Ascents in Camels Hump by Dave Scarlett

Nice and long, with a slabby, bolt-protected crux passing the obvious roof. The only runout section is the grade 15 start shared with Blind Sox, after that there's plenty of pro.

Runout start, with no protection other than a carrot bolt. Although you can get a small-medium cam in way out to the left after the carrot, and then an obvious micro-cam placement in the slab above. The corner crack looks wide from the ground, but doesn't actually need big gear - nothing larger than a #1 Camalot.

Very thin on gear. Micro cams useful for both the slab and the arete.

Very nice. A series of jugs all the way up, mostly just a slight stretch apart. Might be more difficult for shorter climbers. Amazing views!

Be sure to take slings - there's little if any other pro available after the 2nd bolt!

Tricky slab moves around the second bolt.

Bouldery start leads to a pumpy section with plenty of medium cam placements, then a rest ledge and bolt before the crux. It's wishful to think that being tall will make the "reachy" crux any easier.

Gets seriously difficult when you reach the bolt. Obscenely reachy and bouldery moves to gain the poor, mossy ledge above the almost featureless wall containing the bolt, then up, strenuously, on a combination of jugs and crimps. Large horizontal crack below overhang will take a BD #4 cam easily, or a #3 if you find the narrowest sections. Got through the reachy crux cleanly, after backing off and returning to the ledge several times, but then pumped out while approaching the overhang.

Very run out. No reliable pro before the rusty carrot bolt, and then not much before the end either. Ended up clipping one of the nearby bolts on Summer Breeze. Interesting bollard moves at the start though. Single fixed hanger at belay can be backed up with trad gear or a long sling or cordelette reaching to the Skippy bolts.

Warm up. Lovely and cruisy. Had never noticed before just how dodgy the bolt is. Looks like an 8mm (or thinner?) thread with a bolt plate fixed to it!

Surprisingly good, after I gave it a decent brushing. Somewhat similar crux to Wishful Thinking, but more prolonged, harder, and further from the bolt. (But still very well protected.)

Went fine until the crux (little roof), then found myself no footholds, and a crack that narrowed down so much I couldn't even get fingers in. Maybe need to jam below the thin section of the crack and reach right up over it, possibly in combination with a crimp out right.

Gets a bit exposed/scary when you reach the chimney and find yourself suddenly over a very large drop!

Brutally hard (though very well protected) crux for a 17! Found myself laybacking on a hand jam, trying to get a foot up on the ledge. A BD #3 size cam was very handy immediately after the crux.

I'd say this is probably the worst way to get up the cliff, but then I haven't tried Locris yet...

Nice little route. Graded 13* in the Rockclimbs Around Melbourne guidebook, which seems more accurate than 7. Near the top, moved right to the last bolt on Wee Ripper and finished that route instead of the easy arete.

Nice moves, but no protection until near the top. Definitely not recommended for uncertain leaders!

Thought it was only slightly easier than Sze, but with much better protection opportunities.

Really not sure where I was supposed to be going here. Climbed left of the trench, then traversed to the right half way up (possibly onto Lola V?) and went straight up to the jugs over the lip of the crack where it curves.

Nice, but not the mega-classic it's made out to be. Easy start, then balancy, delicate, and run-out moves up the corner, and a fun, well protected crux finish traversing along the juggy flake and then up on difficult to find holds.

Frighteningly sparse gear through the corner at 1/2 height. Managed to get two cams in, a red and a blue, where the crack opens a metre below the hard moves there, but neither were ideal placements. That's definitely the mental crux, with the physical crux being the top of the finishing flake.

Very nice. Gets harder towards the end, but the bolts are very closely spaced there.

Finally had an attempt at the onsight... and didn't quite make it. Fell on the 3rd bolt, then rested (probably unnecessarily) on the 5th.

Bouldery start becoming easier when clipping first two bolts, then crux moves getting to and past 3rd bolt. Excellent rest at 4th bolt, one difficult move getting up arête from 5th, then jugs to the top.

Thought Camel's Hump would be ok on a dry day in between two rainy days. I thought wrong. The crux finger crack was wet, slimy and horrible.

No way this is only 21. 22 more like it. Gets incredibly blank around the last bolt(s)* and I had to pull on a draw to get past there.

Steep, crimpy and pumpy start leads to juggy horizontal crack, then crux above getting past last bolt, and finally a moderate slab above with a big flake available on the arête.

Gear: Cams around BD#0.4 size for the first crack, possible #1 in crack above that, and finally a finger-size cam or small-medium nuts for the flake on the slab.

* The bolting is very confusing. The final bolts are a fixed hanger near the arête, and a ringbolt level with it 1m to the right. The left bolt feels much easier to get to, unless you're doing 'Sluts Alliance'. There's also a hanger way out left and below the first ringbolt, which could be for a left variant start, or for 'Biker Mice From Mars'. Stick clipping the first ring and climbing from below it offers a nice start.

Fell on the second bolt a couple of times while trying to figure out a good clipping position for the 3rd bolt, which I didn't find in the end. Think double ropes or a long draw would be good next time to reduce the consequences of a clipping fall.

Finally ticked it. A long quickdraw for the 3rd bolt definitely made that clip a lot more comfortable.

A touch harder than Summer Breeze, with a similarly delicate, balancy start. If top-roping or lowering, rope redirect point should be extended below the lip, 0.5-1m below the bolts.

Didn't think any extra protection was needed in the slightly runout (but easier than the rest of the climb) top section, though those only just leading at the grade might find it takes them out of their comfort zone.

Jugs all the way. Consistent difficulty, so a good choice for someone leading around this grade.

Nice, bouldery start, but then gets much easier from there. Probably a bit soft for a 16.

Difficult moves around the first and last bolt - crimpy and balancy. Probably more like 16 than 15.

Ridiculously hard start... Maybe more like grade 19-20 if you go directly past the first bolt? Easier off to the side.

Nice and consistent, easing off only at the end.

Probably the last trad ascent this route will see. Managed to get a nut and a cam next to each other in the flake about 8-10m up, then nothing until another cam about a meter from the top. Carried a wire brush and had to clean every hold on the way! Should be a nice easy route now that it's clean though.

Tough start but gets easier the higher you get.

A very nice warm-up route. Maybe one of the best on the cliff?

Nice, but felt a little little awkward or contrived, as the easiest climbing tends rightward, taking you across the arete, but the bolts force you to keep moving left.

Nice. Balancy start then gets a little easier. If top-roping or lowering, rope redirect point should be extended below the lip, 0.5-1m below the bolts.