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Access: Bell is located inside of the Blue Mountains National Park. Dogs are strictly prohibited!

Do not, under any circumstance, bring dogs into the Bell climbing area - this includes the carpark and approach track. Smoking and campfires are also prohibited within this area all year.

See warning details and discuss

Created 3 years ago - Edited 2 years ago

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Description

About 50m around the corner from the last climb on Arrivals Lower.

Access issues inherited from Bell Supercrag

Any rescues at this area are going to be problematic due to the steep access via rungs. Make an effort to stick clip first bolts and watch for loose rock and skulls. The popularity of this area means we all must do our best to reduce our environmental impact. Stick to established tracks, don't leave rock cairns or other track markings (it's already obvious!). Shit at home or at the servo on the way to the crag - not in the canyon. This is a National Park so absolutely no dogs, no smoking and no camp fires. Even if it's winter. NO FIRES. NO DOGS. Our ongoing access to this area is not guaranteed and depends on us looking after the place.

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/

Routes

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Routes listed R to L.

Short roof to start the swing up to the wall on slopey jugs, varied climbing with a committing move up high.

FFA: lloyd wishart, 2011

Start at juggy prow and up wall to ledge then try to find the crux holds in time.

FFA: lloyd wishart, 2012

A surprisingly long section of steep and juggy climbing that is fairly rough on the skin - but this might allow you to still hold on when totally pumped!

FA: Lloyd, 2011

FFA: lloyd wishart, 2011

In the middle of crag. Up wall and out the roof on flakes etc before heading rightwards to finish. The climb now has permadraws and only needs quick draws for the 1st, last and anchor bolts. This is like overhung gym climbing at Bell.

FFA: lloyd wishart, 2012

Start up Body Blow for 3 bolts then traverse left finishing at Pelorus Jack anchors

Set: lloyd wishart, 22 Mar 2016

FFA: lloyd wishart, 16 Aug 2016

FA: lloyd wishart, 16 Aug 2016

climb straight into frustrating roof boulder problem then head leftwards towards another hard move before exiting to anchors

Set: lloyd wishart

FA: Chris Simpson, 2 Apr 2016

Alternate start to Pelorus Jack. starts in corner on small holds for 2 rings then joins P.J.

Set: lloyd wishart

Start on ledge then jug leftwards and up with a slopey crux at the lip of the roof, keep pumping the jugs up the steep head wall.

FFA: steve grkovic, 2012

24 climbing to ledge then wrestle with the holds and the bad feet to the anchors.

FFA: lloyd wishart, 17 Nov 2013

Technical hard start leads to a rest, then an even harder crux and steep finish.

FFA: lloyd wishart, 2011

Action packed route up the arete right of blow. Big start move then hold on through some steep moves to a ledge. Hard face moves follow then great jugs to the top. If the first move is to big then start up Blow and traverse across.

Set: Ben JengA, 12 Jan 2014

FFA: Ben JengA, 24 Jan 2014

Popular, with a hard start that is either dynoed out right, or tackled via small holds on the left. Second half finishes up a short section of attractive rock on good holds.

FA: Jason Lammers, 2011

The Blow extension. From the anchors of Blow - continue up and leftwards to lower off at the top of the cliff.

FA: Jason Lammers, 2 Jan 2015

Start left of tree. Straight up till it gets easy then rightwards to shared lower off with BO. Stay left of the bolts for 22

FA: Jason Lammers, 2 Jan 2015

The following section has some really good easier graded routes. Stays in the shade here till just after lunch. Lots of bolts and convenience are the name of the game here!

Bit of a thin move about 1/3 of the way up

FFA: Megan Turnbull, 2013

Tricky start and exciting finish, there is a hidden bolt before the last move.

FFA: Megan Turnbull, 2014

The lower section has some cool pockety holds.

FA: Martin Pircher, 2013

The second last bolt on Araldite is next to the anchors on this one so you might as well keep going to the top of the cliff and clip another (hidden) bolt on the way and lower off Araldite.

Pleasant climbing with a slightly steeper section above the little roof.

FA: Martin Pircher, 2013

Right of ferny crack; mostly straightforward with plenty of holds and a little move three quarters of the way up.

Set: Viona Young & Wade Stewart, 7 Jan 2015

FA: Viona Young, Jason Lammers & Wade Stewart, 7 Feb 2015

No doubt the usual crew of first ascentionists will lay claim to having done this previously. Unfortunately the fractured nature of the slab in this section leaves little in the way of redeeming features for a proper climb . . .

Start below ferny crack, head up using the fracture and features either side of the cracked slab for progression and protection. Use belay of neighbouring route and top out and find a tree.

Originally lead with improvised protection consisting of knotted slings and prussicks, but plenty of modern gear is available.

FFA: Macciza a.k.a. Macca

FA: Macciza a.k.a. Macca & Emily Small, 22 Jan 2017

The right side of the juggy orange streak.

FFA: Megan Turnbull, 2014

FA: 2014

The left side of the juggy orange streak.

A couple of moves to get started. Right of BF.

FA: Jason Lammers, 7 Jan 2015

The furthest left climb at The Blowhole. Tricky start with a nice flake up high.

FA: Wade Stewart, 7 Jan 2015

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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!

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