Ascents in New South Wales and ACT by Brendan Heywood

No pad, surprisingly nice

No pad

Should scrub up with traffic into an ok little route, still the odd loose bits. The start is nice.

Got it clean 3rd go, worked out so high step beta for the second high crux

Warmup

Setup kids toprope

Lots of figuring out, a few popped holds. Burly start and delicate consistent slab moves with another little crux to the glory jug

Took a little bit to figure out the mantle but its not too bad

Nice flow to this

The old sling at the top was totally ghetto

First go today

This thing is cool and hard. Also would have some variant finishes out left which look cooler and harder

Got the sit start, keen to tick this fresh and with a pad

Nice little layback. Used the big foot out right, should eliminate that next time. Might also be a caving squeeze under the whole boulder to check out after cleaning out the dead black berries

Had a good working go, and then I was pretty confidant I could get it, then had 3 frustrating burns all getting through the crux statically and then messing up the last move to the glory jug. Next time when I'm fresh

Fresh body, turned up late when Michael had just sent and did it clean first go

First go wasn't sure where to pop to the letter box, got it second go. A mist of fine bugs

Great rock, cool features down low. Did all the moves and the dyno side jump finish is cool and works for over the minging off balance crimps

Super fun, stoked to onsight the FA thinking this would be baggy fists but its solid hands almost all the way

Great route with interesting crux, the top section needs more cleaning and wigged me out and I finished up to the right instead

Flowey

Reacquainting with all the beta. Felt nails again pulling on, crimps are sharp and none of the jams are really great. Did more or less most of the moves in three sections: off the ground to thin moves to get into the layerback, trick is to hop and swap feet and then chill out a little. For the bulge the sequence which worked well for me was avoid the Salmon tickle that Ben was doing, right hand on the okish slightly downward jam, then left hand ring finger hook into the little meat grinder and pull right through so right falls into the side pull, then feels pretty good out left to crimp the crystal then, right high step and slap the right hand up a few times and profit. Ended up right my right hand under the top rope anchor for an unfun knuckle grate

Super stoked with how this route turned out! It's what gara has been missing: easy sport with good clip stances on great water worn rock, interesting features with a crux at the finish and with a clean top out and top rope access.

I loved this to bits, one of the best sends of the trip and good to project something. In the end felt much easier than some of the much lower graded things that we've tried elsewhere. Great way to finish off the trip

Ben had a solid crack at this but dogged at the last bolt crux. I had a go on top rope and found a different sequence that was pretty ok through the crux. Again probably should have gone back for the pink point but we moved on

The sun was just hitting the wall and we weren't originally too inspired so just decided to try and speed run as much as we could swinging leads

With only the one pad didn't give it a proper go, but jumped on and did exactly what I wanted straight off: proper sit start, through the undercling and rail up to the large pocket before it heads right. Had a couple more goes to get to the dyno pocket but was pretty juiced by then and going backwards

This was a nice problem to work, great moves through the rail, landing the little pocket is ok but marginal and sticking the sloper felt nails but then slowly unlocked and then send train

Fun

Finally something achieved!

Second problem, also nails and balancy. Was thinking I'd get it, was high stepping and launching to the second last hold and touched it a few times but same story, just didn't want to stick to it

This thing is nails for a V3, need to recalibrate to nowra grades it seems. Had a bunch of goes and was getting the second last hold but just not sticking

Worked this a bunch and just spent myself. In the end some subtle beta unlocked the crux and it wasn't too bad, but didn't come back after lunch. Should have just sent it then

Very stoked to onsight this, pure thuggy fun

Note a proper tick as I mistakenly finished at the anchors of Sweet thing

Based on the dust and cobwebs this probably doesn't see much traffic but it's pretty neat. If we hadn't left some gear at the bottom we would have been done for the day but it was a really great little one to finish up with. Nice to have some jams for a change and switch up the muscle groups.

Very sustained, a low crux right off then great up to the wide crack at 2/3 for a good rest. Then the doom music kicks in for the finale! Was pretty done by here and prawn dogged the last few meters

Super fun! I think this might be my fav route of the day, the second half of pockety goodness is bouldery and very happy to pick my way through the swiss cheese

Very cruisy fun with a nice finish

A super fun first route

Prawn, time for fluids

Felt very hard compared to the two 21's further left I on-sighted just before we tried this. I couldn't even get it on top rope and lost interest

Wasn't actually working thing, I didn't really look at the guide and just stand started on the obvious jug rail and then topped out first go. Probably V3 and might be a worthy problem in its own right