Routes in Australian Capital Territory for selected grade

Start from the 4th (right) belay bolt, moving up then traversing left before going up again and traversing right (crux) after the 3rd bolt to meet the 3rd bolt of Gas Mask & finish up GM or WNWN.

Follow Gas Mask to the 3rd bolt then move left around the cave roof to another bolt (14) and continue up and left to the leftmost DBB.

Up the right side of the first ledge, moving left around the rooflet (slightly exposed) and then up to ledge & DBB.

Up the right side of the first ledge, sharing 1st bolt with Long Drop, then directly up to second ledge. Think about dinner as you wander up the grassy gully (unprotected) for a few metres to the 2nd bolt & up for an enjoyable finish.

Reachy slab moves to DBB

A nice warm-up.

Follows the stepped, right-facing corner, passing several ring bolts, before moving left past a couple of fixed hangers to double-bolted rings at the top.

Some natural pro required - take small wires and cames. Trends leftward up to a walk off. Watch yourself on the slippery stuff up top!

Look out for the resident reptile

From the left rope in the picture. Climb the left arete and crack to the ledge and then continue up the right arete and crack.

Sit start, then up and stay to the right using the easy holds.

From a standing start, get your hands high up on the right edge of the arete and your toes into the crack running along the bottom of the rock. Shuffle your hands up the edge until you reach the jug, get your left foot onto the crimp hold from 'Problem 9' then swing your right foot up onto the ledge and convince the rest of your body to follow it. Continue to the top.

Same Boulder as the topo above

From a standing start, grab two big jugs on the arete and get your feet onto the sloping blocks underneath. Swing a lft foot into the little orange incut notch the the left, stand up on that and head on up.

Start 5m right of Baby Arete at the twin shallow cracks. Climb the steep wall to the anchor bolts. Technical and sustained for 10m.

Start between Cave Crack and Bee Line. Climb the slab, heading towards a wide crack right of the fixed anchors. Crux is the first 5m of climbing.

Start 1m left of Blinky at the crack. Bridge up past a white patch, then up the slab above to two bolt belay.

Traverse the crag from left to right. Difficulty depends entirely on how far you go, and the height at which you climb.

The access scramble/scramble-off.

Start on the boulder and up short arete to chains

The line of the cliff. The chimney splitting the wall left of the big corner.

Up corner then chimney to ledge. Cross Carpe Diem and straight up to top.

Warmup. Not really even V0, just something to get your body moving.

The most obvious, and easiest way to the top. Still, the gear is tricky in the top half, and be very careful of crumbly rock.

Climb the block in the corner, then handcrack. Has probably been done before...

Soft and Flakey, the flared crack faceing the road.

Around to the right of BK1. Layback or offwidth start and then up. Walk off. V0 / maybe 14? Onsite solo FA

Small boulder on the way in to the hand. Warm-up sit start.

Start as for Lengthways Chinaman but keep going up the right-curving crack. Belay as for Blue Lights. Walk off.

Popular beginner route. The slab past one bolt to rap anchor. Rebolted 2007 (approx).

Start 10m left of Juveniles. Traverse left then up the unprotected slab. Belay on gear as for Juveniles P1. Originally soloed by man and beast. Not a good lead for beginners.

The right-facing corner crack leading to a blocky finish. Chain belay.

This is on a small boulder 20 metres off the walking track. Best approach is to find the "Granites" sign on the Tidbinbilla walking track (10m uphill from the lookout platform and Mario). Walk directly uphill for 20m or so to the boulder. Climb up the left side of the flake, then up the crack to the top.

Fist crack and flake on the southeast side of the large boulder to the north of No Reservations. Climbed in a blizzard. All routes on this boulder are served by a single-bolt belay.

A short but sweet hand-crack on a boulder 5m left of 'T.V. Glotzen'.

The obvious chimney on the east side of main outcrop.

Follow the hand (jam) traverse to the arête then up the crack.

Start at the blunt arete left of the cave. Up this to a dirty crack.

On the boulder directly below 'The Lure' is a pleasant slabby groove with a harder start. A lovely line and fun climbing.

On a wavy slab 30 metres left of 'The Lure'. Up the middle; a delightful slab with an enhanced wire placement.

Chimney right of DC. Protected by wires and small cams in the horizontal breaks.

Corner crack with perfect jams 5m left of Terrapin.

When climbers stare up at this crack/trench route they invariably mutter "old school" and move right along. It is in fact a pretty good romp and you will use the full bag of climbing tricks. Despite the good climbing, it is not suitable for learning to place protection, as it can be a bit tricky. Start: left of Integral and Equanimity.

A "worthless and contrived girdle which follows the line of least resistance off the ground". Starts up Peter Pan and traverses the South Buttress from right to left finishing up Matrix. Apparently ties a lot of good stuff together.

The first pitch is quite good, but the second is rubbish. Luckily you can just do P1 and rap down from the chain at the top of Cold Cuts. Start (crux) in the corner ten metres right of Aitchison's Needle.

1. 12m - Climb the corner crack to a huge ledge.

2. 20m - Traverse right then up to a tree. Scramble to the top.

Start as for Hortensia.

1. 25m - Pull onto the next ledge, then up the left-hand crack to a small stance on Gutz. Continue leftwards up to the prominent curving corner; the exit is slightly awkward.

2. 15m - Wander on up as you will.

Discontinuous. Start from the first belay on 'Three Problems'.

1. 10 metres - Up the rightwards slanting crack and around the corner to another large ledge. Scramble up a vegetated gully for 10 metres.

2. 15 metres - Up the slab at the left end of a steep wall, then a ramp to the top.

Start 15 metres right of 'Morsehold', immediately right of a flake pinnacle.

1. 15 metres - Climb the crack to a large ledge.

2. 30 metres - Walk left for seven metres and climb the obvious crack to a ledge, then the ramp on the right, moving back left to a chock filled crack. Up a gully.

Climbs the slab and wall to the left-hand overhang. Start at the right-hand end of the slab at an easy, dirty corner.

1. 45 metres - Wander up the corner for 10 metres then back left to the pillar formed crack. Up this, pulling through a steep section to a stance, then a short crack to belay under the large overhanging corner.

2. 15 metres - Traverse left across the slabs and finish up a grotty overhanging pile of blocks.

A good alternative second pitch is the steep corner crack four metres to the right.

Aptly named and a fine companion to other routes in the vicinity. Start at the lichenous pillar right of 'Singularity'. Up the pillar and flakes before moving right across the moss to a corner. Up this and more moss to a large bushy ledge.

The curving chimney eight metres right of 'Derision'.

1. 15 metres - Up the chimney and filth, onto the left arete and follow this to join 'Derision'.

2. 35 metres - Up 'Derision' and then up the left-hand of two cracks. Climb the crack behind the tree then diagonally right.

Start approximately below 'Further Out' at a leftwards slanting crackline.

1. 20m - Traverse left along the crack to a block, then up the wall and overlap to a tree belay.

2. 20m - Up the crack on the left for six metres, then back right on another and up to the top.

Only the first two pitches are worth the effort. It is better to finish up Baryon. Start (marked) below the prominent crack 20 metres left of 'Outer Limit', at the right-hand end of an orange wall (Snickers Wall).

1. 25m - Climb the crack (chimney) and V-shaped cleft then step left to a small ledge. Continue up the right-facing crack, then traverse left across the top of Snickers Wall to a chain belay on a comfy ledge.

2. 15m - Climb a corner above the belay. Trend right across the slab above to a bushy gully.

3. 30m - Follow the gully easily until blocked by a prominent bulge.

4. 30m - Climb the bulge using a crack and slab on the left, then the ramp.

5. 34m - Climb a prominent nose on the wall left of a scoop, to finish on easy slabs. Basically just a glorified walkoff.

Some good, easy and exposed climbing along a rightwards traverse. Starts at the top of Denethor P2. To get there, either climb Denethor P1 and P2 or carefully walk 10m left of Echidna and then climb Denethor P2 (the easy-angled groove).

1. 24 metres - Climb the groove and wall above to a stance in the corner on the right.

2. 10 metres - Climb the lichenous wall on the right, and then traverse right to an airy stance.

3. 18 metres - Continue right along the ledge past a flake to a vertical band of rock of fine texture.

4. 20 metres - Delightful, easy climbing up the band of rock. Continue up to a ledge with a corner belay.

5. 20 metres - Climb up the corner and trend right to easy slabs.

Just beautiful. It ascends a fragile flake to the right of 'Denethor', and is a great way to finish 'The Girdle Traverse' etc. At the start of the third pitch of 'Denethor', move right for about three metres to a ledge. Climb the leftwards leaning ramp behind to the obvious flake. Up the right hand side with tender loving care, then the slab above to belay.

A good introduction to slab climbing. Climbs the slabs and grooves bordering the right-hand end of the northern slabs. Start at a short, steep black slab just left of a damp overhang where the walking track rises after skirting below 'The Terrace'.

1. 30m - Up the slab (crux) to a ledge. Pull over the bulge and up the easy slabby corner. Surmount the overlap and traverse right and up to belay at the left end of 'The Terrace'.

2. 40m - Walk right about 7m then climb over blocks to a prominent groove. Climb the groove, which is awkward near the top, step left and up a short V-corner. Continue up blocks and slabs to belay on a comfortable triangular ledge on the right.

3. 30m - Move left and climb the crack, thin seam and slabs to bushy ledge. Tree belay. A further 60 metres of easy slabs leads to the top of the buttress.

Slab climbing that is 'a little more serious' than 'Denathor' due to the scarce (but solid) protection on the second pitch. Start as for 'Denethor' (or skip the first pitch and start at the left-hand edge of 'The Terrace', about 15m left of Echidna).

1. 30m - Climb the short, hard slab, bulge and slabby corner above (as for 'Denethor) but instead of sticking right in the corner, head straight up the slab above a small overlap. Belay at the flake or on the ledge to the right.

2. 45m - Up the juggy brown slab trending left to where the holds vanish, make a delicate move left to a small ledge. Up leftwards for 7m to a scooped recess. Follow shallow right-facing curving corners diagonally up and leftwards to double bolt belay next to a pointed block (shared with 'Steele Breeze' and 'Metal Fatigue').

3. 47m - Climb the slab to the highest corner on the right side of the overlap. Up the short corner (possible to belay here), move right over blocks then trend right up the easy slabs to belay on a large bushy ledge.

A pleasant first pitch, then a wandering adventure. Start at the right-facing corner crack on the left edge of the main slabs.

1. 24m - Layback the easy pleasant corner crack to a semi hanging belay on a sloping ledge in a dihedral (second belay on Sunstroke).

2. 43m - Traverses a line around the same height as the belay then turns a corner. Diagonally right from belay following vegetated crack, staying well underneath blocks. Climb the left edge of the slab to the overlap (second belay on 'Bird of Prey') then continue traversing right under the overlap. Turn the corner and easily up vegetated slab, belay at tree (second belay on Equilibrium).

3. 35 metres - Climb the corner in the overlap (about 4m left of the belay) to the higher slab. Climb diagonally left to the second belay on Ephemeros.

4. 10m - Finish up the last pitch of Ephemeros: climb the wall, moving diagonally right to the bushes, then on to another ledge to boulder-wrap belay.

An utterly worthless girdle of this area, unless you're into reliving 1970s exploration. Start 15m left of Tachyon, where a vegetated ramp heads right and a crack/ramp heads left. Wanders easily rightwards, up and down along the upper part of the Northern Slabs.

1. 18m - Scramble up the vegetated ramp to the right and belay at the large flake or the first of the three gum trees near the top of the ramp.

2. 28m - Climb over blocks to the wall. Up the wall (crux) and slab above moving to the right to the 3rd belay on Sunstroke.

3. 20m - Climb Sunstroke for about 2m then traverse right along the slab (above the vegetated ramp) to belay at the trees (2nd belay on Ephemeros).

4. 37m - A short down-climb to the slab then continue traversing right beneath the overlap and belay about 4m before this slab joins the slab that extends down to the bolt anchors on Counterbalance. Belay on nuts and cams (#0.4-#1) under the overlap.

5. 24m - Continue 4m right along the slab to the corner (where the rockfall broke off) then climb the overlap. Move right on the higher slab to a short corner and climb (strenuous) to the vegetation to belay. This is the last pitch of Equilibrium.

An obvious line that looks a bit unpleasant and menacing. Surprisingly steep for the Northern Slabs.

Start 25m left of Picnic at a thin crack in a slab beneath a small overhang.

Up crack to overlap, climb overlap then either right or left to surmount the small overhang. Continue up the slab to the start of Aquanaut. Either finish up Aquanaut or scramble left along the vegetated ramp to return to the base of the cliff.

Start 30 metres up the hillside from 'Euripus' and about 10m left of the large block on its second pitch. To avoid the scrub bash to the start it is better to climb the first pitch of Euripus then traverse left along the ledge to below the break in the overlap.

Climb the short slab to the overlap. Climb the overlap on good holds then smearing (unprotected crux) up the slab trending left to a horizontal crack at 17m, then up the easier slab to a black water streak. Climb the water streak and belay off a block. Walk off right.

From the top of 'Mel and Kim Go Boxing' continue delicately up the flake below and right of 'Sickle' to DBB. Rap off or traverse right to join 'Deep Space'.

The obvious crack in the left wall of the buttress, two metres left of 'Greenland'.

A lovely little slab! Straight up the middle of the slab between the cracks to the apex, then straight on up. Some dubious protection used to be had by lassoing the poor tree on the way.

Quite overgrown and mossy at last visit - needs a good clean.

The off-width chimney starting in the passage through the rocks to the right and slightly downhill of Simple Simon Slabs.

The corner left of 'Gazelle Boy'. Up blocks to a crack in the wall.

The delightful easy angled corner in the centre of the wall. Start 10m right of 'Open Season. Looks slightly overgrown but climbs well.

The line of bolts up a very nice textured slab. The deathtrap aluminium hangers have been replaced

Pretty grim. The rightwards leaning chimney with a big leaning block above.

Downhill and right from 'White Witch' is the initially overhanging crack.

The short curving crack on the back of the 'Scaramouche' boulder, 5m right of Boogeybaloo.

The chimney five metres right of the main wall. Up over chockstones, eventually traversing out under boulders to a good ledge.

"Recommended for those who enjoy a good thrutch". Need we say more? Start left of 'The Morrigan'.

1. 10 metres - Up the crack, past the tree on its left.

2. 25 metres - Climb the tapering chimney to a ledge.

Disjointed. Start as for 'Split the Difference'.

1. 10 metres - Up the slanting crack to a good stance.

2. 8 metres - Up the crack and rightwards up to a ledge near third stance on Labyrinth

3. 7 metres - Reach up and traverse the leftwards slanting flake to the rock pile labyrinth emerges from

4. 10 metres - walk a few meters and climb the easy chimney between a few of those boulders. Walk back 10 meters to a cleft on the right.

5. 10 meters - Ascend the pinnacle using the crack on the right to a slab.

The chimney at the back of the cave above 'Nursery Chimney'. Climb straight up, with a rather extreme bridging start, to finish through the slot.

The gulley just right of the Erstwhile Emus cave provides the easiest scramble up to 'Sentinel Rocks' from here.

An exciting, poorly protected climb up the right edge of the huge flake on the valley side, seen as you walk towards 'Sentinel Rocks'. Start from the ledge six metres right, traverse left and climb the flake, then left and up to finish as for 'Lazy Dynamite'. There is a direct crack start (grade 17).

Incredibly unsustained and worthless. Find your way onto the large platform right of 'Little Lamb Dragonfly' and climb the arete on the left past one bolt.

The crack on the other side of 'Toltec'.

The offwidth come squeeze chimney 8m east of Spartacus.

There is a small outcrop about two-thirds of the way up the hill, usually passed on its right, which features a large curving broken flake on the right.

The curving flake. Tyson's first lead.

The obvious right angled chimney corner on the river side. Straight up from just inside the chimney and finish up the slab.

The horrible corner system five metres left of 'Awk' with a loose chockstone.

A wanky little route up the obscure, leaning corner on the southern side.

Up the chimney on the easy side of the big block, then pull up on the boulder on the left.

Several routes finish on the northern side of the platform - this one is a three minute lead. The small juggy roof on the right.

Continuing north along the ridge will bring you to another set of boulders at the verge of a steep drop to the valley. Heading east from these boulders will take you to a descent gully. Halfway down the lefthand fork is a pillar and short crack - Pracatan. This was the first route at the crag.

Walking slightly down and further east will bring you to a small courtyard - this is the corner crack.

The line and corner 15m left of Marillion.

Part of 'Hospital Crag' to the south of Smiling Rock. From the belay on Scaffold Injuries, layback the corner crack on the right, then follow the crack system to the top, squeezing under a tree branch.

Start off a bushy ledge 15 metres right of Spiral and 10 metres up the large gully (best approached from the top of the gully). Climb the perfectly straight crackline.

The obvious corner at the right-hand end of the slabs. The first pitch required extensive landscaping.

1. 35 metres - Up the corner to a tree.

2. 30 metres - Diagonally left beneath the huge overlap and past a tree to belay in a cave.

3. 25 metres - Left and up to the top.

Quite good, reminiscent of 'Counterbalance'. Start beneath a steep slab 20 metres left of 'Pasqua', about five metres left of a dark water-mark.

1. 40 metres - Move right to the water streak and climb lines of weakness to a block belay.

2. 40 metres - An easy slab leads to a steep crack and wall; move right and up an easy ramp.

3. 10 metres - The short wall to the top.