Routes as aid in Australia

Start above Tahini, 6m L of Aristocrat (which is described in the Bluff Major section). The big roof goes on rurps and a bolt, and is the last unfreed aid climb at Arapiles. Dave Jones has spent some time on it and says it will go at about 32, so help yourself to the FFA.

All the business on Crankshaft (traverse) then a couple of tough moves to gain the start holds of the 3 move V8 corner.

An impressive line, even more so now that is free.

Start: It\\\\'s the huge orange corner 18m right of 'Harbinger'.

1. 18m (18) Follow the weakness to the foot of a small overhang.

2. 27m (24) Climb the crack (originally aid) until to the roof and traverse left to a ledge.

3. 20m (-) Climb the short crack, move left into the major line, up to belay below a steep orange corner

4. 14m (-) Traverse left, then up to finish left of the overhangs.

A good line spoilt by a single aid move on the second pitch. The first pitch is a popular and well chalked line with a handy lower-off, but beware that falls before the 1st bolt have strained a few ankles on the swing into the slab below.

Start at the flake/seam 5m right of Tokyo Rose, on the elevated ledge.

1. 18m (25) Up the right-facing slabby flake, then burly moves to jug (RB). Crux crimps past 2nd RB to break, traverse R to guano ledge and DRB (18m). Wash your hands afterwards to safeguard against bird flu!

2. 20m (26 M1) Take bolt brackets. Climb the closed corner above the ledge past 1 or 2 old fixed wires (bring your own too) then traverse left to gain the overhung ramp. Follow the ramp past three bolts (2nd bolt for aid) then up the headwall past final bolt to top. The aid move (an awkward dyno to a tricky catch of a pocket) might go free at 30+ if the strong persist.

Rebolted 2016. Start as for Dance of Life. Aid on the bolts and monkey R to the arete as for Dance of Life. Then trend L up the arete, into a funky groove and up to a long-awaited FH (the Lure). There is little protection for quite a distance before this lone bolt. Join Clean Sweep (better) or Dinosaurs Don't Dyno (easier) for the last few metres.

For almost 25 years this route has largely been neglected due to a reputation for having a runout crux. In reality, it can be completely sewed up if you have plenty of micro-wires and a blue alien, and the endurance to hang around and fiddle them in. Plus the climbing is simply immaculate and, even despite the aid bolt, this must be a strong contender for the best 24 in the Grampians.

Start as for Dance of Life. Aid on the bolts and jug R to the arete as for Dance of Life. From there climb straight up the grey faint groove with fantastic sustained moves all the way to the horizontal breaks, then directly up the excellent blunt arete.

Outstanding and unlikely climbing on amazing rock, with great pro and a bouldery finish.

Start just R of Dinosaurs Don't Dyno, on the R end of the elevated ledge. But belay at ground level to reduce rope drag and improve communication. Delicately sidle R and slightly up along the small ledge/slab, until it terminates in a hanging 'horn' of rock. A tricky reach off the horn gains a RB and BR. Aid on these to gain the flake, then monkey R to the arete. Trend R and up the gorgeous orange scoops to large break (optional belay). Continue up flakes to crimpy finish (BR). Full rack, extenders and 2 bolt plates.

This short variant halfway up the second pitch was the final link for the whole line to go free. Break L from the top of the initial fat flake/corner on pitch 2 of TSP, 2 bolts and hard moves take you over the bulge and up the thin face to gain the guano-stained flake on the original.

This was the first route up Taipan Wall, an incredible achievement for the time, and remained the lone route on the wall for many years. It is still a stunning classic that generally follows a series of flakes and horizontal breaks trending rightwards up to the very highest point of the wall. Whether you do it at 18M2 with 3 sections of aid, 22M1 with one point of aid (via LHV) or free at 28 (via variant), it is a fantastic excursion. The remnant original fixed gear should be treated with suspicion, although enough bolts have been replaced to avoid death route status. Start at the very faint initials "SP", about 5m L of where the major flake system doesn't quite reach the ground (or bridge the tree direct).

1. 40m (18 M1) Up the short pocketed wall, move 5m R and follow flake up R to horizontal break. Squirm R for 8m to awkwardly gain bolt ladder up white streak. Bring plenty of hero loops. One free move off the last bolt gains new DRB SHB (22m rap).

2. 30m (18 M2) Step L and free up flake to a blank steep wall. Long reach to bolt, use it for aid to gain the next flake and either immediately revert to freeing (22M1), or keep aiding on RPs (18M2), to move L around the roof to the guano stained tip of the major flake. Continue up flake to a large horizontal break (with one final aid move for the 18M2 version). Crawl in for a lying down belay followed by an all-night bivvy (like Guild and Stone)...or take the far cushier hanging belay.

3. 18m (1) The most outrageous grade 1 on the planet. Squirm awkwardly R to end of ledge and new DRB (45m rap).

4. 25m (18) Follow the steep flake line up diagonally R (PR, BR) to the steep corner up the L side of the final tower, to a dangling topout at the very highest point of Taipan Wall.

You have to clip about 12 lousy bolts before getting to the climbing. Has been done without hammering by Kirsty Hamilton. Overall grade is 11 M4 - but it is not clear whether each pitch deserves the grade.

Start: Start 15m R of 'Centaur' below the first weakness in the huge overhang.

1. 37m (11 M4) Follow bolts and the odd other piece to lip of roof. Continue up line until able to free to a ledge.

2. 24m (11 M4) Move L of the line, up the overhanging crack and up to the top.

Something of a hybrid. The first pitch is free except for one long aid point. The less significant second pitch still holds a few aids.

Start: The next hanging corner R of 'Icarus' is now easily identifiable by 2 shiny new FHs on the steeply undercut face below the corner. (This is a closed project which is attempting to free the batman start (extremely bouldery)).

1. 24m (31 M2) Batman to the first bolt above the FHs, continue up corner past dodgy old "Pollitt ring-bolts" to abseil anchor.

2. 31m (- M2) Free up to ledge below crack across roof. Aid roof and up to top.

M2 11. A silly climb. Climb the corner immediatly right of 'Clicke Crack' to the roof, aid left to the arete and finish up 'Clicke Crack'.

Start: Starts just right of the obvious splitter 'Clicke Crack'.

The 'obvious' roof and corner about 30m right of 'Clicke Crack' and behind the large pine tree.

1. 25m (10) M3 10. Free climb the slab to the bottom of the crack, then up to the roof and move right underneath it. From the edge of the roof move into the corner and bridge to the obvious ledge and belay at the back of the crack.

2. 10m (10) Climb the right wall, then step back into the corner and follow it and the chimney to the top.

Yuk.

I bet every climber looks at this line, then keeps walking to the rings waiting beyond! The massive roof out the left side of the main access cave. RP's to #4 cam required. Could possibly go free. To descend (2nd pitch), escape up chimney, or climb crack on the left wall.

Distinctive crack aided through bulges.

A sensationally overhung route using two aids (one is a bolt) which would no doubt go free. Start as for pitch 2 of Euthanasia.1. 10m Gain the bolt above the belay and traverse right to a nut placement then continue up to ledge. 2, 12m Up the broken line above to easier ground.

6m right of Whitebait, old bolt at start?

Sickle shaped corner 5m right of Impromptu. May still have 2 old bolts.

Initialled. Old bolts to thin roof crack

One of the few worthwhile aid routes in the Grampians, with a huge roof at the very top of the cliff. It is written up with the direct start, which is the best way to do the climb.

The original start (two pitches) came in to the base of pitch four from 45 metres up the gully to the right via mostly easy climbing and a few aid bolts.

It is likely that significant sections of the lower pitches could be freed relatively easily. Using 60 metre ropes could help to run the lower four pitches into two giving a significant time saving on the approach to the roof. Head torches have been found useful in the past. Take 2 bat-hooks and 11 hangers.

The climb is about 750 metres from where the main walking track is left, with the final 400 metres being relatively slow. Expect to take between 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half from the car with packs.

Start: Below the obvious line leading to the huge roof at the top of the cliff about 150 metres left of 'Burning Daylight' (400 metres left of Big Chimney). Scramble about 10m up onto a block.

1. 27m (- M4) Move left and up incipient groove to ledge. BB on right.

2. 40m (12 M3) Step up right (BR) and then left to the foot of a crack. Free up the crack, switching to aid when necessary. Finish with some bolts then free to a big ledge.

3. 10m (-) Step right and up to next ledge.

4. 27m (- M3) The crack, mostly aid, to below the roof.

5. 15m (- M4) The thin crack in the outrageously exposed roof.

A Beaman route with an aid point! The start is ordinary but the second pitch looks sensational.

Start: 12 metres left of "One Night Stand" at the left of two cracks just left of overhang.

1. 25m (-) Left of two cracks, with some vegetation at the start, to ledge and tree on right

2. 30m (20 M1) Corner, move right to arete and up to ledge. Short corner to overhang (one aid) and steep wall above to ledge on right.

3. 40m (-) Up lower-angled section to distinctive flake. Above flake follow line on left to terrace.

4. 12m (18) Finish up "Hypocrite" (originally finished up "Saturday Special")

An attractive seam up a smooth wall to an overhang still has one or two aids on the overhang and should go free to a tall climber. However, as usual the climbing eases off dramatically after the first thirty or forty metres.

The aspiring aid climber can view the bathook holes at the start and salivate. Bear in mind that the carrot bolt runners are aid, not protection, bolts

Start: Below the obvious seam up the smooth wall.

1. 21m (23 M0) The seam past the odd carrot. Use one or two of the bolts in the roof for aid and then continue up to bolt anchor

2. 27m (-) Up.

3. 22m (-) Crawl right to bushy line, up to terrace (apparently Steve Monks straightened this out a bit). Now up left.

4. 30m (-) Groove, shallow corner. Step left and up slightly right to below yellow corner.

5. 20m (-) Corner, poor rock. Exit right around overhang.

The brilliant first pitch originally involved desperate and dangerous aid (M7) on which Noddy learned how to place RURPs. He also placed his first bong in what should have been his first good runner at the end of the crux. However Noddy didn't know how to use bongs so he put it in sideways and carried on in blissfull ignorance.

The free version avoids the RURP seam by easier climbing just to the left. Take a full rack from RP 0 to #4 Cam.

The upper pitches are much easier so parties abseil after pitch one (bring some tat for the bolts) and it seems that no-one has bothered freeing the second pitch. The third pitch had it's single aid point eliminated at the giddy grade of 10.

Start: Start by the column leaning against the cliff.

1. 33m (26) Climb just left of the RURP-seam into the all-too-obvious line and follow it over a roof to ledge and bolt belay.

2. 24m (13 M2) Corner then four aids to pass roof. Up to conifer.

3. 33m (10) Go 3m right, up to ledge, corner, traverse left then back up right to tree.

4. 12m (-) Scrub

Start: Major line 35m R of TGC.

1. 34m (15) Up repulsive, vegetated crack around black mossy bulge. Continue up on rotten, mossy rock then move L to ledge and old bolt.

2. 25m (- M4) Free up corner to roof, aid out under roof and up overhanging crack to tiny ledge.

3. 34m (-) Exposed bulge and very mossy crack to large ledge. Easily up from here.

The promise of three RURPs in a row makes this one for budding big-wallers. Takes thin cracks in the left wall of impressive, smooth 30 metre corner 35 metres right of 'Self Immolation'.

1. 40m (M7) Cracks, then diagonally across overhang and up 7 metres to belay.

2. 10m Up to tree.

3. 37m Corner above (1 aid) to foot of chimney.

4. 18m Chimney to overhang. Left and up.

Start at small isolated buttress at extreme right-hand end of cliff, 115 metres right of 'Black Narcissus'. Initialled and filthy.

1. 15m Up to right-hand end of roof. Traverse 3 metres left under roof to bulging hand-crack. Up crack (three aids) and on to recess.

2. 20m Traverse 2 metres right. Aid left-leaning crack then free.

A worthwhile climb taking the curving flake/corner.

Start: 3m left of 'Grim Reaper'. From the small ledge, use the bolt for aid and climb the thin crack.

Peg(!) the the crack to the bulge then up to the sloping ledge at 18m. Move right to the corner and continue free to the top.

Start: 28m left of 'Not Out'

Start 3 metres left of 'Geronimo', 6 metres right of 'Peanuts'

Crack 3 metres left of 'Hairy Canary'

Slab 3 metres left of 'Pest Strip'

Corner 7 metres left of 'Falkenhorst'

Start 20 metres left of 'Fools Paradise' at a name-plaque!

Start 28 metres left of 'Little Big Man', 15 metres right of 'The Renegade'.

Crack 15 metres left of 'Ten Years After', 25 metres right of 'The Lone Ranger'

Slab 25 metres left of 'The Renegade', 6 metres right of 'Silver'.

Start at slab 6 metres left of 'The Lone Ranger'.

Steep, initialled crack 9 metres left of 'Silver'.

Initialled, 35m left of 'The Head Shrinker'

Start 13m left of 'Justine'

Start: 60m L of 'Snuffy'.

1. 10m (18) Scramble up on L of buttress L of pinnacle to ledge below orange roof. Up corner then R to stance.

2. 15m (-) Up broken corner, traverse L 4m then up thin corner to stance below closed crack. Traverse R and climb first gully. Abseil from tree.

A huge corner capped by big rooves.

Start: Starts half way up the gully just left of \\

1. 40m (17) climb up into the corner, traverse right from below steep section and make a tricky mantle past a piton runner on to a loose block. Up left on ramp and on up crack. Traverse left to corner from fixed nut.

2. 33m (17) (crux) up line (large nuts, loose rock, PR) and up right to main roof

3. 33m (17) Traverse right (four aids, including two fixed aid pitons) using last aid to lower to ledge. On to right wall (fixed aid piton) and make an exposed traverse right (PR) to shallow groove. Up to ledge on right arete

4. 38m (17) Up right to finish up the golden handshake

Follow chimney of Addicted to Placebo, then step right and up through overhanging crack.

The south-west arete of the block gives an unusual and unlikely climb. Lassoo spike at 7m and free climb from there!

The best line on the cliff, starting just right of "First Past The Post"

1. 20m (23) Up the corner line, over the awkward bulge and step left to belay

2. 25m (23 M0) Veer right up the continuing line to the left-hand of two hanging corners. Up the corner with 1 wire for aid.

The main line on Rain Wall. Start by roping up for an exposed ledge system descending left of Broken English;

1. 25m Traverse down left along break to hanging belay where line sweeps upward.

2. 25m (24 M1) Left along the line (2 wires for aid near start)

3. 30m Up line to top.

Used to be marred by loose blocks leading to the roof but these have apparently been cleaned up a bit by a subsequent ascent. The rest point really should go.

Start: A steep wall with a flake-line in the centre.

1. 20m (-) Up the wall to the flake system and easily to good belay.

2. 30m (21 M0) Continue up the flake (loose rock) to the roof. Traverse 3 metres left to weakness in overhang, resting on a runner near the end of the traverse. Pull through the overhang and finish up the wall.

A great bit of fun, even if you have to pull on the bolt. Start at the undercut flake 2.5 metres right of Snap, Crackle And Pop. Up flake and vertical flake above. Traverse diagonally left to ramp. up left of blank face to horizontal break and traverse off left. A better finish from the ramp (grade 16) is to head up and left to the headwall and up the twin cracks. (Alt finish Mark Poustie, Campbell Mercer 13-03-1993)

Start at the base of Savage God, on the right wall.

The crack through the vertical black stain to the arete. The arete to the top. Aid used by leader was not required by second.

Start as for Guns and Greenbacks variant start.

1. 35m Up to roof, pull through, traverse right to strong diagonal line.

2. Step right and up to good sling. Straight up then tend right for line of least resistance. Loose rock at top.

Left of the wall with Topographic Oceans is a large buttress with a sentry box and crack line on its arete. Start at the sentry box. One rest on each pitch.

1. 30m 20 M0 Up the sentry box (fixed wire), through the roof, then up the obvious flake crack above to a large belay on the left.

2. 25m Traverse right to the arete then up the crack. Step right onto upper wall and up.

Crack and short wall with rests on runners.

Start: Start 2 metres left of " Not Christians For Dinner Again".

aid line 5m left of chunky puzzle

Across the fence from Split Rock, walk left to a boulder with a distinctive finger crack running diagonally (left to right) across its face. Start off the flat slab almost against the boulder.

The first pitch is excellent and the entire climb has been done on nuts. Strat up the very thin crack on the L side of the main face.

1. 44m M3 crux. Small wires all the way to the ledge.

2. 21m M3 Continue up the corner past some bad rock near the top.

Ï've told you once and I've told you twice, you'd better listen to my advice, coz this could be the last time" Still a very hard route. Take a fistful of wires, a selection of blades, and some SLCDs Strat at the incipient crack 6m R of Route 66.

1. 48m M6 Crux Follow the crack for about 24m, traverse R on the & bolts to another crack. Climb this which gets easier. Loose blocks guard the exit to a good ledge.

2. Free climb , very easy up L, mantle then traverse L and finish up the short corner.

"You can look but you'd better not touch" The scene of atleast one near disaster. The direct inspiring line which will go free. Below the Lone of the two lines in the middle of the face, L of The Last Time.

1. 36m 12M3 Crux Free into the line, aid over the overhang and past a bush to a hanging stance from a DBB on the R wall.

2. Aid to the top (beware of loose flakes) There are 4 bolts on this pitch. Be sure to go a long way back at the top. First nutted ascent was in about 1977 by Phillip Armstrong and Dave Maclean, who also removed a large amount of loose rock on the lower sections.

"She blew my nose and then she blew my mind" Has been climbed on nuts and will go free witha bit of work. At the summit of the block where all the major lines finish is a short steep wall. The thin crack is quite obvious.

1. 18m Aid the crack onto the top of the slab.

2. 18m Easy to the top of the pinnacle, then down to the Bolt belay of Hydra.

Start up Champagne and Novocaine to the overlap then climb rightwards past Boys Will Be Boys.