Routes as trad in Upper Central Gully

The line in the middle.

Start: Start in the middle of the small buttress uphill from 'Deep Freeze Wall'.

The weakness just L of a pedestal.

Start: Start 5m L of S.

Up to horizontal, left 1m, then reach to flake on bulge and up.

Start: Start 1m L of H.

Where strapping stumbled off left into easier ground, step right, past bolt and direct to the top. Enough spice to make you think.

The flared handcrack.

Start: Start 4m L of DF.

Face R of Handshake. At the second bolt (hard to clip) move L and into Handshake. The direct finish is an open project - maybe 30ish?

The leftwards diagonal. Not well protected at the start, but a great little route.

It can also be done starting up Deep Throat.

The vague line, needing small wires. Go R to arete at about half height, after which it eases substantially.

Start: Start 1m R of DF.

Do not climb to prevent erosion risk to new Central Gully track. Wall left of "Meanwhile…", on left end of the Mari cliff.

1. 20m Up the front of the clean wall, keeping left of the black moss streak.

Do not climb to prevent erosion risk to new Central Gully Track. Start 15m L of Megalomaniac. Go up below thick moss streak then step R to crack, up it briefly then up the buttress on the L staying out of the moss.

Not very popular, but if you must do it approach by moving left from Megalomaniac next to the cliff. Do not bash in direct from the Central Gully track as this can create erosion. Start below the sickle/crack of EA. Up past BR, take the bulge on the R, then more easily.

Start as for Megalomaniac. Up Megalomaniac a little, L to sickle crack, then over roof.

Links the middle section of Polygap into the top of Evans Above via the obvious higher traverse. Reach left from the stance on Megalomaniac to clip first and second bolts of Polygap then head up, verring slightly leftwards. Traverse left via tricky underclings and smears to join Evans Above where it steepens. Twin ropes and or long slings are handy.

As for M then left past two BR - middle contrived - continue to clip one more BR.

Worth 3 stars in some eyes, barely worth 2 to others! A classic hand crack with an annoying bulge at the start. When the crack opens into a chimney/gully at the top, continue following the crack veering left to find a belay stance and natural anchor.

Start up Megalomaniac then move right and follow weakness, gear is a little fiddly at times, but there is plenty of it to keep you happy.

Start R of Megalomaniac. Up unprotected blank wall (23) to join Power Crazy for 3m, then R on poor slopes to join a line through the bulge.

Arete left of Mari. Clip bolt from Mari then return to ledge to reach holds.

Quite classic and good fun. Climb the obvious corner on the left side of the wall. An awkward start then jamming to a little roof. A bit tricky but not too cruxy. Take care with gear in the glassy crack - cams have a habit of either skating out or walking in.

Initial moves poorly protected. Bring micro cams, RP's and also some large wires, a 7or8 can help if you're creative. Start 3m R of Mari. Thin flake then R into corner, then stay L of the gully. The RHF takes the groove on the R (21) for the last 10m.

Apparently this route had a peg, however that appears to have fallen out (the missing peg shouldn't stop you from getting on it though!). Take lots of #1 RPs. Often mossy, may need a brush. Start 2m R of Devoid. Finish up the gully, before traversing right to the chains of Electric Warrior.

Start R of Vacancy. Bouldery blankness into vegetated crack.

An excellent route with hard bits down low and up high. Start below the major crack on the right side of the wall, 2m L of the Droop Street arete. Move up to the seam to a tricky move, then enjoyable climbing follows to a solid finger crack at the top.

Sustained arete, ample gear but you need to be able to hang on to get it in. Start a few metres R of Electric Warrior. Step left into line then up and right at 10m.

Start 2m R of Droop Street. Short crack to a mantle, then easier wall.

Poor pro up wall with large scar at 10m. Start 2m R of F.

Wall with poor pro. Start 2m R of IPD.

The diagonal line. Start 4m R of CS.

Pumpy and scary. Wall to join flakes, then go 3m R and finish just L of D. Start 8m L of D.

Tiny steep crack. 'Best viewed as a B2 problem - the crux being a long dynamic off mean slopes to a small hold above a roof' - Carrigan. Start just L of the arete.

"Climb the tree, and lean over to place a #3RP. Reverse to the ground and climb the arete". The tree is long gone so you'll need to preplace the RP by other means. Start at the arete just R of D.

As you walk off the top of Mari Buttress you pass under some large boulders. This route takes the twin cracks just up from the small climb down. Up righthand crack. Climb both to little roof. Step back into righthand crack to top. The hardest move is the first one. Up to the roof, step left onto the foothold and crank.

Up to pin, step left then up headwall. Start in the gully right of UIMB, on the left wall.

At last - some truth in advertising! Start right of the gully right of Maman! Maman! This route takes a line up the left side of the rightmost boulder, on the face facing Central Gully. Up shallow groove to break. Swing boisterously out through roof to top.

See arapiles.net for a photo. Start at the front R arete of the block, R of DDT.

Up right side of big block on slabby terrace. Step right at bulge.

3m right of SS, Slab to weakness. Trend left up slabby rib and bulgy crack then juggy bulge.

Slab and bulge right of SG. Finish through centre of upper bulge.

Slab and bulge at right end of slabby terrace. Continue up yellow tinged corner.

Brushed bulge 2m right of MGR. Finish right of yellow corner.

This is probably what Noddy has written up as Marbles in Argus, but graded 11!. Start 4m left of Pure and Simple, just right of a flake sticking up out of the ground. Head straight up. Good gear and climbing the whole way.

Supposed to have a crack, but doesn't! 6m left of FOTR, 1m left of diagonal seam of Flying Foxes, behind a cherry ballart. Up wall, then vague juggy corner. Tricky down low. Was graded 8!

Diagonal seam that doesn't quite reach the ground left of FOTR. Bouldery start, diagonal then wall right of the corner of Pure and Simple.

Up the slab, going R and L a bit. Start just L of FotR.

From the block step L and up frictional slab. Start 10m L of the detached pillar, under a large block which is 1m up a grey wall.

The slab, scary up high. Start just R of FotR.

Small corner, past BR, to ledge, then continue. Start 2m R of SUYS.

The weakness to the break, traverse L through roof and over. Start just L of JC, off the top of the detached pillar.

Start off the top of the detached pillar. Climb the R-facing corner (or the much better steep jugs 3m R), then go R under lower roof. Over lip into short corner then ledge on L. Now traverse 8m L then up.

From the corner of John's Corner, step left then head up wall past bolt. The best way to do the route.

Up JC to it's top roof, then traverse R past old manky fixed gear, cams, and a runout, to join Cecilia. It's worse to second than to lead. Start as for JC.

Another traverse which needs a strong second. May have been somewhat sanitised by the later bolts of GftP and BE. A very noteworthy ascent for the era by a young Lindorff. Start as for JC.

1. 20m (22) Up JC for 6m then R along subtle traverse line, below SL, to flake. Step down R to pedestal on Cecilia.

2. 30m (22) R to flake, slightly up, then further R to join Frontispiece.

Start 3m R of Johns Corner at RB, face climb past two fixed hangers to reach the underclings at the roof, past another fixed hanger in the steepness. Lower off.

Reachy start past 2 RBs over bulge, then trend R. Tackle the roof 2m L of C at a weakness. Start just L of C.

Start off the detached pillar either by leaning across and climbing steeply up, or a committing, but significantly easier leap. Then follow the crackline up the leaning yellow wall, joining the R facing corner at the roof. 1 good FH, 3 manky carrot bolts (don't trust these). Bolted anchor at the top is back from the edge so if you want to lower off them you may trash your rope. It's also ok to step R to the GoB anchor and deal with a bit of sideways swinging.

Crank up the line past FH to pedestal then roof, then L into shallow groove. Start 1.5m R of C.

Really very good link up. Intransience's initial steep moves to a rest, then L and up as for Blind Ambition, to the chains.

(There is an alternative L finish from the last big horizontal up an obvious flake between the described finish and Cecilia, however despite the climbing being easier, gear is non-existent).

Committing traverse R gains ledge, then up R and up black wall. Start 10m R and down from Cecilia. Trad anchor on top.

Start on ground level 10m down R of I. Short crack past RB to ledge on I, and up I drifting R to jug on bulge. Now slightly L to join flake. L at break and then up past final RB as for GoB to rap chains.

Start 1.5m R of BA. Bulging white crack and steeply onwards until the angle eases, then traverse L to ledge on Intransience. Head L and up very faint groove over bulge into WoH. Now go diagonally L to (original:) finish up Cecilia or (better:) stay a few metres R of Cecilia past final RB, to rap chains.

Involves a rubber chicken. On the side facing Cecilia, climb low angled, juggy crack on left.

Heading left around the pillar, up undercut corner on left side of Gelf icon then up face.

On the East face (the one facing camp), left of the Gelf icon and corner of CoPLI is a line through a bulge. Be warned about rock and gear.

On the left side of the main face (that faces camp) and left of ETGZ. Up to roof. Through the aforementioned roof, stepping left and up arete.

Scramble down and around the corner left of ETGZ. Start left of right arete. Up and step left onto 'emohawk'. Then up slabby arete.

Start as for F. Traverse L past F and up the Intransience face (see the Cecilia Wall area).

Start at the far L end of Skyline Walls about 20m L of Copyright. Take the crack on the L side of the gully, finishing up the Intransience face.

Start just R of F. The steep flake and shallow groove just R of the gully, with sparse microwires.

Start 1m R of T. Up the R-leaning flakes, then the face.

Bouldery, intense climbing on underclings left of Exodus II. Start on left side of wall beneath right-trending crack weakness, or alternatively 1m right of this. Boulder up to fixed wire in roof, surmount hanging 'slab' and undercling rightwards into easier territory. Basically a 10 move boulder problem. Bring your biceps.

Well chalked line left of Copyright. Climbs like an overhung limestone power route. Boulder into the line and onwards via obvious double-undercling crux (and bolt) to a horizontal break on the left. Take a breath, then easier face climbing to the top.

Exodus 2.5 with the obvious finish - up Copyright. A brilliant undertaking in its own right, but lacking the contrived headwall finish of the original.

Takes the line immediately right of Exodus II and left of Copyright. Boulder start to underclings (common theme here), then left to gain base of thin crack, and up. A more sustained version of Exodus II.

An exhausting undertaking up the major line on the wall (left-trending crack). Once graded 20! Steeply left to left leaning flake and poor rest. Step left then up.

Start as for Copyright and continue up crack direct to top half of Bootleg.

Start just R of Copyright. Step across the gap and gain the large pockets. Climb past the thread to jugs, then trend leftwards up the face to join the steep flake. Finish up this. Bit Torrent is better.

After the bouldery start of Bootleg, continue up wall right of that route. Some poor rock and gear.

Start 10m down R of Copyright in small gully. Up steep limestone-like wall past bolts, and R over bulge, then back left and up to an old wad of cord to lower off. There is also a few more FHs 2-3m R of this line - anyone know what this is?

Boulder into Revolution Rock using evil pockets.

Located on the level down and right of the Exodus ledge. Starts up poorly protected corner with hard climbing and poor rock to ledge. Continue up corner to roof, then exit right past bulge and then L to finish up arete.

Starts just right of Rasputin. Short problem past ancient fixed wire. Climb groove to the wire, then using a flake, up to roof and onwards to ledge. A good anchor can be found on the wall above this or there are chains at the top of Tres Hard.

Climb the faint groove past bolt (FH) to gritty, grey roof. Traverse right across this on slopers to jugs, then up final headwall. Fiddly pro.

Starts right of I'm A Mess. Up faint groove to sharp pockets (FH), then stretch right into base of flared crack weakness and follow this to chains at top. Powerful.

Starts 2m right of Tres Hard and climbs seam/crack weakness to hanging slab. Join the dots up the slab, then up easier grey tower to finish. A high side runner in Tres Hard was the only gear in the first 3/4 of the route on the first ascent. Retrobolted with Roland's permission, 3 bolts plus trad gear.

Vegetated groove 7m right of the start of Tres Hard.

Further right along the ledge are two prominent chalked lines easily identified by their limestone-like appearance of large pockets and underclings. This route starts 1m left of On High and climbs less travelled territory to shallow corner. Joins On High near the top.

Well chalked bouldery start to large undercling, then up into groove, finishing above little roof. Well protected and classic climbing.

Right of On High are two large pockets on the lip of a roof. Up to pockets, then over bulge and up leftwards through more pockets to layback flake. Continue directly.

Just right of Non Stop at slight corner. Layback up vague corner then left across good holds to an obvious pocket. Reachy crux via a dubious hold, then left to the hollow jug and finish up crack weakness.

Starts 2m right of Non Stop (as for Cuddly Fat) at faint corner. Up this to jugs, right slightly, then cut left up red scoop and through final roof. Belay available in cave.

3m right of Hassan is an easy crack. Up this, then continue up face above.

Start 2m R of NH. Grotty corner.

Start 5m R of NH where the wall bulges considerably. Boulder up past 2 bolts and some trad placements.

Starts 5m right of Slip Slop Slap. Stick clip 1st rusty bolt (place back up wire just above it) then boulder strenuously up through initial bulge onto face. Try not to look at the state of the 2nd bolt as you make reachy moves past it. Gain lip of roof and stretch out right into cleaner rock. Ignore the old fixed RP. Belay possible on block above.

3m right of Blast Off and 5m left of black rock. Stick clip runner to start, then boulder into crack above.

The next 3 routes are on the upper level, access by scrambling down gully from the top to fixed rope and plank. Directly above Tres Hard is this slightly less hard crack.

Located on small wall above Non Stop. Easily accessible from the summit. Climbs crimpy wall past two bolts and trad placements veering left near the top past a poor pocket.

The looming arete in the gully climbers left of Starless Buttress, covered mostly in Lichen. Line goes direct up the right side of the arete, find whatever gear you can. Committing final move up overhang to jugs.

Start 7m R of W. Stick clip the bolt then up the wall.