Nodes in Cooleman Ridge Bouldering

Cooleman Ridge is part of the Laidlaw Volcanics. It's an excellent training ground although it won't prepare you for the long runouts you might find when tackling some of the routes around Canberra.

Park in Niblo or Darrell Pl and walk straight up the hill to a set of boulders past some trees. V0 to V8+ climbing. The area has been updated with a topo - not all climbs are listed as this is a guide to help you find which boulder is which. From there, the photo topos should get you onto the correct climb! Some of the angles on the drawn topo may also be slightly skewed.

The first area of Niblo that you come to. Everything from the road to the fenceline

Stand start then climb up and top out.

Straight up the most overhung part of the boulder, with no real footing to get you started. Hugely shouldery, height dependent as well but essentially a fairly short problem (shorter people can probably add 1-2 grades and will probably need to toe-hook the other side of the boulder just to get started on very poor slopers).

Bring a mat and a spotter - big sharp rock right in the fall zone. While this climb is quite short, it's also almost devoid of anywhere to place your feet.

Direct up the arete off the small flake. Balancy and thin with a deadpoint required. Mat and spotter mandatory if you like your back.

Up past the large flake and mantle out on top. A few variants, all roughly V1.

Thin crimpy and short direct line on face to right of the #6 large flake

Open project - traverse the obvious ridge of the icecream boulder near to #6 - all the way! Crux is the section facing to the road. Has been attempted many times, including by a foreign climber doing 8b on rope! If you send it, please grade it.

Quite a lot of the rock seems loose/hollow - use caution.

From front of the icecream traverse boulder, up and left from a stand start, top out to the left. Straight up a fair bit harder.

Straight up the front of the Icecream Boulder. Try not to rip off the crucial loose rubble on the right shoulder of the bottom block.

Bring spotters and mats and be prepared to fall. A few reasonable handholds, but expect to be 8 feet up falling onto hard packed earth should you not have eaten the wheaties to get yourself ready for this. Insecure, scary, dangerous. You have been warned.

Variation of number 6. The arete is the definitive climb in the CCA guide. V7 for the arete, V2 to join up with no. 6.

Direct to route #7 arete variant. Stand start using left hand side pull beneath middle of roof. Climb roof/arete and top out.

Straight up using the poor feet and the incut at chest height, incut higher up and the bulge. A few ways to do it but they're all mean.

Straight up the arete, topping out straight up through the seam. Hard!

One chipped hold, strenuous moves on tiny holds. Getting feet onto the rock is the crux - probably a 1-2 move problem, but hard ones nonetheless. Grade to be confirmed.

Sit start from low jug, climb up trending rightwards and top out.

Sit start from low jug, climb up trending leftwards and top out.

Before the fence, there's a group of boulders to the right. Sit start on the first 'face' climbable boulder, off two sidepulls and up. Strenuous, short, and massively contrived. Getting feet set is very, very tough.

The top of the hill, over the fence at the obvious location

Forget looking for holds - trust the friction, Luke. Sit start.

Friction climb. Very slabby.

For anyone feeling strong - needs a sit added. Round the corner from #13, the arete climb.

A one-hand pull up at the start throwing to sidepulls and small incuts for the feet. Once you stand up over the bulge, everything is easy sailing.

Sit start up the arete. Burly. Round the corner of the boulder from #12. Top out directly from the undercut side - don't pull around onto the slab.

Traverse the whole boulder (spraypainted boulder, home to The Dish and #s 14-18). Strenuous crimping/balance section, easy to fall off.

Anticlockwise traverse of the acid boulder

Easiest one on the rock. Ladder-like.

Somewhat forgettable with no really hard moves.

In the corner between #15 and #16. Easy moves to the top

Left of the dish - difficult to place feet until you get to the bucket.

Lovely compression climb just left of #17.

Straight up the acid traverse boulder on tiny crimps with a slopey as crap dish to help you along. May want to lose 5 kilos before hopping on it! V4 with the gaston, probably closer to V5 if you throw straight from the chipped incut crimps to the hueco.

From a stand start, head leftwards and up past a glory incut at head height to the hueco then up.

Sit start down low, then up as for the RH variant of #17.

Not to be confused with #14, the descent. Round the corner a little - can be climbed as an eliminate, upping the grade.

Sit start on jug. Traverse left round the corner into a sloper and undercling. Go straight up on the face for a crimp and sloper finish

Sit start. A large amount of rock has broken off on the left side. There is another large piece that is ready to go at any moment, but shouldn't affect the difficulty. Grade depends on whether you use the kneebar.

Sit start at right side of the face, then up arete to top out.

Sit start, at the end of the boulder sharing #21.

Lovely heel hook in this climb. Sit start.

Around the corner from #22. Tricky start.

Climb or dyno, either works.

Sit-start up the arete using the protruding block. Moving around to the other side, there's a truly lovely one handed layback possible. Otherwise, there's face holds.

Go from the bottom to the top. Layback, climb the face, do what you will really.

On the boulder off to the left and downhill a bit from the acid traverse boulder. If you look closely you can still see the number written on the boulder where the climb starts.

Technical and balancy sit start.

Sit start from the crimps low down to the incut then straight up.

Sit start (?) between #26 and #27.

Sit start.

On the wall facing up the hill.

A stretchy climb - crux is the start.

Slabby and more scary than tough. Don't be fooled by the photos - it's quite tall!

Photo to be added sometime soon. Lowball to the extreme, but goes on slopers which makes it almost worthwhile.

Parking as for Niblo Boulders in Niblo or Darrell Pl, wander left and down the hill from the big water tank. Stars a V8 traverse on crimps/slopers.

A nice warm-up.

There are several variations along that side of the boulder, all around V0.

Left of #32, start at left side (getting on is the crux) and head on up. If you go too far right, you're headed into Brown Trouser territory!

Left of #32 and a right-side variant of Precarious, direct up the face using the ridge is a heinously crimpy climb going at around V4. Heel hook seems to be required.

Named for one of the would-be ascencionists, who on the day before had a large curry.

Cooleman Ridge

is CNP land, the Plan of Management can be found here. The entire reserve is classified as Zone 2, and will be managed to direct damaging activities to previously disturbed areas.

While recreation is considered a priority for Cooleman Ridge, care should be taken to avoid damage to the habitat of the vulnerable Pink-Tailed Worm-Lizard which likes the same areas we do.

Table 7.4: Bouldering - Best Practice:

- From the PoM:

• Do not create informal tracks or damage vegetation
• Do not move rocks or fallen branches
• Do not disturb plants and animals
• Keep group sizes small
• Be considerate of other users Take care of vegetation when placing mats for protection
• Brush any chalk off the rock with a soft bristled brush when you are finished
• Carry out all waste
• Respect regulations and closures.

Adherence to these practices should allow Cooleman Ridge to remain open and provide a low commitment bouldering area for those summer afternoons.

Notes:

• Worm Lizard action plan

Cooleman Ridge

is CNP land, the Plan of Management can be found here. The entire reserve is classified as Zone 2, and will be managed to direct damaging activities to previously disturbed areas.

While recreation is considered a priority for Cooleman Ridge, care should be taken to avoid damage to the habitat of the vulnerable Pink-Tailed Worm-Lizard which likes the same areas we do.

Table 7.4: Bouldering - Best Practice:

- From the PoM:

• Do not create informal tracks or damage vegetation
• Do not move rocks or fallen branches
• Do not disturb plants and animals
• Keep group sizes small
• Be considerate of other users Take care of vegetation when placing mats for protection
• Brush any chalk off the rock with a soft bristled brush when you are finished
• Carry out all waste
• Respect regulations and closures.

Adherence to these practices should allow Cooleman Ridge to remain open and provide a low commitment bouldering area for those summer afternoons.

Notes:

• Worm Lizard action plan

Cooleman Ridge

is CNP land, the Plan of Management can be found here. The entire reserve is classified as Zone 2, and will be managed to direct damaging activities to previously disturbed areas.

While recreation is considered a priority for Cooleman Ridge, care should be taken to avoid damage to the habitat of the vulnerable Pink-Tailed Worm-Lizard which likes the same areas we do.

Table 7.4: Bouldering - Best Practice:

- From the PoM:

• Do not create informal tracks or damage vegetation
• Do not move rocks or fallen branches
• Do not disturb plants and animals
• Keep group sizes small
• Be considerate of other users Take care of vegetation when placing mats for protection
• Brush any chalk off the rock with a soft bristled brush when you are finished
• Carry out all waste
• Respect regulations and closures.

Adherence to these practices should allow Cooleman Ridge to remain open and provide a low commitment bouldering area for those summer afternoons.

Notes:

• Worm Lizard action plan

Traverse either way - crux is middle section.

Sit start from low rail, climb straight up and top out.

Fairly standard lowball.

Sit start from low rail, climb up trending leftwards and top out.

Sit start from low rail, climb up trending rightwards and top out.

Bevan Ashby

Start as for Fairly Standard Lowball and after the crux moves of this climb traverse right as for Cassius. Consistently hard moves until you hit the glory jug.

Tricksome and fiddly.

Cooleman Ridge

is CNP land, the Plan of Management can be found here. The entire reserve is classified as Zone 2, and will be managed to direct damaging activities to previously disturbed areas.

While recreation is considered a priority for Cooleman Ridge, care should be taken to avoid damage to the habitat of the vulnerable Pink-Tailed Worm-Lizard which likes the same areas we do.

Table 7.4: Bouldering - Best Practice:

- From the PoM:

• Do not create informal tracks or damage vegetation
• Do not move rocks or fallen branches
• Do not disturb plants and animals
• Keep group sizes small
• Be considerate of other users Take care of vegetation when placing mats for protection
• Brush any chalk off the rock with a soft bristled brush when you are finished
• Carry out all waste
• Respect regulations and closures.

Adherence to these practices should allow Cooleman Ridge to remain open and provide a low commitment bouldering area for those summer afternoons.

Notes:

• Worm Lizard action plan

Nearer to the water tank on the ridge, this area encompasses a few spread out boulders starring one that looks just like a split cherry, and then further up the ridge a funky stacked set of boulders right near a tree. Topo now added - not every climb is shown, but you should be able to find your way around.

Sit start.

Sit start, climb arete and top out.

Up the side of the split cherry.

Around the other side of the split cherry (#38).

Sit start, around the back end of a boulder that looks like a split cherry, but is not the split cherry. Nicely compressive and balancy, but only a move or two in it.

Opposite side of the boulder to 'Unnamed problem'.

Sit start eliminate - do not go left, keep to the blunt arete.

Sit start traverse, boulder close to the split cherry.

Sit start from base of arete, climb up trending rightwards and top out.

Sit start from incut edge and undercling at base of rounded bulge. Climb straight up and top out.

Sit start right of Raw Beauty and throw to the incut or alternatively, use thumb press to progress. Need a big reach.

Dyno variant of Cream. Place feet, jump.

Straight up just left of the crack. Standing start.

Up the rock directly right of the crack. Standing start. Crux hold is a nice sloper. Very tensiony. Be careful of the blank topout. Slap up the arete if you wish but avoid getting into the crack.

Traverse left from about 1 metre right of #41 (shares a start with #41 LH variant), around to the big crack and up.

Sit or stand makes little difference. Directly up goes at a harder grade with some compression moves. Topout is BLANK - be careful.

Start as for #41. Full traverse of boulder.

Direct up the boulder starting about a metre left of #41, sharing a start with the mosquito traverse. Topout is dangerously blank - you have been warned.

Sit start, climb up and top out.

Sit start with left hand on vague arete and right hand on far sloper. Slap your way up into easy top out. Harder if you're short

Not a hugely difficult climb for the grade!

Boulder right near number 41/42, under the shade of the tree. Straight up the arete from a sit-start.

Sit start as for boulder #43, traverse out right, using anything reachable, topping out on the opposite side of the boulder.

Only a little distance along the ridge from the stacked boulders of split cherry/#41/#42, this is a nice little set of boulders starring some good mid-grade problems and a lovely crack climb. Climbs at Sun Blocks tend to be a little taller than the rest of the Ridge, and more slabby/technical than some.

The boulders with climbs number 49 to 53 on them.

Sit start the arete. Crimpy.

Hard sit start to a jump or very high step in a poor incut off a nasty and very sharp right hand crimp. Hold it and top out.

At the far side of the boulder, slab your way up through tenuous holds.

Pure slab, very tenuous. Follow the tiny seam upwards.