Instant PDF
Directions in Google Maps
Seasonality
Summary
Description
Arête
Crack
All day sun
A great trad crag. Routes R of Telstar get shade until 10:30ish, while The Mooing, Splattergram and Tuxedo Mask get shade after 12 or 1. The main face gets sun for almost all of the day. The crag is fairly exposed to the wind. Perfect for midwinter when the conditions are just too good for your latest sport proj. Has a few classic cracks that are definitely not to be missed.
© (mjw)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.
Approach
Gentle
30-45 min
- Parking
- (-33.5678060, 150.2814949)
Driving west on the highway from Blackheath, just after passing Browntown Oval, shortly before Mount Victoria, turn right (careful in heavy traffic) onto the Victoria Falls dirt road for 3.9km until you reach a small parking bay and an old road with a locked gate. This track is about 400m before the Asgard Swamp trail.
Walk following the old road along a fairly level ridgeline for about 20 mins (2.2km), then left and down on a well-defined foot track toward a swampy creek, cross the creek via a log (-33.5493091, 150.2830389). Head right beneath small overhangs until you reach the main cliff. The total walk from the car to the first route is 3.0km, 35-40 mins.
Alternatively you can walk about 200m back up the road to an obvious cairned track that travels along Ikara Head Ridgeline. Follow this for 35 mins to the cliff edge and then utilise one of the rap in options. If doing this it is probably best to haul a long static line (100m) out there to fix in place and pull up at the end of the day. Doing the walk this way is very pleasant and flat.
- Walking off
- Walk to the highest point of the Head (directly away from cliff line) and locate well defined single track along the Ikara Head ridgeline. Follow this for 3km back to road. See pictures for map.
There's also a descent gully emerging near the log crossing. (Log crossing: -33.5493091, 150.2830389)
Abseil Options
Down Splattergram (-33.5444951, 150.2833839) first abseil 5m from new U bolts on cliff top to bolts just below ancient rusty chain. There is currently (June 2021) an old black fixed rope between these two anchors. Second rap 30m to ledge (chains), then 3rd rap 50m to ground.
Down Snakes and Ladders; With a 100m rope you can easily rap from the obvious bolts atop SaL all the way to the ground. Consider bringing rope pro. You may also be able to get down this way by doing three raps on a single rope as there are two sets of bolts you could rebelay from. This is probably ill advised though as the lengths are untested.
Down Blast Off; there are chains beneath a rooflet just over the cliff edge quite close to where the walking track spits you out. You need a length of rope (approx. 30m) that you can anchor to trees (dubious since 2019 fires) or a large thread/sling around some rock features to get you to this belay. From this chain it is 70m to the ground and can be rapped as 50m to DRB, then 20m. A 100m rope will get you from the initial rock/tree anchor, over the cliff and down rap 1 but probably not to the ground. You can rap this last section on your lead rope though.
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.
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 becomes part of your climbing routine - do it with a soft bristled brush and never a steel brush!
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.
However, the fast growing scrub can conceal walking tracks in mere months, making remote and less popular crags slightly more difficult and fun to navigate to. Some appropriately discreet pruning is a far better alternative then track braiding (which causes far more damage).
However, do so only on Council land and definitely not in the National Park. 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.
Tags
Plan your Trip
Some content has been provided under license from: © Australian Climbing Association Queensland (Creative Commons, Attribution, Share-Alike 2.5 AU)
Hello!
First time here?
theCrag.com is a free guide for rock climbing areas all over the world, collaboratively edited by keen rock climbers, boulderers and other nice folks.You can log all your routes, connect and chat with other climbers and much more...» go exploring, » learn more or » ask us a question
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!
Share this
Nearby Icons
| 19 | ★★★ Telstar | ||
| 20 | ★★★ Caladan | ||
| 22 | ★★★ Blast Off |
Photos Browse all photos
Andy Harvey on ★★★ Telstar 19 - IMG_0719-2.jpg
Hugh Ward on ★★★ Blast Off 22 - Untitled-19.jpg
Vanessa Wills on ★★★ Telstar 19 - I said I'd lead the easiest pitch
/4e/83/4e8307620c7ab9066b44c9e36d0dc1dd8336d92e)
Ben Taylor at Ikara Head - 20200613_125926.jpg