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Description

The most extensive buttress on the Pipes. The RH end of 'Central Buttress' is broken and scrubby (Pooch 'Gully', a vegetated trough that separates Flange and Central Buttress). The LH end of the 'Central Buttress' is steeper and cleaner providing routes of greater quality.

© (jellyfish)

Access issues inherited from Tasmania

Many locals continue to use community run website thesarvo.com for crag/route updates and noting any access issues. The associated app can be downloaded and used offline!

http://thesarvo.com/confluence/display/thesarvo/Tasmania

Gerry Narkowicz also produces hardcopy guides to numerous venues across the state via the 'Climb Tasmania' website

https://climbtasmania.com.au/collections/frontpage

Approach

Continue on the 'Organ Pipes' Track past the access track to 'Flange Buttress' for roughly another 50m, passing a large horizontal flat boulder before cutting up R. (GPS: E0519827 N5250667) This is usually marked by a small cairn.

© (jellyfish)

Ethic inherited from Tasmania

  • The operation and use of drones by park visitors on reserved land including national parks is not permitted​

  • Peregrine Falcons nest from July - December each year. It’s important that climbers don’t climb near active nests during this period. Known sites (non exhaustive) are: Sand River (Far East, The Panopticon), Bare Rock (R of the Boneyard, L of Bisso of Orange), Rocky Cape, Pubic Wall/Duck Reach, Hillwood, Gunners Quoin, Lowdina.

  • Please note that Tasmania has notoriously patchy phone reception for particular service providers. Telstra is the most reliable. An emergency Personal Locator Beacon or similar is recommended kit when climbing in remote locations.

  • For more information - follow the link below for some local tips + tricks on how to better reduce your impact during your next Tassie climbing holiday

https://www.cragcaretasmania.org.au/learn

Tags

Some content has been provided under license from: © Australian Climbing Association Queensland (Creative Commons, Attribution, Share-Alike 2.5 AU)

Routes

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Grade Route

Amphitheatre at upper LH end of Central Buttress. Best accessed by walking down from summit carpark and rapping in.

Exciting moments to be had on the prominent hanging pillar R of Centurion. Bridge the offwidth corner 5m R of Centurion for 8m to a small roof. Traverse R under this onto the face of the column. Climb the finger crack past a problematic niche, surmount the large flake above, and continue more easily to the top.

FA: D. Stephenson & N. Deka, 1989

Climbs a pillar located about 10m right of where the access path to Blue Meridian turns steeply left. Fully bolted, however a finger sized cam may help add confidence for the slopey top-out.

Starts at Phil's Crack just around right and up the gully from the start of Shrapnel. Ends by topping out on the Arena.

FA: P. Robinson, K. Robinson & C. Rathbone

Below Battle Cruiser ledge. Bolted route slightly uphill left & around the corner from "The Three Stooges."

FA: J. Nermut & D. Humphries

Obvious bolted face below Battle Cruiser ledge, located up side track between Great Tier & Central Buttress access. Mantle near top & across some loose ground to rap station.

FA: T. McKenny, S. Scott & B. Bull

20m R of The Three Stooges up secondary track. Tricky start then up arete.

FA: M. Bailey, B. Bull, T. McKenny & D. Bruce

A stellar route, made awkward by its access. Best to do a route (Battlecruiser etc) that abseils down the Linda Chimney (or just climb the chimney). Either way your heading to the large ledge 10m up and left from the Abseil point 25m up the chimney (at the chockstone).

  1. 10m 18 - Step nervously down, left, and onto the south face. Your faith will be rewarded with good gear,and a flake leading to a large ledge.

  2. 30m 20 - The crux arrives early up the hand crack, before more varied terrain is reached. Heaps of gear and great exposure make this a classic pitch.

FA: S. Parsons, D. Fife & Phil Steane, 1982

Pitch 1: Ground level to obvious large chockstone (rap anchors present) Pitch 2: Up chimney and belay at base of huge corner Pitch 3: 3 variants - Direct (18) - Left of huge corner which becomes offwidth Chimney (15): Climb R wall for 5m, thenstep R up to ledge and finish up chimney

FA: J Moore & J Veasey, 1968

The small buttress to the left of the Linda chimney, capped by overhangs. Belay at far left end of Battlecruiser Ledge. Step left across Linda chimney and follow 6 U bolts up wall and blind corner capped by overhangs to double U belay on small ledge above.

FA: Dave Stephenson & Neale Smith, 23 Apr 2019

FA: N Deka, D Bruce & D Batten, 1988

The arete left of Battle Cruiser.

  1. 28m 20 Start at small ledge 4m left of Battle Cruiser. Step left and follow thin groove with small gear just right of arete to Battle Cruiser belay.

  2. 46m 22 Step around left side of arete and follow thin cracks to the top.

An alternative 2nd pitch to Starship Trooper and Battle Cruiser – start from the belay ledge shared by both routes at the top of their first pitches. Climb directly above the belay into a small left-facing corner to the right of the arête. Layback the flake above to a spectacular rest below a small overhang. Move straight up the arete, or slightly easier, step right and climb straight up a short wall (crux) to join Battle Cruiser at the diagonal trending flake. Continue up the rest of Battle Cruiser to the rap station.

FA: D. Stephenson & J. Otlowski, 1989

Both pitches are awesome.

Start: Shares the same start as Twice.

  1. 28m (19) Climb the black streaked corner to the roof, continue through it via the LH line (crux) and up the thin crack to ledge belay L of the base of the Twice corner.

  2. 46m (18) Follow the corner of Twice for 6m to a steep diagonal flake system leading out L towards the arête. Layaway and bridge the airy flake system until it eases. Continue up R of the arête to reach U-bolt rap station. Rap down to huge Linda chock stone (50m) Another rap station accesses the LH end of 'Battle Cruiser' Ledge (25m).

FA: M. Law & D. Bowman., 1978

  1. Start up Battle Cruiser for 2m, and traverse up and right to belay near Faust.

  2. Step back left to belay at base of corner. Can combine with P1.

  3. Up the corner through overhangs.

A direct version of Twice. Start 2m right of Battle Cruiser. Follow thin cracks up and through roof to belay at BC ledge. Continue up the corner of Twice.

Alternative start to Faust which avoids some inital chimneying but involves some alarming flakes. Start up flakes 2m L of chimney and continue directly up the wall, eventually stepping right into Faust at the Hakea. Continue up Faust from here.

The thin line between Faust and Twice, up the thin seam through two overlaps. Looks bold.

The big left-facing chimney.

  1. 52m 16 Up the chimney past hakea and overhang to ledge on right, then up wide crack (#4 camalot useful) to next ledge. This pitch can easily be split in two

  2. 25m 16 Up to next ledge then continue up corner to top. Descend trench to left and then rap off as per Battle Cruiser

FA: J. Moore & R. Williams

The line up the face and arête between Faust and Spartan Ethics. There is a thin and balancy crux between the 2nd and 3rd bolts, and another tricky move at the roof, the rest is about 20.

FA: J. Nermut, D. Humphries & Jan 2015., Jan 2015

Steep start then keep following the U's

FFA: Heather & Nick Hancock

FA: Roger, James Parkyn, Heather, Nick Hancock & May 2016., May 2016

Sustained and consistent. An inverted small L-shaped roof/flake marks the start of this route.

  1. 30m Climb a shallow corner to the small roof at 5m, which is turned on the L. Ascend a series of walls up and R to a ledge.

  2. 35m Climb onto the block on the L and then up a thin crack to a small tree. Step back R and jam the crack to the top, belaying at some blocks near the Faust corner.

  3. 35m Continue up the line of shallow corners on the upper wall R of Faust to a small ledge. Head up and L over a bulge into a hanging corner and continue to the top. Descend by first climbing up the short rock step behind where the route finishes, and then heading L and down a vegetated ramp with some down climbing sections, circling around to the Battle Cruise rap station from above. If you find yourself bridging up a tree, you're on the wrong path.

FA: (1) S. Parsons, D. Bowman, Dec 1979. (2) D. Bowman, R. Wells, Feb 1978. (3) N. Deka, D. Stephenson & Apr 1988.

Up the corner from the natural belay bench. Challenging, sustained, airy climbing with good gear.

  1. 48m (16) Follow the crack to the first belay ledge, 10m below the roof.

  2. 32m (18) Jam through the roof to a ledge and continue up the finger crack and above to an easier finish.

Rap from DBB anchors (2 raps).

Set: Ian Lewis & Lyle Closs, 1973

Start 3m right of Third Bird

  1. Climb the hand cracks on the wall several metres right of Third Bird, with some interesting moves through the niche above, to a belay on a scrubby ledge at single U-bolt.

  2. Move left and climb the shallow corners and flakes just right of Third Bird, to belay at the rap anchors on the ledge below the overhang.

  3. Move back right and continue up the wide cracks above to the top, taking care not to stray onto Third Bird. Descent: abseil as for Third Bird, or traverse left and down the scrubby corner/gully to the Battle Cruiser rap anchors.

FA: D. Stephenson & N. Deka, 1988

An average first pitch is a necessary task to access the excellent, airy arete of pitch 2.

  1. 45m 18 The crack roughly 25m right of Third Bird. Continue through ledges and vegetation (delightful!) for 20m to belay at the base of prominent arete on LH side.

  2. 52m 20 Up the face just left of arete for 20m, then step R to stance on small ledge. Continue following arete on RH side to belay at large Hakea at the top.

  3. 10m A scramble up and right to access Acid Test rap station. Descent: 40m to double U bolt belay on Acid Test (hidden just left of Hakea), then 55m to ground.

Climbs up the hand crack directly above the bolts at the top of pitch 2 of Acid Test.

Located 2m R of the Butt Funky fist crack, 2m L of a deep chimney.

  1. 30m (18) Climb up the crack and wall to a hakea tree, then from the block behind the tree climb the steep crack/flake then up R on easier ground to a double U-bolt belay.

  2. 2a. 40m (19) Climb up and then R onto the buttress and follow the weakness directly up the middle of the face (well protected) to a U-bolt belay. 2b. 15m (19) Alternatively, step across R directly from belay, over the top of the chimney, and climb steep but interesting thin crack up the arête, staying out of the chimney to the R. From a ledge at 10m either move L into Acid Test or make a difficult move up and R to the U-bolt belay on Heat (45m rap to bottom).

  3. 40m (20) Up the crack on the R to the buttress above. Follow a thin line up the buttress until one can step L around the arête to a 6m long crack. At the top of this move back R and climb the excellent face above to a large ledge.

  4. 5m Up the wall above to a rap station. Three rap stations provide safe descent. The final station is directly on the wall below the start of pitch 2 and is out of view until virtually on top of it.

FA: G. Phillips & D. Fife, 1996

FA: T. McKenny & J. Nermut, 2013

The line of bolts just right of Acid Test. Take a few mid-size cams for 15m of easy scrambling at the top of the third pitch to get to the start of the final pitch. All belays are spacious ledges with DBBs.

  1. 18m 21 Straight up the face. Cruxy.

  2. 28m 21 Step right off ledge and follow black streak up face, eventually moving to left side of pillar.

  3. 32m 20 Climb up arete to large ledge, ignore DBB for Acid Test (on left) and continue scrambling for a further 15m to base of bolted arete.

  4. 25m 21 Straight up the arete.

The line of FH right of Heat. Nice, pumpy climbing on some sharp rock.

FA: Dave Humphries & Jon Nermut, Mar 2014

The line of bolts 5m left of Rememberance and Roast Chicken

Well conceived line up a sharp arete.

  1. 15m (21). Steep climbing past 7 bolts to DBB.

  2. 30m (21). Up, then tricky move left to gain sharp arete. Focus, slapping, and footwork will see you at the DBB at the top of this excellent pitch. 13 bolts.

FA: D Humphries & J Nermut, 2012

A fun little sport climb starting 5m R of Remembrance and climbing to the same anchor. Climb up and into shallow R facing corner, continue up to steep bulge. Jugs lead to good side-pulls on the face above. Step back L to lower-off.

Trickier if you are short. However is defo 25.

FA: Simon Young, 2013

MIxed route left of Kacktus. Climb loose chimney on natural gear until top of pinnacle is reached. Step onto the right wall and follow fully bolted wall to ledge and DBB. There is a short extention to a second DBB.

Up manky chimney then orange face Access left of Drama Queen and Princess on flange buttress

FA: D. Humphries & J. Nermut

RH upper end of Central Buttress. Best accessed by walking down from summit carpark and rapping in.

  1. 20m

  2. 10m

  1. 20m

  2. 10m

  1. 42m

  2. 13m

  1. 42m

  2. 13m

Classy face climbing on the lowest tier of Circus Wall. Can be accessed by climbing the first 3 pitches of Heat and then scrambling across scrubby ledge.

  1. 26m

  2. 22m

  3. 12m

Nice arete with the crux at the top

  1. 15m

  2. 40m

Contrived but good!

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Selected Guidebooks more Hide

Author(s): Gerry Narkowicz

Date: 2021

ISBN: 9780646841946

Cracks, sea stacks, big walls, remote exotic locations, volcanic columns, no crowds and your choice of the predominant dolerite, some quartzite and a little sandstone to remind you of the mainland. Many a wilderness climbing experience can be had within a 2hr car trip from the main centers. By Gerry Narkowicz. This guide features 1280 routes.

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