Ascents climbed between 2019-7-00 and 2019-12-31 by Paul Frothy Thomson having Trad CPR

Led all pitches, done as a 15m pitch (P1) and a 55m pitch (P2-P4) belayed from the ground. Old school equipping and commitment, and as psychologically demanding as it is physically demanding on the crux pitch. Rope management is crucial to keeping this safe. P2-P4 (as a giant pitch) probably warrant "classic" status for the unrelenting arête-y nature of the climbing. P2 is crazy overhanging in the first half!

Clean repeat. As mega as I remember. Would be the bestest ever with better rock. Did a speed "no stopping to rest" lap placing gear for added excitement. The 2 main pitches are mega to link and the most memorable way to climb this. 2 laps.

Repeat attempt (not clean) trying (yet again) to climb this as a 40m monster... unsuccessful (yet again) as I dogged the hell out of the upper pitch. Old Frothy was MEAN with his route grades! (24???), but at least with the repositioned bolts this is fine for the ground-up attempt. With better rock this would be classic, as it is... its an upper-tier very good.

Despite forgetting to bring much necessary gear, I was cruising until the end of the top diherdral when -with my feet 2 bodylengths above a micro cam- I realised the top slopers were wet from the ice-melt, and I became a religious convert . The crack part is easy and pleasant, the face moves not too bad... the dihedral will haunt my nightmares (but is actually pretty good).

Didn't re-climb P3 (shared with Right in the Bunghole). P1 is a pleasant ramble with a few tricky face-moves, but P2 is an awesome, old-school wandery slab-venture with spaced gear and bolts, and some improbably steep sections at the grade. Probably one of the better routes here for getting acquainted with the Gorge.

EOD lap clean on 2nd taking off the gear and bolt plates. No time (and mixed motivation) for another lap on lead, so this will have to suffice for the interim.

A great addition in a style that is perfectly appropriate for Bungonia. P1, P3 and P4 are pleasant run-out trad slabs with the odd bolt when it gets worrysome (in a style similar to Iron Curtain), but P2 is a classic pitch of steep face climbing on gear, with two back-to-back verdon-esque technical boulder-problems. I 2nd shotted P2 after falling on the final few moves of the boulder, then did a 3rd lap on Second so Tom could tick as well.

TRS - Excitingly bolted hardcore friction slabbing. More masochistic than fun.

TRS - Repeat. Probably my favourite single pitch of climbing at Mount Buffalo. Great to get back on this all these years later and cruise up it. Beautiful technical face climbing.

Came back for the crux pitch. Thought I'd be able to dispatch this in a day, but it was bloody hot, I was spent from Air Malta the day before, and it's just a very power-endurancy pitch. Good improvement throughout the day, and I came close to victory, but couldn't quite fight the pump. I think fresh, with the beta, this should go down with another day of effort. The final moves to the anchor are terrifying on link (when pumped out of your mind).

Despite the writeup in the guide, the only thing going for this route is the position (great views of the North Wall classics). Shit rock, mossy, dirty, sharp. Lots of deathy things moving as you pull on them. Tried hard, got scared, took some exciting falls, complained a bunch... Pretty much standard fare for any but the 20-odd routes at Buffalo that actually get traffic.

TRS. Could be a true classic with a wire brushing and 1 more bolt. In its current state, I wouldn't recommend it. Craaaaaazy mossy at the moment.

The corner is better than it looks, and quite interesting. The face moves are punchy and overhanging, but easier than it looks... just almost entirely unprotected (but for 1 bolt, and bad gear behind detached small flakes).

Gear: 0.5 - 2 for the corner, 1 x bolt plate, fixed hanger, 0.3, a few terrible RP's/tiny wires in a cluster, 0.5, Slung flake, Upward-driven Red C3.

Seconding chris at the end of the day. Not easy for those of us with big hands. Quite feisty for such a short route. I crack climbed it direct, but it might be easier to layback it? Beautiful rock and great position.

Yep, that mantle is still nails. V5ish? Had no trouble on the rest of this route this time (probably hard 25 without the mantle) and its a bloody awesome line to climb as a giant push from the ground, with great run-out arête climbing... Just that damned mantle to contend with... ugh.

Tried bloody hard on the no-beta flash, surviving flashpump into debacle after debacle of misread moves, until finally falling off on the last hard move, 3m from the top, screaming and whimpering all the while. Aw well, I can't say I didn't give it everything. Maybe not so nails for the chalksight, but I found it quite cryptic and insecure. Mega position and climbing, average rock and access. Wandery, varied and super-sustained. Probably 25 (as per the current guide).

Looks kinda choss and nails... climbs like a dream (but still rather nails). Beautiful stemming into exciting laybacking with a burly finish. Bring oodles of small gear.

Seconding Chris on the First Ascent. Not super hard physically, but possibly the sharpest crack I've ever climbed, to the point that I even wished I had taped for it (nevaaaah!). The green cam start up the overhanging crack requires some burliness. The rest of it just requires pain tolerance.

Great jamming with a surprisingly burly crux. I wouldnt want to do this if I was a 5.9 climber... nails!

Probably the best of the Buffalo multis I've done? Linked most of P1 and P2 into a mega pitch (Chris belayed at the bolts for Flair 15m up P1, rather than the hanging belay). The cruxy finale to P1 is quite desperate! P2 is all-time mega (and quite sandbagged) up the overhanging flakes, culminating in committing moves switching between incipient cracks; P3 is pretty cool but the slabby step-across seemed really hard. P4 I'd lead before when I did Status Quo, and is kinda thrutchy horrible-ness.