Suspended Catch Air Device (SCAD) diving

Okay, your 150 ft up with no ropes or bunjee cord, you swing tentatively out into mid air - you look down, there's a net in the distance, you look up and the clip releases!

Suspended Catch Air Device (SCAD) diving is a new high for adrenaline junkies dropping you 150ft into a safety net with no protection or attachments, just you & up to 4 G's!

So How Does It Work?

Well you step into a harness, then you and up to 8 people are winched 150ft into the air. From the platform you clip into the Control Free Fall system, that ensures a safe free fall position, and swing out! Around about this point your adrenaline will be pumping so hard you won't hear the controller release the clip but you'll definately feel the enormous G-Force as you accelerate to up to 70 mph. A safety net supported by airtubes ensures a soft landing. Interested yet???

SCAD diving has the obvious attraction of raising money for a charity and the number of locations sporting these devices is on the up - the nearest one to us (Wales) is at the old WICC, now E2. So if your looking for a high then this is definately worth your time! However, in most cases these days will only run if there is sufficient interest prior to an event so if your gona take the drop it might be best to convince some others to have a crack too!

For more detailed information on booking, safety and general info. try this site:

http://www.dropzoneuk.com/index.html

Mt Tibrogargan, Glass House Mountains, Brisbane

The Glass House Mountains comprise a series of ancient volcanoes that rise sharply from the flat surrounding landscape. The peaks are positioned west of Highway near Brisbane, Queensland. Amongst these, Mt. Tibrogargan and Mt. Beerwah are the steepest accessible peaks, with Mt. Coonowrin having been closed due to falling rock.

Mt. Tibrogargan stands 364m above sea level and forms a gorilla-like silhouette against the sky. My wife and I climbed this mountain during a visit in December 2007. The car park is located directly beneath the mountain and a steep track winds through the forest and quickly reaches the base of the scramble.

Almost immediately one has to climb a vertical chimney to achieve a large ledge. Above the ledge an open slab cuts through the dense vegetation. The slab continues to steepen as it rises until a short, near vertical section breaks the slab. Beyond this break the angle relents and the steep path continues through sub-tropical forest to the summit.

For those familiar with Snowdonia, the scramble was not unlike the north ridge route on Tryfan.

Friction is your friend on the slabs and we were lucky to climb during a dry spell. However, during our stay at Caloundra we saw how quickly the weather could change and I should imagine these slabs are a very different affair when wet. In addition, a slip from the upper part of the slab could see you tumbling a considerable distance to the forest below. For this reason climbers may wish to carry a rope and some slings (there are plenty of trees on-route) to allow an abseil to be set up to descend if the weather changed. Several companies in Brisbane also operate guided tours of these mountains, with Mt. Beerwah being particularly popular.

Don’t forget to visit the nearby Australia Zoo where you can marvel at the poisonous spiders and snakes that are indigenous to the region. Hopefully this will be the only time you see them!!!!!!!!!!!!

Barland Quarry, Bishopston one Autumn Morning

Barland quarry is a hidden gem!

Located just off the road between Bishopston & Kittle just before you reach the surf shop (not sure what its called) the entire face is pure slab pocked with erosion. Some places were smear heaven whilst others caused a few fried eggs as we slid off. There are numerous short jaunts to the left of the main face which we had a couple of hours slugging up with a couple of optimistic dynos thrown in.

The main climb shoots right up the centre where there is a short respite from a small ledge. From here a summit attempt can be mounted. Dave took the lead first but after cocking a leg onto the overhang lost his mojo and belayed down to recover! Luckily he'd placed some gear just above the overhang so when I launched myself up it I was relatively safe. Still, scary climb though, as there is little for the fingers to grip. We had an awesome time here anyway and would recommend it to middle of the range climbers, maybe a little advanced for complete beginners though. Mental!

Please note that no formal permission has been gained to enter the quarry so climbers should keep a low profile!