Routes in Mt Boyce

Possibly the route marked with a square only.

First pitch trad, second pitch rings and carrots.

Grey face with two bolts 6m left of Fire Bug. Double ropes or long runners useful to optimize the trad gear.

Mega mixed affair. Shared start with Mean Streak for 8m then direct up the orange wall. The upper half of this route takes the prime central streak of orange rock and the hanging prow above, so it's gotta be good! Take heaps of cams, including doubles of #3 and #4 Camalots and many slings. The route bails left into Mean Streak, up for 2m then back right into the line again in the middle section. Rebolted 2018.

Blue Mountains trad multi-pitch classic (with zero bolts!). This is the major corner system just left of the steep orange buttress. Gets sun by 8:30am in winter. Original pitches are described here, but it’s better to combine pitches 1 & 2, and 3 & 4. Note that the topo above greatly foreshortens all but the first pitch.

1. 22m (17) Hard start to get out of shale band, then up narrow chimney and corner to stance below roof. You can throw your rope over the little tree 4 or 5 metres up and use it as a slightly exciting top rope anchor to mitigate the start being hard to protect.

2. 10m (17) Over roof and up lovely corner to belay either beneath block at stance with bird crap, or (better) on ledge 2m higher, left of block.

3. 25m (17) Negotiate blocks, then follow incredible steep corner and sloping shelf to belay in cave. The money pitch.

4. 6m (14) Traverse hard left and out to double carrot belay (taking care with thin ironstone plates). Watch out for abseilers! If you have linked the previous pitch into this one it can be worth building a trad anchor just below the top out to avoid heinous rope drag and then scrambling off (roped up) from here.

Great second pitch. When combined with 1st pitch of GitM you have a 3 star classic.

Start: Start 10m right of GitM.

1. 25m (20) Lots of rambling, rolling and mantling. Not classic but is apparently worth doing. Trad and carrots.

2. 25m (21) Up black streak. Mostly bolts but there's an optional small cam down low, plus a medium cam and wire up high to avoid an 8m runout to the final carrot.

35m left of 'Abseil Slab'.

Start: Slab.

Start: As for FH, then left to black streak and up.

Listed as "Sleepwalk for the Last Time" in the 2015 Carter guide, but that route was done 10 years earlier, is 5 grades harder, and it's traverse is 10-15m higher. Now listed separately as they sound like very different routes.

1. 12m 15. As for Spoilt Brats.

2. 20m 17. Traverse left along ledges, past ring bolts & cams, to the base of the arête/slab. Trad belay.

3. 15m Up the slab (trad). Walk off L, or rap off (30m).

Start: 20 left of AS.

1. 34m Up the corner then into the chimney.

2. 30m up arête.

Start: A few metres right of GitM. On ledge at big block.

1. 27m (-) Up right to ledge on left of pedestal below arete.

2. 14m (19) Up right 3m and up below semi-circular overhang. Left to cave then up to belay.

3. 18m (-) Left then up and out.

Probably climbed before 2013, but when inquiries were made at the time no one knew anyone who had done it. Pitch lengths are an estimate based upon the route next door.

The obvious radical roof crack above the steep fingers splitter just left of La Nina. You can rap the route off the tree with a 70m rope.

1. 18m (25) Starts with a steep, thin finger crack to a ledge then up through a stellar horizontal roof crack, turn the lip and finish on the comfy ledge. Two carrots with perma hangers and biners for the belay. AWESOME climbing, funky moves. Classic.

2. 25m (21) Follows some old carrots (backed up by and supplemented with gear) straight up from the belay (exciting). An interesting mixed pitch at the grade that ends in a brilliant splitter crack. Belay off single very old carrot backed up with some gear or link into the next pitch.

3. 15m (21) Up through bulge on dirty and questionable rock then step left to finish on snappy, steep, orange rock with a number of hand placed bash in stainless carrots. Belay off trees on top.

Start: Ledge to the right of the descent ladder remnants.

Start: First pitch as for Manx.

1. 6m (-) Up to ledge.

2. 34m (14) Crack and groove (keeping away from Manx). Left to high ledge.

3. 24m (14) Crack to top.

Start: 9m right of FH.

1. 9m (10) face to ledge.

2. 24m (10) Wall & corner, right to ledge. Up tending right to stance.

3. 35m (10) Up right to top.

Start: 3m right of AS.

Right hand side of the gully coming down.

Start: Streno crack, overhung corner and roof to top.

Start: Corner & chimney 30m right.

1. 40m (13) Take the line. 6m left at top. Then slab to tree belay?

2. 15m (13) Left and up.

Start: Arête right of F&J.

3m right of VHRD. Belay 10m left of Goldstar on the ledge. 1x carrot bolt and small gear to set up a belay.

A great sustained layback corner, most people just climb the first pitch to the chain.

1. 27m (19) Corner to ledge.

2. 30m (-) Thin crack, gully and out.

Start: V groove with chockstone.

Originally done in 3 pitches.

Start as for Manx/Bonnieville then follow the carrots up the wall and over the boulder/roof at the top. Take small cams, a medium wire, and a #3 Camalot or similar for the start

30m left of the 'Gully'. 15m further left on the Goldstar ledge with a belay carrot bolt. Traverse out to the line and up to the stellar diagonal hand jam crack to the chain belay on Thruxton. One of the best single pitch trad routes at Mt Boyce.

1. 15m

2. 18m

3. 37m

Start: Corner 12m right of TG.

1. 37m (14 M1) Corner to loose block.Aid roof.

2. 6m (14 M3) Aid crack then free to ledge.

3. 18m (14) Crack.

Start: Wall right of AC.

Rap-in climb out route. Rap anchor located in the cave about 10m right (facing out) of the top of Goldstar. Abseil 35m tending slightly left (facing cliff) clipping in to carrots on the way down. Double ring belay on a grey nose about 20m above ground. Take care not to abseil past the belay as ascent may be highly problematic and your rope probably won't reach the ground. Take medium wires, slings, large hexes, and a few medium cams. (Or just bolt plates and run it out).

One of the best and most traveled easy routes in the mountains - great rock and exposure. Can be done as one big pitch with a couple of slings. Start on blocks at base of grey slab beneath Eyrie belay cave.

1. 30m (12) Slab past cams to ring bolt (possible belay), left to arete, past another FH and up to the unique bolted belay cave. 2 bolts plus single rack of cams (Camalot 0.5-4)

2. 15m (12) Out left hand side of cave via steep, exposed moves to FH. Up left side of arete and back onto main face to find old RB. Top out for carrot belay set back from the edge, or DRB on the boulder further back.

Start as for VHRD.

1. 6m (-) Up to ledge.

2. 34m (14) Crack and ramp to ledge.

3. 24m (14) 2nd crack from the right to gully and out.

1. 30m (16) Crack to ledge.

2. 28m (18) 'Steep' crack to top.

Traverse.

Start: As for the Eyrie. Belay after 25m.

1. 25m (-)

2. 35m (14) Down, then right past carrot to belay on SI.

3. 40m (14) Around nose, across TC and AfW to belay in CC.

4. 25m (9) Finish up CC.

Start: To the right of E. Straight up nice slab aiming for the brief vague corner a metre or two right of the Eyrie's belay cave. Straight up this and into jugs above.

A remarkable juggy headwall on the 2nd pitch. Start 2m right of AMJ below bolt at 5m. Single set of cams required.

1. 20m 2 bolts and spaced trad to double bolt belay.

2. 30m Continue up wall and slightly overhung orange jugs above (6 bolts).

Start: Centre of the 'Black Wall'. Straight up with 'creative' pro to an airy finish.

Situated to the left of the gully coming down.

Start: Large crack/chimney inside the gully. Marked D.

1. 20m (11) Up crack and left to cavern.

2. 15m (11) Up chimney then right to ledge. Up 5m wall to top. Traverse around boulder and walk off.

Possibly never repeated.

Start: 'Arete' and black slab right of giant roof.

Start: Ramp. Then up.

Superseded by the Spoilt Mercy Linkup but listed here for historical value (and maybe the aid move can go free for someone so inclined?) Gain the ledge a few metres left of Spoilt Brats' 1st belay, either from Spoilt Brats, or by unprotected bridging for 8m up between the blank wall and tree (!). Follow three old carrots up the blank face (aid on the 2nd one to bypass blankness) then join into ringbolts up face left of Spoilt Brats.

Striking flake crack splitting impressive orange wall, about 15m right of the Mystery Slab. Possibly a couple of bolts up above the flake crack. Not immediately obvious how you get to base of flake crack section - probably a traverse in from the right?

The first climb at Mt.Boyce.

Start: 6m right of BS.

1. 27m (12) Corner to lip, left and up to second lip.

2. 27m (12) Slightly left through bulge to top.

Any further info? Not much sign of a trad route project here?

One of the best routes at this grade in the whole Blue Mountains. Tackles the disconnected flake system up the centre of this awesome wall. Traditionally this route was led as a multi-pitch, with an initial awkward short trad pitch leading to a semi-hanging belay 10m off the ground. These days there is a bolted direct at grade 16 that allows pitches 1 & 2 to be combined when using a 60m rope and makes it 99% a sport route (compulsory #1 Camalot in the flake). No one does the garbage last pitch.

1. 12m (15/16). Original trad start climbs up little arete 2m right of small tree to crack, then left into short corner (small cams, wires). Traverse 4-5m L to double ring semi-hanging belay 8m off the ground. Sport start simply climbs face directly behind small tree past 3 bolts to join up with flake.

2. 25m (21). Follow the stellar flakes. One or 2 med cams up the initial flake, otherwise all ringbolts. Long runners vital to reduce rope drag. Most people lower/rap off from top of this pitch.

3. 10m (18?). Rarely done. The steep little headwall, might still have 1 rusty old carrot somewhere if it hasn't fallen out. Top out, walk off.

Start: Wall to the right of OE.

1. 9m (-) Wall to ledge and triple bolt belay

2. 40m (10) Left up wall, slight recess and nose to tree belay.

1. 20m (14) Follow aesthetic crack up to belay stance. DBB.

2. 30m Not really worth doing. Head right from belay stance over bulge. Up wall past two BRs to top. 50m rap to ground. BRs and anchor replaced August 2017.

You need some trad for the section shared with SBaGA, after that it's all RBs. This route is set up to be done in 3 pitches, but is easily reduced to 2 pitches, or even just 1 pitch if you work out the admin (tie into both ends & drop one after the traverse, 70m rope minimum, 80m rope better). It's critical to avoid the rope-eating flake on SBaGA, if it gets your rope you can't continue (either a short roller draw on 2nd bolt above the flake, or heaps of extenders and back-flicking the rope).

It'd be good if someone could bring a spanner to remove the 2 ugly coach screws below the traverse.

1. 12m 15. As for SBaGA p1.

2. 20m 23. As for SBaGA p2 up the first flake plus 2 more bolts. Then break R into a devious traverse on spaced incuts across immaculate blankness, to DRB.

3. 15m 23. Continue up and left to a tricky steeper move right at the top of the wall, DRB. A 70m rope will be 6m short of reaching the ground; a re-thread part-way up pitch 3 (borrowing a bolt from Minor Threat) lets you clean the gear all the way to the ground (even if you dropped the rope out of the gear on p1&2).

Start: 3m right of SI.

1. 24m (8) Corner, face to ledge under overhang.

2. 35m (8) Corner, right, back to corner and up.

Gum tree and bollard for anchors.

15m (20 trad + carrots). Pull through the steep stuff and struggle onto the wall. A couple of good wires here or just run it out 5m to the next carrot then pumpilly up. Take big bolt plates as the carrot heads haven't been filed.

Start: Starts on the ledge above the big overhang on the north side of 'Abseil Gully'. Rap in (use a second rope) from the large expanse of bare rock off three carrots, clipping in to carrots on the way down. Put on clean undies. Belay on double rings.

Start: 'Arete' 2m right.

1. 24m (-) 'Arete' to belay 3m left on block.

2. 36m (13) Onto arete, then up right side on steep wall. Back to arete, through overhang to top.

This original version is mainly characterised by being a half-height traverse of the wall from Spoilt Brats left to the arête.

1. 12m 15. As for Spoilt Brats.

2. 45m 22M0. Follow Spoilt Brats pitch 2 up the initial flake, left across the face, and a couple of metres up the second flake (to where there used to be a piton). From here the 1996 description says "traverse L (#1.5Fr) & up (BR) to big #Fr break. L past #2Fr slot and up (big #Frs). Further L to arête and step down to stance and small/med #Fr". Presumably the BR is on Sisters of Mercy, and you can probably clip ringbolts as you cross the more recent sport routes. Sounds like the belay stance is around halfway up Shades of Grey or a bit left. The M0 indicates the leader sat on gear somewhere too.

3. 15m. Jugs up arete to the Smallpox ledge. Walk off L, or rap 30m now that there are anchors. The 1990s guide says the FA was by Martin & Peisker in 1984, but the 2000s Carter guides describe a lower easier version done by Martin & Smoothy 1990s (separately recorded here as "Sleepwalk for the Low Time").

The free version of Sisters of Mercy linking the initial flake of Spoilt Brats into the top headwall of Sisters of Mercy via a thin traverse left. Simply brilliant sustained climbing on incredible rock. Mostly all ringbolts - but requires a #1 Camalot for the opening flake and a #2 and #3 for the headwall. Now has it's own lower-off. Long runners useful.

Start: QUICK ACCESS TO P2: Climb spikes 20m left of Superbug/Firebug and then traverse left 15m to get to the start of P2.

ORIGINAL ACCESS:

Traverse in around ledge at the bottom of 'Solo Gully'. This is easy but a bit scarey. Can be protected with a couple of medium cams. Belay on double rings

1. 25m (22) Descend and climb out to arete. Ring just around the corner. Now traverse right and slightly downward on pumpy jugs to double ring semi-hanging belay.

2. 25m (25) Crank and heelhook madly up to the horizontal break for a lie down rest in the slot. Thin and reachy power cranking gets you up the next blank section, then more easily up to the steep headwall. Straight up to double rings in the cave roof, or (the original line), traverse right and up to the Angels belay.

3. 25m (23) Move to double rings at the left end of the cave. Pull up through the roof crack and then onto the hanging orange wall. Up the wall diagonally right and then pull through the roof above to the left of the rings. Double rings belay over to the left.

1. Start as for PIS, right into fantastic corner and up around the slight rooflet. Go left under bulge at top to anchors as for Gently Mine.

2. Not really worth doing. Head right from belay stance over bulge. Up wall past two BRs to top. 50m rap to ground. Rebolted August 2017.

A perspective from the one of the first ascentionist, Keith Bell. From a slight online interview conducted, Keith had the following to share with the world about the first ascent of this beautiful climb:

I was keen on Greek and Roman History/Myths and the Gates of Janus refer to a temple with two doors. I think they were opened when Rome was at war and closed in peace time. A Janus Head is also two joined heads looking in different directions. I think the name came to me because a) it sounds good and b) The climb lies at the bottom of an access gully.

Recently I wrote the following: By the start of 1970, a few climbing goals had been kicked and others had arisen to take their place. In the Warrumbungles, Howard Bevan and I had made the fourth ascent of Lieben, and the first ascent of the Gates of Janus at Mt Boyce. Rather stupidly this ascent was made in the first wear of my first pair of friction boots, a pair of RD’s that featured brown suede leather uppers and bright red laces. The rubber on the sole was case hardened and since it had not been roughed up made the layback up the corner a very slippery affair. The ascent was also cam and hexcentric free leaving the only large protection available, the extruded aluminium hexagonal chunks that were fashioned and sold by John Ewbank.

Start: Ledge 10m right of GoJ.

1. 11m (20) Thin crack then left to mantle.

2. 26m (20) Crack, overhang, right and up to cave.

3. 27m (20) 'Steep' wall left of cave.

Start: Start 9m right of A at initials "AW".

1. 23m (14) Up wall to belay 6m below ledge on orange wall. This has now been retrobolted with about 1000 shitty rings.

2. 40m (14) Left, up to second ledge. Right 9m, then up on black wall.

Start: Crack to the right.

Monster roof crack, with easier moves than you might think -considering the steepness. A proper goal for any Blueys crack enthusiast.

Start up Big Boyce Blouse for 4 bolts to small stance (possible belay here), then blast upwards on gear through steepening terrain, with moves (and gear) getting more difficult as you go -culminating in a gnarly sequence at the end of the roof. 2 bolt anchor on ledge above crack, with an optional short pitch to top-out if you want.

Recommended gear is variable, as there are lots of options, placing the fiddly gear at the crux is hard, and there's a big difference between "preplaced gear" and "placing gear on lead." What follows is the FFA's gear list:

2 x 0.2; 2 x 0.3; 1 x 0.4, 1 x 0.5; 2 x 0.75; 1 x 1; 1 x 3; selection of small wires. An additional 0.4 is very useful for aiding or climbing on preplaced (but very hard to place on lead).

4m right of Afghan Wall. Gear, BR's and FH's.Thru roof at top.

3m right of WOMD nearly at KO start. gear and BR's and FH's

Crack to piton (god knows what condition it is in)! then crack.

Start: Approx. 30m right of F. This makes it the vegetated corner between Plastic Sturgeon and Cats in the Cradle.

Start 10m left of Charlie Brown on slabby face - very faint square and PP just visible on rock.

P1 - up slab to large ledge with dead trees (30m) P2 - up face on jugs to top. (30m)

Take care on the top pitch, rock quality is iffy

Start: 5m right again.

This and the next 2 routes are from the good old days.

Start: Chimney left of Haggis (probably between Master's Eggs and One of the Best).

1. 27m (9) Scrub to chimney.

2. 30m (9) Ramps to back of chimney, traverse left, chockstone, then up through hole in roof.

3. 12m (9) 'Small' slab.

A slab with little pro. Start on wall 10m left of Pig Pen

P1 Up wall and slab to large ledge (30m) P2 Up on jugs o top (24m)

Start: 3 - 5m left of the corner.

Not too bad but pro is sparse.

Start: ? At the "H" at the bottom of 'Licking Holes Creek'.

Marked PP.

P1. Overgrown Chimney to ledge.

P2. Up left from ledge, then trend right along slab following the crack to top. Walk out.

Take lots of slings. All natural anchors.