Ascents by Paul Frothy Thomson

Stop-start, but cool cruxes! An excellent second warmup.

As good as advertised. Short'n'sweet, with really interesting technical climbing. Fairly sustained at the grade. I bet that upper crux surprises a few people.

"No, not the bees!" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVCrmXW6-Pk )

Prior to today, I've never been stung by a bee. Now, I can proudly say I've been stung by 5 bees, and I'm apparently not anaphylactic. That's two things off my masochistic bucket list. Sweet!

I haven't got a bee in my bonnet, I've got one in my helmet (now a weird red welt, for some reason).

Also: the bees on this line at the moment are crazy active. Apparently falling off the upper crux and landing in the vicinity of their hive is enough to make them go berserk. Meanies

Can't claim the onsight, cause I'd done the start on Bee's Knees

The crux is very much the gnarly start boulder. The upper bit through the roof is fun, and not too hard, but the bolting is kinda ledge-fall-y. Not as choss as it looks, either.

For some reason I decided the obvious hold out left at the top was off-route (on the line next to this), and ignored it. Since when did I contrive climbing? 2nd shot. A really great route with a lot of climbing despite being short. The top boulder is rad!

Sweet. This was my goal for this trip, and got it done! With not a drop of chalk on it, it was a tricky, sequency number, but totally suited my style of climbing. Even in the full sun, it was fun!

Nothing physically harder than grade 23, but lots of technique and committment called for. I climbed the arete direct all the way to the top. Almost a classic (but for the poxy start, and the overall shortness).

2nd shot. Best line I climbed at this crag!

My onsight ended at the last bolt, tickling the good fingerlock. With no chalk on this, I felt like I battled hard and improvised well, only to be pipped at the post. But it wasn't for lack of trying, so that's okay

Great rock, super techy moves, and an obvious feature to climb. We belayed from ground level, and had no problems with rope drag or length of fall.

FFA. 2nd shot. Thanks Viona for letting me free this awesome face route!

Cruisy slabbing to a good stance at the 2nd last bolt, then its all on to the finish, with very technical climbing following a weird feature up-and-right -footwork was key!

Great fun, and excellent vision from Viona!

13 in the new guide. Awesome climb for the grade, as the book says: "Classic slab moves". - No chalk and someone elses climbing boots.

Great fun. Tricky start to the first bolt, after that it's pretty straightforward. Fell on the first bolt on my first attempt, clean after that, and cruised it second shot. Other than the trad climbs here, this was the pick of the bunch in my opinion. - No chalk and someone elses climbing boots.

Would that I had the gear with me to lead it, but a crack this prominent couldn't be passed up, so a top-rope it is. The hardest moves are before the crack really starts, but the climbing is fun, so who cares! The overhanging 18 crack on the other side of Tombstone is better though! - No chalk and someone elses climbing boots.

Quite good. 17 is more on the money (the new guide says 18... Maybe for 1 move). Sustained at 17, but a nice short route. - No chalk and someone elses climbing boots.

Good fun. Reasonably sustained for the grade. I'm really struggling with identifying the good footers here. - No chalk and someone elses climbing boots.

Completely unremarkable. Warm up, I guess. - No chalk and someone elses climbing boots.

Awesome arete climbing. Everything you could want in a harder grade arete, but contained within 20m of grade 17 climbing (and a weird finish). Definately worth the effort of roping up! - No chalk and someone elses climbing boots.

4 shots in an hour (the maximum amount of time I had to tick it, or risk missing my ferry back to the mainland). Very bouldery start, then a no-hands kneebar before a powerful and sustained thin middle section with an easier final third (on deteriorating rock). 2nd shot I had a silly footslip down low. 3rd was the highpoint to the last hard move before the easy upper section... I even skipped a clip against the pump and had a good fall. 4th was to just below my highpoint... too wornout.

Takes less time to climb than it does to put your shoes on to climb it, but all of moves are worthwhile, especially for the grade. Nice low-grade arete climbing. A bit exciting getting to the 1st bolt if you do the direct start up the arete.

Soft at trad 21. Perfect splitter crag which is hard for the 1st half, has an obvious fingerlock crux in the middle, and an easy perfect handcrack 2nd half. Sure it's short, but damn its good.

Slightly damp for added excitement. A brilliant looking line, and very interesting crack climbing. Not too hard at the grade, though the fist-and-offwidth nature of the crux might prove challenging for some. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Made it to to the 3rd bolt (incl. the cock-around trad start) on Onsight, then dogfest to the 2nd last bolt on the route. Couldn't stick the moves to the last bolt and couldn't pull/cheat past them to investigate the upper crux sequence. Eventually got tired of whipping trying to figure it out, and bailed. Probably better to climb Long Knife and rap-inspect this climb, as despite being utterly spectacular to behold (and feat. some rad climbing) it's rather dirty (yellow moss) and not dog-able.

Utterly BRILLIANT. Off-width, balancy traverse into the incipient crack, techy crankin' face climbing to the roof, turn the roof and then outrageously thin tic-tac slabbing to the anchors. 3 shots (one Onsight attempt, then 2 laps on toprope. The last lap was down to 1 fall on the slab!) I have GOT to get back for this beauty. One of the best 26s I've done.

3rd shot today, 6th shot total. Utterly stoked to tick this inspiring piece of rock. Should've gone 2nd shot today, but my smeared foot slipped as I grasped the final mingen crimp before the juggy finale. Like a harder version of Toyland Direct, but better rock and fewer stances. The fluid technicality of the crux felt more amazing after each lap, but the insecure top slab never felt anything other than heartbreakingly precarious. A great test piece.

Repeat. 2 almost back-to-back Laps on Top Rope as Training, neither clean today. In the 18 months since I ticked this, I didn't remember a thing, and on my Top Rope Alzheimer's Onsight attempt I managed it with falls in just 2 sections. The Second (still pumped) lap was done with just a single fall 1-more from the juggy finale. An absolutely spectacular route. Now to try and lead it ALL on gear... (if I get the time).

2nd shot, punted the onsight (though considering the mitigating factors I really didnt set myself up well to achieve it). Didnt feel too bad 2nd shot. Balancy thin arete with a single cruxy move. The 2nd bolt is in an utterly retarded position.

COULD be a classic (for the top crack in particular) but ruined on the direct start by retarded bolting. I fell on Onsight at the end of the crux, moving to gain the 3rd bolt. Stopped scarcely 1m from the ground. To fall at the clipping hold or while clipping will put you on the ground. The best way to climb this is the way it was originally done: climb the main crack on the left, traverse in past the last bolt to gain the finger crack and then froth over its awesomeness to the anchors (at gr21)

Sure, it was wet today and hard to trust my feet... but this felt pretty hard at the grade! Interesting crack climbing, with a few steep and committing moves, and a particularly memorable rooflet to negotiate.

2nd shot. Rarely climbed and with a counter-intuitive bouldery crux... I had no hope onsighting this as a warmup. Pretty good, and less contrived than it looks. A rad bouldery crux at the first bolts sets the ball rolling, just in time to join Deathrow at its rather exciting crux.

Awesome. Other than the 2 bolts at the top, this beauty can be protected solely by wires. Amazing sporty movement on immaculate rock on gear, with a final committing layback crux past 2 bolts. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Repeat. This time I felt much more stylish than when I originally onsighted it. Still a bloody great climb, intriguingly old school and a bit intimidating.

Bloody oath, this is a bit full-on for an 18. Started via Short and Sweet and finished via this climb. I didn't have any big gear so the offwidth finale (comparatively easy) was rather exciting. Worthwhile and better than it looks. But tough at the grade.

A 6m crack boulder-problem. I went ground-up for the Onsight, but fell off on the last hard move (I didn't trust my smeared feet and couldn't make the move). Gear is easy to place, and it's not bad for a short route.

2nd shot. Possibly the most sandbagged 22 I've been on in Aus. Solid/hard 23 for sure. The hardest I pulled all day by about 2 grades. Punchy, thin, sharp climbing on less than perfect rock (for the area). Don't believe the crap in the guidebook about this being one of the best at its grade. Even ignoring the sandbag its pretty average.

2nd shot. Blew the Onsight with an unfortunate foot slip while questing around at the crux... damn, I suck. Cruised it (and loved it) 2nd shot. Brilliant steep stemming on perfect rock, with a profound and pumpy crux.

2nd shot. Utterly spanked by the boulder problem start to the 2nd bolt on the onsight. Reminds me of a sloper version of War and Peace in the Blueys. Definite crux at the start to a very hard clip on a giant sloper, then big moves between (mostly) big slopers to the top, with a fair bit of climbing for a short route. Better than I expected, and quite pumpy.

Fun. A crimpy bouldery start for 4 bolts leads to easier, pumpy slopers to the top. Fun climbing but over quickly.

Just the one go, decided to keep climbing after ticking Raiden. The logical conclusion to Raiden, and superior as a route in its own right. I didn't find a crucial crimp before pumping out. I have neither the skin to spare nor the motivation to climb Raiden again, so I'll just have to accept the dog. Not hard in isolation, but its damned pumpy to keep crimping when wornout from the lower section.

Not quite an Onsight. I fell at the first bolt (admittedly, the crux), lowered off and ticked it 2nd shot placing the draws. I was quite pumped and had to climb past the anchors to clip them below me off better holds. Bouldery to the 2nd bolt, then briefly but intensely up to the anchors with no "good" holds to be found. This one got me flash-pumped quickly.

Varied and interesting. Technical slab of varying degrees of slabiness and spaced bolting for the most part, with a final committing sequence through the roof on slopers right at the top. Quite good. Some tough and memorable moves on the slab, but the roof is the showstopper.

Clean repeat. Wow, I forgot what a wild showstopper the finale (through the roof direct) is. Earns the grade for this one sequence, but its a good one.

By FAR the best climb I did at Hillwood, despite being the easiest. Very sustained slabbing with pretty much every move to the grade, and all moves quite different and memorable. The strange location and angles of holds keeps you thinking the whole way, and the tricky finale through a slight bulge adds the sting in the tale to make it awesome.

Clean repeat. Just pleasant, flowing slabbing the whole way. Dreamy!

Sharp little crimps, but everything is just so much more positive than you expect. A fun little ramble.

Back-to-back-to-back thinness on positive edges. The technical finale is the best bit. No time for another shot.

I fell off the start boulder a couple of times till I found the holds. A very cool finale.

First climb on Basalt! Weird climbing up a wall of scales. So many sneaky sidepulls and weird feet. Hard move at the start and the finish, but genuonely enjoyable techy thinness all around.

Repeat. Weird, funky, and tough.

Onsight solo. Okay.

Onsight solo. Pleasant easy climbing.

Onsight solo. Short but enjoyable. Topped out.