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Black Site

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Summary

A new offering of steep pumpy climbing with pockets! With a pristine wilderness setting, protection from the rain and the westerly winds this crag can offer year round climbing.

Description

The majority of routes are fully rain proof (as tested during record breaking rain of 2022 summer). Between Hush Hush and Covid Conspiracy Capers is usually always dry - whilst the outer fringe routes get seepage running down the top after alot of rain

An east facing cliff with two tiers (afternoon shade) that is steeper than you expect!

The crag goes into the shade about 12:20pm.

This crag is in a wilderness area so please respect the vegetation.

Access issues inherited from Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains are a World Heritage listed area. The Grose Valley, the cliffs around Katoomba and much of the Narrow Neck peninsula are part of the Blue Mountains National Park which is managed by the NPWS. The Western Escarpment - where most of the climbing is - is Crown Land managed by the BMCC. While the NPWS Plan of Management nominates several locations in the National Park where rock climbing is deemed appropriate, the majority of the climbing remains unacknowledged. To maintain access our best approach is to 'Respect Native Habitat, Tread Softly and Leave No Trace'. Do not cut flora and keep any tracks and infrastructure as minimal as possible.

Practically all crags are either in National Park or in council reserve: dog owners are reminded that dogs are not allowed in National Parks at any time and fines have been issued, while for crags on council reserve the BMCC leash law requires that dogs be on-leash.

For the latest access related information, or to report something of concern, visit the Australian Climbing Association NSW Blue Mountains page at https://acansw.org.au/blue-mountains/

Ethic inherited from Blue Mountains

Although sport climbing is well entrenched as the most popular form of Blueys climbing, mixed-climbing on gear and bolts has generally been the rule over the long term. Please try to use available natural gear where possible, and do not bolt cracks or potential trad climbs. If you do the bolts may be removed.

Because of the softness of Blue Mountains sandstone, bolting should only be done by those with a solid knowledge of glue-in equipping. A recent fatality serves as a reminder that this is not an area to experiment with bolting.

If you do need to top rope, please do it through your own gear as the wear on the anchors is both difficult and expensive to maintain.

At many Blue Mountains crags, the somewhat close spacing of routes and prolific horizontal featuring means that it is easy to envisage literally hundreds of trivial linkups. By all means climb these to your hearts content but, unless it is an exceptional case due to some significant objective merit, please generally refrain from writing up linkups. A proliferation of descriptions of trivial linkups would only clutter up the guide and add confusion and will generally not add value to your fellow climbers. (If you still can't resist, consider adding a brief note to the parent route description, rather than cluttering up the guide with a whole new route entry).

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

It would be appreciated if brushing of holds and minimisation/removal of tick marks becomes part of your climbing routine. Consider bringing a water squirt bottle and mop-up rag to better remove chalk. Only use soft (hair/nylon) bristled brushes, never steel brushes.

The removal of vegetation - both from the cliff bases and the climbs - is not seen as beneficial to aesthetics of the environment nor to our access to it.

Remember, to maintain access our best approach is to 'Respect Native Habitat, Tread Softly and Leave No Trace'. Do not cut flora and keep any tracks and infrastructure as minimal as possible or risk possible closures.

For the latest access related information, or to report something of concern, visit the Australian Climbing Association NSW Blue Mountains page at https://acansw.org.au/blue-mountains/

Tags

Routes

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Grade Route

Great warm-up and also suitable for top-roping as it's only vertical - unlike everything else at this crag. Far right route up orange streak, with a flake in the middle. Scramble in to belay ledge from the left end.

FA: Dad, Mum, Kid & Gran

Longest route at the crag! An old-school, improbable offering. Seeps after rain. Starts about 8m right of the approach rope - but down on ground level on rocky ramp. Tricky slab, to steep chocolate-coloured headwall on amazing pockets and jugs.

FA: The Caped Crusader, 19 Feb 2022

The following three routes are on a small ledge to the right of the main approach rope. Scramble up and along ledge to far right end and clip into belay bolt.

A zen-like cruise to a Margalef-like finale. There is alot to learn on on this banger. Starts right of the belay bolt.

Up "corner" to tricky mantle. Continue up steep slab on beautiful pockets to rest. Meditate, and steel yourself for an intense, sustained, transcendental finish.

New ethereal beta from the universe has made this route easier however it doesn't detract from its quality.

If you want to earn 26 use the Mono out far left.

A brilliant long climb, whose first iteration proved dissappointing, but whose reimagining produced a rare technical delicacy.

Start as for Locus of Control (or via the much harder Covid Conspiracy Capers) to the ledge, clip long runner out left, then traverse left (crossing Covid Conspiracy Capers) via crux, and continue left until bolts guide you back up the wall.

Despite appearances you can clean this route on lower-off ok without rethreading.

FA: Paul Frothy Thomson & Match, 2022

FA: Match & Luke Hef, 10 Jun 2022

"Yes, the 5G I put in your Telstra pit gave you COVID."

Unrelenting!

Straight up hard slab left of the belay bolt. Boulder moves to turn the roof, traverse left, then continue up the steep "slab" on Left of the belay bolt. Up slab to hard roof boulder. Traverse left, and up the steep "slab" on inspiring white and grey rock, with surprisingly dynamic moves.

FA: Paul Frothy Thomson & Matt King, 27 Feb 2022

This is the main sector of climbing at the crag, with a reasonably large ledge to hang out on (it's safe to walk around without being clipped in).

Hand over hand up the knotted fixed rope for 8m to gain the ledge.

Named after the bone spur on the first ascensionist femur that was removed the day after the FA. Start at top of the knotted approach rope on far right end of ledge. Tricky mantle start, traverse right to a pocketed dyno and la rose finish on perfect rock.

FA: Match & Greer Knight, 5 Feb 2022

Right trending steep overhanging jug haul to an awesome water washed finish. Starts 2m left of Pablo.

FA: Match & Anzhela Malysheva, 28 Oct 2022

Glorious pumping. Starts off right side of small platform about 5m left of approach rope. Stick-clip 2nd bolt. Head slightly right at the 2nd bolt, then up on jugs to join pumpy, water-polished, gnarly finale. Anchors out left.

FA: The Caped Crusader, 30 Jan 2022

Links the best features of 3 routes into some of the most sustained climbing at the crag, while avoiding all the gnarly cruxes.

Start up The Cabal, continue into the Open Project, and after clipping the last bolt, keep trucking right to gain the last bolt of "Summer of Rain" (long runner) and finish up that.

Start as for The Cabal to the 5th bolt, then punch up and right via pockets to crimp rail traverse. Truck right past one new bolt, then crux to gain left-facing flake-thing, followed by committing climbing to the anchor.

Set: Paul Frothy Thomson

FA: Claudio Trefny, 2 Jun 2023

Climbs the improbable blank-looking white streak. Very cruxy.

Powerful moves to gain the white rock, choose the LEFT line of bolts, and tackle extremely bouldery crux moving left to flake, followed by a technical and committing headwall.

Might be significantly easier with a long enough wingspan.

FA: Paul Frothy Thomson & Jared Tyerman, 22 Jan 2022

The first route climbed at this crag! Hard at the grade.

Climbs the rust-brown rock left of the white streak (the Cabal). Very sustained, pumpy and technical, with a brutal sting in the tail. All thriller, no filler.

FA: Paul Frothy Thomson & Match, 16 Jan 2022

Jump on the Funky Venga Bus, it won’t disappoint! Apparently It's like that by Run DMC and Jason Nevis sounds like a funky venga bus....

FA: Match & The Cabal, 22 Jan 2022

Very nice top half up the white shield and orange ripples. Ledgy start just right of Gumbo.

FA: The Caped Crusader, 26 Jan 2022

A good warm up. Up slab to a sandy middle on easy ground than a quick trip up a steep corner on Arapiles style rock.

FA: Match, 26 Jan 2022

Pocketed orange wall to steeper ground and flake on right. Take care to avoid touching the humongous flake on the left when lowering off.

FA: The Caped Crusader, 19 Feb 2022

Bouldery start, jug city for a bit then speccy limestone like face climbing up the grey headwall.

FA: The Caped Crusader, 6 Feb 2022

Outstanding right facing flake up high guarded by a tough face move to get off the ground. Way steeper and pumpier than you think it will be.

FA: The Caped Crusader & Match, 22 Jan 2022

Lovely orange rock from start to finish. Right trending start across line of pockets then up steep wall. Ask Monty about the leaf blower story.

FA: The Caped Crusader, 26 Jan 2022

About 2m right of the far left end of the wall - just right of the short flake project. Short and intense with lots of bolts. Screw gate into the first bolt as an unclipped bolt will be the end of both belayer and climber.

FA: The Caped Crusader, 6 Feb 2022

The far left right-facing flake. A great warmup (and excellent belayer bait)!

FA: Match

The Upper Terrace above the main crag.

Best access is by climbing Gumbo and continuing up to the anchor on the ledge. However, the terrace can be accessed by climbing any of the routes left of The Cabal and topping out.

Short, but packs a punch. The steepest route here! Starts at the cairn. Route is wet in rain.

Gnarly start to gain 2nd bolt, then easier beautiful steep finger-jugging to the top.

Consider adding to the cairn until you can reach the starting mono. The first ascensionist could only just reach the mono at full stretch on the first ascent. If you pull up the 2nd bolt, its an awesome gr23.

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Selected Guidebooks more Hide

Author(s): Simon Carter

Date: 2019

ISBN: 9780958079082

The latest comprehensive, latest and greatest Blue Mountains Climbing Guide is here and it has more routes than you can poke a clip stick at! 3421 to be exact. You are not going to get bored.

Author(s): Simon Carter

Date: 2019

ISBN: 9780958079075

Simon Carter's "Best of the Blue" is the latest selected climbing guide book for the Blue Mountains and covers 1000 routes and 19 different climbing areas. For all the sport climbers out there, the travellers, or just anyone who doesn't want to lug around the big guide that's more than 3 times the size - cut out the riff-raff and get to the good stuff! This will pretty much cover everything you need!

Accommodations nearby more Hide

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