Crag Guide for Thor Head
A Crag Guide gives an extensive view of all sub areas and climbs at a point in the index. It shows a snapshot of the index heirachy, up to 300 climbs (or areas) on a single web page. It shows selected comments climbers have made on a recently submitted ascent.
At a minor crag level this should be suitable for printing and taking with you on a climbing trip as an adjunct to your guidebook.
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Contributors
Thanks to the following people who have contributed to this crag guide:
Neil Monteith
Will Monks
Campbell Gome
The size of a person's name reflects their Crag Karma, which is their level of contribution. You can help contribute to your local crag by adding descriptions, photos, topos and more.
Some content has been provided under license from: © Australian Climbing Association Queensland (Creative Commons, Attribution, Share-Alike 2.5 AU)
Table of contents
- 1. Thor Head 4 in Crag
- 2. Index by grade
1. Thor Head 4 routes in Crag
- Summary:
-
All Sport
Long/Lat: 150.298183, -33.550828
- Description:© (nmonteith)
-
The main wall is outstanding orange rock, which pops into the shade after 1pm. This is an 80m high cliff, accessed from the top via abseil. The lower 20m is a bit scrappy, so many routes only start from a ledge part way up.
- 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:© (nmonteith)
-
From 'Asgard' Swamp carpark (500m before end of road) follow gated road downhill for 3km to swamp (30 minutes). Continue another 500m then bush bash left up a ridge at small rock cairn. After 10 minutes you arrive at first summit with stupendous views. Look north to see see second rocky summit (Thor Head). All routes are below this rocky blob summit. Refer to Google map below.
- 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.
| Route | Grade | Style | Popularity | Selected ascents | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Baileys
The left arete of the main wall. Superseded by the new right hand variant 'Hurt it on the Grapevine'. 2nd pitch is the good one, first is pretty worthless. Start: Fix 70m rope from trees about 5m south from the summit rock blob. There are double ring bolts on the top of the arete (50m to hanging belay)
FA: M.Law, M. Garben, D.Stone, V Peterson, 2000 | 25 | 75m | |||
| 2 |
Hurt it on the Grapevine
The excellent and sustained ringbolted right hand finish to Bailys second pitch. Makes a good climb into a mega route! Splits at 25m point. 50m rope is only just long enough. Extened runners to avoid rope-drag. FA: Mike Law & Neil MOnteith, 2008 | 24 | 50m , 18 | |||
| 3 |
Raving Bull
Excellent red wall on pitch 1, weird climbing on pitch 2. Start: Fix a 60m rope and rap from three rings under southern end of summit blob. Marked with a painted R. Belay at base of grand orange wall above mossy slab on twin rings.
FA: Neil Monteith, Aaron Jones, Mike Law and Adrian Lang, 2008 | 25 | 67m | |||
| 4 |
Horse Meat Disco (CLOSED PROJECT)
A very long face route, that can be split into two pitches or lead as one ultra long pitch. Start: Fix 60m rope off large tree 5m left of 'Raving Bull' and rap down to huge orange face to belay ledge about 5m down and right of the left arete.
| 26 | 55m | |||
2. Index by grade
| Grade | 
|
Stars | Name | Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | |
Hurt it on the Grapevine | 50m , 18 | |
| 25 | |
Baileys | 75m | |
|
Raving Bull | 67m | ||
| 26 | Horse Meat Disco (CLOSED PROJECT) | 55m |