Ascents in Arapiles as Clean

3rd pitch top out is fun/fine. perfect for accessing the bluffs afterwards

Took a while on the low crux with no warmup, got up and down a few times before committing to a jam/layback combo, the gear is good but you won't be stopping for a bit. Pitch one is long and terrific with several mini crux sections to keep you working. Pitch 2 is harder than 14 off the belay I reckon.

A very nice option if you like thin crack finger locks, avoid the pointless traverse out and back. 3-party traffic jam at the pitch 2 belay with much pleasant conversation. ShiChang ran pitches 3 and 4 together on doubles to get us out of the way, plenty of drag by the top.

A grand outing as 2 pitches. We belayed in the cave. Fun hand traverse and balancy little crux, then I missed the hanging belay totally and was another 10m up before realizing, so ran it out to the top. Just made it on half ropes with considerable rope drag. Grant couldnt clean a nut just after crux, so I got lowered down only to discover following party at the hanging belay, and they had clipped it. Left it there and climbed back up top slab of Auto Da Fe on top rope, quite nice. Nut is now gone apparently.

Awesome stuff! Pitch 1 way more sustained and difficult seconding as all the gear was set pretty hard, some weird positions to get 2 hands free in places, arrgh. Interesting assortment of bail slings just before the P1 mantle finish, was disappointed at the lack of belly-flopping. P2 hard off the belay then easier up in a great position. Got back down and wanted to do it again.

Felt really good with great jamming on the first pitch, the arm handling the face holds got a bit pumped. Entertaining full bellyflop topout on the novelty cave/roof pitch from ShiChang, his look of horror when he first saw it from below was priceless.

Fun well conceived climb. Pitch one is totally the money with heaps of really sustained and tricky climbing that keeps you on your toes but pitch two also has some very nice sections. I managed to get some gear stuck which sadly ruined Louis' clean second but otherwise it was a very straightforward two pitches, I even got to place my tiny hex.

Jonno’s first taste of Arapiles 18. A really nice sequence getting into the crack on P1, done slightly differently by each of us. Managed drag at the start of P2 by putting bugger all gear in, gulp. Top of P2 is just barely 18, and decent climbing. You could call both pitches 17 with a straight face I think.

Fumbled the navigation resulting in some down climbing on P2. Really bad rope drag on P3 when the ropes fell into a crack. Contemplated down climbing but pushed on hauling the rope. Sat down exhausted at the top. Got a pep talk from the belayer at the top of watchtower crack, and hauled a bit further to a boulder. Thanks to the amazing climber who took a detour on rappel to unstuck the rope.

Been avoiding this for a while. Run out at the P3 crux and pumped above small gear, lots of holds and placements buried under funnel-shaped spider webs (are those dangerous?), not a happy place for a kiwi. A bit freaked out. Continued into P4. A bit lost? More spiders. Phew. Has seared itself into my brain. A fitting end for the trip.

Good climbing on each pitch, with stepping into the layback/bridge corner a tad committing just off the belay on the 3rd (assuming you don't do some ridiculous thrutch way way way inside). A #6 is way too small to protect that, there is an 0.5 at the lip but got well above that before being able to stop for more. Pretty cool. The rap sling clusterfuck at the top could do with some rationalization but is OK.

Fun grunty crux on P1, probably placed too little gear. The downclimb at back is a little spicy.

The reverse of our linkup a few years back. Soloed up to the guano alcove under the roof. Grant wandered off to the right wall a fair bit at the roof, but there is a very satisfying bridging sequence that avoids doing so (look behind you). P2 of The Bishop is pretty outstanding with brilliant exposure.

A late start after morning rain. Not at all average, this deserves at least a star. The bouldery start can be protected with a ball nut (remove it after), and the climbing is absorbing all the way with more than one crux. I'd do it again.

Had a snorkel of a time!!

Really good. Enjoyed every pitch. This weekend I learned I am not good at seeing obvious stem moves. Thought the first pitch was harder than the second.

Our first crack at a 16. Pretty good, the "finger layback" is straightforward. Not much pro for quite a way off the belay on pitches 3 and 4, consider doing the lefthand crack of pitch 3 (18) next time. First pitch nothing to write home about.

Mostly face climbing and bridging, a little bit of layback. A #5 camalot is just barely big enough to reduce the runout from the 3rd belay to the bolt, though it may make more sense for whoever leads pitch 3 to keep climbing, clip the bolt, then downclimb to the 3-piton belay, so the 4th pitch lead is pre-clipped. 2nd pitch quite fun. Belay cave cold and smelled like wee, get a bloody move on Grant.

Panzer was occupied so decided to get this done early in the trip. Nice moves. Not as run out feeling as mantle. Tricams handy.

An old school 16 with all that entails ... first pitch a good tough fight through overlaps, then ran 2&3 together, pitch 3 traverse quite exciting until reaching the welcome crack. Pitch 4 is crap with 2 poorly protected mantles, finishing up Dunes might be better.

Climbed as per the select guide, up the Lute, probably lots of moss out right. Went a bit too high and traversed into P2 from above the rap anchors, beware of potential death blocks up there. Crux is a neato combo of slab then overhang, worthwhile. P3 enjoyable enough after an average start.

Lots of Stoke lots of fun. Stephen Hawkshaw got to run out the crux and I got to catch one of his cams on belay. Great crowd on the wall as well!

Decibel P1 quite delicate then a surprise hand jam near the top. Not sure I'd give it a star. Up the easy Stentor chimney with one piece for sanity, then a commiting step into Stentor P3 which is short but nicely sustained, a bit of a pump hanging around for gear. Wouldn't give that 17 or an R rating though.

A glorious way to start the trip. One that had eluded me on previous trips.

This was really good! Kept me on my toes quite a bit too. Linked p1+2. Nice shade mid summer. Polish and interesting for sure at times.

yes very nice