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KML KML

Description:

Variety, a few short routes, classic sandstone slabbing and a bolted offwidth.

Access Issues: inherited from Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains are a World Heritage listed area. The Grose Valley, the cliffs around Katoomba and much of the Narrow Neck peninsula are part of the Blue Mountains National Park which is managed by the NPWS. The Western Escarpment - where most of the climbing is - is Crown Land managed by the BMCC. While the NPWS Plan of Management nominates several locations in the National Park where rock climbing is deemed appropriate, the majority of the climbing remains unacknowledged. To maintain access our best approach is to 'Respect Native Habitat, Tread Softly and Leave No Trace'.

Ethic: inherited from Blue Mountains

Mixed-climbing on gear and bolts has generally been the rule in the Blueies. Please try to use available natural gear where possible, and do not bolt cracks or potential trad climbs.

Because of the softness of Blue Mountains sandstone, bolting should only be done by those with a solid knowledge of glue-in equipping. A recent fatality serves as a reminder that this is not an area to experiment with bolting.

If you do need to top rope, please do it through your own gear as the wear on the anchors is both difficult and expensive to maintain.

It would be appreciated if brushing of holds becomes part of your climbing routine - do it with a soft bristled brush and never a steel brush!

The removal of vegetation - both from the cliff bases and the climbs - is not seen as beneficial to aesthetics of the environment nor to our access to it. Generally it's best to leave all this sort of stuff to the local climbers.

Some content has been provided under license from: © Australian Climbing Association Queensland (Creative Commons, Attribution, Share-Alike 2.5 AU)

Routes

RouteGradeStylePopularity
1 * Low

its called LOW

FA: R.Young,A.Prehn, 1983

21
Sport 20m
2 ** Hunky Dory Left Hand Variant
22
Unknown
3 ** Hunky Dory

Has two different finishes. Take your pick.

FA: R.Young,A.Prehn,M.Burton, 1980

22
Sport 20m
4 * Changes

FA: R.Young,A.Prehn, 1983

20
Sport 20m
5 Glenn's Arete

Scramble up corner/ramp as for Piping Hot, move left then directly up on left line of bolts.

FA: Unknown, 2012

19
Sport 20m
6 * Piping Hot

Slabbing! Another good unit to improve - and prove - your footwork. Best done from the same start as EB (takes the grade down but...). Rebolted 2006.

Start: Shown in the guidebooks as a righthand varient of UP. Probably the way it was originally done but quite stupid really. Be warned that if you do do it this way it is definately a serious lead! Continue up on rings where EB takes right hand traverse.

FA: A.Prehn,R.Young, 1983

22
Sport 35m
7 * Under Pressure

Slabbing. This stuff used to be considered easy in army boots. Why does everyone avoid it in $200 shoes? You can avoid all sorts of nastyness with just a little thought. Some big galoot wearing army boots has recently broken a key crux hold! The crux has probably gone up a couple of grades - since the rebolt! Do it as M0 (Ashy you'll love this and its probably 18!) Rebolted 2006.

FA: A.Prehn, R.Young, 1983

21
Sport 40m
8 *** Electric Blue

Takes some gear at the botton if you dont feel solid. Rebolted 2006. SSGIC's. A 'classic'.

FA: A.Prehn,R.Young, 2000

19
Sport 35m
9 Kooks

Crack (best to start up the blunt arete in front of the tree though) to offwidth. Has bolts and is worth the effort, old style offwidth just to test your nerves. Take big gear (#4 cams) if you have it - but you wont die without it! Lower offs!

FA: Rod Young, Ant Prehn,

16
Trad 35m
10 * Kate's Kangaroo Dance

FA: D.Taylor, 2000

21
Sport 15m
11 * Electric Boogaloo

Actually the line marked in the 'Pircher/Carter' guide as 'Desire'.

Start: Right as for D. Hard start then into corner with bolts and gear to lower offs. 2). Up corner and crack above to belay. Walk off. The top section is all gear at about grade 15.

FA: G.Short,P.Mort, 1998

20
Trad 35m
12 ** Desire

Start: Hard start then right across to choosy wall right of the corner. Up to top through easy stuff.

FA: A.Prehn,R.Young,M.Moorhead, 1983

20
Trad 35m

Open trips

There are no open trips for this crag

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