Ascents in Victoria by Wendy Eden

A classic route description of "the finished described here" without actually describing the finish ... Easy enough and non descript enough climbing to an impossible reachy move - Lou and I went into Howling Wolf which is about 1/2m away. Kane managed it on tippy toes.

Some very long moves on the first pitch, facing some exiting swings. Can see it would be good climbing if I was a bit taller. Second pitch like an obscure Frog route - techy thin crack with a bit of mossy and dodgy rock but good climbing.

This route probably suits Lou's line of "OK, despite it's faults". It's pretty squished in and after every hard section, you could just step left or right into obvious, easier climbing and the only thing that keeps you from doing that is spying a bolt somewhere above and heading towards that. The climbing by the bolts is actually good, but separated by easy, wandering, choss. Don't come off getting to the 3rd bolt. I put a high runner in Ab Fab to get to it.

So glad to be on the blunt end of the rope ... I think there were maybe 3 really good pieces in the whole route. there were a surprising number of other not quite so good pieces but plenty of committing bits and Alan didn't come off to test drive them. And this was first done pre cams and sticky rubber! A bloody out there lead for 24, sustained with multiple cruxes.

Probably the better of the routes on the wall, which generally seems to squeeze them in. Don't know about Adam's assessment of heaps of gear by the bolt - there's a single 3 rp size placement which used to have the fixed wire. Fixed wire, fixed bolt, kinda the same experience as the FA really. The rock deteriorates dramatically after the firs 3rd and there's a hollow flake you climb over. is probably better climbing to finish up SC anyway.

nice climbing on the lower third leads to some contrived which route shall I try not to climb here then some scrappy rock and fun but kinda of grotty and friable steep finish. Seems a bit like these 2 routes are pushing to maintain their identity and are really variant starts. Retrobolt is a bit weird. The second one was next to the crack and has been removed, but I don't know why it wasn't originally lower then the gear in the crack because you really wouldn't want to fall off getting to the crack. It is also nails for midgets.

Of 3 fairly average routes, this was the most average. A 2 move wonder with plenty of crap rock to get to it. Some of the worst rock at Araps in fact. Even if I thought it was worth retroing, I'd have put 2 in - one lower because of the crappy rock and the current one higher to better protect the 1 move of the route (there's a slab below you'll probably hit as is)

On a mission with Greg to find his routes in the area. Thought this might be one of them, but seemed to be too easy. Still, it was nice enough climbing up pretty clean rock if you want something else in the range of Max and Moritz to do around here.

Finding more new routes for Sarah after Noddy stole her last one. It's actually a nice long pitch and surprisingly clean.

Reminded me of how exciting the start of In Phase is to lead, and what a sandbag Cyclic is. This runs easily on a single rope, unlike Cyclic itself.

I have decided to just add 4 grades to everything with Hugh Foxcroft on the first ascent. Desperate fat hands to offwidth bulge (which is actually quite good despite being desperate) then the upper crack is formed by stacked blocks and generally nerve racking.

With my new found Hugh Foxcroft proviso, this is actually a good route. Not 15m though unless you want to solo another 10m chimney from the ledge to the top.

Quite good if you start up the wall right of the obvious corner (which has crap rock), then sidle left into the upper crack.

I was mildly embarassed to find this has an impossible move until Jill found it impossible too. Short desperate bit then much easier.

Nice climbing, clean rock, reasonable gear and maybe even a little soft.

Steep, bouldery start, takes best bits of the 2 routes.

be sure to place gear at the start, even though it is various combinations of fiddly, pumpy and in the way as it doesn't get any easier and you will hit the ledge. Gear fine for rest of route, the move above the bolt spanked me.

Sadly, didn't find this to be a 2 star route. Fun pull off the ground to some easy climbing to a mantle onto horrendous sounding hollow blob, an impossible reachy move, then fun roof bit to grotty wall above where I would be happy to have the anchors at the first break to avoid the grotty easy climbing. It's a bit like Wave Wall for rock - not even a pick axe and a jimmy bar are going to clean it up completely

This is sort of quite good. Feels fairly contrived staying out of Blimp low down and is escapable to Blimp or LFM in many spots, but it has cute shaped edges making fun, relatively easy climbing in the first 2/3s. Above the roof, the rock gets grottier and is not so nice - I think it's the drip line from the end of the roof - and throws some harder moves in. the reach left is long for my little arms. Not sure if the top will really clean up.

Enjoyable climbing on great sculptured holds. Hardest moves are before the first bolt so stick clip very useful. Then it eases off a lot for the rest of the pitch but is still fun climbing

Has a strange move that looks easy enough then turns out to be completely desperate.

Cruisy in a similar vein to barefoot in the park

A couple of powerful moves near the top are quite good, but it somehow doesn't come together as a good route. Bit tricky off the deck, then a bit easy with the odd dodgy bit of rock, then the action then it's over. Gear looks difficult.

The bolting at this crag seem to leave a little to be desired. I used "Mr Stiffy" the short person's friendly draw to clip most of the bolts on this and you are still facing falls onto ledges.

Nice enough climbing although I admit it is hard for me to get too excited about short sport routes. Again, bolting seemed a bit weird - i clipped almost all from above.

Was quite enjoying this until the exit. The bolt and the anchors are quite a bit to the left of where you climb, which makes the exit super excitng facing a fair fall onto a bolt off to the left, and then you can't even clip the anchors from there. I ended up downcliming and traversing over to the 16 to top out and get to the anchors.

I don't know what the topo of this route is, but it isn't what I climbed and I'm pretty sure I climbed the route. Clipping the first bolt with a stick might be nice. Must feel harder if you can't jam. Climbing is actually ok although it is very wandery.

I think they forgot to put the 1 in front of the grade on this! Not sure where to actually start, but none of the 3 ways we tried were 9.

Definitely the lesser of the 2 lines up this pillar. reachy either which way

A desperate big move and not much gear.

A small amount of new climbing if you have a good set of blinkers on, basically joins green shirt into more of the same. The "good rp" is not really very good.

a reachy move thrown in between white heat and ephermal

Common theme on this wall seems to be a few nice moves up a flake then a less interesting finsih. this one probably has a bit more climbing on it than the others and might be a bit tricky for 12.

This generally had better rock and gear than crusader (although not such a good position) and almost made me think about doing the other routes on the wall, except it was too bloody windy.

I was really enjoying the start of this - it's in a great position up as high as you can get at Araps. Then I nearly killed both of us with the biggest loose block of my life on a ledge halfway up and the remaining route offered extensive moss and choss, so overall, it didn't seem so much fun

The crux of Strapping is definitely the crux of this route ... but the crux of Strapping is not very 23!

Great fun in the crack, pity about the desperate move into it.

Hey a route I actually climbed clean on this wall! I must be doing it wrong.

Why does geology form fantastic climbing marred by reachy nonsense? This route is great once you reach the crack but the traverse in gains a lot of grades from not being able to reach the only good foot holds and then having to reach miles to the side off crimps with no feet. You don't really nead a 4 or 5 cam. A five might go but it would be shallow and flaring and the small wire underneath it much better.

Sadly, Douglas's DS is even more problematic for midgets than the original ...

I don't know that it's worth a star, but it is very unlikely climbing. Gear exists, but is spaced and some of it fiddly. There's some dodgy rock as well.

Quite fun climbing but a lot of lichen. Start is pretty hard, may as well consider it 18. The obvious finish is actually the easy corner, but if you step left a metre when you find yourself climbing the corner, there is a short crack there.

Is actually 3 grades harder than Paladin ... really powerful moves with poor feet and an only just good enough fingerlock. Will be trying to convince that sandbagging first ascentionist that it is 25.

Has some nice climbing, but quite wandery with a lot of ledges. Move at top bolt is ridiculous and both of us just pulled on the bolt, which is a fantastically positioned hold.

When 2 giants do a first ascent, they don't notice the reachy bit that they didn't even think was the crux ... More like 21 for me. Divided into 2 pitches as would easily hit ledge above roof of Soft Cell with rope stretch and extended runners. The climbing is ok and probably more fun if you plan to do it in 2 pitches and aren't constantly thinking about avoiding rope drag on a long wandering pitch.

Lou thought she'd found a good looking 17sh thing, but it turned out not that hard, nor that fabulous but ok enough climbing that would get you to top rope SfS if you wanted to.

After Lou unearthed her creation of the 80s from the moss, this is quite fun climbing, well at least after the desperately thin move (unless you like that sort of thing). Glad I wasn't doing it in Fires, nor on lead.

well, it has good rock and stainless expansions but it is super close to Barbed for the first half. Seems rather difficult and probably more so if you didn't lean over to Barbed for a nice shake out. Needs a new maillon on the anchor.

Bouldery start without gear, quick pull through roof then easy arete. All in all, your not missing out on much if you don't climbing anything on this pinnacle!

Surprisingly more climbing than it looked - fun steepness then a few slab moves. The 2 easy routes are prob the most worthwhile on the pillar.

Perfectly nice climbing, gear might be a bit difficult for beginners.