Nodes in The Fear Factory

Excellent bouldering destination with a reputation for highballs with sketchy landings. In reality, there's a lot of safer stuff here too, including a few Sydney classics.

Useful Info: Please avoid excessive erosion of the access routes and the base of the walls. You don't want the top outs to get any higher, surely? Information largely drawn from Peter Balint's excellent 'Sydney Bouldering' guide. Buy one if you don't have one!

Top spot for a first visit, catches morning sun and contains a number of crag classics, mostly on slabs and slabby aretes

Start under the roof over the pit of death and head toward the lip. Crux on the face and up high and left to finish. Spotter and pads are advisable.

Wall left of Golden Showers. Big jump off of rubbish crimps. Connor Lucas

Obvious square-cut corner, curving at the top. Either a great problem, or a bag, depending on your point of view

Cranky wall immediately right, rated.

The arete right of 'Elm Street'

Matti Puckridge

Climb the wall right of Blunt Instrument using the arete, topping out to the right.

Easy arete and a good intro, climbed on the right all the way up.

Marvellous slab climbing to the right. Start at the small boulder and go straight up.

Tough slab to the right, underneath the tree

Stand start and up the wall between Disco Inferno and Rocksteady Teddy.

To the right is a faint seam. smear on up left of this.

Dan Stephenson

Subtle line 1m R of Rocksteady Teddy

Lovely slab.

To the right, get established in the big pocket then run for the top

a metre of two right, up a couple of moves then left via slopey ramp to finish up 'Jemima'

Straight up from the start of 'Sesame Street'

low start on the arete, scary finish

Left of 'Poltergeist', start in the corner, go up and leftish

Slabby top wall of the 'Frankenstein' boulder. There is a bolt with a fixed hanger at the top of this boulder.

The 'Frankenstein' arete taken on the left-hand side. There is a bolt with a fixed hanger at the top of this boulder.

That's what we're here for! Megaclassic curving arete, as good as any and at a reasonable grade too. There is a bolt with a fixed hanger at the top of this boulder.

Climb under the peak to about three quarter boulder height, run out of feet and bail to the arete.

Slab project mentioned in the guide. Plumb line to the peak of the boulder. Done on top rope by Pete Balint but never without.

To the right of 'Frankenstein' is a big highball slab. 'The Trance' follows a rightward-leaning faint seam to the top

Delicately straight upwards to the finish of 'The Trance'

well right of TZ, follow slopey breaks up to the summit ridge above a dodgy landing

Rightmost line on this boulder, off the mossy slab and up the short wall

Scared witless from highballs with sketchy topouts? Sick of the old sandpaper slab-slide? Binged on mingy crimps and bleeding fingies? Exhausted by endless compression sessions? Look no further, for here in the very center of The Factory is a place you can practise a new form of purgatory: simultaneously shredding both side of both hands while dangling like a demented bat from splitter cracks. Yes it's The Acrachronisms, three searing splitters, with or without finger-locking, flares and extended ceiling section.

Undercut crack, impossible to avoid the tree topping out.

Middle crack - turn the lip then to top, mantle to finish.

A full 4.5m of mostly thin ceiling crack, flared turn, and a couple of jams to finish. Even has some roof holds and pockets.

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

Jump to the top of the arete and over.

Up left of the corner.

The centre.

Just right of the arete.

Stand start on the arete and climb it on its left side.

Stand start, up on slopey pockets to top. Very friction dependent.

Elijah Mercado Sam Healy

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

From the very thin orange break, make a tricky and technical jump start, then take on the powerful and slopey top. V8 from Pete, V10 from Sharik Walker...

A powerful, continuous sloping arete. Sit start, then slap up the left leaning arete.

A nice line, a big jump and a tough top.

Variety, Variety, Variety. Mostly friendly too.

Short slab just around the left of Plastic Strips. Nice 2 mover

The entrance to the store. Good climbing up the buttress.

Start off the low broken jug.

Hands free balancey fun up the slab.

Sit down then slap your way up the overhanging slopey nose. Powerful and sustained to what some consider a tough mantle.

A cute little arete with a dynamic start and a physical finish. The wall on the right side of the crack is off.

This time establish yourself completely on the arete before moving up.

A fun short problem up the juggy arete, start low for even better value.

The faint arete, starting on its left.

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

Up just left of the arete.

The little arete on good holds.

From the low break, crank up just right of the arete.

Follow the committing ramp rightwards to the top. Bad landing.

Surprisingly good and continuous climbing up the steep little buttress.

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

A very weird almost classic. The series of good deep, but always moist, pockets have a completely unannounced tendency to send you flying backwards into the conveniently located spotting tree.

The twin pocketed seams offer sustained, classy and committing climbing.

Mantis

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

Climb the fantastic overhung arc up the slab. Just enough holds to be climbable. Serious unprotected climbing at an unreasonable height. One of the best lines in Sydney.

Geographically the first problem at the Factory and a real trouser filler it is too. Start in the corner, move up and right then committingly follow the seam to the top. Very bad landing.

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

Off the break and up. Forgettable.

From the low right facing flake, move left and up. Thin and committing. Bad landing.

Potentially a horrendous landing.

Not as relaxing as a Caribbean cruise, but don't be afraid there's no jamming here mon. There is a fair bit of exposure though. Bad landing

Get down and get groovy, this old skool classic has got some funking moves above a bad ass landing.

Start in the little cave and then (hopefully) float up the balancey, technical and stunning arete. Trend right to top, not left via the decent rail. Landing? Probably very messily on the track way down below - don't find out!

Jack Folkes

The left side of the front of the buttress. Committing and airy. What landing?

Big, tall, hairy and beautiful. Up the right side of the arete. Don't fall.

Start as for Marmaduke, then follow the big footholds and the hillside up and left around the arete to a distinct crux.

Short and tough stuff off the layaway in the gully.

Stay on the right of the arete. Goey.

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

Cruise your way up the right side of this little arete. Take care, the large block and the tough top has already sent one victim halfway down the hill.

Bear hug the buttress. Sandy and a tough top.

Tasty! A great line up the dark wall. Crimpy, cranky and very committing. Horrendous landing.

A nice little trot up an airy buttress. Not a great landing.

The corner crack.

Scramble then tackle the totally committing arete on its right side.

Stand on the ledge, take a deep breath and climb the short face using the right arete. Totally committing, bad landing.

An ideal Factory intro. Up the right side of the arete on good holds, mantle left to finish.

Up the thin seam staying away from the crack. Much better than it looks.

Stand on the ledge, then commit to the short crimpy slab staying left of Rich Vein.

Vertical, with comparatively friendly landings

From the bottom of the flake, straight up.

Excellent funky arete-ing. Get down and do it!

A beautiful problem up the right side of the wall.

Classic Factory wall climb.

Check your insurance policy and have the phone at hand, then scramble up (too high) and procrastinate over the short committing crux. The narrow buttress between the crack and the arete. Nail biting excellence with a horrendous landing.

The corner.

A very committing crimpy narrow line just left of Cracked.

Stylish. A low crux in the middle of the wall leads to a delightful airy finish just right of the arete.

Climb the arete with the twin spikes to an airy finish.

'I promise it is.' Juggy fun and a mantle too.