Nodes in Mt Pilot

Mt Pilot is a granite outcrop roughly halfway between the towns of Chiltern and Beechworth. Rock quality varies, however most of the routes are on good quality rock. The area is popular with locals as a short walk from the carpark offers good views in all directions.

The Bakery Wall is probably the most popular area at Mt Pilot, and is also home to many of the best climbs.The rock is generally of very good quality, although the crystal size varies considerably along the length of the wall. The wall has a northerly aspect, which means it bakes in summer (go to Buffalo instead) - pick a cool, dry day from early autumn to spring for the best friction.

Climbs are described right to left facing the cliff.

The first route on the wall, start on ledge behind cypress. Difficult moves past 2 FHs to rings.

Start 2m L of The Happy Baker. Up a mini arete to a sloping ledge, and then continue past horizontal breaks. 2FHs to rings.

The mini-arete on the boulder opposite Life In The Fat Lane. Although very short, this is a great warm-up, or beginner's lead. 2 FHs.

The next 2 routes are just around the corner from My Lust For Crust on the short orange wall.

Nice moves up the pockets/scoops to the gripping finger crack. Dodgy rock.

The arete that forms the right edge of the chimney to the left of Rhinocerous Breath

Probably the first route here. Excellent protection. The obvious finger/hand crack through a small overhang.

The first closed seam left of the small cave. Hard moves lead to hole and jugs. Lurch left to finger crack with one more hard move at the top. 4 FHs. The top of the crack may need brushing after rain.

Start as for Doughboy. At jugs continue up the line to where the seam peters out. Head out R (crux) on tiny crimps and then up. 6 FHs.

The bolted face left of Doughboy. Hard face moves lead to the finger crack which may need brushing. 3 BRs, 1 FH.

The chimney. Bring BIG gear, otherwise go on an adventure and use the chockstones for pro.

Recently re-bolted (2014). Climb the left arete of "Soot" past 3 RB's, execute the thought-provoking mantle to gain 4th RB, then surmount final steepness clipping 5th RB a couple of metres above the lip (out of sight from the ground). Head left to Double Ring lower-off.

Climb Chicken Salad Roll to 3rd BR. Hard move out left to horizontal crack (takes gear), and up to jugs.

The tiny seam to the left of Chicken Salad Roll. Very technical. Uses Chicken Salad Roll's BRs and a few RPs, exit up The Bakery Connection.

Probably the best route at Mt Pilot. The finger-crack/flake a few metres L of Chicken Salad Roll.

The next big crack 2m L of Beechworth Bakery. Can be protected fairly well.

Climb the thin crack left of Breakfast At The Ponderosa on natural gear to a bolt near the top.

Off-width crack forming right side of John's Arete to ceiling bulge, then turn bulge by face on right. You can clip the BRs on John's Arete until some natural pro, then run it out to the top.

The lowish angled bolted arete past 3 BR's, can us some large gear to protect top out. Hard to avoid the crack.

This route is about 3m left of John's Arete. Two moves of aid on bolts, then climb the finger/hand crack to the top.

About 10m past stumper jumper and 5m before the fatties is an obvious offwidth/squeeze chimney which goes up about 10m and then trends right, finishing with a short fist size crack. Would require very large pro to lead.

The cool-looking right-hand line on suspect-looking (but surprisingly solid) rock. Straight up past 3RB's to double ring lower-off

The left-hand line is also not too bad. Good gear down low. 1 FH to rings.

Excellent and somewhat sustained climbing on the obvious half-height horizontal flake. At the end of the flake, head left for a couple of moves (crux - take RPs), then straight up into dyke city. 1 BR.

Delicate hooking up centre of face until about half height, then fine wires in incipient seam. The increasing size of the seam towards the top is offset by the increasing crumbliness.

This route starts in the middle of the main face at a weakness with heaps of dyke rock. Climb the slab to the rightward sickle crack and follow it to the top. 3 BRs.

Start as for Rocky Road, only blast your way straight up the middle of the face passing 6 BRs on your way to glory!

Start as for Rocky Road. Follow the leftward crack to the top on bad gear.

The low angled black slab behind the big dead tree. Excellent climbing past 3 BRs leads to huge jugs at the horizontal/ledge (2x#1 SLCDs). Continue past another BR to the top.

The very coarse finger crack to the left of Apple Scroll. Heads right under bulges and up. Tape up!

Aptly named. On the next separate cliff-line is a black slab capped by a big flattish boulder. This route starts on the right-hand end at all the edges and just left of the chossy chimney. 3 BRs lead to a crack (#1 SLCD) in the overhang, pull through this and head on up.

This area is rarely visited but contains some great climbs. Routes are described from left to right.

BOLTS HAVE NOT BEEN CHECKED SINCE MAJOR FIRES IN 2003 AND MAY NOT BE SOLID. EXERCISE CAUTION!

The first three routes are not actually on Lower Bakery Wall but on a nearby slab. The slab (dubbed Rocher Escarpe De La Nuit) can be found by locating a small boulder with a roof/lip at the eastern end of Lower Bakery Wall (left-hand end if you are facing the cliff). Walk past this boulder for about 30m northeast. The 3 routes are described left to right.

The line on the far left of the slab. Straight up through the slipperiness.

The centre line. Start as for Grimpeuse de la Nuit and then follow the line of little vertical seams/cracks. A direct start was done using the trees and a big edge at a grade of 21, but it's not known if the trees are still there.

Pockets don't get any better than these! Start up Grimpeuse de la Nuit and then traverse right until you get to the line of pockets.

Now on to the cliff itself...

The first small slab between two cracks. Start in centre, go left to a big edge, up over bulge, then right to join Straight Up.

As the name implies, straight up.

The crack 2m right of straight up, which angles slightly right. Jamming from thin hands to fist up higher. Start 1m left of fused crack on jug, then up to diagonal crack for pro. Anchors at top for lower off.

The first bolted route. Up the black wall past a FH to big jugs at 4m. Wander up and left placing whatever gear you can find, just don't fall at the top!

Horrible. The major ugly looking crack. A lot harder than it looks and not recommended.

Another awful route. Start up flake/crack that joins The Venus Fly Trap at about 4m. Up as for The Venus Fly Trap. Also not recommended.

The wall with 3 FHs offers some very hard and steep cranking. Stick clip first FH. Hard moves past this lead to excellent incuts. Exit out left at twin seams, lower-off at chains.

Short but sweet. Takes the steep bulge right of Seamstress. Stick clip the first FH, pull over the bulge and meander up to the top.

Not recommended. The first crack around the corner from Bobbin.

The next crack right of Crack One.

Quite a nice route on excellent hard dyke-rock. Three metres right of Crack Two is a scoop with 2 FHs. Bouldery moves lead to a pocket and the second FH. Step right and finish up Thredbo.

A really cool route if you can do the start. The wall 2m right of Ache To Touch You. A very hard start leads to jugs.

The final route is on a boulder about 300m to the west (right if you are looking at the cliff). The boulder is about 8m high and has a brilliant orange north facing wall and finger crack.

The finger crack to the huge horizontal slot and roof, continue up the headwall. Gear was pre-paced above the roof on the FFA.

This area has seen the most recent activity at Mt Pilot. It only had one route for a long time before a few more were added in 2013. Routes are described L to R looking at the wall.

All bolts on this wall require bolt plates.

About 4 metres to the left of 'Helmets On!' Fun crimps up to a scoop. Mantle and then head up a bit more to a more tradition slab finish. Crux in between 1st and 3rd Bolt. Double carrot belay.

Towards the L end of the wall there is a crack which ends at about half height. Up this and then continue on up the slab.

2m left of Mount Pilot Unearthed is a line of bolts. Tricky first move leads to an awesome rail, head straight up with plenty of crimps on offer!

The original route on this wall. The arete on the L of the large crack splitting the wall past 3 BRs. Please be aware the final section of this route is somewhat run-out.

Channel your inner chough as you clear leaf litter from the back of this crack to find great cam placements, and maybe the buried treasure of hexes that fit a bit too perfectly.

Easy beginner trad for learning to place and clean cams, with the odd hex placement. Follow the large crack splitting the wall up to the tree.

Mixed trad starting in the crack chimney to the left of sticky date and joining at the 3rd bolt of sticky date with an obvious step across. Nice stances in the crack feature.

Great beginner route! Tricky opening sequence leads to excellent, well protected slab climbing. Starts 1m R of the wide crack splitting the wall (if standing at cliff base). Double BR top anchor.

Fantastic first lead! Well protected fun slabbing. Starts 7m right of Sticky Date Sunrise (if standing at cliff base). Tricky opening moves, then easily up the slab. Double BR top anchor.

Start about a Metre right of Lucky Charlie, climb up a thinking start to first bolt, up past some nice crimps into another tricky section before the last bolt.

A hard start leads to good face climbing, finishing easily up the slab. Start off the block 5m R of Lucky Charlie (if standing at cliff base). If needed, the start can be skipped by using the tree. Double BR top anchor near small gumtree on ledge.

Starting half a metre to a metre right of Psycho Midget Madness, through the obvious brushed section, move right after 2 metres and than up. Soon to be bolted and graded, otherwise can be top roped at about a grade 20 , off the bolts below the tree at the top of the crag.

The Groove Wall is the closest to the carpark, about 50m away.

Follow crack up until bolts travel to the right and up to 2BB.

Follow the crack all the way past a thrutchy crux. Take 2 hangers for the anchor.

This is the closest area to the carpark, and the routes are some of the longest, however it does suffer a little from loose rock.

Do not climb in this area between June and December as the resident Peregrine Falcon breeds here during this period.

The first route as you walk down. Climb the face left of the arete to the horizontal crack. Swing right on the face above the slab and up to the top. Has 5 BRs or so, take a few small cams as well.

Start as for Falcon's Lair, move left past the two scoops then up the face past 3 BRs to join Falcon's Lair.

Up centre of the face to diagonal crack. Pull through then up face past 5 BRs.

Right side of face. Pull past BR to thin ledge, traverse right and over small roof. Climb the arete past 4 BRs.

Shaded for most of the day, and sometimes used by SES and Army for abseiling practice. Please don't remove moss/lichen.

Starts at the main corner of the left-hand end of the cliff and about 50m left of The Lighthouse Of Alexandria.

1. 20m. The corner to a cave behind some large blocks.

2. 20m. The crack to the ledge. Instead of scrambling off, continue to the top via the steep crack that starts on the little ledge above.

The obvious wide chimney that has a zig in it.

Start off the big block at the base of the chimney. Ordinary gear leads to a FH and then a ledge (another FH). Continue up the left arete passing 3 FHs to the top.

To the R of On The Edge is a beautiful clean finger crack. Climb this to the ledge and then boldly mount the face above.

Forty metres right of the left-hand end of the cliff at a leftward diagonal line becoming a flake/chimney.

1. 35m. Move left on the boulder, pull onto the ledge and up leftward ramp to the flake/chimney.

2. 20m. Scramble to the top.

Dentistry Wall was developed in the late 90s and features some new-fangled fixed hangers! The rock is mostly very solid except for the occasional pebble blowing off.

About 100m left of the upper section of Dentistry Wall is a large boulder containing the first route.

Climb past 3 BRs on the face.

The next 4 routes are on the upper section of Dentistry Wall.

Climb up a ramp past 2 BRs and then mount the headwall above past one more BR.

Climb the thin wall past 6 BRs.

There's two routes between Crown Jewel and Bridge Work. If anybody knows which one is Plaque Removal please update the topo.

Bridge the crack and slip up the arete past 2 BRs.

4m right of Bridge Work is a clean curving crack.

The next two routes are on the lower section of Dentistry Wall.

Has a nice committing crux that has seen more than one fall! On the next tier below the climbs described above, is a cracked face topped by a bulge. Climb the broken crack system and clip a BR before pulling the root-bulge.

6m left of Root Canal is a rippled face. Crank your pants off past 5 BRs.

These slabs form the northeast side of Mt Pilot itself.

The following route can be found on the eastern side of a large boulder just before the track gets to the summit of Mt Pilot.

A nice easy finger crack to warm up.

The following 2 routes are on the main slab just NE of the fire tower. Walk down on the left.

The first white water streak on low angled rock. No gear.

On the main slab is an obvious white water streak. Follow this over the steepening and past some dubious flakes. No protection!

The remaining routes can be found directly below the main slab and a little to the south (right looking downhill).