Ascents in Australia by Vanessa Wills

FFA. Unless someone else wants to claim it, spotted this line last year, it took way too much skin and climbing days (3) but finally got the 3 sequences linked(success rate after figuring out the moves 70% first, 20% second, 30% third). Not that keen on having an accident on Flinders, so led it with 3 bits of gear- red C3, small wire, purple C3 and one more red C3 to top out.

Did this last year, along with other stuff on the headland

Dark was coming, I was psychologically traumatised within about 2m- on second- I had foolishly thrown the first #6 to the ground instead of keeping it to aid so had to keep grovelling until I had an assortment of large cams to assist. Dave did well.

Down climbed at least half of this to get off after the horror of Slash

Desperate at 18, up there with juggernaut or wizard of ice , or slash. I think I jammed both legs in and did a semi invert move. A great offwidth problem. We finished at 30 m.

Exited right because I hadn’t read the guide and had to do all sorts of shenanigans across the gully and downclimb to DBB. The right exit was quite good though.

FFA. Had spied this after our rope got stuck in a crack earlier and I had to jumar up. A really nice link up, with a tricky traverse made interesting by the buttress namesake making an appearance. Double ropes needed, but well protected.

I thought this was quite nice climbing with a convenient anchor at 17 m, ( and the old chain immediately below). Initialled. With Jonty.

Graded 15 in guide. Perhaps the second pitch is harder which we didn’t do. With Jonty.

Wimped out on first attempt at low roof and came down. The traverse after this crux is tricky and I thought the exit from the alcove was equally tricky, thinking it was DoNot Fear, then saw it written up this way on here. Given the general stiff grades it could all be considered a Flinders 20. ( go try slasher if you want another grade 20 to compare )

I just couldn’t make Dave’s beta work, though he used mine! A good bouldery problem but the move into the upper left hand crack was very frustrating for me.

First pitch only, gratified to see it upgraded in new guide, it is still hard at 20. We both slipped off on lead attempts. Will come back for the whole route. The fixed wires are no more ( ours are in at the moment)

The third pitch is stupendous classic climbing, though it’s easier than the first 2 feisty pitches which are also very good, but first pitch a little spoogy. Descent in 2 raps from above golden ticket to pinnacle then down with a 70 m rope gets you to ground

Amazing rock, with tiny lattices between the water washed granite, and an easier way to get to the first belay of Rain Shadow when you haven’t warmed up yet.

Led P1 and 3. Superb rock and fun moves throughout

Dave did pitch one and 3, I lead P2. First two pitches really good, borderline classic.

We actually did this last year thinking we were doing Christmas Carol first pitch. DIF joins into it to exit.

FFA. For technical crack lovers. I wanted to call it the Lube Tube, it was particularly slippery in the morning, but a sunset send by Dave in better but much hotter conditions was done. #4 very useful for the tricky tube bit.

Only a short tricky section. There is no abseil bolts as suggested in guides- we finished up the corner. There is a good threader 2 m back that would work with tat.

Best done by climbing to the first ledge, bringing up belayer and then going to anchor from there. All the grades here feel stout. Chain belay and lower offs at top 35 m to ground

Rpt, second pitch to get off well hung. Such a great bit of climbing

#3 cam size is not my forte, I had used one too early and not saved it for the section I needed it so lowered back to ledge to retrieve it and start again. Did the crux fine.

A very airy finish to a stupendous outing

The topo in the book is a bit off on the traverse. Pitch one is pretty hard if you are short for a few metres. As is the start of P2. End of P2 is the shared finish with Firetail- a reason to aspire to grade 30 climbing if ever there was one. P3 is a steep and mostly jaggy crack. The positions are wild and exposed and the rock generally fantastic and it’s an awesome well conceived route when you include the direct finish as the 4th pitch

Led p1, second P2, we did a direct finish to the right. Starts off mossy and not great, but then nice twin cracks and amazing moving to belay. The traverse is quite hard, then good steep moves up to top. Our rap ring and tape from last year at the station still looks good.

The first pitch is average, though interesting for the first 5 metre as. The second pitch is great, even for a chimney

First pitch tricky for 17, second pitch impossible if 167 cm with negative ape factor. And even if you are tall, it looked damn hard, even at 22 as it is on thesarvo.However I climbed a left hand variant that had insane laybacking but went clean, on second by climbing to the base of the crux, then moving down and left to a beautiful flake into thin hands.

FFA. Definitely a nicer way to get high up in this area than the HR or the LR with minimal gully exposure.

FFA. I just wanted to get above the wall of the gully, but this climb was great, gear just kept coming, with some airy technical moves on the arete

Not as good as the original, the traverse right to join BB is best done quickly on a low spooge day

FFA. Team FFA, amazing what a bit less humidity can do. Interesting to compare our sequences which were quite different, especially on the left traverse. Worth the long walk from killiecrankie instead of Docks forachange

FFA. Grade from the exit traverse, though good moves from the start. The linking traverse done low is kinder IMO having done them both, as the gear post traverse feels better. But the upper line is good too.

FFA. If it wasn't for the start it would be classic, still damn good, amazing rock, and solid lead by Dave

Lead it with a couple of falls, then top roped a couple of times. Can do it clean with my umbilicus at first bolt, but starting off the ladder is a touch too low for me to get established and very finger skin destroying so it wasn’t worth more time. Lovely moves on flakes and lots of gear. Generously bolted.

Fantastic route at the grade through outrageous rock architecture. The bollard to abseil off at 60 m is quite wide, 2m of tat needed. The existing tat is ok, but very sun bleached.

A bit. Contrived as you step into DD briefly, and the move back right favours long arms. The thin cracks at the start were nice

The starting crack was good, but over too soon. Seems to head into the route to the left, though we stayed out of the chimney which is easy when you aren’t worried about gear!

This was an excellent route - first pitch only, even the chimney was great

A long battle, dropping it on only on the exit move when the base of the v groove after the slanting hand crack was full of loose rock and dirt, with a larger loose boulder on top of the sedge and I decided I needed a #4 and a clean. I set up a belay 10 m from the top on hands free ledge below final crack and then climbed on. Great climbing, rock a little crumbly in spots.

The first roof and just after were harder than the second. Some quite tricky moves

Nice flake sequence

Alt leads with Dave ( who is a pitch hog as he linked 1 and 2 and 4 and 5. ) however I got the best belay at the top of pitch 3 in the cave with amazing threaders. The climb took less time, and was far more pleasant than the descent- we went via Sedgies gully, not recommended.

The twin crack section was nice but I hate chimneys and my shoulder didn’t want to reach behind me. I ended up facing the opposite way to Dave to get up. At least it was nicer than Slash.

Would easily be a 24 in most places, even with bolts of which it has none. What a crazy lead. Little bits of rock still crumbling

Felt quite tough even without worrying about gear

Started via Holding back the years. The second pitch is very run out, nice lead by Dave. The final 2 pitches had some worthwhile sections

About a V2+start. Nice rock and moves after the crumbly start.

This is given 3 stars in the guide. It has a nice belay at the end of P4 an amazing threader. The crux on P3is quite diabolical and ok for amusement factor but feels way harder than 17. P1 is a vegetated grovel and P2 a short intense corner. P5 airy, P6 nice rock but easy. Minus points for descent down vegetated gully. And it looks like a bulldog rather than a beagle, and then only from a boat.

After the scare factor on WTW this was quite pleasant on Tr

Tricky and a little bit scary

Will have to try again, the move to the arete from flake to enable the throw to the horn is out of reach for me, feeling more 25 for vertically challenged. managed all the other moves, though often a couple of moves to Dave’s one needed. This does seem like it has retro bolted Paradise Prow, which must have been a pretty scary route.

Fifth go overall, a less humid day helped so I reverted to the tiny crimps into a hand jam throw as I could not reach the holds around the arete whatever I tried at the crux.

The ground seems too close for the first half, then it gets suddenly airy. Gave myself bad rope drag

Abseiled in the second day to put the draws back on with a long anchor one. Varied climbing in outstanding location. A convenient route for the grandkids to cheer on from the beach

Obvious line, good gear supplements bolts