Mount Banks Rock climbing 45 线路 在 岩场中

Alternative middle section for The Original Route between the first and second ledges (pitches 5-8). Climb right around tree and follow obvious right facing corner in 3 pitches. Two bash-ins where needed about 4m right of the crack halfway up and chain between two bash-ins for the top anchor. Some loose rock.

Outstanding and varied climbing following the obvious clean left facing corner on the right side of the only amphitheater in the bottom cliff-line. About 20mm R of Original route. A challenging lead yet well protected. Access as per other routes starting at the base. Two great pitches up the thin crack corner, then up gullies for a few hundred meters and walk left a kilometer on the 3rd ledge

Ok climbing (mostly) on generally ok rock (some spooky choss) with generally ok pro (trad with a few carrots).

The belays are usually trees or bolts to enable retreat. Most of the pitches are about 16 to (hard) 18 with the top pitches being the hardest (thrutchy cracks). Probably worth 20 for the epic factor, and the style (slabs and cracks). Best done on a long cool day (October, November?). Gets sun after noon, take plenty of water, and don't drink from the Grose. It’s a bit of an epic to access, and to escape from.

Access - Easiest to approach traditionally from Perry’s Lookdown. Walk down to Bluegum Forest and then walk back up the valley a bit (looks more like 2km or so), cross the Grose River (-33.594528,150.361746, or Mt Wilson sheet 8030-1N KH550796), and find the creek below Original Route and the Central Gully (maps!). There's a fat orange tree right on the track with "Turn O" carved on the north (back) side, cross the river about 30m south of this. Walk up the ridge just right of the creek to below the huge left facing choss corner (pitches 6 and 7) on the 2nd Tier, and traverse left 50m to start left of orange wall at ground level (see picture of Pitch 1 above).

When you finish the climb, walk 20m up the gully to a good track heading left. After 200m turn left at the Cairn, finish up Pitch 20. Regaining the track, after about 10-15 minutes it drops down over some fallen trees onto to the summit walking track, left up this another 300m then down and right to carpark (45 minutes, take a torch).

1. 30m Start left of orange rock, up to fixed hanger at 10m, then to ledge belay.

2. 20m Walk left and up corner.

3. 30m Up wall.

4. 40m Up easy slab to corners. Up to tree with rope marker.

5. 50m (Scary walk) Go right (belayed) about 10m and scramble up 1st ledge below 100m choss corner.

6. 25m Up corner, loose. U + gear belay.

7. 25m Up left wall, step R into corner. U + gear belay

8. 20m Walk easily left to block, bolt and U on lip.

9. 50m Up and slightly leftwards forever, 2U + bolt belay (poor rock) on the exposed perch out left (The 11 o'clock pitch, that's the direction you head, and you should be on it by then).

10. 25m Left and up scary erosion groove. Step right at top and up slope to tree and 2nd ledge. 2nd ledge, walk up 15m and then left 40m to weird old 2 bolt anchor with tat. Next pitch starts in sloping dirty corner just to the left.

11. 20m Up finger crack ramp and slab to 2BB. Stay out right.

12. 25m Right to groove and up, then black slab to small trees (can link to next pitch if you have cams for the top).

13. 15m Up wall to big tree.

14. 30m Up sandy seam, right and up tricky slab, wires in finger crack.

15. 15m Easily up ridge to 3rd ledge. Walk down and left across gully past chossy white corner, and left 40m more to big black corner.

16. 25m Up corner, hand, offwidth (basalt chock stones!), and flare in corner, tree belay (don’t use the dead one like I did)

17. 20m Up gully to base of main corner.

18. 25m Up corner then left wall and crack, sling runners near top, 2UB

19. 20m Right into corner and weird moves into crack on right wall. Follow thrutchy crack (plus chockstones if you are out of big gear) then up to 2UB on right wall high. Then walk out and finish up Pitch 20!

Gear: Take a single rack of cams, finger to a big fist sized and doubles of hand-size, wires, a bunch of brackets (and wires you can use for clipping also). 3L of water, torch.

Escape: On the 1st ledge it’s possible to scramble left through horrendous scrub and past Original route, then up the access ramp (rope) then up to carpark. About 2.5 hours. Probably safer to rap and walk back down to Bluegum and up (rap plus 2 hours). There is an awesome bivvy hut on the 1st ledge about 8 minutes’ walk left of the big corner, built in the 50's, no water though.

On the 2nd ledge, walk right easily for 30 minutes and up 10m to the fire trail and turn left. About 70 minutes from here back to Mt Banks carpark. You can go left along the 2nd ledge but it gets funky. There is a good cave where someone had an epic bivvy about 40m right of the top of pitch 10 on the 2nd ledge.

On the 3rd ledge apparently you can walk off left, but few details so don’t try it in the dark. There is a sandy cave atop pitch 15. Rap to 2nd ledge and go off right.

Unusual climbing up a basalt pillar. Virtually pitch 20 of The Camel, as there isn't much other reason to be out there. Walking out from The Camel on the track, after 200m the track heads left into thicker scrub then makes a 90 degree right-angle turn. At this point turn left and bash 30m, coming out on a basalt scree slope. This climbs the tallest buttress (-33.590111, 150.370618) on your left, with a finger crack running up most of it. The top is a bit shattered so put in a few delicate directionals and belay from trees on the hill behind.

Climbs the “undeniable wall” mentioned in the Coronation Crack description in Warwick William's guidebook. Protection is a bit sketch - some was preplaced on rap - thus the meaning behind the name of the route! Walk 240 m further left (N) of the top of Groseness along the ledge. On the edge of the wall below are 3 pine trees [has not been checked since 2019 bushfires - trees may not exist!], rap down off the southmost and smallest one (bring spare slings or rope to back it up with other trees). Rap 50m to small tree and bolt belay, and another 50 m to the ground. Alternately, rap down Coronation Crack. Take a few slings, brackets and many cams up to large size. Shut your eyes on the way down.

1. 50m Start about 20m of Coronation Crack at small left-facing weakness. Up past bolt and cams breaks, drift R and up corner at 20m then diagonally left towards ledge and tree belay.

2. 50m Up corner above belay and leftwards then up wall with top bolt hard to clip (pre-clip?). Up past cams and some slings to collapse on tree.

Another route up the grand wall left of Coronation Crack. Best to rap the route, starts below a thin corner 30m left of the top of Coronation Crack. Rap down to cave belay (2BB) and thence to ground. Alternately rap down "Friends don't let Friends Place Friends or Coronation Crack. Take lotsa cams, double ropes, and brackets.

1. 50m Up wall past bolt to corner, follow this to roof, right to bolt and up wall to cave.

2. 50m Pull through right side of cave then diagonally left past cams for 12m to bolt. Up black streak to top.

(Sounds like it goes somewhere between Weakened Worriers and Zireon). Locate giant flake 30 from base of cliff and 150m L of giant wall of yellow choss at far W end. Up slab to flake then diagonally R to tree belay. Halfway up flake step L to slab. Traverse L and go up small cracks to cave. R through overhang. Up slabs 80m to corner. 40m corner (Coronation crack?), then easy.

The climb goes up the "fairly obvious" line to the right of the main face, or 100m left of a huge triangular yellow overhang (this could be the "map of Africa" choss just right of Groseness?). It finishes just where the third cliffline peters out. Good luck! Any fixed gear would be rusted away most likely.

1. 18m Start up an awkward chimney then onto the R wall. PR up to belay. 2) 18m Scramble carefully up.

2. 18m Move easily still

3. 30m Up a short wall to scrub beneath the prominent corner overhung at the base.

4. 34m (crux) Overcome the overhang via the wall then very pleasant climbing straight up.

5. 24m More scrub, up.

6. 21m Still scrubby, up.

7. 15m Up in corner, PR

8. 38m An exposed pitch, leftwards across yellow rock to tree. Up to left BR above tree. Tree belay.

9. 5m Up scrub.

10. 9m Up in corner and right.

11. 9m Up crack on the right.

12. 21m Up Chimney of upper (3rd?) cliffline.

Nice trad route. Start: Rap down from north edge of cave 20m left of Groseness (facing cliff). 50m rap down wall over ledges etc to bolt belay. 48m rap to tree.

1. (50m) up thin layback crack till 5m below roof, move left to large cam break and blast up wall to belay.

2. (50m) up wall past breaks, move left past bolt and tenuosity and up more easily to big ledge and tree, step right and up to finish. Take wires, cams with lots of extra med to large (at least one or two #4s)

It's amazing what you can do with a carrot (this route has not been rebolted). Best to rap Groseness. Start 25m L of Groseness (10m left of slight corner which is Pestosterone). Take a big rack and some brackets.

1. 25m (23) Up slab to ledge and tree.

2. 25m (23) Up then right to layback and arete

3. 35m (16) up line to tree

4. 20m (16) up to ledge 10m below Ab Flab tree.

5. 50m (24) Right and up shallow corner, left then right at 30m, up wall to roof (big cam) and up headwall and right to BB. Long and sustained

6. 35m (23) up left past 3 bolts then up and right.

7. 15m (16) up weird corner

Five pitches of sustained wall climbing, mostly on hanging belays. Bring 20 draws and a comfortable harness. This is a fully ringbolted route - no bolt plates required. Helmets advised - you are a LONG way from a rescue (unless you can yell loud enough to get the attention of the tourists on the other side of the valley). Named in memory of a young and very motivated Graham Fairbairn, many years ago. Now he's matured into a statesman of rap.

Route has been fully rebolted in 2024 using SRC Rebolting funds - please donate!

If you retreat the only option is rap down, walk down to Bluegum and up to Perrys (2+ hours) then hitch back to Blackheath. Maybe bring walking shoes.

Start: Rap into this route with double 50m ropes down Groseness (5 abseils). The route starts about 5m left of Groseness at a slabby black corner.

1. 45m (21) Scramble up easy ledges (sling tree) then into corner to start, that slowly steepens and gets more technical to hanging stance. Use long runners to avoid rope drag.

2. 18m (20) Short orange face then traverse right on break and up juggy wall. 'Grovel' onto Ledge.

3. 43m (23) Up thin wall to start, rightwards through small roof then up endless edges to hanging belay.

4. 47m (23) Epic. Up thin corner, bouldery wall, roof, crimpers, edges, orange groove and final crimpy crux! Hanging belay on tiny ledge.

5. 35m (22) A steep conclusion through the tiered roofs and pumpy end wall. Either belay awkwardly on first ledge (2 ringbolts) - or continue to 'bush bash' up vegetation and surmount final easy wall to belay anchors at top of route (where you rapped in from).

One the most sustained face routes in the Bluies. Excellent and very vertical climbing, the runout sections are easier than they look. Fully rebolted 2023 using SRC Rebolting funds - please donate!

The climbing takes about 4-6 hours. Take slings, 15 draws and double 50m ropes (for the rap in).

Retreat, rap down, walk down to Bluegum and up to Perrys (2+ hours) then hitch back to Blackheath. Maybe bring walking shoes.

Access and descent: Walk/bike ride around Mt Banks on Mt Banks Road for 4.7km to small saddle with epic view (GPS -33.5999, 150.3702). Scramble down towards Grose Valley for 10m then walk right (north) under small upper cliffline for 200m to large orange cave/overhang (GPS -33.5981, 150.3695). There’s a cairn on the edge of the cave, about 5m south (left facing out) of the point of the triangle roof. Scramble carefully down below the cave under 5m cliffline to find small ledge and triple ringbolt rap anchor. Rap straight down 10m onto dirty slope and to a rap station (belay # 5) on the edge of the mega cliff, 1m south of a little tree. Abseil down the route. There are a selection of rings and chains on the belays. Leave some water on “The Oasis” too.

Start: Scramble up 10m to a ledge about 8m south (right) of the corner (Pestosterone) to a short crack. Inspection of the climbing helps as you rap in.

1. 35m (20) Thin crack and slab to ledge.

2. 35m (20) Up and left into corner line, up to tree and big ledge.

3. 45m (24) Sustained up to small ledge (“The Oasis”). 12 bolts

4. 45m (23) Thin start just left of belay then right and up, runout up and right (medium cam if you’re scared) then back left to anchor.

5. 35m (22) Up to edge of cliff. Rock quality deteriorates in top half of this pitch.

6. 10m (5) Scramble up steep loose slope, surmount short wall (bolt) and up to top and bolt belay where you rapped in from. This pitch can be linked with pitch 5 but communication with your 2nd will be impossible.

A nice big crack for 3 pitches then 7 pitches of bush bashing crap. Bring a full trad rack, crampons and 10 bolt plates. Best to do first 2 pitches, then rap off and finish up Pestosterone. Big Day Out!

Start: You need to rap in to access this route. First ascent team went straight down the route off manky trees and bolts, not recommended. Best to rap down Grossness and walk about 200m right to below left facing big wide corner and roof.

1. 30m (16) Scramble up choss, up easy chimney past scary chockstone, then finally layback up nice orange offwidth past 4 carrots to belay on big ledge at double BRs.

2. 15m (22) Mega offwidth undercling under huge roof. Belay around in corner at 4 bolt belay. Pumpy!

3. 35m (15) Continue up wide crack with spaced trad gear in horizontals. Big cams and slings useful. Belay on loose slope on multiple suss trees.

4. 50m (1) Scramble up and right through spiky bush to little cave.

5. 30m (6) Up dirty corner and chimney to tree belay below big orange wall.

6. 17m (18) Climb tree to gain undercut corner at far right end of roofs on right edge of orange wall. Up corner for 7m then traverse hard left across black wall to belay in scoop at double BR belay (up high in scoop).

7. 25m (17) Step left into corner crack. Up this (good cams) to final tricky bulge to gain bushy gully. Belay on double BRs on left side of bottom of gully.

8. 40m (3) Classic. Bushbash straight up guts of vegetated canyon/gully until an easy traverse left solves the overhang. Belay on trad on ledge.

9. 45m (6) Walk to left end of ledge, then up on rock (shock horror!) to topout.

10. 30m (1) Walk right along ledge to gully and scramble up.