Ascents by Ashley Felton

An excellent line, but: sandbagged, much? The first pitch is much harder than the grade suggests. Second pitch is very pleasant, and much easier.

A lovely line of mild trad. Second pitch is the best, but it's all a good time.

A pleasure to get on this again.

That's right: this route is awesome.

Pretty cruisey, but I'm glad that we did it.

Quality route, but too tough for me today.

Excellent! Crimpy as all get-out.

Another nice one. What's with all the highball starts, setters?

Nice, easy for the grade.

Nice, easy warm up.

A spectacular day out. And it will be the whole day. The dicey long traverse was a highlight.

Big, multi pitch fun. Awesome.

Surprisingly easy for the grade, though pumpy. A big, lovely, overhang jug haul.

A good intro to Blue Mountains rock.

I enjoyed this more the time it wasn't pissing down with rain

Short, but great for practising cam placements.

Kinda slabby

The route I've had most fun failing to send clean in ages.

Good warmup.

Took me a couple of tries. Best of the problems here, assuming that you like slab. Bring a crash pad or risk a snapped ankle.

More fun than it looks.

Took too many tries to send.

This route is nails, and that's just the easier part. At least it was shady.

Pure quality.

Stalled out on the unsettling top section. Trust those tiny feet.

OK warm-up.

Getting back to stiffer grades, slowly. This was a great confidence-booster today.

Saved the best line for very last. Superb moves on an amazing line. Well-deserved mega classic.

A lovely route with nice, straightforward protection.

A total novelty, but a pretty good route nonetheless.

I came out of this a different person. Possibly a wiser one.

No gear placements, no rope drag. Superb rock and an atmospheric line. Sublime.

Sustained and oh so satisfying. This is why we visit. A sensational route.

Not a bad warmup.

Exposure, much? You're going into space if you fall off the second pitch. And that roof chimney on the third! Fantastic route.

The iconic Arapiles route. An amazing line with some commitment required on the upper two pitches. Beta: take two bolt plates and some large cams.

Done as one pitch. And what a pitch: solo the squeeze chimney to start, then stem your way up the chasm for the rest. Perfect friction all the way, and a cheeky little run-out at the end to add spice.

A completely superb lineup for these two routes. Second pitch had a surprisingly bouldery start, and that overhang on the third!

An absolute cracker. Delicate, careful moves needed for the start of this one. Good protection, but not obvious - you have to think about it. My pitch of the day, for sure.

Some tasty exposed bulges to pull through on the second pitch. Shame that it wasn't a little more like that all the way.

Great fun. First pitch is the harder, more insecure one with some non-obvious moves. Second pitch is a classy box chimney and much more straightforward.

A fine little single pitch. In Perth this would be a must do at any crag, over here it's a bit eclipsed by all the other classics nearby.