Routes as trad in Grampians

Thrutch fest!

Start: The right hand of the two corners.

A total sandbag with a finish that is rather exciting.

Start: Starts 3m right of 'Kalashnikov'.

Short bouldery start which eases considerably in the upper half.

Start: Starts around 6m right of 'Primed'.

A contrived and pointless bouldery start leads to a good variant finish to 'Greyhounds In Space'.

Start: Start 3m right of Greyhounds.

Nice face route. A bit short.

Start: Start 4m left of 'Levitation' at far left end of wall.

Wickedly hard start. Thin wall special up tortoise shell rock.

Start: Marked. Goes up the middle of a small north facing wall that you pass on the left on your way into the Amphitheatre.

Another pumpy thin face on excellent shell rock.

Start: Starts 2m right of 'Levitation'. Marked.

Squeezed in.

Start: Starts 2m right of 'Airplay', just left of corner.

Short and ordinary.

Start: Start about 8m around right of 'Airplay' and 4m left of a wide scrubby corner.

Not the beginner route that Kevin tried to pretend it was.

Start: Starts on the front side of the 'Pump Action' boulder, facing the 'Hollow Mountain' carpark.

Scary and mossy.

Start: Starts 2m left of 'Far Left'.

This is probably the easiest route up the 'Red Wall' and it takes an obvious feature.

Start: Start 5m left of 'Fretilin' at the slender detached flake which had scared off numerous climbers for at least a decade. It took a couple of S.A. climbers to bag this much considered feature.

The first ascentists on this route should be warning enough!

Start: Start towards the left end of the wall.

Boulder up the wall to join Fretlin.

NOT the 'Nowra' classic!

Start: Start 4m right of Fretlin.

Anyone for repeating a Lindorff solo?

Start: 10m left of 'The Undertow' is a large block/boulder (the boulder up right from Golden Showers). 'Frelimo' takes the centre of the face which looks towards the picnic site.

The curving flake behind Fremlimo. A technical little number.

Start: Starts 2m right of 'Ochre Express'.

The first ascent saw a nice winger thanks to a detachable finishing hold. 'Almost' a sport route.

Start: Start 10m left of 'The Stone Roses', below a BR.

Head up to the cave, then straight up sandy crimpers past a dubious fixed thread. Run-out by all reports.

Start: Start as for 'Golden Showers' just left of the arete.

A bit of a non-event.

Start: Starts 5m left of 'Rip Tide' below thin seams. Blocky corner is 2m left.

Scene of a mild bolt war when Nyrie Dodd retro-bolted this all trad route in 1990. The Nati crew (Steve Monks, HB et al) stormed the cliff in 1992 and removed the offending iron mongery and peace returned to the land.

Starts 3m right of 'Curvaceous' on the right side of the 'Red Wall'.

Short, bolted and easy for the grade. Should be more popular! Originally climbed on trad it was then subsequently retro-bolted by Peter & Andrew Stevens one year later.

Start: The short overhanging wall opposite 'Red Wall'.

A novelty classic up an exposed prow.

Start: Start just left of the overhanging arete on the right side of the Echo's block, which is downhill and 15m left from 'Rip Tide'. A faint painted 'cave' sign is visible at the start.

Fantastic features up steep wall.

Start: Start as for 'Echoes' at right side of sandy cave.

The 'obvious' line that cuts diagonally across the wall right of 'Filtons Folly' via a 'blowhole'.

Start: Start 4m right of 'Filtons Folly' at small corner crack.

Fairly good climbing but a bit contrived.

Start: Leave 'Echoes' a few metres past the cave and head straight up the wall to the right hand white streak to the summit.

One of the best jam cracks in the Stapylton area. A good old-fashioned line and the first climbed on the 'Hollow Mountain' side of Stapylton. It was written up by two other groups (including Noddy) before the real first ascent was discovered.

Start: Starts 15m left of 'Golden Showers' at landmark right facing corner crack.

The elegant perfect arete left of 'Filtons Folly'.

Start: Start on either side of the arete. The left side requires bridging off the tree. The right side is more pleasant but has a nasty ankle breaking rock in the fall zone.

Deceptively awkward slab mantling.

Start: Marked by white square. Takes the face 3m left of 'I Surrender'.

Old school off-width.

Start: Starts 8m left of 'Civilian Casualties' at entrance of tourist tunnel.

Not exactly 'Thunder Crack'.

Start: Starts as for 'Stiff Opposition'.

Straight up the steep wall to a ledge at 10m, step left, and up to the top.

Start: Start as for 'The Big Red Hen'.

Confusing location! This is the original access description. Climb was not located by editor.

Start: Take the walking track to the top of the 'Sandinista' cliff. Walk about 100m left to another terrace directly above where the track starts to climb through the 'Sandinista' cliff. Start just left of of a left leading diagonal, which has an 'antler' at the top

Up off-width groove 2m right of 'Physical Graffiti' and swing right to ledge. Diagonally up wall to elegant flake. Up.

Outstanding trad line that thankfully (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) didn't get grid-bolted by the young guns in the early 90's. Climbers with arm-spans under 1.8m need not apply as the crux move is incredibly reachy.

Start: Takes the corner just left of 'De La Soul' and starts a few metres further left at left facing steep flake.

Slabby wall climb that is mostly trad. The first features left of the central blank section of the wall are two parallel orange overlaps. Climb the overlaps with pro on the left, to the crux bulge (BR). Follow the holds and gear up the slab above, staying just left of a small water groove. Takes wires, small-med cams and a bolt plate.

A bit better than 'Bitten Finger'. 2m L of 'Bitten Finger'. Easily up orange patch to bulge, which is breached via a small crack/weakness with great gear and buckets. Headless chickenheads keep the slab above interesting. Take wires & small-med cams.

The central buckety black streak. Take slings for bollards.

Start: Starts about 10m right of 'Bad Moon Rising' and 4m left of 'Headless Chickens'.

Direct line up juggy gritty slab. Starts 6m right of 'Bad Moon Rising' below light grey streak which ends at same finish as BMR. Up left side of grey streak to delightful short right facing thin flake at 1/3 height. Continue up on jugs to top.

The landmark right facing leaning corner on the left side of the wall. The line looks good but the rock quality is fairly suss in many places. Bring a full rack.

The prominent arete left of the 'Bad Moon Rising' corner with some amazing in-cut jugs. Climb the Bad Moon Rising corner for 5m, moving left onto the pedestal. Continue up the overhung face moving left around the arête, and follow the righthand crack to the top.

Big left facing corner at far left end of the wall with undercut roof down low. When the corner blanks out go right across the slab to finish on the terrace (chain).

Squeezed in amoungst a grotty chimney cleft.

Start: On left end of wall inside the chimney and 5m left of 'Irritant Pollens'. 'Access' via double bolts from above or scramble down cleft from the right (south).

More like a Lindorff grade 20! Starting as for The Snatch, but climb straight up to the roof crack. Grab the perfect thread hold and thrash leftwards using every traditional trick in the book to gain the lip. Up the juggy offwidth to ledge and finish up left wall.

A long way from anywhere.

Start: Takes the crack 40m left of 'Country Mile', with a steep start and finish. Identifiable as the only continuous line out of several in the area and is rather vegetated.

James and Melanie were far from civilization when they found this line!

Start: Starts 10m left of 'Hogadelics Anonymous'. There is a slab above an overhanging wall. Initialled. Start below left end of slab at a large gum tree.

"I really felt like a proper climber that day" Jon Bassindale. Amazingly both pitches of this route were claimed as new routes years later.

Start: Starts as for 'Raindancer' at the arete with the big trench below.

1. 20m (18) Lean across the zawn, clip first bolt on Randancer and climb the overhanging arête to the terrace on trad. In 1992 Peter Stebbins placed the now bent and rusted BR and claimed the pitch as Salad Abuse (20).

2. 40m (22) Bring RP's and expect runouts. Walk to the left end of the terrace and drop down to belay on the right of the big red wall. Traverse left to a big mushroom on a ledge. Up and slightly right, then head for the big hanging corner crack and thence the top. In 1997 Goshen Watts repeated the route thinking he was doing a new climb, calling it Lucky Jesus 'Houdini' Rex (23).

Awkward and not very inspiring. Start 8m left of 'The Snatch' below steep rounded arête.

Nails hard reach crux which is way out of keeping with the rest of this route. Superb orange left facing corner on the right side of Lower 'Cut Lunch Walls'. Another good find by Dave Vass.

Start: The start is marked.

2001 was a glorious time to work in the postal service. FHs up wall 3m left of 'Twisted Horizons'. Just an average filler route. Be careful of loose rock.

Watch for the angry bat that lives in a pocket near the top! Up Raindancer to the RB. Step left and easily up the corner keeping an eye out for the biting pockets. Belay below Malcolm's Crack on trad. Rap off tree to descend.

He's good at climbing them, but hopeless at naming them! The finger crack with a bulge down low on the far left end of Upper Cut Lunch Walls to anchor.

In memory of the controversial letter writer from the mid 00s. Needs a couple of bolts as it was climbed on pre-placed wires. Start 8m right of 'Raindancer' below short steep corner.

A good route up a major water streak on far right end of crag 7m right of 'The Snatch' below a broken easy corner.

Scary protruding jugs. Will they snap off? Starts 3m left of The Slit. Up to the cave, exit straight up above the cave to finish through the bulging crack at the top. Bring some slings to tie off the handle bar jugs.

It might be easy, but is sure ain't fun. The squeeze chimney just to the left of Ooh Ooh Aah Aah. Up easy jugs, delve into the depths and emerge with little self-respect. There isn't much protection in the chimney.

Nice finger-crack first pitch, frightening grit style second pitch. The bulge and finger-crack 10m left of 'Koalasquatsy'.

1. 14m (21) (Ooh Ooh) Up the crack to small ledge. It is possible to walk off left here to rap bollards.

2. 10m (23) (Aah Aah) Exciting climbing up the arete leads to the top. This pitch is seriously lacking in good protection.

Drought conditions only! And take brackets for the bolts. The black gritty water streak 3m left of Koalasquasty. Medium wires protect the moves to the first BR, then layaway and stem up the subtle line past another two BRs. #1 SLCD in horizontal for finish move onto belay ledge. Rap off chain.

Major left facing black corner protected by spaced small wires. Start on the far right side of ledge below landmark corner. The first half is an excellent grade 17 to the ledge (rap chain). The second half is sustained and scary. Has been led as a two pitch route.

Brilliant varied wall climbing with a thin crimpy finish. Up Koalasquatsy for 5m (wires). Lean right to clip u-bolt on rooflet. Out right then up pumpy flake, step left into heucos then over roof to final tricky headwall. 6 UBs and lower-off.

Outstanding and varied line. The magnificent orange face 3-5m to the right of Koalasquatsy. Start up Koalasquatsy for 5m and then lurch rightwards on slopers to a RB. Up the face above (RB) then over tricky roof to gain hanging right facing flake. Up this to DRB lower-off in small cave. The route used to top-out up the major choss before SCV installed the anchors.

Good mixed climbing. Starts 7m right of 'Us Esoterics' and 2m right of the arete (Wheels of Steel). The best spot for the belayer is on the ledge / block a few metres below. Boulder start up tiny corner (FH) to thin crux crack (FH). Wander up slabby jugs to blank bulge (FH) and onwards up steep juggy wall. Rap anchor. Full rack required including small wires.

Near the centre of the crag, at it’s highest point, is a small pale slab approximately 7m above the ground. Climb up to below the hanging corner/overlap. (Crux) Climb up to, and up, the corner and over the bulge at the top of the slab. Continue up, heading slightly right, then up the right-facing corner at the top of the wall until an overhang is reached. Move left and then climb the arete to the top.

Approximately 100m right of the B. Desh Memorial Buttress is a large boulder. It has a thin diagonal crack and one end is shaped like an egg. “Iron cross” into the diagonal line then head up the diagonal crack for 6m to a horizontal break. Hand traverse left to a stance and then follow the thin seams up the slab (RPs).

5-10mins right of the B. Desh Memorial Buttress is an outcrop with some overhangs. Start at the main corner at the right end. Climb onto the undercut arete on the left and head up and right into the line. Keep left to avoid vegetation until it’s possible to climb the final corner.

Head right from Haddock’s Revenge to the left end of a large crag. Continue along some broken buttresses until the crag steepens into a wall with two prominent crack-lines that are undercut. The left one splits into two thin cracks at about 20m, and the right one turns into a corner. This is the left crack.

1. 25m Climb up into the undercut, overhanging chimney and then bridge up until it’s possible to climb up steeply on large holds (crux). Continue up to where the crack splits and follow the cracks to a small stance.

2. 15m Climb the slabs to an abseil tree.

Climb the crack to the right of Gariwerd Dreaming.

Start 50m to the right of Gariwerd Dreaming. Climb up 2m to an undercut wall then step onto the natural cairn feature and breach the bulge. Climb the wall on pockets until they become slopes then move right and up to a rest. Head up the overhanging crack-line left of the corner and then up a groove in the wall above. Continue up until the groove peters out and move right to a left-trending crack system that leads to the top.

50m up the gully from Catch The Wind, below two left-leaning cracks, and just right of an undercut section.

1. 20m Head up right to a flake and then climb this until it’s possible to move left and up to a cramped belay under an off-width in the roof.

2. 20m Traverse right to a big ledge.

3. 15m Climb the weakness above the left end of the ledge.

4. 20m Head up the crack.

If you skip the top pitch and scramble off left this turns into a really good grade 14. There is a large corner system on the left side of the main slab. This climb is to the left of this on an arete and starts on a terrace a little way up the descent gully.

1. 35m Head up the right edge of the wall and step around the arete to belay under the roof.

2. 35m Climb up awkwardly through the weakness in the roof and then move right to belay at a corner.

3. 15m Climb the crack to a ramp.

4. 15m (Crux) Take the steep crack and then move right to the arete and continue up.

10m right of a large flake leaning against the slabby face.

1. 45m Climb up an easy slab until it’s possible to belay under the first overlap.

2. 20m Climb up the break above and then go left through the second overlap. Head left and up to below a small overhang for the belay.

3. 25m Go back down a little then left to the end of a long ledge to belay.

4. 30m Head leftward to reach the other end of the ledge.

5. 35m Go left to the bottom of a large chimney and climb it to finish below a very large chockstone.

The original description was written up six years after the climb was done, so is a tad vague. Head up diagonally left along a narrow ramp at the lip of the retaining wall of a sickle feature. Roughly follow the sickle feature up the walls (which are hard to protect) until it’s possible to move up right on a large vegetated ramp.

150m right of the descent gully is a major line splitting a prow.

1. 32m Follow a crack up to below an overhang.

2. 35m Climb the steep crack and the short difficult corner to a ledge.

3. 46m Head around right, go to the large corner, and then climb this to the top.

Approximately 50m right of First Blood, left of a prominent arete, is a major corner high up on the cliff.

1. 25m Start below the arete and head up the slab. Climb through the overlap at the flake and then move left to belay under the corner.

2. 25m Go up and along the major flake.

3. 25m Head up the cracks immediately left of the arete.

4. 25m Continue up the cracks.

At the left side of the slabs is a corner. Climb up a seam and then reach left to the bottom of the corner. Climb the corner for a few metres then move right to a face crack. Head up to the roof at the top of the slabs then move left on pockets through the roof. The abseil is 35m from a tree.

Far left of The Worst Journey In The World and approximately 200m right of Coup De Grace (Epaminondas Buttress) is a recessed wall. The start is a thin left-facing corner that peters out approximately 15m up.

1. 30m Climb the corner then step left and go up an easy off-width into a belay cave.

2. 35m Climb past a desperate start into the chimney.

Jump for a jug and continue up steep wall.

Start: Start approximately 10 metres along the left-hand side of the boulder.

Remarkably overhung off-width chimney a few metres left of 'Birthday Suit'

The right-facing corner 18 metres left of 'The Hard Days Night'.

10m left of HDN, not the world's best route but a filler at the end of the day. A few bolts, rps and big cam.

Initialled flaring crack starting from terrace above the track. Rap off.

Start immediately right of 'Entree Direct Start', marked with a square 2m up. use tree to gain face via tricky move then up wall above

Good easy fun. At the end of orange overhanging wall, 6m above track and 9m right of Entree DS. Up wall then right into corner.

Worthless gully 6 metres left of 'Vee Line'.

A definite V corner 30m left of Ke Bab. Great, sustained first pitch followed by experiential squeeze through big roof over chockstones. With any luck, there'll be something to rap off or meander to the top.

Up wall on P1 to gorgeous, featured arete on P2. The second pitch has historically been given grade 22: this was an error and it turns out that it's actually about grade 17.

1. 15m (22) Clip the rusty carrot then move gingerly up flake that offers little protection. Pass another two carrots before reaching double carrot belay.

2. 35m (17) A rightwards rising traverse gains the heavily featured blunt arete. Keep pulling on flakes past a bolt before reaching a terrace with a bunch of tat at its left end (~45m rap to ground).

3. 25m (-)

Because P2 is easier (and more memorable) than P1, if you'd rather do two pitches at a more similar grade and style, a good option is to start up Procrastination for a few metres before doing a rising traverse to the left, at about grade 19. This will land you at the double carrot belay at the end of P1.

Obvious crack 5m left of Ke Bab.

Varied and sustained climbing. A 5-inch cam is useful at the technical crux even though it's not an off-width move and multiple 4-inch cams are handy on the wide flake. 40 metre abseil from top of flake. Best to lower the ropes inside the crack and start the abseil down the crack - throwing the ropes over the outside of the flake risks them catching on the opposite buttress and lands you in the middle of the unpleasant vegetation at the foot of the gully

Nice looking wall with three bolts and sling anchor (which will inevitably need replacing). The start of this route has shed many holds, and the first two carrots have been overdriven such that getting a bolt plate onto them is a real crux.

Deep, dark and dank cleft to get lost in 40m left of Kabana