Ascents in Blue Mountains as various tick types by Kurt Doherty

Nice to do this again via a different finish and with Ryan in tow. He did fantastic for his first outdoor climb and first multi. No falls and all smiles. Was originally planning to head up the final corner to keep things as easy as possible, but he was doing fine, so we finished up the bolts instead. I lead the whole route, climbing it in three pitches; P1 and P2, then P3 and P4, then P5 by itself. This time I had wires for the carrots, and a more suitable selection of cams/nuts/offsets.

Repeat. Cleaning gear. Also a favourite.

Repeat. I always enjoy this one. Big holds and good exposure on this one. Had to battle the fatigue a bit though!

After bailing from Masterplan area looking for some easier climbing, we ended up here. A worthwhile addition to the cliff with a short thin crux above the big flake/block. Thanks for the bolts Lee Cujes

Matt went to onsight Marooned but our bolt plates didn't fit the one carrot on this (sigh), and we didn't have any wires or slings. As such, he quested up this instead. Fun climbing on beautiful rock with some consistent crimping split by rests. Felt proper tired on this and had to milk every rest. Really good though and shame we weren't up for the others.

Warming up. Interesting crux for sure, but most of the climbing on this is long moves between good holds; don't really see why it gets two stars. Would be proper hard for shorties.

Repeat. Warming up. Felt hard today. Probably is quite solid for the grade.

Fun start that wasn't quite as "streno" as the route description led me to believe. Middle of the route was enjoyable, though the movement was a little repetitive. Finish was a tad confusing; big jugs up right or nails (not 22) holds direct through the bulge...obviously, I went via the jugs, but it felt a little off route given where the last bolt and anchors are positioned.

Pretty chuffed to nab the onsight. Sequenced really well and found many of the holds to be much better than I was expecting. Crux was pretty darn fun, especially with numbed out hands; thankfully managed to rest just enough before it to pull through. Thanks for the permadraws; made it very easy to consume.

Straight after Araldite to get gear on for Matt. Felt strong on the crux and came down nice and warm.

Found this a bit soft for the grade. Some nice moves and features though. Matt cruised the onsight.

This and Clag are probably my two favourites out of the easy routes. Great features on this one, though it probably doesn't do much to warm me up.

Warming up. Not much different than Blow Me.

Warming up. Pretty good value for the grade. Not as pumpy as the two routes to its left.

Really enjoyed this one. Moving above the first break was much harder than I expected. Sequenced poorly above the third and had to work a little harder than I should have, but the rest was pretty straightforward. Bolt spacing makes it feel more exposed and exciting than it really is. Called it a day after this as rain was quickly heading our way.

Quite thin above the first. Was a little spicy getting the second clipped, but fine after that. Another little thin pull up high, but the crux is definitely moving past the second.

Repeat. Always enjoyable and still the pick of the bunch for me.

Quite good. Fun crux sequence up high.

Simply sensational. I enjoyed every second of this onsight; it's certainly become one of my favourite easy routes in the mountains. Movement was interesting, with the route following a nice wandering line of features up the wall. The final few meters round the small bulge and up to the ledge felt fantastic. Carrots are nicely spaced, helping to create a good sense of exposure while climbing, but it didn't ever feel dangerous to me (the first carrot is about 10m up, with seven in total, so the spacing is around 3.5m). The carrots themselves are a mix of broad-heads and "normal" ones; of the seven carrots, my bolt plates fit four, so I had to use wires on the other three. I found it very easy for 19, but the finish definitely has the ability to bring heartbreak to would-be ascensionists, so it deserves some respect.

I really enjoyed this one, despite the burly start. Rest of the route felt a few grades easier than 21, but has some great sequences. Moving around the final arete felt pretty cool.

Hands numbed out mid-crux but otherwise went okay. A little disappointed with how the simple the rest of the arete was to climb, was kind of hoping for something a little more engaging than simple jugging, but it's a cool position and a fun crux.

Repeat. Cleaning gear and still warming up.

Repeat. Warming up. Fingers were numbing out this morning. Definitely one of the best on the wall.

Repeat. Warming up. Always a pleasure.

Was a beautiful day with incredible conditions. Just over 10°C with a slight breeze. Started climbing just after 10am and were finished within two hours, just as the sun was starting to touch the lower section of slab. I linked P1 and P2, then did P3, while Matt linked P4 and P5. Turns out the carrot bolts used throughout the whole route are the broad-head type, so my bolt plates didn't fit. Plus, the flake on pitch two was much wider than the suggested .3–1 cam size, so pretty much all my cams were useless. Meant I had pretty sparse protection on the first two pitches—1 cam low on P1, two trees and the P1 anchor, then one cam for P2—all of which were extended with slings, so rope drag wasn't really an issue when bringing Matt up. The climbing was obviously very easy too, so felt quite solid and safe despite the runouts. To protect the traverse, in lieu of having any wires, I clove hitched slings to the carrot bolts. P4 is definitely the standout pitch, covering a great amount of climbing with jugs galore and a nice gentle steepness. Fantastic morning.

Repeat. Cleaning gear after Matt's send. Cool to see him clean up this and Jack High with ease this trip compared to the last time we were here.

Did this as part of the onsight attempt for the full route. Start is definitely technical, then a little spicy to the second (feels like you'd hit the deck if you whip), and then run out on easy ground to the third. Found it quite a bit harder than Hot Flyer pitch 1, so I'm giving this a 20.

Repeat. Cleaning gear after Matt's confident onsight. I really enjoy this one. A balancy and delicate start leads into some really nice flowy climbing. Definitely enjoy this more than Jack High.

Not bad! Two cruxy sections with a comfortable rest in between. I left my feet a little low for the first and only just made it through, then sequenced incorrectly in the second and had to reverse two moves before going the correct way.

Repeat. Warming up more. Matt went to the wrong anchors...though it does kind of feel more logical given the proximity of the jugs on Good Fortune.

Repeat. Warming up. Incredible conditions today; ~10°C with wind chill dropping it into single digits. So much friction, but also hard to keep arms and fingers warm while on-route. Wind was very gusty too, especially at the anchors.

Good fun. Nice climbing up the flake to the start of the steepness, then it definitely turns on. A pretty fierce crux (for the grade) is followed by some steep jugging that could definitely see you getting some air time; I was working pretty hard against the pump and EOD fatigue.

After Sam's send. Ended up doing the crux the way I sequenced it from the ground, not how Sam climbed it, but that's likely due to being taller. Nice, punchy little crux, but it's over pretty quick. Like Blow Over, it turns to simple jugging for the rest of the route, though does climb through some cool featured rock.

Great climbing. Sequenced the start boulder really well, finding the holds quite a bit better than I expected. Headwall was good fun too, with some nice consistent movement...kind of a shame it doesn't keep going! I ended up doing the extension, but it adds nothing more than some extra metres.

This was really fun, though quite stop-start. I'd say Aquadhere get's its grade for the last move to it's chains, and I'd say the same of this extension.

Another good one. Added more warmth to arms, and felt very solid for 16. Very tough start for the grade. Could easily see this being 17.

I really quite enjoyed this one. Good climbing for the grade, and pretty consistent too; built a nice warmth in the arms. On the hard end of 15, maybe 16.

Much easier this time. Moving out onto the face saved many pump coins. It's well harder going direct up the arete, very fun and something I'd wish I'd gotten away with; as it stands, I think this is on the lower end of 22, but easily a new favourite in the Glen.

I can see why it's the classic on this wall. Great length and climbing for the grade. Fantastic.

Also pretty enjoyable. More consistent than the first route with some decent movement for the grade.

Quite enjoyable. Enjoyed the opening moves, though feels very contrived to exclude the wall on the left of the crack.

Nice to clean this one up from last trip. Quite enjoyable.

Quite good, but difficulties are short lived.

Short and late session on the first day of the trip. I always enjoy this one.

Tenth day on, early morning attempt. Went first go and felt pretty easy except for the one undercling move. Glad to change this from "next time" to "this time". Great way to end the trip. 53 pitches of climbing in ten days. Happy!

Repeat. After Matt's onsight attempt. Tough for the grade, with a heartbreaking finish (as Matt discovered). Certainly one of the most consistent 19's around.

Repeat. Cleaning gear after Dad's onsight and Matt's flash.