Frog Buttress facts for kids
Frog Buttress is a famous rock cliff on the side of Mount French. It's located in the Moogerah Peaks National Park, close to the town of Boonah in Queensland, Australia. This special climbing spot became well-known in 1968 when local rock climbers Rick White and Chris Meadows found it. Since then, over 400 climbing paths, called routes, have been created by many climbers, including famous ones like Henry Barber, Kim Carrigan, and Tobin Sorenson.
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About Frog Buttress
Frog Buttress is not huge compared to some cliffs around the world. It's about 400 meters wide and 50 meters tall in the middle, shrinking to 20 meters at its ends. However, it's made of unique rock columns called rhyolite. These columns create amazing cracks, corners, and edges that are perfect for climbing. Many of the cracks are smooth and run parallel, which means climbers need to use special tools called spring-loaded camming devices and have good crack climbing skills.
There are more than 400 known climbing routes here. Their difficulty is measured using the Ewbank Scale, with grades from 4 (easy) to 32 (very hard). Most of the climbing here is done in a traditional style. This means climbers use their own safety gear that they place into natural features in the rock. There are very few modern "sport" routes with fixed safety bolts. If there are bolts on flat rock faces or edges, climbers usually need to bring their own hangers for them. Setting up ropes from the top of the cliff (called top-roping) is difficult because the clifftop is fragile. Also, many climbers at Frog Buttress prefer a more traditional climbing style. In the past, some climbs had initials carved at the bottom to help climbers find them, but this is not encouraged anymore.
History
The first climbing routes at Frog Buttress were explored by Rick White and Chris Meadows in 1968. The very first climb they completed was called "Corner of Eden," which is a grade 21. Over the next few years, local climbers like White, Meadows, Ted Cais, Robert Staszewski, Ian Thomas, Ron Collett, and Ian Cameron climbed many routes. Sometimes they used "aid," which means pulling on gear to help them get up. "Odin" (grade 19) was a big challenge for them, and "Black Light" (grade 22) was a major achievement.
In 1975, a famous climber named Henry Barber visited Australia. He ended up at Frog Buttress and climbed many routes without using aid. He created classic climbs like "Conquistador" (grade 21) and "Child in Time" (grade 22). Local climbers were very impressed by his skills and soon started climbing many of the same routes themselves.
Later, in the late 1970s, John Allen and Tobin Sorenson also visited. They completed some very brave and challenging climbs. In the 1980s, climbers from Victoria added many harder routes. "Brown Corduroy Trowsers" (grade 28) is still known as a very tough traditional climb at Frog Buttress.
Climbing at Frog Buttress
Climbing is best during the winter months. In summer, it gets too hot to spend much time on the rock, and climbing in the middle of the day is not a good idea. A smart plan is to climb in the morning and then head to the Dugandan Pub, which is about 9 kilometers away in Boonah, for food.
Some of the climbs at Frog Buttress are incredibly hard and dangerous. They are so challenging that they are climbed very rarely, if ever.
Popular Routes
Here are some easier routes that are good for new climbers:
| Name | Length | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Witches Cauldron | 17m | 12 | A nice, easy climb that feels like going up a lift-shaft. |
| Electric Mud | 10m | 13 | A relaxing climb up a corner. |
| S*** Heap | 10m | 14 | This route is great for practicing a climbing technique called jamming. |
| Theory | 25m | 14 | A nice and varied longer route. |
| Electronic Flag | 40m | 14 | A long climb that needs different skills. |
| Mechanical Prune | 18m | 15 | An open chimney, which is a wide crack you can climb inside. |
Many climbers agree that the best quality routes are usually found in the grade 19 to 23 range. New climbers might find the "easy" routes quite challenging for their listed difficulty. However, for routes around grade 20 and higher, the difficulty often matches what you'd expect.
Camping and Facilities
There are camping spots available above the cliff. They cost $4.85 per night, but they do not have showers. You need to book your spot ahead of time.
- Simon Carter, Rock Climbing in Australia, New Holland (2000). ISBN: 978-1-86436-340-1.
- Scott Camps, Frog Buttress, insert in Rock issue 10 (January 1989).
