Ascents climbed between 2013-7-00 and 2013-12-31 in Blue Mountains by Paul Frothy Thomson

Repeat, seconding Gene as one long pitch. This climb is better than I remember it. I still find the crux near the bottom rather tricky, but the rest of it was simply great fun, and I just enjoyed it.

2nd shot today. Stoked! Is this perhaps the best face climb I've ever done? The first shot I struggled with the bouldery bottom crux (and after falling, took my time to figure out the super-technical, strenuous middle-crux), so that when I jumped on for the second lap it was all executed perfectly, and I still felt really good after topping out. A true climbers climb in the vein of Marxism P1, with 2 distinct cruxes, but unrelenting technicality outside of them. Brilliant!

Repeat, seconding Gene as one long pitch. Still a great climb, and an interesting contrast to Wake Up and Apologise next to it (Mr Orange is far more strenous, but not particularly technical). On the money at 21 when climbed as a giant pitch.

Climbed as one giant pitch. Makes a good warm-up, as the cruisy start gets you in the mood for the great top section. The top half is maybe sustained at 21, with great thin climbing and a variety of different moves. The rock looks a bit friable but neither Gene or I broke anything off. At least as good as Mr Orange.

Too thrashed after the day. Unlike my last attempt all the moves felt easy, I just didn't have the gas left for the send. Next time I'll get on it before the end of the day. Fun tricky boulder start, and exciting dyno finale.

2nd shot. Most of it is a great, tricky, varied 22 on perfect rock and with nicely spaced bolts... Except for the V3 boulder crux, that's probably more 24... But if you IGNORE that section, it's totally 22. I really enjoyed this one for the experience, but don't climb it for the grade.

Repeat. Climbed to get Guns gear back. Only placed 2 cams (the rest was wires and hexes). Nice climbing, and a friendly introduction to trad with tonnes of great pro.

An embarassing number of shots for the tick (4) because I just kept making stupid mistakes and falling off. Great climb, why does this get climbed so rarely? Not hard for a 25, but amazing climbing the whole way with really funky, varied movement. I did the last move to the ORIGINAL set of anchors, which isn't really all that hard, but quite exciting. I then had to back-jump it to clean which was exhilerating from the top.

Repeat. Direct start without pre-clipping the draw this time. More scary and balancy than hard. By the 3rd draw this one is over, but it's a blast getting there. Not 22 despite what the guide says.

One move wonder, definately a grade 21 move, surrounded by easier (but still pretty good) climbing. Undercling!

2nd shot, way too smashed for the flash. Soft at 24 WITH the beta, but probably quite a hard onsight as the crux is quite sequency and the best holds are not obvious. I found the main crux hard, but the second (reachy) crux wasn't so bad for me at my height. Quite interesting climbing, and unique compared to its neighbours.

Nooooo! Placing the draws, in the sun, the tick ended on the LAST MOVE TO THE ANCHORS (which isn't even that hard) when I totally muffed the sequence! I fought tooth and nail with everything I had to get there, and it was absolutely devestating to come off when it was totally in the bag. Fortunately this is such a great climb that if I have to come back to it for the tick, that's not such a bad thing. Much more fun this time than my last lap... Except the sandpit start, that bit is horrible.

First shot today placing the draws. Alzheimers Onsight? This was the first 25 I ever tried a year and a half ago! Mindblowingly great climbing. I was making all kinds of weird noises as the climb progressed, and the jugs began to feel less juggy. The crux is turning the roof at the start (super-funky moves), and the jugs merely form the pumpy gatekeeper for the REAL test: the final flake sequence. Masterful steepness from start to finish.

Second shot. 23 for the red-point. Fell off on the last move of the crux at the top (where everyone does). Great steep-ish face climbing to the crux, then some strenuous climbing to the anchors through the steepness (and via much glue). Definately not as bad as I've heard people say.

Placing the draws, but I belayed Bundy on this back before he ticked it, so no onsight for me. Tricky, with some interestingly weird moves, but probably about right as a "shorter" (read: less intense) 22. I sandbagged myself trying to climb it too directly, but eventually used both-seams and got the tick.

End of day lap. Really wasn't feeling this climb, but other than the final boulder sequence after the dyno it all went pretty well. Fun.

Surely this deserves a star? Bouldery betwen 3 bolts (getting established on the prow) then airy face climbing. Felt quite good. Was psyched for another lap for the tick... But then the sun hit!

Put together the sequence for the lower (main) crux, but am still a long way from linking the climb. Big falls onto my cams in the horizontal is mangling them pretty badly... Might be time to replace the cams with a bolt.

2nd shot. The warm-up onsight attempted ended on the headwall when I couldn't clip a draw due to a quickdraw cockup. I really liked this climb. The start is fairly easy, but makes a good warmup through juggy steepness, and the top headwall is unlikely, technical climbing on amazing red/grey-streaked rock. If it weren't for the lack of lower-offs, this climb would be a classic.

With Gene. If it weren't for the hideous V3 start, this entire route would be classic. P1 - Red Point. Took a few goes to get off the ground. P2 - Onsight. Both pitches are great climbing with good moves, good position and solid rock... Just ignore the semi-manky carrots. We had an epic finding the second rap (Hint: its at the bottom of the grey slabby section before the first undercut) so I got some prussiking practice. Slings for a useful thread or some supplemental gear might be a good idea.

Seconded Guns. Pleasant, short-ish tradding with only 1 section of bad rock and good gear the whole way. The top section might be easier now that I've removed the vegetation in the flared section of the crack (still some scrub remains). Almost certainly climbed previously.

Wow. 2 shots. Would make an amazing 24M1 IF there was a dogging bolt to pull through the crux. The crux is bloody nails (If there is a grade 25 way of doing this, please tell me!) and I didn't have a hope of linking it. Nice mix of SPACED gear and bolts with stunning climbing on good rock, mixing trad and sporty movement into a must-do monster. A bit of a mental and physical endurance test at 50m. For me, it all came down to the nails crux sequence guarding the tick, or a 3rd lap on it.

Not too bad... Not too good. Worth doing once, at least. One tricky sequence, okay (easier) climbing around it... Didn't break anything off. Some exposure, I suppose. Something something.

Repeat. Warm-up in approach shoes. Only clipped the bolt before and the bolt after the crux. Awesome little 20, still heaps of fun.

In the dark with my approach shoes. Not a bad little doddle. A pleasant beginners climb.

Repeat. A recon lap to see if I wanted to solo it. Probably the most sustained climb on this wall, and better than I remembered it. The "crux" section with the broken crimp climbs better technically using a double under-cling sequence. Best climb I did all day.

2 Laps. Nice (but short) climbing, but hideously dirty. An interesting crux move. This is the sort of climb that never actually cleans up, so just endure the dirt or stay off this climb.

2 laps. Repeat. Pleasant climbing and interesting, long-ish crux. One of the 2 best on this wall.

Repeat. A one-sequence wonder. Felt about right at the grade, but only due to a single hold. Okay climbing.

Repeat. Okay easy-climbing. Some nice stemming.

P3 only. Rope soloing lap. Can now climb every move in good style EXCEPT for the crux move. I'm going to move one of the bolts and redirect the route slightly.

Wow. No wonder this is a test piece crack. Amazing trad climbing. P1 - Clean 2nd. P2 - Onsight. P3 - Red Point (took a huge fall back to the ledge onto C3s on the final move on the onsight). The Chimney on P1 is one of the most amazingly WEIRD I've climbed, the jam crack on P2 is strenuous and the coffin slot (and its exit) is weird and techy, and P3 is a sporty, bouldery finger crack. Stoked to finally get on this with Taib. Great rock the whole way.

Called Finnegans Wake in the latest Blueys guidebook. Looks great, climbs okay, but with some of the most horrible rock I've ever climbed on. This rock doesn't snap, so much as disintegrate into sand with ever jam or gear placement. The crux is committing for all the wrong reasons. Climbed with some gear left below the crux (so my partner could lower off), but otherwise placing all the gear. Definately not worth it.

Climbed entirely with trad gear for a laugh. The last gear is below the crux roof (for a comparison, as a sports climb this has 3 bolts through the roof, and 2 on the 10m headwall above), and the top headwall is totally unprotected. EXCITING! The gear below the roof is bomber, but a fall from above it would be very bad. Great to see it goes on gear.

Repeat. Short'n'sweet. Nice climbing which is harder than it looks. Good rock and a bit techy.

No giveaway, but great, weird, punchy climbing. The money part of the climb consists of 2 dynos (one off a mono, the other off an undercling), and 2 other proper hard sequences, and concludes with an exciting runout. This will be a hard FA, but I'm stoked with it. With good gear placements, I couldn't justify fully bolting it, hence the mixed climb. Looking forward to getting back on it.

Rad! First shot I couldn't come up with a viable start sequence, so just kept climbing rather than going for the tick. After the bouldery start, the roof thugging is tonnes of fun, and just keeps going forever (and is excitingly run-out) at maybe 23. After coming back down and with Gene's beta I put together a sequence, and climbed the opening crux moves twice clean before bailing for the night. Next time, for sure!

Great to finally get back on this for the tick 2 years after it became my first ever "project". Even better to know that my beta from back then was spot on even today. Still took me three shots though, in the coldest summer day ever (sleet???). 1st shot as a warmup I made it through the crux, but my hands froze and I fell off. 2nd was a back-clipped mess. 3rd shot it came together and felt easy. Still great climbing in the style, at the grade.

Finally got around to actually LEADING this one (after all these years). Pleasant climbing in a great position. Bring some wires a few medium cams for the top seaction.

Repeat. Climbed out with (heavy) packs rather than walking out of the crag. Lead Pitches 1 & 2 (linked) and Pitch 5 via the grade 17 variant. Entertainingly picturesque.

Pitch 1 only in the baking sun. Still took me 2 shots (today) to get it after I got lost below the crux on the first shot. Stunning climbing the whole way on great rock. This type of movement epitomises face climbing!

Repeat. Climbed to retrieve a stuck rope. Fortunately it was THIS route that the rope got snagged on and not Thai Virus, because I actually enjoy lapping this beauty.

Much harder than it looks. I thought I'd knock this over pretty quickly, but ended up taking 3 shots and quite a few falls trying to sort out the crux ground-up. Quite strenuous and technical, and with only 1 real way to climb it. The gear is okay, but not great. Some small C3s and a double rack of small-ish wires would be an advantage.

Repeat. P1 only to get to the ledge at the start of P2. P2 was then climbed via the Trojan (23) variant start for the FA of that pitch. The first pitch has cleaned up nicely, and was genuinely pleasant to lead.

One recon lap (and some playing around at the start trying to find a sequence to the technical crux that works for me). Feels hard, but doable, though I still have my doubt about the crux. Aside from all the glue holding this route together, the climbing itself is pretty awesome, and unrelenting. The glue behind the top of the flake is cracked and the top section of the flake now moves quite a bit.

3 shots. Can stick the dyno and the moves after it (with a great deal of grunty effort) but haven't linked past the cut-loose match. Feels like a bit of a novelty, but is a hell of a lot of fun (even if you don't like this sort of climbing). Feels like it should go easily, but somehow never does.