Routes in Cairns for selected grade

Very easy start for first 5m (14) and last 6m is overhung with big pockets and a crack. It can be done directly (tape your hands) (23) or layback from crack (19).

Some clean, sweeping dihedrals that lead directly up from the ramp give great climbing (on left)

On the far side of the Lower Amphitheatre, a very thin route involving delicate stemming.

Jari says "It's a crack climb...overhung, very pumpy first half, crack thins out and climb gets very balancy".

Surmounts a 2m roof then easier climbing through a delicate mantle and lay-away.

The climb starts on the right-hand side of the cliff, on a ledge. The belay bolt is on the left-hand side of the ledge and the first lead bolt is within reach.

This stunning line will lift you from the forest canopy to soaring heights with amazing views back onto the ocean and all the sun exposure you can handle. Take plenty of water and enjoy the breaks on two large ledges along the way. The lead bolts are 6mm twisties and the anchors are a mixture of expansions and twisties.

1. 25m (19) Traverse left and Up along interesting moves, 3D holds and a cheeky right traverse to finish. This is a long and wandering pitch, so extend draws as required and watch for ledge falls. Finish at P1 anchors for a stance/hanging belay that has enough room for three people.

2. 20m (16) Crimpy, slabby, enjoy the view, credit card edges and finger pockets. This will be your rest, so soak it in. You will finish on a fantastic halfway ledge with enough room for dance. Note that you can escape off the climb by traversing along this ledge. The escape is protected by some expansion bolt and a very short grade 14 diagonal slab.

3. 20m (22) Grade 22 with the sequence, 20ish with the reach. Business Time crux pitch, with the hardest move off the deck. Forgiving bolt spacing will help you aid the crux if necessary. The dirty mantle protecting the finish is pure FNQ filth, grab whatever you need to get over this edge. P3 belay is a large ledge. Watch out for bees and lantana. For the 2nder, unclip and retrieve the first couple draws before setting off for the crux to make your life easier. Also the top belayer needs to watch tension here once the climber sets off incase they fall mid crux. With rope stretch the climber could fall into space and find it tricky to get back on #prussics.

4. 26m (19) Fun to start, tricky finish. Steppy, ledgy then becomes vertical with the crux in the last 5m. P4 belay is a seated belay on a slabby edge. The views are stunning! Watch the sharp edge on your rope just before the belay.

5. 12m (5) Legend says the first ascent of this pitch was hands-free, no shoes, no chalk. Please respect this ethic. As contrived as it is, you will finish at the summit proper.

Descent: Rap from P5 down to P4 anchor. Do not try linking the rappel to the top of pitch 3 without an 80m rope (and if done, mitigate rope drag). From P4 anchor, retrace the line. Is advisable to not link pitches on rappel. From P1 anchor, rap straight to the ground, not back to the starting belay bolt.

Traverse right to left along wall, top at end above mossy section or fall in where you please. No chalk or shoes required. Shallow far right for start.

Heads up corner to right of tree. Pull out of water via nice holds into corner. Becomes slopey up top, as well as committing due to boulder in water below to left. Be wary of this. Is a nice wander up.

Sit start at middle of boulder on low small holds. Heads up and R.

High foot sit start to arete problem

On the clean vertical face approximately 1.5m to the right of the obvious corner crack, through series of pocketed crimps. Good clean face climbing.

Start low with good right pinch and lowest flat left sidepull. Big move to jug and top out.

Stand start matched on sloper bulge/jug on right hand side of face. Traverse L along great holds before throwing up for the sloper ledge. Head up and R following slopers and jugs up higher. Most finish here and downclimb/jump but a proper top out is available for those bold enough without adding much difficulty.

Traverse right to left as low as possible. The route name says it all. (East side of rock stood on for spotting of TR / SF / BE)

Cameron Whycherley

Start on the far right flat jug. Ride the wave that is the perfect slot rail left and up, making sure to Wave Goodbye on the way out.

Crouch start on low holds in middle of river side face. Head up, trending L along slopey edges.

Start squatted on edge and low jug, feet off ground. To jug, feature, 2 slopers, topout with good hold. Pad well and don't fall in the water.

Sit by right side of ^ shape wide feet. Move from big rails to point feature followed by a nice far right hold (cutting feet on this feels gnarly), tops out to left side of boulder next to small tree.

Start on detached block with low underclings. Move up to seam before boosting to sloper. Top out using jug out right.

Start sitting with crack in middle of face. Gain the large ledge up and L. Traverse L along ledge to arete before finishing up as for a).

Begin squat starting with large undercling rail in mini cave. Has sloper, semi-good hold, and high right jug. Tops out above left sloper on ledge platform.

Sit start with great layback jug in middle of face. Up via long moves on nice holds.

Start on jug, match good edge before moving left and throwing for top jug.

Could be slightly easier with a proper clean.

Sit start on blocky sidepulls. Up through compression moves, directly up to topout.

Squat start with right sidepull and low edge. Gain high hold and traverse into top of Compadre.

Sit start on RH end of boulder with LH small pocket. Directly up.

Start matched on ledge. head up following corner to a blank slab top out.

Sit start spread on two left-most cracks on higher-ground side of arete. Work upside-down V crack system to topout top left prow.

A slightly awkward sit start at the far L end of boulder leads up and R along leaning arête, into obvious layback edge on face and a long move to lip. Continue traversing R to mantle at tip.

Sit start at base of obvious flake with good sidepulls for both hands. Follow feature up to break and continue up dislodged block to finish on large shelf.

Safest descent is to downclimb a little and jump. Scary alternative is to head left around bulge onto slab and descend as for Sink or Swim.

Sit start edges and head to micro edges to gain gentle arete. Head up and right to slopers and flat feature for topout.

Start RH good edge and LH hollow crimp, throw for lip and mantle.

Squat start with sloper and solid but detatched small block at base of obvious blocky feature on LH end of face. Directly up over apex.

Sit start at base of arete with good undercling. Follow series of large underclings and jugs before hitting the crimp rail on the clean face and topping out directly above.

Sit start left under-cling-catch right sidepull. Follow right into layoff features, then trend up through balancy section to lip.

Sit start matched on bread loaf pinch, up arete.

Sit start at base of subtle arete on upstream side of boulder. Up arete via good slot.

Squat start on good jug flake on right end of face. Traverse left along the crack on slopey underclings, before heading up in middle of face.

Sit start hanging or with foot on detached boulder beneath. Sloping arete, mid height edges, positive arete hold. Gain top feature for topout.

Start on obvious jug on the left part of the overhang. Use feet-first trickery to reach the lip and mantle to glory.

Traverse left to right, slopey holds and few feet, stay low, use final low ledges (get low) and top out to the right where corner of ledge is. Pumpy

Sit start at base of RH arete on sidedulls. Follow the blunt and slopey arete up and L to jugs, continuing along arete to top out at peak.

Fun but weird. Start in low cave in far left side of roof crack. Feet on detached rock to knee bar along using crack all the way right to where you wedge into corner. No topout.

Using direct crack as a roof climb is awkward and slightly painful due to crack features. But if doable would be rad and hard.

Jared Tyerman and Farid Borbar

Start under roof on good RH edge and small LH crimp. Use pinch on arete to reach the lip.

Traverse from low right end of crack at slopey sit start, follow opening in crack where vine allows hands to use holds. Fine footwork to high ledge, veering up and left to high topout.

Start seated on rock, work up mostly through pockets that work as edges to vertical central crack with pocket. Edge left of this is in. Top out via crack and horizontal rails.

Same start as for ON but after gaining slot rail head straight up semi-blank face to upper slab. Pockets and edges to topout.

Start in the hole near the water. Start on jug on the left and make your way up using the three finger pocket.

Sit start at back left of roof on the furthest obvious edge. Climb out and right along the steep roof, following good edges into large flake, before throwing to the lip and mantling. Enjoyable steep climbing.

Jared Tyerman

Stand start low- two underclings. Up through pockets. Then to edge and mini sidepull. Stay left of slight arete. To prow for topout.

Harder for sit start, easier if stand starting using pockets straight away (i.e. not using undercling start holds).

Start standing on far left arete then traverse into blank appearing slab. Use sequence of thin holds to get into good edges and topout through middle right of boulder. Footwork and hand-eye coordination is key.

These boulders are located above Flume and Uke.

Start with pinch and undercling on arete, up and left through edges to a tricky mantle.

Stand start on rightmost obvious jug on the lip. Traverse L before gaining high, downward sloping large rail on face and topping out up the slab. Worthy of more stars if not for being so short.

Start low under the bulge, slap your way up.

Stand start on the small downstream face of boulder with good holds on the arete and features on face. Up via obvious ledge and arete, topping out among the unavoidable fig roots.

Sit start with pocket and pinch on obvious overhang. Work to scoop, up left to diagonal rail. Gain left horn then miraculous jug rail at top. Topout with far back features or closer cracks.

Stand start matched on thin sharp edge. Feet position you almost hanging, then boost into vertical edge and then upper feature to topout on. Worthy of more stars if were longer and slightly less sharp. Working on starting more to the right and traversing into thin sharp edge.

Start low on big jug, move left and up through sidepulls and jugs. Up arete to mantle.

Sit start on the RH end, traverse L and low along clean sloped face, topping out around the corner.

Start low at far left of obvious ominous wall. Work face and arete up to roof. Top left of roof for easier and safer finish. BEWARE GUILLOTINE ROCK BELOW! Also feel free to top right over roof if you trust it as a free-standing piece.

Start as for CM the trend out left to good holds and come back in to same top as CM. Fun easier alternative to CM.

Stand start compressing the aretes, slap up to the lip and follow it to the apex before mantling.

Crouch start L end of river side face. Traverse R, following the beautiful sloped lip around the corner and topping out above the steeper slab.

Cameron Whycherley Jared Tyerman and Farid Borbar

Work far right to far left, using mint heels and toes and open hands on top hand grating edge, to jugs and the topout as far left as possible

Sit start matched on good diagonal edge, up through big hold out left and edges above.

Stand start under arête with obvious high diagonal LH edge and assorted small edges for RH. Get established on the wall and pull big crux move to jug on the arête, topping out on good holds.

Arete just right of Gecko graffiti. Slopey compression after small edges. Tops after high dark pinch. Harder starting off right edges and traversing into arete.

Careful, or it'll get you too....

Sit start with both hands squeezing the blade arete, feet straddling either side, grovel up being careful your feet don't slip, check all is well and continue up the blade to the top corner.

Find a way to pull on without getting your feet wet and head straight up on wacky slopey holds before doing a committing move to the victory jug.

Start as for Prowler. From the ledge, top out direct or slightly R. Note: A harder alternative start without using the detached boulder awaits an ascent.

Same as for SD except that the right wall is IN for feet/hands.

Great fun.

Sit start carefully above the puddle with hands in the jug rail, throw right for slopers and follow up the arete sloping and slapping until you top out.

Sit start under rooflet with LH hold and RH on the flat slopey hold, up through small crimp.

Crouch start with good hold on LH arête. Climb up and R along arête to top out above Feng Shui.

On hill side of boulder. Sit start with two underclings halfway in roof. Work to quarts vein rail, then to far left edge and jug feature just beyond. Gain lip and topout (can also traverse left on lip and then topout).

Sharp rock. Tape up and brush start holds. Some glass in further than start position to be mindful of.

A steep problem with great moves.

Sit start with hands on the horizontal flat edges (shorties may have to crouch start) and punch left to the central horn, using the arete as well and topping out on the very tippy pointy top.

Potential for a lower start using the sidepull and adding a couple of grades.

Start on flat hold, up to slopey holds and mantle.

Sit start just to the R of the middle of the face on trio of holds, just L of the mini roof. Traverse L and low along good holds and top out at L arête.

Sit start under the corner of the roof with right hand on the arete and left hand on the sloper above and follow up and across the weakness to top out.

Stand start matched with side pulls on right side of arete. Launch to the lip and top out, being cautious of weak rock.

Up near the painted line - trickier than the routes to the right.

Stand start L of arete. Move from large edges through blank flace using small crimps and arete to gain high features near lip.

Sit start on the block at the base of the blade arete, use the pinch pods to start with and reef your way to the top.

Start low, up arete.

A committing climb up the lofty arete. Good holds emerge when you need them most! Edit June 2019: Holds are loose and some have popped.

Harder if short.. Move through large edges, high small crimp and sidepull feature where flake used to be.

Start on right side of good rail, big moves to the right and up. Scary top section. Once on top of the ledge, traverse right and downclimb. Located on the left river side.

Sit start with LH pocket and RH sloper. Up through crimps, keep to the right.

Stand start and climb the wall/arete via a sloper in the middle.