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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'.

Approach:© (mjw)

The furthest righthand (looking out from the lookout) area of the 'Bardens Lookout' crags.

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 Pressure Drop

Mossy, sometimes!

Start: Up the gully for about 25m. 'Steep' wall on the left. Starts of the small ledge in the centre of the wall. Belay bolts.

FA: M.Colyvan,G.Bradbury,G.Moore, 1982

19
Sport 17m
2 Joe the Lion

Groove, roof crack and wall.

Start: 13m right of the gully.

FA: R.Taylor, 2000

17
Trad 40m
3 Lodger

Up to and over roof to ledge and belay.

Start: 5m right of JtL.

FA: R.Young,A.Prehn, 1982

20
Trad 15m
4 Heroes

Groping!

Start: 11m right again. yellow rock.

FA: A.Prehn,R.Young, 1980

20
Trad 20m
5 * Calamity Jane

4 metres left of Dragon's Tooth.

FA: Ivan Valenta,

26
Sport 20m
6 ** Dragons Tooth

Classic.

Start: The corner.

FA: J.Bishop,J.Aalders and Mr(?)Wilson, 1974

12
Trad 30m
7 Project 1
project
Unknown
8 Mombassa - left arete of TS
20
Unknown 25m
9 * Technical Stuff

Rebolted?

Start: 12m right of DT. Right side of the arete.

FA: J.Smoothy,A.Penney, 1979

17
Trad 40m
10 * Hermaphrodite Hamster

Old 80's project rebolted.

Start: Up wall to R of 'Technical Stuff'

FA: March 2009,

25
Unknown 20m , 6
11 * Samnivel

Great wall climb. Thin in places. Rebolted 2009

Start: 3.5m right of TS.

FA: J.Smoothy,S.Knight,R.Weigand, 1982

22
Sport 35m
12 Mistral

Up onto blocks then corner to top.

Start: Crack 3.5m right again.

FA: J.Bishop,J.Aalders, 1974

12 R
Trad 30m
13 * Panasonic Princess
21
Unknown 22m
14 * Metabo Man

all carrots

FA: G.Short?, 2000

20
Sport 25m
15 ** Mal's Mega Route

Rebolted - all rings.

Start: 4m right of M.

FA: M.Grey,J.Smoothy, 1982

22
Sport 30m
16 ** Roger's Smegma Chute

A bit more sustained than MMR with an exciting overhanging dyno to finish. Beautiful rock. Add a grade if your reach is limited.

Start: Start up easy groove as for Mal's then 3m to the right.

FA: Roger, 2008

25
Sport 20m
17 * Malignant Polymer

Start: 5m right of MMR.

FA: G.Weigand,G.Clark, 1983

22
Trad 30m
18 Cosmetic

Start: 25m right of MMR. To bolt the up wall trending leftwards.

FA: D.Humphries,J.Smoothy,I.Anger, 1980

17
Trad 25m
19 Here and Now (direct start)
19
Unknown
20 * Here and Now

Has a choice of two starts.

FA: G.Short,P.Mort, 1999

17
Sport 20m
21 * Krell

Rebolted?

Start: 5m right of 'Cosmetic'.

FA: J.Smoothy,D.Humphries,I.Anger, 1980

20
Trad 30m
22 * Ferret's Route Direct Start
23
Unknown 25m
23 * The H'owl

Popular climb up a fine line!

Start: Obvious line up chimney then through corner and roof right of FR.

FA: M.Dunstan, 1974

19
Trad 30m
24 * Ferret's Route
23
Unknown 35m
25 * Stretch Marks

"His ex-wife died of stretch marks"

Start: On the wall 2m right of TH.

FA: J.Smoothy,T.Bernutt, 1982

21
Trad 35m
26 * Laming Wall

The original route and the 'best' on the wall.

Start: 4.5m right of SM.

FA: J.Smoothy,D.Humphries,I.Anger, 1980

21
Trad 25m
27 Tais Free

Looks quite good too!

Start: 2m right again.

FA: R.Weigand,J.Smoothy, 1982

20
Trad 25m
28 Are Turkeys Electric?

To ledge, over bulge and to top trending leftwards.

Start: 6m right again.

FA: A.Prehn,J.Muir, 1980

21
Trad 25m
29 Cheat Notes

To ledge, around overhang, up left then up.

Start: 4m right again.

FA: R.Weigand,J.Smoothy, 1982

23
Trad 22m
30 Project?

Start: On wall right of DT.

FA: Unknown, 2000

Trad
31 .

Start: On wall right of DT.

FA: Unknown, 2000

20
Sport 25m
32 * Ferrets Route Direct

Rebolted 2009

Start: Right of K. Left side of the arete. Original start as for TH, then traverse left, but now rebolted so go direct.

FA: I.Anger,J.Smoothy,D.Humphries, 1980

23
Sport 20m

Open trips

There are no open trips for this crag

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