Routes as sport in Shipley Lower

The line of shiny new rings 15m L of Unforgiven. DRB 10m off the ground above the hanging swamp, it's a rap-in affair. It's directly below the striking huge white gum tree on the top of Lower Shipley (which is easily seen 30m below Weak as I Am on Upper Shipley). Descending the steep scree to the top of the rap no doubt requires care. Closed Project.

28 if you go direct at 5th bolt, 27 if you snake around right the original way (by Mikl). Great rock, especially the lower two-thirds. 70m rope required for lower-off. Careful with drag (e.g. back-clean 3rd), its not enough to bother the leader but stops the belayer from giving a soft catch off the crux. Also best not to leave the gear on, the top of the route has recently been badly scarred by windmilling quickdraws.

Start up the unforgiven till the 4/5 bolt and head right.

Linkup, to avoid the cruxy start of Nikita which makes it even more classic. 1st 4 bolts of Unforgiven, then step R to join Nikita. Soft at the grade for added enjoyment! Has no more drag than Nikita, i.e. its fine if you use a few rollers and extenders before the traverse/ramp.

Pumper, follows obvious right leaning ramp. Now starts on the ground and stops at lower-offs at 35m. Needs 16 draws and 2 more for the anchor, and a 70m rope. The good hold for the hard move down low snapped in June 2013, decide for yourself whether this does anything to the grade.

Up and right along ramp then up.

There's been a line of ringbolts a few metres right of Nikita for several years. Anyone know if this has been sent? Grade?

Starts at arête 8m L of SAL. Joins SAL for the last few bolts.

1. 30m Slab with a desperate move, then roof and lovely upper wall. 16 bolts to lower offs.

2. 20m Up easy slab with a couple more bolts to rap anchor.

Obvious thin face and sexy looking blank corner. Stick clip the 1st bolt, then back clean it to avoid bad drag. A bit glued up, but great climbing. Don't cop out to the arete at the top! 70m rope required to lower off.

Long and varied. Not so great as a warm-up! Reduce drag by using 4x 60cm slings on bolts 1,2,5&6, plus a few double draws, and a roller on bolt 1. Beware some portable holds down low.

With a recent rebolt this is now a good sport pitch - and one of the only "warm-ups" in the area. Starts about 20m left of Clockwork Orange. The original top pitch is trad but unremarkable and not recommended.

1. 18m (20) Thin start then left into great orange scoops and up wall to lower-offs at base of black slab. Make sure you stick clip the first bolt.

2. 30m (15?) Don't bother - but if you do bother go left from anchor onto unprotected low angle black slab. Up this to small ledge with large scary blocks - then easy trad corner to top and chain.

A rarely repeated classic that hopefully sees more action since a full rebolt in 2024. Oodles of great face climbing, and an infamous roof-and-mantle sequence on the second pitch. Can be climbed as a multi-pitch adventure or just climb the bottom pitch, or link into pitch 2 to the first set of anchors for great single pitch sport climbing. Rebolted 2024.

1. 20m (23) A hard start (caution getting to the 3rd bolt) followed by sustained, engaging face climbing to a second crux just below the anchor. 9 bolts.

2. 20m (25) Step right, then up thin, right-facing flake, with a few very insecure moves. After gaining ledge (optional belay - grade 24 to here - you can lower off and clean from here if just doing the lower face pitches), hard-traverse left on gripping slab, then up to funky roof and legendarily hard mantle to gain anchor (chain draw on lip). Be aware, it's not easy to aid the mantle. 9 bolts.

3. 20m (20) Straight up the wall to gain a super-airy technical traverse left (the piton is particularly memorable), before heading more directly up on easier terrain. Belay from tree atop route. 9 bolts.

Short orange slab to anchors under roof about 30m left of Maxbond. Looks hard. 2010s?

Mystery ringbolts. Same start as Maxbond then left to the arete and up hidden face. 2010s?

A great long pitch but a botched rebolt has created a bit of a mess. Bring lots of long runners and a couple of bolt plates (to clip the old bolts - which are actually much better positioned than the new bolts!). Most just do the first pitch and lower-off. Start 15m right of 'Sidewinder' at ringbolted arete.

1. 35m (23) Start on right side of arete but quickly swing onto left side (crux - sandbag). Up long wall for several bolts then traverse left under overlap (hard to clip bolt above this) then mantle up left to base of short corner (ignore random ringbolts on the right side of the arete). Up corner to belay ledge. 60m rope will just get you down on rope stretch. Its a bit of a rope killer- maybe best to rap rather than lower/

2. 20m (15) Right from belay and up.