Routes in Oceania

Zarathustra takes a line up the prominent west-facing buttress above Cox's Castle. A good sunny afternoon climb but leave yourself plenty of time to get off.

Start about 2m R of lone boulder just behind Cox's Castle.

1. 30m 18. Second half of this pitch is run-out. Up the line for about 7m to overhang. Step L and head up to horizontal break just R of grass. R a couple of metres, then up on marginal protection to prominent diagonal line. Belay a little higher, about 5m below roofs.

2. 20m 21. Awaits a flash. Up R to thread runner on arête. Steeply up to RH end of roof. Step R onto arête and climb up a few more metres. Traverse spectacularly L on superb rock for about 10m to belay on small seat-sized ledge in horizontal break.

3. 25m. Up, L and then up again to base of ramp. Up ramp to L to arête of buttress. Climb north face to belay where rope drag dictates.

4. 35m. Wander up and L-ish to top of buttress.

Descent: It might be easier to rap off. Otherwise, continue scrambling and climbing up, up, up to top of buttress, and sidle round mountain to pick up the main track to the North Col.

The unappealing crack

The prominent, rightwards trending diagonal

A huge girdle starting on the far left and following the obvious weakness all the way right.

A rare remaining trad route - up through the bulges

Mixed route with x1 FH L of Twin Trees Face main wall

Up the front to the horizontal break, go left. Bolted lower off.

Start in the yellow corner, up to break, finish on arete. Bolted lower off.

Start at the back of the pinnacle, traverse to the flake and up it. Bolted lower off.

Obvious crack line heading up to the tree at left end of wall, DRBB at top.

Gnarly short finger crack. Do a few face moves and then power and thrutch and smear your way up the remaining thin crack. Good gear but a bit beta intensive to place.

Bridge the fused corner and then nice finger crack above.

Crack to the right of the finger crack.

Far left hand end of butress, 6m L of Pelvic Thrust, up the flaring corner.

There are two obvious lines up the front of the main buttress. This is the one on the right. Classy, technical climbing to the large ledge on the right, then step back into the line and finish up the stylish finger crack. The crux is protected by a very small wire, which will be very difficult for the vertically challenged to place. Abseil inspection is recommended if you value the integrity of your ankle bones.

Start up Offal then at ledge go out the diagonal crack

Start from the ledge of Blue No More, across Pelvic Thrust and Free Passage, then up Offal Diagonal.

The corner with thin crack 2m right of Choking the Chicken. An interesting stemming problem.

The thin crack to a dodgy looking block, then two bolts up the face above.

Fun, technical climbing up the thin crack line starting from the sloping ledge. There is a good small wire (RP or peanut) to protect the balancy high step move near the bottom.

Thin hand crack on far left

The crack directly below the first rap station. Good face holds running along a hand crack

A short awkward thin hands corner crack.

A hidden gem of the gorge. Technical and hard finger locking and jambing with no faceholds except for a rounded arete. Awesome gear, a little tricky to place at the start and finishes up some classic gorge spikes and drill holes. DBB

The pleasant looking off-with on the arete/flake.

Another 5m upstream is a corner.

The arete/pillar on the left hand side of the gully right of Pygmy Possum. Three bolts plus a nut placement. Avoid bridging onto the neighbouring pillar to get full value.

Crack on the left of the crag gets better as it gets higher.

A novel traverse from 2nd bolt of Night Dweller to Feltham.

The corner

Even more contrived than Feinian. Stick clip recommended. Stay left of the bolts on ultra-thin side pulls, then step right to finish up the finger crack (gear).

Very contrived, but has some great moves. Stick clip recommended. Climb the arete and thin face to the left of Lingham, avoiding the temptation to escape into the crack. Finish up the finger crack (good gear).

On far right of main buttress. Climb block and into crack through small roof.

On upstream face. Route with old rusty piton, now superseded by a fixed hanger. Take some small cams for the middle section. At the big ledge, either finish up the left crack or straight up the bolt protected face. Tree belay

Access to top of this route is best from the approach to Rightman. Thin corner widening at the top

Using the downstream crack at water level. Climb up via crack and steel spikes. Follow crack line to the top of the buttress.

Begin in smooth fist jam crack at water level. Follow line up face using steel spikes. Continue up crack to the top of the buttress. DBB on upstream arrete.

As for raze but once the ledge is reached, trend right instead of climbing on steel spikes. Use either the upstream face or crack and finish as for Raze.

The obvious hand crack on the left hand end of the buttress. Pretty solid for the grade. Tree/gear anchor (medium - large cams or hexes)

2 bolts up face to finger sized crack.

The chimney R of Thin Fiend pinnacle

On the riverside face of the lower pinnacle (out of sight from main areas). 3 FH’s + medium to large cams. Easiest to rap to base of route via the downstream side (passing below Thin Fiend) to locate the DBB. Alternatively, a short 5m rap (veering slightly downstream) is possible from the DBB at the base of The Prow. Rap bolts located on top of pinnacle.