Routen in Blue Mountains

Start as for Sack of Woe, then left to very steep prow. Joins the last moves of Up Jumped the Devil.

Sit-starts at bottom of dihedral and climbs to top of dihedral finish at juggy 2 finger and cod-mouth jug over lip - easier since a new foot sequence was discovered, compared to original crux-pounce that Tom did Sam Healy

"Dangle pigs". Australia's 2nd 35. Formerly a Lee Cossey project, generously gifted to Alex to keep him occupied. Starts just shy of the wall splitting arete 15m right of Ristretto. Tends rightward to breach the main roof close to its right hand end, and up wall above.

Start 8m right of Beta Vinyl, 3m L of Tiger Snatch. Heads straight up, passing through the left end of the low horizontal break of Velvet project / Tiger Snatch. Then heads straight up to Sitting Bull's final break. Finish as for Sue's Last Ride.

Rumour is it's pretty hard. Direct start to Mono No Aware. The first 35 to be sent by an Australian (albeit noting the question of how to grade Wheel of Life). Tom

Australia's first 35 (albeit noting the question of how to grade Wheel of Life). An open project for over a decade. Alex took about 20 shots to send it, not long after he'd onsighted 9a at Siurana.

Ascents

• Alex Megos - 18 August 2013
• Wiz Fineron - 14 May 2019
• Ben Cossey

Mattias Braach-Maksvytis

Really great and unique overhanging roof coffin. Sit-starts low on right hand pinch and left positive side-pull. Thug up left and and start slapping. Finishes on obvious big juggy break above the coffin.

Was Vince's project, eventually sent by Tom O'Halloran. Jump start off the boulder and then up up and away forever, topping the cliff to finish. Vince climbed it to the first anchors above the lip and called that Spacecake (30).

Rad rock, hard moves then the crux!! pull from a tiny crimp and its in the bag! Up Motor Pussy to 3rd bolt (??) then head right.

Climb Mr Squiggle, then just before the anchor head left into steepness to the top of the crag. Tom

Start as for Lord Elphinstone and The Elephant Man then heads right to vague prow and all the way up up up to the top roof. The boulder in the roof is a tricky one, finishing with an all points off dyno a loooong way above the ground. Finishes out on the highest, furthest out part of the cliff. All time!

Stopping at the hands free rest under the roof is an insanely good 33.

Climb Sitting Bull to the final break. Up a few moves then start heading right past bolt to come into Bandula crux. Finish as for Bandula. Lots of moves, no rest! Tom

Beta Vinyl into Tiger Cat. All the cruxes and no rest, outrageous! Grade unconfirmed.

Yet another impressive send by Alex, giving it hard 34. Shared start with Astral Traveller. Head up to small ledge and straight up with increasing difficulty.

Great fun. Climbs up to 1 move before Einfinger.... crux and busts out right to finish up old open projects.

The greatness of life is impossible to realise before you cast your eyes upon this, the route of all routes. At the time of completion it was the hardest route in the country and the hardest climbed by an Australian. Up Fantastic Mr Fox and without dangling about on the rest, bust up and into a thin crux until you reach Grey Area's rest, shake out here then finish up Grey Area and climb to the top of the cliff.

Boulderyness to top of cliff, anchors over lip up high and left past the "lonely virgin" finger lock.

Start: double dyno off cool slopes on boulder wall.

Variation to Mr Pink.

Sage G.

Tom O’Halloran

Tom O’Halloran

Starts on juggy flake left of ATASTA and uses left blocky gaston to press into dihedral - finish as for ATASTA

Sit-start on rails and pinch on left hand side of wall. Up via slopey edges and compression to nice jug Lee Cossey

Right most arete

Start off the pile of rocks above the ledge, 15m L of Chimp Chowder. Boulder problem start, to rightward traverse, then radical wall of exciting gymnastic moves lead to a feisty finish, classic!

As for Brain Haemorrhage for about 12m, then trend L up the biggest baddest steepest part of this sector, finishing a couple of metres R of Bloodline. Going left into Bloodline is not on route. Do not climb into Bloodline at all.

Oz's first 34! Since relegated to a tame 33. A 6m direct variant of Tripe, squeezed in between Don't Believe and Tripe. Ben Tom Jake

The chalk at the start says 32, but the guidebook says 33. Batman start. Use rollers/extenders and skip the 5th or 6th bolt, so that rope drag doesn't make the crux easier!

Start: up levitation then move leftwards into search and destroy, eliminates the batman start to SAD and is the BEST/ONLY way to climb this route!!!

The left hand line in this feisty little cave. Campus the start and thrutch up to the single U-bolt anchor. Good times.

Direct finish to Touch and Go - a total one move wonder. An old open project sent by Chris Webb. Anchor is one good ringbolt and one old dynabolt.

Pooferator into Truckstop into Horseshoe into Fabricator.

4m right of Up Jumped the Devil. Climbs straight up. Nowhere to hide on this. One of the best bouldery routes in the mountains. New sequence makes it a bit easier than the FA beta.

The right hand line in the 'second' cave. Awesome climbing thru a great roof to an extremely hard boulder at the lip. Good 27'ish to the lip, * . Bolted on lead by Macca and Dave. 2 metres leftt of Activation on buttress directly above where the track meets the crag Up wall to the roof, out roof, up headwall and right then thru top roof to point then jump. Excellent climbing through roof.

Steep, Hard, bloody awesome 4 metres right of Who'd be a cop project. Very hard climbing thru steep territory, many a strong lad had a crack before Chris got the tick.

Originally bolted by Rowan Druce and generously offered to the masses, Tom O'Halloran, seeing a classic on offer, was quick to pounce. Start as per Brummel Hook (also possible to start up 1st 2 bolts of Tiger Snatch), then head straight up the immaculate orange stone to finish on the high black head wall. Slightly easier than Tiger Cat (opinions are divided on this...) and originally given 32, but has now seen an upgrade. Andrea , Ryan

Tiger Snatch to the jump then head right into Kitten Mittens for the drive by move. Finish up Tiger Vinyl. A classic!

Starts 5m right of Tiger Cat and is feisty straight off the deck with some brilliant and brutal bouldering. Suck in some oxygen at halfway then head up to join Love Cats at its crux, following this to where LC and TS trend back left. Instead peel off rightward under roof to motor up the headwall. Hoik your rig left and right while trying not to feel like a flag in a stiff wind. Sitting Bull joins into the same headwall finish. Stu

Tiger Cat to the half way jugs then across right and finish as for Beta Vinyl. The Don't Believe the Hype of Elphinstone.

Wowsers! All time mega classic. Start as per Aristocat, boulder its main crux and then head into a mind boggling amount of sustained climbing, culminating with a potentially heart breaking finish. Absolute stonker! Stu Monique Jorge flash

Start: As for 'Some Kind of Bliss', then traverse a loooooong way before weaving up the wall above. A mission.

"The Ticklish Dog". At times a link-up is better than both halves and this recent addition proves this. An absolute classic. Climb Dogbite to the bottom of the slab then go left via a fantastic boulder problem to the marginal rest on Mr Tickle, squeeze this for all it's worth then to the top of this route.

To avoid entirely stealing/climbing what was Ben's project (FMF), a variant was done in which all of the business of Ben's project is climbed. Hence the name.

Ever imagined what the best route in the cosmos would be like?...wonder no longer and get yourself down to DF today! The most technical, fingery, tensiony, positiony, brain flaking hard route around. There is no route better.

Was for four years the hardest route in the country. A classic Miller route, involving a fine balance of power and precision.

Tucker Time is sooooo rad. A technical boulder problem on the face down low leads to a massive rest you can bury bodies in, then truckin' on upward is another little punch followed by the crux of Super Duper Goo and finish with the best roof climbing known to man. Skip the last two bolts in the roof, get a little slack and take the cleanest 20m fall you've ever had.

Tucker Time.

No under dogs here. Shares a similar style to its neighbour Rhythm & Stealth. A lovely start up Impossible Princess leads directly into the wall above, past the Rhythm Method anchors and trending rightward and becoming rather tricky. Finishes on the same anchors as Rhythm & Stealth.

Monique Forestier's 2003 ascent was the first Aussie female ascent of a grade 32.

Start up Brain Haemorrhage to roof and head left to join Bloodline. Quite a few dynamic moves heading left up via the obvious left leaning ramp.

You'll arrive with your feet on Bloodline ledge. Suck in the oxygen and finish up Bloodline.

Note... You might be tempted to stay low avoiding the classic ramp (crux). If this is the case, give yourself a 29 tick.

Far left hand route.

a rad gymnastic route, marred by some dodgy glueing. 2 boulder problems inbetween jugs.

Start: 15 meters right of mr september.

Start as for Birthday Salmon and truck up direct-like to join Staring at the Sea at the rest hole. From there bust straight up through the boulder problem that earns you the grade without stepping left into Tsunami!! Chug out the roof and finish at the top.

Start up Tug Boat then move R into Point Break/Microwave. Roman

Start as for Microwave, head steadily left across Point Break and Tugboat and finish as for Tsunami (not Tugboat). Monique

Batman start.

Start: Route 60m to the left of 'Dr Foopsickle'.

Super thin and powerful climbing. Has some hard-to-clip (and ridiculously oversized) bolts.

Has a very sordid history, as holds and grades have come and gone. Start under the obvious blank arete, just right of 'Junket Pumper'.

Jack_Masel | Jake Bresenhan

Links the crux of Pooferator into the crux of Equaliser. Roman (starts at 12:35)

As for Chulahoma to ledge, then head further right under roof to next line of bolts. Funky climbing to make it through roof and around lip. Grade is a total guess. Tom was working moves and had no real sequence sorted. Went up for another working burn and just climbed the whole way through. He went back a few years later and couldn't figure out the sequence that worked and it all felt hard.

Start at prow through ferns. Up steep, right trending climbing to ledge (27 to here). Then blast out big holds and big moves in roof to a jumpy crux at lip (careful with belay). Then climb to top of the cliff.

Start up Mississippi Moonshine then head across left through juggy but surprisingly punchy roof to join Assassins at its final rest and crux.

Few meters right of Gravel Rash. Up steep scoop to base of roof. Bouldery through roof then head right to Assassins/Hashish final boulder. Bolted by Zac Vertrees. Ben Cossey has temp bolts going direct out the roof. Stay off them, they will not hold a climbing fall.

Up seamstress for a few bolts then break right and on through rooves and head wall.

Short and hard Lower off from fourth (fifth ?) bolt, at ramp ledge last two bolts aren't worth it and will be removed eventually.

Line of bolts right of Kung Fu Muscle and left of The Last Ninja. A unique route for the mountains, bouldery and sustained hard pockets. A visionary bolting effort by Scotty B and inspired siege by Logan.

Batman or make yourself a Bachar ladder to reach the start. Then up a couple of the ladder rungs to get into the proper rock. Blast straight up and up and up to get yourself under the high bulge. Some tricky moves manoeuvring around the bulge then out left through the roof to turn the lip and climb the last few meters up the slab to high anchor. May be easier?

Lee Cossey generously gave this route to a visiting Frenchman who had become rather enamoured with it. Departs Green Grass after its crux and heads straight up and through a series of roofs and beyond. Finish at the chains for Zigzagonal. Lee Tom

The journey to the centre of the earth could not be this epic. Start as per Green Grass diverging to the left at the seventh bolt when Green Grass heads back to the right. Up Up Up, staying generally just to the left of Green Grass to finish under the high roof.

Start as for Lord Elphinstone but then head diagonally across the wall to the right. 70m rope is NOT enough to lower off the anchor, but should be ok from last bolt.

One of the best lines at the crag!! Climb Brummel Hook for 18m to just above the roof. Where Brummel Hook drifts R, instead head straight up the orange flake and keep on going and going. Squeeze hard, keep tension and don't let go. Luke Hansen

Rad rad route, up some of the best rock around. Quality bouldering with jugs to seperate the difficulties, and a sustained finish. A great toilet bowl feature, batman or climb the mud to the first bolt.

Supposed to be the easier variant to Mr Tickle, some people lacking adequate forearm fitness actually find it to be harder. Start as for Mr Tickle but traverse left and finish up Hairline.

A great line, fun moves and quite sustained.

Start as for Rhythm Method but follow the right hand line of rings up the wall after 4m. Rhythm And Stealth is a rad boulder problem on top of another boulder problem with chunky moves and fingery holds. Quite a nice solid number if the weather is not so good but jugs in the cold.

Route located in cave on west (left) side as you approach gully. Sit start beneath overhanging prow. Climb up and finish matched on break.

Start as for Garth's Arete RHV, once matched on two crimps after pocket, continue up left for 2 hard moves, and a juggy top-out.

Right finish to JC

Start in rooflet on pocket underclings, make a move towards lip and top-out via arete

Sit start on ground on low underclings and do move into Casus Belli pinch and climb as for this up BB

Start on the far left and climb along pockets and finish as for Tug Capacitor

Start as for Up To The Onions heading right into obvious toilet bowl. Head to arete via crux iron cross and top out up high face

Low sit on edges and scoop-thing, thin facey moves up vague arete-thing to high-ish finish to jugs.

Tom O'Halloran Trent Searchy

Low sit-start on slots, then up to rail, leading right to dual spock-eyed pounce with finish at S&C

Gorgeous and impossible looking line. Absolute world-class classic. Batman on fix rope to start DUB anchor. Stout start at finger lock in horizontal break below anchor, progress steep terrain on pinkie locks, flairy hand jam, pinch, etc to double crimp. Enter wild crux through 60deg overhang with four consecutive finger locks, crimp, pocket, small dynos, etc to uncomfortable rest in break. From there it's easy gr26 but so good to under roof. Climb easy but very exposed roof to tricky exit gr23. Walk off with a smile. Cleaning is best by climbing it again to DUB anchor under roof, clean roof and lower from anchor clean gear to start anchor.

Please be careful with cams, although the rock is solid enough and immaculate for fingers , cams could damage this gem particularly in the crux section. Don't use cams in the finger locks, protect crux in crack above crimps and run it out. Protection is great in smaller sizes where fingers wont fit.

Shares the same first bolt as Perch, Search, Lurch, then right to underclings in the ceiling and a crux sequence that has repelled many. Great steep climbing to the anchors. May be an easy tick if you are adept at toe-hooks or unusually tall.

Mostly easy first half leads to a dyno out the lower roof (requires a long sling or 2), clip a hidden chain, then up the sustained second half with a difficult sequence in the upper roof. Best cleaned by reversing to the first anchor.

Monique's ascent was the first Aussie female ascent of a grade 31.

Start 5m R of Bloodline. Phenomenal. It's the route with the obvious double pockets above the roof. 32 in the latest guide; but consensus seems to be about 31.

Classic testpiece with superb hard climbing. Start 6m R of TWoAF. A bolt plate is handy to prevent rope burn if you miss the start dyno. Jump start leads to hard moves through the roof. Prep your belayer and/or use a roller biner, hard catches off the roof crux end badly. Move R at the lip of the roof into much pumpiness beyond. A broken hold at the 3rd bolt has been rectified.

Start up Veteran's, into Onions, through Mudeye and finish up Don't Believe. A very similar link is Hyper (30), which skips the Mudeye pocket move by traversing R beneath it to the base of the flake on Don't Believe. Yet another similar link is Bunions (softish 29), which starts up Veteran's, joins Onions at its 4th bolt and finishes up Onions Extension.

dodgy dnya bolt, dont clip this!!! clip the fat ring bolt to the right!!

Start: start 4 meters left of beaten bullied and buggered

3m L of TS. This boulder problem on a rope climbs through the distinctive hole in the roof before getting to grips with some very small holds. Very hard to grade as the key move is a long reach - span will affect difficulty. Climbed with first two bolts clipped and no cairn - the start move is part of the route.

Don't concentrate on the anchor's or you will miss all the heavenly glory. Only a fool spends his time attempting to see into the future rather than see into the present.

3m L of Microwave. Independent climbing to halfway then join Microwave just below its flake.

Up WM for 3 bolts, then left as for BM, then keep going left for miles ... traverse, traverse, traverse. Start as for 'Wrong Movements'.

Steve's first route bolted and his last ticked in the area. The only route in this sector without an irritating batman start, but you still have to stick clip. Start up the log near the end of the hand rail. Like the sign says, please don't belay in the bushes (belaying on the track is fine if you step left). Jack Masel Rick