Routes in Mt Boyce

Far left hand route.

a rad gymnastic route, marred by some dodgy glueing. 2 boulder problems inbetween jugs.

Start: 15 meters right of mr september.

dodgy dnya bolt, dont clip this!!! clip the fat ring bolt to the right!!

Start: start 4 meters left of beaten bullied and buggered

The first route you get to, up the arete and right at the top. Pretty wild...

Climb up IHST to the last bolt, then continue slightly right all the way up to the anchor of Soak up the Atmosphere. A 65m rope only just gets you to the ground.

Shares the first 2 bolts with Luft. Second half is some of the best rock in the mountains! Doesn't look very promising from the ground, but it's amazing climbing ....

Norry admittedly has 'no idea' what grade it is...i suspect its got a very hard crux. Straight up Finishing at BIB anchor.

Starts up the rungs 6-8m past Luft. Flexible hips might help at the first crux! Finishes at the same anchors as Wasser on the left.

4 metres right of arete. Stick clip second bolt, starts to the right. Open your hips for the heel / toe crux...

Unbelievably good fun with fantastic climbing all the way.

Start: Start as for 'Bug Free' at the ugly undercut arete.

Utterly absorbing climbing all the way with two tricky cruxes

Start: EASY APPROACH: Off the ledge at the bottom of Firebug. Stick clip first ring and batman up to spike. Up 6m to ledge and traverse left 10m.

Blunt arete 4m to the right of BB&B.

Second Pitch of Intergalactic Atmospheric Traveller, or abseil in from the top. It's the big right leaning seam you can see from the ground on the right side of the cliff. Be cautious with the big plates between first and second bolt. Fridge hugging dyno crux....

Links Intergalactic Holistic Space Traveller into Soak up the Atmosphere on the right, and avoids the top crux of I.H.S.T.

Start up the rungs about 7 metres right from arete. Sweet Mountains climbing.

Arete 1m right of Firebug. Up Firebug for 4m then swing right onto the face below the nose. Either stickclip super high first bolt, or place two medium cams.

Still has the tag, but has been freed at 26.

Artistic. Lower off chains of Vampy.

An absolutely awesome line. Do it in one monster 45m pitch or double rings semi-hanging belay half way up. No cams necessary any more. Rap twice or tow a second rope, though its hard enough doing the thin top crux with the full weight of one rope. A 65m rope permits lowering and retying at the first belay. An 80m rope gets you down without having to rap nor re-thread. Rebolted by Martin Pircher (top) and Roger Bourne (bottom) (2002-2004) with permission from GB/JS.

Start: Start in the middle of the impressive wall 200m left of Spoilt Brats.

1. 26m (26) Up easy stuff and left under roof, up flake and through bulge to belay.

2. 30m (25) Right to thin crack, up it, then right to arete and up.

Boulder and pocket pulling test piece, well traveled but still sharp.

Now with proper lower off. 12/12

Major corner right of Boisterous for a few bolts then climbs the right wall and through gut wrenching mega roof above. The final flake to the anchor isn’t solid, needs to be fixed.

An impressive line! Shared start for several bolts with Boisterous then truck left onto arete and overhung wall above.

Far left route. Climbs steeply diagonally left to slick fused corner.

Mostly trad with four ring bolts. "If you fall off the top you may strip all the gear".

Starts just left of blunt arete below the vague headwall flake/crack. You should be able to see an old biner on the second bolt. Climb 30m or so of moderate, very runout, weird, grit stone slabbing past two bolts and some very questionable trad to a small stance. From here boulder past two more bolts and steel yourself for the final run up the incipient flake feature on some average gear. Finishes at DBB above little roof, either rap 60m back to the ground or scramble off right.

You can access the top of this route for pre-inspection (recommended) by walking to the commercial abseiling spot with rungs and 10000 sets of anchors and setting up on the left most ones (looking in). Run the rope through the buses to the climbers left of the main abseil route and you should be able to abseil diagonally left to find the bolts at the top.

Start up Luft for the first few bolts, then traverse right and up. Very green during a La Nina. Second pitch is closed project.

Classic... there may be a jump, or 3!!! Same start as Spiderpuss, up the rungs then go right.

An old aid route at 12m6 now freed grade at 25. A great mountains pumper, crux near the ground then great long climb on feature bright orange rock.

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.

One of the best here. Same start as Reagonomics then take the left line up scoops.

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.

Far right of the sport routes, starting right of black corner crack. Hard bouldery start through roof then long wall and roof above. The rock quality on the upper headwall out of sight from the ground is just like the Grampians!

Long wall with a gluey crux flake down low. There is a lot of excellent climbing in the top half out of sight from below. Take heed of the route length (70m rope mandatory). Big creaky flake at 3rd bolt needs to be fixed, avoid it while you can, then be gentle when you can’t.

A big bad boy. Start off cairn 20m right of Fartflusher. Up to break then head left to clip, up and back right clipping and unclipping 2 bolts to reduce rope drag (or use double ropes). Then you can attempt the crux and stunning water runnel above.

Follow Boyce Light Up for three bolts, then blast through a tricky rooflet (crux) then onto an awesome 25m headwall of delicious orange rock.

Shared start with the "Backstreet Boyce" Project. Up for 3 bolts via a flake compression boulder, then step right and into the crux of reinventing the wheel. Follow bolts trending left forever. Take lots of Runners!

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).

1. (23) 22m Start next to ramp about 50m left of waterfall. Hard move off the ground (if u pull on the draw take a grade off) then up and slightly right to belay.

2. (24) Up to big rest underneath roof, then suck it up and traverse right to lip, up slab. BRING PRUSICS FOR SECOND, as they might end up in space. Kind of airy, kind of scary!!!

There's a few different ways to go. Good warm up... Starts in the corner next to tree, then up and slightly left, shares anchor with Banana Man. For Safety, clip the 4th bolt from high jug before traversing left

An even more airy finish to 'Superbug'.

Start: 'Superbug'. Continue 10m past the top of 'Superbug' to chains.

1. 30m (24)

2. -m (-)

More like 'Arapiles' that the Blue Mtns. Very good sustained climbing in a creepy environment makes this one feel much harder than it really is. 'Excellent' on a hot day and has a viewing gallery on the opposite wall of the chasm.

Start at short steep corner/flake 5m up the gully. Follow the U-bolts. Supplementary cams (small and medium) are a comfort.

Needs rebolting.

Start: 'Flake' just inside 'Solo Gully'.

Start as for SoG past it's first bolt then trend R through the low bulge to a notoriously tough mantel. The remainder is said to be (and looks) fantastic.

An absolute gem. As for SoG to it's 4th bolt (backclean or extend it), step right, then straight up technical face into a steeper finish, all on great rock. DRB lower-off.

Start just left of the corner with the slab - opposite the huge fallen boulder. The is an old "H" on the rock - probably the start of Haggis which goes up the slab to the right.

1. 15m (23) All sorts of technical balancing required to get to and past first bolt. 2nd bolt is a dangerous clip. Lots of fragile rock on this pitch.

2. 20m (24) Awkward move up and onto fragile flake, then traverse left and across the beautiful orange pockets to small ledge. Finish up grey wall above using the left of two rings. Belay on nice ledge below corner

3. 25m (20) Climb the beautiful corner, and or the arete to the right. Finish up grey jugs to rap anchor on the left just below the top. Two raps using single 60m rope will get you back to the ground.

"An excellent route" (Kyle D.)

Start: Start to the right of the corner with the grey slab.

1. 20m (23) Pull up onto into the groove and traverse bizzarely left 10m then up wall. Falling seconds may be lost in space so consider bringing prussics.

2. 15m (23) Head on up the perfect grey rock.

3. 30m (24) A Wee bit tricky getting up the slab and then down across it. Don't wear slippers !. 'Steep' jugging follows. Belay on rings on a ledge about 2m below the top.

Orthopaedic more likely by all accounts. Megan Turnbull had to build a cairn on a ledge by rope-hauling stones up one by one. Rap twice or take two ropes. An 80m rope gets you down without having to rap nor re-thread

Start: Start to the right of One Of The Best.

1. 25m (24) Follow the dots... to a double bolt belay.

2. 25m (24) Towards the top of the second pitch think about the name of the climb and grope around for a "hold" in a place you wouldnt expect to find one.

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

Shared start and first move with A Bird in the Bush, then hard traverse right and up delightful scoopy features. 2nd bolt is a tough clip if you are short. Use the anchor of Bird in a Bush over on the left (hard to clean from).

Very thin crux but good feet, make them work.

Start: This and the next 2 routes share a common start.

Uncertainty Pleasure meets Lipstick, with a dose of Grotto face climbing to finish. A mega roof, to a mega headwall. Proper fun!

Stick clip first bolt, then follow permadraws (permachains?) through left-leading roof flake, to crux lip-turn/traverse, onwards to join Boyce Light Up at the water scoops, and continue up to the anchor. A long draw on the last bolt on the lip, and the following bolt, will alleviate the issue of the rope getting caught on a giant flake above the roof. Permadraws mean that there are no issues cleaning the roof on loweroff, so don't be afraid to have a crack. 70m rope essential!

Enjoyable adventure up a big and surprisingly overhung wall, connecting a series of flake features. Batman start just R of banksia. The white flake near the 8-9th bolts is very hollow up higher; it has a bit of chalk up it (!!) but if you don't like the idea of 50kg in the face, avoid it by staying low via good moves to the L. This route wanders and potentially creates rope drag, but this can be easily solved by: 40/60cm sling on 1st/3rd bolts; backclean 7th (& maybe 8th) bolt as you head left after the ramp; & 1-2 rollers at kneepoints. If you only have short draws, you could still do it by using double ropes.

The old Giles project. Was partially bolted with a dozen dodgy doggers for 20 years - has now been revamped and direct start added (instead of starting up Fart Flusher - although there are still a few extra RBs to let you do this link if you like).

Originally done with a stickclip and short batman past greenery but has now been freed from the ground, same grade. Three bolts up punchy start to ledge, then swing up right then back left steeply on pretty amazing holds and position.

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.

The very R end of the ledge - watch the drop below!

Left hand route, the dirty arete.

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).

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.

Gritstone climbing on perfect rock. The beautiful orange arete 50m left of One Of The Best.

Start: Start off tree at right end of slab.

1. 25m (23) Thin traverse left to the arete then ecstatically up. The rounded arete leads to some beautifully polished scoops. Pull past these and make some thin moves to gain the flake above. Go straight up (bolt added Jan 07). Rap off double rings.

2. 28m (23) Traverse the holdless footledge then try to find the holds on the slab above. Up the arete and up the bulge past the eggs.

3. 15m (20) Through the bulge to anchors at the top of the cliff. You can also rap in this way.

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.

Tricky boulder off the ground then easy climbing.

One of the best 23s around. Fantastic rock and nice and sustained. Shared start with Beastie Boyce then straight up the face to anchors under massive roof.

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").

An alternative finish to 'Licking Holes Creek'. Lots of good holds all facing the wrong direction.

Start: Start as for first two pitches of LHC.

Links the best parts of 2 routes and makes for one of the best at the grade in the Bluies. Pitch 1 of The Girl in the Mirror, then Pitch 2 of Mean Streak and finish for the 22. It can easily be linked into a single pitch with a few longer draws. The second may hit the ground if they fall off with rope stretch. There are two rusty carrots at the end of the pitch 1.5m to the left of a single bolt. If choosing to climb as two pitches you would be better off using a cam with the single bolt to build an anchor over the rusty carrots. Triple FH's at top. Rebolted 2018.

1. Pitch 1 (**22) is sport, 4 rings to DBB. Highball boulder problem to the first bolt, stick clip if not up to it!

2. Pitch 2 is trad 15, with one carrot at the top. Most people skip pitch 2 and step R to do Mean Streak pitch 2 instead.

Very hard undercut start for 22 - best to batman to first bolt. It's grade 20 past this to top - numerous old bolts.

Possibly never repeated.

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

The really good looking clean crack at the far right hand end above the rope access. Best to do the short pitches otherwise the 2nd faces ropestretch groundfall potential on the first crux, or the leader faces ropestretch ledgefall potential on the last crux.

1. 18m (22) Awesome finger crack to massive comfy ledge. It's possible to walk 5m left (roped up) along the ledge and rap off anchors on Iron Curtain if you wish.

2. 25m (17) Ok climbing on average rock, the pro is acceptable but will keep you thinking. Belay beneath roof on gear and optional carrot.

3. 15m (21) Burly roof crack then nice easy diagonal corner crack (obviously seen from Boronia). Belay off tree/s.

Head up the first two bolts of Boisterous, then continue up Big Boyce Blouse to beneath the roof (lower off a single ring). An excellent warmup.

First bolt removed pending rebolt.. Doubt this will ever happen.

Up left side of arete. Take small cams and a set of nuts for the bottom, 4BR's at top. DBB.

Rebolted May 2007

Right hand side of the gully coming down.

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

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.

Right side of 'Solo Gully'. Overhang past piton. Then Wall to tree!

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.

The leftmost bolted route on 'Spoilt Brats Wall'. Stick clip the first bolt, the first hold is creaky. Trend left on overhung territory past 3 bolts then tech your way up the vertical face.

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.

2m left of FITG. Batman start to jugs and FH's and BR's to Girl in The Mirror end. At least 9 bolt plates required.

Funky thin move climbing over a flake start with a juggy top.

On dark orange face halfway down abseilers' track where it touches right side of gully.

1. 30m Start at crack and up to bolt.

2. 20m

Rings and bolts right of Goldstar

Rap in to large ledge with chain. Climb up veering left to above Firebug. Follow rings to 2 alternative finishes.

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