The Castle Alles traditionelles Klettern 12 Routen in Felswand

The route follows a line up the left hand side of the “The Castle,” the grey tower immediately right of Smalblaar ridge.

Climb the first pitch of No More Bells up to the big ledge. The route starts off the left hand end of this ledge, just adjacent to the pleasantly cool descent gully. There are two obvious corner systems. “In Your Honour” takes the prominent right hand recess. Start at the base of the right tending grey corner that has a large floating-shield half way up.

1. 22m, 19. Step up into the layback corner and climb up past a small roof to stance in a scoop below the floating-shield. Note the gear is slim at the stance!

2. 33m, 17. Step 1m right out of the scoop and continue up the layback/corner. Climb up past the right hand side of the floating-shield and into the steepening grove above. Balance over the ramp and then climb the chimney that splits a large block to the ledge above. NOTE: If you have 60m ropes, it is possible to combine the first two pitches to create a 55m pitch. It is also possible to retreat from here via: 1 – an abseil prong on the left hand side of the base of the chimney 2 – It looks possible to traverse left along the ledge back into the descent gulley.

3. 16m, 21. Step down and rail out right until directly under a peapod groove. Pull up into the groove (exciting) and exit right at the top. Round the corner, move a meter right then crank up on edges to access a small ledge below a roof. Stance Here.

4. 23m, 23. Climb the crack on the right hand edge of the roof. Pull up into the left facing corner above (Crux.) A swing left on the face above allows you access to the steepening corner above. Climb up to stance on a large vegetated ledge.

5. 40m, 24. NOTE small wires are essential here! Step left off the large ledge and back into the grove. Climb up and then balance left moving into the left of the two corners above. Climb up and left across the blank face and then back right and up under the small triangular roof. Pull over the roof and onto the apron. Hard and thin! Climb up and to the right of a brown water streak/scoop. Below the large roofs traverse left with feet at the level of the brown water scoop. Delicate footwork! Move left to stance on a large ledge, left of the big roofs. NOTE! The water-scoop might be wet after heavy rains!

6. 20m, 17. This final pitch starts off a block below a layback/water worn groove. Step off the block and climb the rib then the face to the top.

Climb the first pitch of No More Bells or another route to the big upper ledge. The route starts roughly in the middle of the wall from the upper ledge, to the right of “No More Bells”. It crosses “No More Bells” near that route's second stance and climbs the rest of the wall between that route and “In Your Honour”. Right of centre there is a high, rectangular recess (yellow at the top), capped by a roof. On the face to the left of the recess, and right of a prominent left-facing corner, there are a number of vertical cracks. The route takes the middle crack, which blanks out about 15 meters up.

1. 36m, 19. Climb the crack and continue for a meter or two after it blanks out to reach a rail, then move right into cracks Continue up to a roof, pull through and then follow the right hand crack line. Avoid the slightly messy recessed part of the crack higher up by moving rightwards onto a very featured face. Stance at the top of this below the roof.

2. 40m, 21. Climb the break on the right hand side of the roof above and slightly left of the stance (Bells and Whistles climbs the crack 2 meters to the right) on good holds leading into a crack in a leftward facing corner, and then up easier ground onto a platform below the next steep section. Traverse left for 4 meters, up in a corner and then diagonally left on small holds to the rail below the steep rock. On the left there is a yellow recess flanked by 2 parallel cracks. Climb these, moving right through the small roof. Follow the break above for about 8 meters to a small ledge. This pitch can be divided into two.

3. 28m, 21. Climb the finger crack continuation of the break and then up easier ground above up to a ledge below the roofs. Traverse left for about 12 metres to the end of the large ledge.

4. 30m, 24. From the left hand edge of the ledge, climb 3 meters up the break (shared with “In Your Honour” before it traverses left and up). Continue straight up through the slightly overhanding corner (strenuous). Follow the break, moving rightwards at about 15 meters and then straight up again through steep rock to stance on a small sloping ledge below where the wall steepens significantly, to the large roof at the top.

5. 30m, 19. Make an airy rightward traverse in the good rail 1 meter above the ledge out to a good prong and continue traversing around the corner for about 3 meters. Climb the face above on a flake diagonally rightwards up to a rail and bush. Climb into the large crack on the right, up for 2 meters and then onto the face to the right of the large crack, which is climbed straight up to the top.

From the grassy sleeping cave ascend to the huge descent gully to reach the huge chockstone obstruction. Traverse 40m out to the right to a left facing corner.

1. [15] 45m

   Climb up from the beacon for 3m then move right up the corner for 2m. Move right onto the white face with the big 'Kaapse' (Cape) jugs to a big ledge.

2. [19] 45m

   Walk 10m to the left to a cairn (and the world's softest belay). Climb up the obvious gnarled crack to the left of a left-facing recess. Halfway up the crack runs out. Then climb the grey slab on small holds; this looks blank from below but goes, continue to a ledge beneath a large roof.

3. [19] 25m

   Move to the right then up a crack to the top. Step around the corner and take a few steps to a wonderful platform below the overhang.

4. [19] 45m

   Climb up to the base of the roof then move left on rickety flakes to a break through the roof via an awkward notch. Once over the roof climb diagonally right to the edge of the buttress. Climb the slot for a few hard moves and continue up to a 2m wide stance (with teeny cairn)

5. [19] 45m

   Climb the crack to a jam crack then through an overlap and up a further series of cracks to the top.

From the grassy sleeping cave ascend to the huge descent gully to reach the huge chockstone obstruction. Traverse 40m out to the right to a left facing corner.

1. [15] 45m

   Climb up from the beacon for 3m then move right up the corner for 2m. Move right onto the white face with the big 'Kaapse' (Cape) jugs to a big ledge.

2. [19] 45m

   Walk 10m to the left to a cairn (and the world's softest belay). Climb up the obvious gnarled crack to the left of a left-facing recess. Halfway up the crack runs out. Then climb the grey slab on small holds; this looks blank from below but goes, continue to a ledge beneath a large roof.

3. [19] 25m

   Move to the right then up a crack to the top. Step around the corner and take a few steps to a wonderful platform below the overhang.

4. [19] 45m

   Climb up to the base of the roof then move left on rickety flakes to a break through the roof via an awkward notch. Once over the roof climb diagonally right to the edge of the buttress. Climb the slot for a few hard moves and continue up to a 2m wide stance (with teeny cairn)

5. [19] 45m

   Climb the crack to a jam crack then through an overlap and up a further series of cracks to the top.

6. [20] 25m

   (new final pitch) The route previously ended on the prominent walk-off ledge. A new pitch was added to finish at the summit. This pitch heads up the white face using the slightly overhanging recess with a razor sharp vertical flake. At the first overlap head up left and then with balancey moves head out left to the break in the big roof above. Tricky and serious.

Climb the first pitch of No More Bells up to the big ledge. From here the route follows an independent line close to the right edge of the buttress climbed by No More Bells. The route starts about 6m to the left of the massive gulley dividing the two faces of the Castle, and 8m below and just right of two square, stepped roofs. Belay in front of a two meter wide detached flake.

1. 36m, 19. Starting at the cairn, climb the crack leading up to right-hand edge of the two stepped roofs. Break through leftwards (strenuous) using an undercling hold on the right-facing corner in the overhangs and up through the roofs. Continue up the crack, at one point choosing either a left or a right crack up to a semi-hanging stance on a few gargoyles. Stance at the right side of the buttress close to the edge of the gulley just left of a small roof below the middle crack going through the overhanging rock.

2. 20m, 19. The overhanging crack awaits an ascent. Climb the crack left of the overhanging crack using holds on left, then up and rightwards with some strenuous moves towards the continuation of the right-hand crack (it is possible to step right earlier to an obvious undercling hold, and continue up the crack from there). Continue climbing this through overhanging rock up into easier terrain trending right. Stance on a series of small ledges on the arête.

3. 20m, 20. Climb the easy cracks facing into the gulley up to the left end of a long narrow roof, where you can break through using jams and/or laybacks (the No More Bells crux on pitch 4 is just around the corner to the left). Continue climbing for a few metres and stance (semi-hanging) 5m higher up close to the arête and about 4m below the next roof.

4. 50m, 22. Climb up leftwards around the roof (airy move). Proceed up the crack via a series of rails, which includes a harder move. When the crack closes out, delicately step out right a few metres across a slabby face to a small left-facing corner. Pull up on thin holds (crux; and gear a little sparse). From here the grade eases and it is possible to scramble up to the finishing ledge (where No More Bells ends) just below the summit overhang.

Start from the grassy ledge below the upper rock band and about 20m left of the big break that divides the Castle into two turrets.

1. 35m, 18. Pull up awkwardly through the left of 2 obvious overhanging cracks. Climb up to the right of the gully then right of the overhangs to a big ledge. Walk right along the big traverse ledge until 20m from the end of this ledge.

2. 45m, 17. Start at cairn immediately right of a large freestanding flake. Step off the flake and pull up on jugs through small overhangs then left to thin crack in a corner. Climb the crack and move 2m left to a stance.

3. 35m, 14. Climb up rounding the overhang to the left then up the juggy face tending right to stance below a thin crack just to left of the gully.

4. 45m, 18. Climb 10m up the crack to a hand and foot rail. Move left a couple of metres and then up diagonally left to the break in the overhang. Climb the face above tending right to stance below a scoop.

5. 10m, 12. Traverse left up through the scoop and walk left to stance below a big crack. Crack-a-long climbs the right face of this crack.

6. 40m, 14. Climb up the face to the left of the crack diagonally up to the left then back to the edge to round the overhang. Move up and left for about 5m before heading up to stance on the corner below the last tower.

7. 15m, 13. Climb the corner of the ridge and up wide crack to top.

Start about 50m to the right of the first pitch of No More Bells and about 6m left of a massive block lying below a series of brown overhangs. The route starts below a small, vegetated left-facing corner.

1. 35m, 22. Climb up two meters and where it starts getting vegetated, move right, over the arête, onto the slab and via some thin moves up to a downward facing prong. Climb up and slightly left through the break in the roof (crux). Climb the grey face above and into the arching line of weakness then up to a big ledge.

2. (off the big ledge): 35m, 23. Climb hard layback crack in the left facing corner for about 8m. Pull into the open book below a triangular roof. Climb through right hand side of the roof and further up the crack. Move diagonally left onto a knobbly face and then up to a triangular vegetated ledge.

3. 25m, 17. From the belay ledge move 2m up and slightly left onto another small ledge. Pull directly up past a small loose flake onto a second ledge in front of some large stacked flakes just left of a left-facing corner. Move right on the ledge and then climb up the flakes moving left toward the top of the upper flake. Traverse left and stance roughly in the middle of the ledge (cairn), below a long narrow roof.

4. 45m, 20. Pull through the middle of three breaks in the small roof and climb straight up to another small roof. Pull through into a flaring crack. Continue up to a third roof where you move a metre left and up a juggy break. Tending slightly right, climb up the centre of the grey wall to a left-facing corner and (at about 40m) as that crack closes out traverse out a few metres right up a sloping crack onto a little belay ledge.

5. 45m, 19. From the small stance climb up leftwards for 3 to 4 meters and up towards a narrow roof. Traverse right to access twin cracks. Climb up these onto the grey face above. Trend leftwards until you reach a big ledge. Climb the face just left of a left-facing corner trending left and then straight up through the open book above. Pull up onto a small ledge and then move higher to stance on a block about 5 meters below the massive rectangular overhang.

6. 15m, 21. Climb up the left-facing open book up to the large roof. Using hand/fist jams (or the hidden rail in roof) rail right around the corner until below an off-width crack. Now you just have a few meters of strenuous squirming to putting Fire-start behind you. Enjoy.

Climb any first pitch up to the big ledge. The route starts about 15m to the right of Fire-start’s second pitch up a left-facing orange corner with a beautifully parallel, curved layback crack.

1. 15m, 22. Climb curved crack (crux moves) up into a small roof topped by a big hollow-sounding flake positioned vertically in the crack. Depending on your level of daring, either climb directly through the roof on the flake, or first traverse out right onto the face, up a few metres and then back into the crack above the flake. Climb a few more metres to a tiny stance on the left about 5 m below a small, narrow roof.

2. 18m, 19. Climb to the left edge of the roof and traverse out left onto and up rounded holds for about 5 metres (protection sparse but available), before traversing right back onto the face (delicately move around the corner using pockets to place gear). Continue up crack to a sloped ledge on rounded holds. Move 2 metres right and climb up to the bottom left-hand corner of the massive dark grey block clear.

3. 25m, 16. From belay climb up some bare-looking rock to two good holds, then reach through to a good hold at the bottom of a slightly flaring crack, climb the crack up to a little roof, where one can step out right onto a flake sticking out from the massive grey block. Climb up trending left to about 8 m below the long, narrow roof and then traverse to the far left to belay on top of long loose-looking blocks just below the roof.

4. 25m, 21. Climb up left to the roof and pull through into the left-facing corner. Climb the layback crack for about 4m, before moving slightly right on thin holds over some blocks and upwards trending slightly rightwards to a long thing narrow ledge (sloping down leftwards).

5. 50m, 18. Roughly in the middle of the long narrow belay ledge climb up a smooth looking face on thin holds and continue up until you a narrow roof. Climb through this roughly in the middle just left of a thin crack which offers good protection, and continue straight up, passing left of a blocky roof near the top.

This is a composite route consisting of two or three pitches of a route called The Castle first climbed by Mike Scott and Gabriel Athiros (1966 MCSA journal), and the upper pitches of a route climbed by John Moss and Richard Smithers in about 1967, which was not written up. One or two of the lower pitches are not of the greatest quality, the others are excellent.

Walk past start of No More Bells and Fire-start and past two or three massive blocks. The route begins just past the orange wall and overhang, where there is an obvious break in the rock (somewhat chossy). There is a big cairn on top of a big rock.

1. 40m, 17. Make a difficult step up and around the fins to the right . Climb the somewhat vegetated crack up past a roof on the right. Go round left of small roof higher up. At the next roof stay right. Continue to a big ledge just below a big long black face topped by a square overhang. Belay here. Scramble leftwards for about 20m to the second of the big left-facing corners (about 10m to the right of the Crack-along corner).

2. 30m, 16. Climb the knobbly face just a few meters left of the left facing corner, trend a little left and straight up, either in the crack on the far right or in a slightly cleaner crack a little more left from the corner. Stance at obvious ledge.

3. 30m, 18. Pull through hard overhanging move (crux) and then climb up (some loose-looking blocks) to stance on a small ledge about 3m below the right-hand corner of the long narrow roof.

4. 40m, 18. Pull up a sloping crack on the far right hand side of the roof, just left of the big chossy gully (this is the crux and is easier than it looks), continue climbing up this crack for about 15m until it starts petering out (below a small roof). Move left a metre or so (old peg), up a few metres on edges and then back right into a continuation of the crack. Follow this and successive cracks until you get to a narrow band with two cracks in it, take right crack and up to another blank-looking band of rock (about 3 metres high) which offers no gear. Climb the left-ward trending ramp up onto this band and belay about 5m below a crack in a big gnarly face.

5. 30m, 14. Climb up the crack and gnarly face to a ledge on big blocks with a cairn. From here scramble up and out.

Walk along the ledge at the base of the Castle to the right hand corner. The route starts up the obvious rib right of an off-width crack with a chock stone in it. Castle Corner starts on the face a meter or two to the right.

1. [30] 17m

   Ascend the juggy wall, tending slightly right until you reach the roof. Move left a couple of meters until it is possible to pull through the roof on jugs and climb to a stance below large blocks.

2. [18] 48m

   The Sublime Crack pitch. Climb up over a series of blocks for 15m until you find yourself at the base of an open book. Climb up this and then diagonally right for a few moves, before moving up and left into the base of the Sublime Crack. Climb the crack until it peters out and then head right around the edge and up an exposed jug-infested face to a narrow ledge. A stunning pitch.

3. [42] 17m

   Above you is a chimney. Climb the right hand wall on huge jugs for 5m, and then traverse left, stepping across the chimney and onto a dinosaur-back ridge. Climb the ridge and then easy ground until you find yourself on a good ledge. To the left of a deep crack is an exposed little platform. Traverse for ±2-4 m to this, then tending left for 15m on easy ground to a wide grassy ledge. Scramble up to the far left corner of the ledge.

4. [19] 30m

   Above and to the left is a pair of parallel cracks (with yellow edges) cutting through an overhanging bulge. Head up to and through these until the crack widens to an off width. Move delicately left onto a wildly exposed slably face, just shy of the left corner/ edge of tower. Continue up to a square, sloping ledge. An exciting pitch.

5. [50] 16m

   Step up and right to climb a series of immaculate faces and cracks to the top. This can be easily broken into two pitches.

Walk along the bottom of the lower buttress to the right hand corner past some huge blocks. 5m around the corner is a wide crack just before the continuous band of overhangs. This climb remains in the shade for most of the day.

1. [16] 45m

   Climb up just left of Peapod crack. Pull through a roof to the right. Head up the gully to the right for 15m to a stance underneath an overhanging nose.

2. [15] 45m

   Climb up to the left then move right onto the nose and follow giggle jugs straight up for 45m.

3. [18] 35m

   Climb up to the right into a recess (with a prominent scooped band further up). At the scooped band move left delicately for a few meters, continue up over a rounded bulge on rounded holds to a big ledge.

4. [15] 50m

   In the middle of the ledge is an obvious crack system with a large chimney to the right. Climb the cracks and face above keeping just to the right of the edge.

5. [13] 35m

   Climb the wall just right of ridge. Follow your nose to top.