Routes in Asia for selected grade

FFA: Sunny Jamshedji

FA: J.K.Nair, Harshavardhan, Dattatreya & Kamalesh (Jul1983)

Same start as Stirred Not Shaken, and then at the top, slightly stiff headwall. 5.10ish.

Starts on a slab, protect the bulge (5.8ish move) with a mid-sized cam (if you need to), and then the crux is well protected slab move, with a bit of an easy runout to the anchor station.

P2: 5.9+. 25 meters. 5 + 2 bolts.

The pitch begins with the 14-foot bulge of a crux, well protected. The last 40 feet is an easy runout section, if you don’t plan to use any trad gear.

P3: 5.10a. 30 meters. 5 + 2 bolts.

Crux involves 18-20 feet of face climbing. Face is protected with three bolts.

** All runouts are easy 5.5 to 5.6 in grade, and can be easily protected with some trad gear, if you so wish to.

Route Credit: Sohan Pavuluri, Shreyas Krishna, Gowri Varanashi, Sachin Deshmukh & Gujju Razzak, FFA, Sohan Pavuluri & Bhaskar Bhat. Dec 2014.

Exit requires you to hike back along the same path, or if you still have energies left, finish the regular six-kilometer loop continuing north over the hillock through the main fort, and then eventually coming down south to connect to the Makalidurga trail.

On the south-facing slab. Stiffer than it looks. If you like Bangalore slab climbing, this is up your alley.

Crux is below the first bolt, and then some mildly spicy climbing above the bolts.

Route by Shyam Krishnakumar, Sohan, and Kiran Kallur. FA: Sohan. Nov 9th, 2022.

50-meter sport line on a Chimney.

One of the most stunning routes, I have been on. That moment, when you look down and the ground gives away, is an experience.

Look out for the beehives to the right of the route.

Starts as a squeeze chimney, and then then towards the end, is a stem-chimney.

P1: 5.10a. 29 meters. 9 + 2 Bolts

Start on slab, to squeeze chimney to corner stemming on the chimney to the anchors.

P2: 5.8. 20 meters. 6 + 2 bolts

Crux is transitioning to the chimney. Stem chimney, here on.

Exit: Two-pitch rap from P2. No other options.

Route credit: Sohan, Latha, and Aravind.

20 odd meters to the left of the Chris Shawarma crack.

Balancy moves, using the features on the wall.

Route and FA by Amrit Appaden. November 9th, 2022.

FFA: Saurabh C.

Left of the Chochise Fake crack line. Two-bolt problem. Crux is between the first and the second bolt, and then eases up.

Anchors: Trees.

Leave some tats behind to avoid damage to the trees or exit using ghosting anchors.

FFA: Shwetank Kumar

Immediately left of Jumme Ki Raat. Face climbing.

Anchor: The trees above. Long anchoring ropes needed to get the master point overtheedge. 30-or40-footpiecesofcordage

To access top of this route, either climb the routes to the right, or hike around from the left.

Anchor: The tree is a little more than a juvenile at this time. Possible also to use the crack to the left around the boulder as one more leg of the anchor.

Offwidth

An epic lead by Amrit Appadan supposed by Iniyan Sivaneri bumping up #5 and #6 for a fair distance.

First three bolts are shared with the Mavinkayi Uppikayi route, then follow the crack radiating right.

Ground up route by Sohan, Poonacha, Medappa, Supriya Singh and Aditi Kodipady.

Two versions. One using the chimney, and the other avoids the chimney. If using the chimney, the top-out is the crux (5.10a). If using only the face, the crux is between the first and the second bolt, about 5.10c/d moves.

If not topping-out, the grade is 5.8.

Delightful line; requires all the respect it deserves, else will spit you out.

Route by Amrit A. & Sohan. Sep 25th, 2022. FA, Sohan. Sep 28th, 2022.

1p (5.10a|30m) 2p (5.9|40m) 3p (5.2|20m) 4p (5.6|20m) 5p (5.8|25m) 6p (5.9|28m) 7p (5.10a|20m)

Finger & Hand crack

The boulder west of the Bar-Stool boulder. The boulder looks as if it has been sliced in half, diagonally. The lower part of the boulder is vertical or overhanging all around it, and then the upper section is a 30-foot long slab, gaining in height from south to the north.

Two crack lines facing on the lower section facing south and the east. The line facing the Bar-Stool Boulder is the Black Lightening.

The upper slab section has three cracks radiating out and connecting to the top. The far-right (east) crack ends half-way up. The far-left crack is filled with grass currently but offers the best protection when the grass is dug out. The overall grade of the route is defined by the lower section, so does not mater which line is taken on the slab. The upper slab creates massive drag on the rope, especially if top-roping the line.

Rack: Fist-sized cams and below. Couple of finger-sized cams.

Anchor: Couple of stout boulders sitting on the edge forming cracks below them

Exit: Down-climb towards the Kanakapura Road side edge of the boulder. And exit off the bolted anchors of the sport routes on the face.

FKA: Sohan with support from Suma Rao & Prasanna Gedannavar. July 10th,

2022.

Finger crack and crimps

Bouldery start to the finger crack, and aesthetic movement define this line.

Grade appropriate sustained climbing along the crack and with the crimps to the right.

The placements are as exciting as the climb itself. A couple small to intermediate (preferably offset) nuts in the crack (DMM Offsets number #7 & #9).

Facing: south

Rack: Small to hand sized pieces.

Anchor: best in the crack at the point where it ends at the top out. Else, one #4 inside the cave, around the boulder to the right, and a piece for directional to the left.

Natural anchor: None. Hip belay stance possible.

Route credit & FKA: Sohan, July 17th, 2021 with support from Amrit Appaden and Kiran Kallur.

Crack

Through the overhanging section, hands then thin hands, fist, and through the off-width above which in fact accommodates thin hands and hands.

Exciting sustained technical moves on this short route. Some beta, else the crack will spit you out quickly.

Rack: Hand-sized pieces, and one #5. Purple, green, #5, and then yellow (optionally) to top out.

Anchor: One or two hand-sized pieces in the main crack, and a yellow alien used to the left, to get the rope out of the crack. The two trees diagonally across on either side could be used for a natural anchor. Long ropes will be needed. 30-meters and 10-meters.

Exit: Angle right from the top-out to the tree above the Dental Plan line for the exit.

FKA: Sohan with support from Amit Abraham and Dheepak R.. July 23rd, 2022.

The traverse from right to left, along the crack, and top out through the Decepticon line. Creative placements in the crack for the traverse. Vertical crack is well protected.

The crux is the traverse section to connect to the vertical crack.

Rack: Hand-sized pieces and below.

Top Anchor: Since a traverse, a top-anchor that would connect the entire traverse might be complex. However, a top anchor from atop the boulder could be setup using small pieces, or just pink-point as your project the traverse, with pre-placed gear in the crack.

FKA: Aalok Bharadwaj pink-pointed on, Dec 11,2021.

Offwidth

The first of the high-boulder cracks along the trail.

Will need a #5 BD cam size to protect the crux, which is about 10-12 feet from the ground.

Rack: #5 BD Cam, #4 BD Cam (Optional), and hand-sized pieces (#2) just before the top out.

Top anchor: Finger sized pieces to fist-sized

Natural Anchor: None

1p (|52m) 2p (|41m) 3p (|32m) 4p (|31m) 5p (A0|45m) 6p (*|40m)

Three-pitch line, currently with top bolts.

Will eventually be bolted up for lead.

About 60 odd meters to the right of route Street Hawk.

Bolted and incomplete route.

A Dinesh Kaigonhalli bolted route.

Bolted route.

The first known bolted route in Bangalore, created in 1989, by Philip Coquard and Dominic Danard, two visiting French climbers.

This is could be a fun adventure; locating Bangalore’s first bolted route, on the expanse of the Handi Gundhi Betta face.

Opened by Lopsang Thisring, Kamalesh & other members of 'The Climbers' in 1987 during IMF All India Camp.

Route opened by either Naresh, Paramjeet, Annie in 90/91 (5.9/5.10aR) as per Dini, or by Subhomoy, Kamalesh & Jagadeesh in 1994.

Start on the block of rock, get into the deep groove or the water runnel, and then the route predictably gets stiffer at the headwall.

Couple of nice delicate moves at the last 10 meters including at the large mammary type protrusion with a rail running to its right.

Route credit: Sohan (TR Soloed, Rap-bolted, & FFA)

As you hike up to the sport routes from the north, a large boulder at the base of the hike with an off-width crack facing north.

Starts with fists and quickly turns into an off-width. At the crux takes series of #4 cams (3/4 of them, and then a couple of #5, and then a #6.

An aided ascent in July 2019. No free ascents as yet.

Could be done sans rope as a layback boulder problem.

Face/slab climb continues after the horizontal ridge.

Route by Pranesh M., Rajesh B. & Nagesh

Sunny Jamshedji climbed this line in summer of 2016 and connected back with Khoday Neer's thin crack at the top.

Per him, “Protects with a BD #4, if I remember correctly. Climb through the ‘cave’ under the left crack.

Belay from the ledge and then traverse right to meet up the other route that goes up the flake.”

1p (5.8|35m) 2p (5.8|40m) 3p (5.10a|30m) 4p (5.7|30m)

Per Mohit Oberoi. “The route "adventures of cyhric joseph" can be seen very clearly here... the "thin" crack " on the left of the huge off width seen in the center here. it traverses from the right to the blocks / ledge seen in the center and traverses to the tuft of grass and then straight up the crack. seemed like 5.10? then.”

Classic, uncomfortably wide crack, where you can't get into. Good intro for offwidth climbing.

This line was named in memory of KV Mohana who died in an avalanche in the Kumaon Hills.

The route was put up by Shyam Krishnan Narayanan & Dinesh Kaigonhalli, ground up until the Pitch 5 headwall, and then top down. FFA by Pranesh Manchaiah & Mohit Oberoi

Gear needed: 70 or 80-meter rope, Trad rack and a set of alpine draws.

P1: 5.4x. 165 feet. 0 + 1.

The route can be found by searching for the gully. Park near the mosque from where you can see the gully. Walk up to the gully. It is difficult to spot the bolts, but the route starts just on the left of the gully. The route starts with a long run out (~20 mtr) to the first anchor.

P2:5.6x.0+0

The second pitch has no bolts and you need to proceed to the gully, you can use Trad gear (BD cam size#1) at two places along the route as well as in the gully. At the gully if we go a little high there is a place where we can set natural anchor on rock, use Trad. If you plan to sit and belay better to have a 70 mtr rope as a safe spot to belay is around 60-65 mtr from the first belay stand. If we proceed further up the gully on the left side, you will find the bolt for the 3rd pitch of Mohana.

P3: 5.8. 6-7 + 2 bolts.

The route angles left for the first four bolts and then shifts back right to near the gully. It then proceeds along the same line till the anchor. The 3rd pitch anchor has two bolts, one bolt good (Mammut) but the other is rusted.

P4: 5.7. 6-7 + 2 bolts.

The fourth pitch continues in a similar line, little difficult to find the bolts. (We missed one bolt while climbing).

P5: 5.10c. 6-8 + 2 bolts

The crux pitch with two overhanging sections and well protected. The grading is old school. Seems stiffer than the grade on paper.

P6: 5.7. 3-4 + 0 bolts

3-4 bolts but no anchor. But you reach a comfortable cactus patch to sit and belay.

P7:5.5.0+0bolts

The seventh pitch has no bolts you can find a cactus patch to anchor and belay.

The name translates as "A Place In The Sun"

Bolted anchors