other events have faded away.

Originally Posted by digger

....................Numpty, for years, filled the coke machine and the chips machine at the top of Ayers Rock daily............ If anyone should know what is the best solution, it should be him!.........

Numpty cheated..., he never climbed the rock to fill the coke machine......he waited till it was let down for the night time and filled it then.

Originally Posted by rijidij

(they were still very happy to take our $56 to enter the park though)

I knew there was a reason i hadn't been there.

Jeff

Originally Posted by rovercare

.................What ever happened to people thinking for themselves, if your too fat/unfit/scared, don't climb?

When we were on our way down there was a guy, in his 30's, sitting down clinging to the chain and we had to step around him. We asked if he was ok and he said, " yeah, I'm just afraid of heights" !!!!

Hello,

I am a french student who is writing a thesis about aboriginal way of life and the national park of Uluru/Kata Tjuta.
Does someone is living overthere or was living around the place ?
Do you know or interected with aboriginal people ?

Thks


Léa