Bollard Pass

I'm doing the Bollard Willson loop on Friday, any tips/points to note that arent listed above before I try this? Any idea how many times Bollard pass has actually been done (I only know of ST and Intrepid having done it, presumably other groups have done it)?

Hey chap.
Have a good one. This is such an awesome part of the berg. You should also have no water troubles, as water was EVERYWHERE a week ago.
Rivers flowing well above the 2500 mark.
There are quite a lot of pictures that I took, just search BOLLARD PASS and they pop up.
I enjoyed scrambling the gully in Wilsons Pass, but Intrepid seemed to have found a way down the grassy bank.
Your choice.
I have yet to get hold of Charl Brummer, 'cause if anyone has done it before, it will either be him or someone he knows of.
Glad to hear it is being explored!

i was i bit worried about the water higher up being frozen, i did sleeping beauty cave last year in june and there was frost on the ground in the afternoon, so you say i mustn't be worried about this. Thats good to know.

This is also my favourite part of the berg, i like the idea of climbing passes that not many people have done. My Gypateus Pass at Giants Castle will be tested this summer (if i can put together a group crazy enough to do the hike).

ghaznavid wrote: i was i bit worried about the water higher up being frozen, i did sleeping beauty cave last year in june and there was frost on the ground in the afternoon, so you say i mustn't be worried about this. Thats good to know.

This is also my favourite part of the berg, i like the idea of climbing passes that not many people have done. My Gypateus Pass at Giants Castle will be tested this summer (if i can put together a group crazy enough to do the hike).

"i was i bit worried about the water higher up being frozen"

Ghaz. There has been very good rainfall in the berg this year, as a result there is a lot of flowing water at higher altitudes than normal. However, the low temps mean there is a lot of ice as well.
We only saw sun in Bollard Pass when we neared the top, so iced sections are likely inevitable. Whilst we had rope, but did not use it, I recommend having a length.

Cool (excuse the non-deliberate pun), thanks for the advice. I always carry a 9m climbing rope - not that I have any real knowledge of how to do actual rock climbing, I mainly carry it to haul my pack up steep rock scrambles (not that I have ever even used it for that).

We decided to give Bollard Pass a try this past weekend and approached from Cods Eye Valley. The pass is still full of snow and very iced up in sections, particularly towards the top. This made the going tricky! Our intention was to overnight at the so called 'Stealth Cave'. I can quite see how it got it's name - the approach entails scrambling up pretty steep grassy slopes,(very carefully) and we hauled packs up the steeper sections. A largish cave with a beautiful outlook. I know that this cave has been visited before but wonder whether we would have been the first to overnight there? The climb down into the gully the following morning was a bit hairy and once down on the ice, we tied in and descended with caution.Needless to say we had numb and icy posteriors by the time we arrived at the bottom..... A good weekend in the Berg.

A bit off topic this posting - but seeing those photos has led me to make a mental note to weigh a pair of crocs when I get home. I normally take a pair of v.light flops but crocs would be very much better if one needed to walk out in something else. And they're good for padding round at the day's destination.

Thx Elinda

I'm interested in the "Stealth Cave" you refer to as I have not heard of or have any data for the cave. Can it be that it is called something else? Please give us more info on the cave i.e. how many it can accommodate, nearest water, altitude, etc.

Nice! Surprised that there is still snow in the berg, especially with the hot weather we have recently had. I hope to conquer Bollard later this year after my not very successful attempt in July...