Ascents in North Shore as boulder by Graham Dowden

According to the first (and many subsequent) ascentionist "A great problem. I used to do laps on it with a weight belt then exit up the flake roof route." Which I guess would make it Australia's first V(w)eight.

Just couldn't stick it

I remember talking to Coral in a headscarf at Buffalo. Not my headscarf.

Think I read someone might have done this in the 60s for a bet.

Following the new edition bouldering guide. Tried a zillion times and nearly stuck once. Only 2 hard moves.

Well that's it: 1000 unique Sydney ascents.

Finally! And me supposedly a crack climber 'an all.

Cheating really, just follow the great tags of chalk on the relevanr holds.

Third long-term problem goes down in one hour - thankfully I haven't logged every attempt, as it would make very tedious reading.

Got up but started tearing my pinky, bog ...

Hit the high point but not hard enough

Grovelling away ...

Soft shoe, soft serve, soft in the head, softly softly, .. where does it all end? But here we are, scraping away the last of our skin from soft hands with endless soft landings above a sewer pipe. And when you finally hit the topout, whaddaya got? The proverbial baby's bum lubed with a scatter of soft moss, at which point soft rains begin to fall. Just plain soft.

Arete? Used to be called the edge of the corner. More slabs graded by face climbers.

Humidity at nearest BoM station measured at 91% .. hardly conditions to engender slabby success. Stuck a lower smear and watched the foot slide down of its own accord. No point removing the boot to even try big-toeing the next indentation.

Stuck the undercling several times, a very interesting move. Popped up to the clincher, then declined to proceed on grounds of height & rocky matless landing.

Difficult gritty slab feet. Probably more V1.

Some long stretches and razor crimps.

A most bizarre mantle at The Lumps, and a potentially horrible backwards fall. 100% unashamed of the thin red line.

Well I'm sure I didn't do it in the pure style so will have to drop a few grades.

Straight up balance facing the wall. Very interesting sequence of handholds and feet.

No no no, this cannot be V1, lumps have been visibly torn off the left side.

It upsets me that there should be such a thing as a V4 mantle. It upsets me even more that I threw myself at it a zillion times in as many ways and failed to consumate. Curse that slopy Sydney sandstone!

Did my one and only campus, stuck a foot up, locked off and touched the seam. Who knows it might even go. An 'orrible downslope career should one slip off.

Desperate slopy topout

But Johhny don't run ..

Height-dependent grade, involves 1.27m high-step measured by laser.

Can do it right outer edge on left ledge or right toe on right scoop.

Hope this isn't a Ziggy Samways route, or at least a very early one : /

Shortcut back to lookout

In sandals twice on the way home

"You slippery little reptile" cried Capt. Woolcot "how dare you try to do me in on the final treacherous move!"

Lacked the gumption to be "bunted off" at the last moment 10 ft from the deck.

Oh the security of that final Lump!!

Wierd, unexpectedly successful, and downright terrifying unbrushed, uninspected, unmatted and unequivocally underestimated achievement.

What could be finer than reprising many a scout's first climb within sight of the First Lindfield hall?

Ah, the satisfaction ...

Brushed a few spiderwebs out of the fingerlock crack, pawed away a bit of moss, attempted to "force body through the pantry window" in the manner of Bunty, then came to a grinding halt at the apex of the cave. Next moves may involve flying out of overhang onto a monopocket, fingerlock, and a few mossy slopers : /

Cleaning on the way up

Neat!

Several downclimbs as well

I like cracks

A bit hairy