Ascents in Scenic Rim

It was great to get this done after two false-starts due to unexpected weather conditions. This time the planets aligned and conditions were as good as they could be.

We opted for a later start and a more relaxed morning, and rapped in at 7:45 and set off climbing at 8:30. Thanks to all the beta on here, we had no trouble finding the first bolt. We savoured the moment and took our time on the climb and topped out just under 8 hours later. One hang on the rope on pitch 6, and a spot of french-free style to speed up pitch 13 . Big props to Matthew Robbins for leading the crux pitch 14.

Most pitch lengths are over estimated or correct, we didn't feel any pitches were longer than described.

The word “epic” is generally overused, but this was indeed an epic day with an equally epic partner. Highlights include:

• The approach in the dark of night
• Dawn
• Pitch 7 with some bouldery moves high off the deck
• Pitch 14 (technical and a bit spicy)
• Sam almost getting bitten by a brown snake
• Pizza afterwards

Onsighted every pitch except for a rest while seconding pitch 13. Overall, while it’s a more serious undertaking than your average multi and requires solid planning, it didn’t feel as daunting as its reputation suggests. Just a long and slightly committing multi.

Big thanks to Sam and Kyle for figuring out the logistics perfectly, which resulted in a very smooth day.

Great position and adventure, terrible rock climb. Pitch 13 was the worst rock on the route and simultaneously the physical crux. I blew 5 footholds and evie ripped both handholds at the same time. This section felt 2 grades harder than pitch 14 and the friable rock made it harder again. All in all we had a wonderful day out and were completely knackered on return to the cars.

What a wicked adventure this climb is and kudos to the blokes that bolted it. Such a stellar climb in a unique location. Some pitches were a bit average with rock quality but that just added to the fun. The top half of the route is by far the most interesting but the lower pitches are unique in their own way. Took us about 7hrs to do the climb, we did it in 9 pitches with a 60m rope.

Happy to say I only took 1 rest on the rope seconding the 1st 22 pitch (pitch 13), and oh boy what a spicy pitch it is!!

A couple pitches feel a bit shorter then what is suggested but the rest seem to be on the money in that regard.

This adventure was as difficult as I thought it would be with regards to logistics, timing, mental commitment and shear physical effort. But bloody hell it is well worth it all when you hit those top chains

Phenomenal adventure! Camped the night before the abseil. Such an epic place to wake up and start climbing.

Thanks Alex Mougenot for the beta to hit that first shiny bolt! Saved us so much time and wouldn't have been as successful with out ya. Its still quite an amazing adventure to get your way there. Cheers!

From the abseil to the nice and shiny first bolt (stoked to find this so quickly) took about 45min till the path ran out.

P1 18 - quirky start with small feet and wandered a bit.

P2 20 - bit loose in sections and a nice warm up

P3 20 - bit of a gross mantle

P4 16 - felt like a bolted trad pitch, a nice adventure route.

P5 18 - stellar traverse, solid and nice and airy

P6 21 - lets add some more air and get the pump going, enjoyed this

P7 21 - Peri Peri! Bit tricky to read but great fun

P8 18 - fridge?

P9 14 - adventure

P10 17 - Great views of of the ridgelines

P11 21 - Legendary! Has to be experienced to be believed

P12 20 - more spice than P11. Still a bit hollow in spots, was waiting for that crimp to blow but it held on! tough.

P13 22 - phoar!!!! Loved this pitch....wasabi!

P14 22 - Best air on the climb, mint...that bucket was unexpected

p15 14 - I ran up this pitch I was so happy. Yeoooooooow!

Looks like there could be some new lines or variations to the route that would go down in such a stellar position in south east Queensland.

Glad I layed off the darts and beers this week because this was a serious undertaking. Not so much the climbing but the long approach in and the walk out, I felt like a new born giraffe by the end of it. Some great pitches and some choss but overall a awesome adventure.

... What Dylan said..

What an epic mission. First time touching Barney rock, straight onto the East Face. Beautiful climbing on better than anticipated rock, with incredible exposure and surroundings! Some of the coolest moves I've done on a multi- standout has to be the bouldery moves on the 21 pitch! Had me whooping with glee. Sustained climbing throughout the 22's as well! Props too Dylan for leading the first, that was heinous with the bag.

Beautiful day out on one of the best faces in Queensland, what a day. I'm still not a fan of hiking though..

Far out, what a massive day out!

It took a total of 16 hours from car to car. We started hiking at 5am and got to the rappel station at about 7:15. Chilled out, had some food and went down to the base for an 8:30 start. We expected to top out by about 4pm but life had other plans and we ended up topping out at 5:45. Seeing the sunset from the top of Mount Barney was so beautiful but hiking back down in the dark was not ideal. We got back to the car at 9:15 after about 3 hours of hiking (and getting lost a couple of times).

We were exhausted and sore but filled to the brim with stoke. Simply amazing.

The climbing:

The crux pitch was definitely the walk-in. Hiking up with 10kg of gear and water each was a struggle. We linked pitches 2-3, 4-5, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, and 14-15. We only had trouble linking 2-3 because I ran out of draws just 2 bolts below the anchor. 16 draws just wasn't quite enough. Linking pitches 10-11 was necessary due to one of the quicklinks at the top of pitch 10 having a hole rusted through it. There was no way I'd set up a belay on that.

The rock was ok for the most part, but some bad rock caused me to have a mad whipper while seconding on pitch 7. I called for some slack and climbed up into the overhang. I was sorting out my feet to get a sick drop knee and reach over the lip to get ready to mantle. All of a sudden, the hold keeping me into the wall exploded and I launched off, with all the slack leaving me hanging upside down with my head in a bush. Luckily I wasn't injured and I was able to make the mantle without that hold. I was a bit shaken and let Bros lead the next couple of pitches while I settled down. That was the most excitement I've ever had on a top rope, that's for sure!

Other than that, there was some beautiful climbing to be done all throughout. Lots of slab, lots of sharp crimps, plenty of exposure and some amazing boulder moves mixed in. The standouts for me were the pitch 5 traverse with its great views and exposure, and pitch 11 with its super cool traversing moves over the void. I think pitch 14 would have been spectacular climbing, except the entire corner leading up to the third bolt was soaking wet. It took a tough bit of French aiding to get past that but then it was a sprint to the top on the last pitch. I reached the anchor and immediately felt such relief that we'd actually done it! The stoke is unmatched but the pain will keep me away, at least for a little while.

Pretty sweet adventure even with the wind and rain. Last pitch could be freed, 27/28 would be the grade. Keen to see it freed to the top, would be a sweet send.

Mega push from the boys. Never had a more stressful day in my life - glad to have had such an experience. Highlights were the gorgeous sunrise, the horrible sounds that came out of my mouth climbing past the overhang on pitch 7, Laura's BBQ scrolls at the top of pitch 9, the absolute screamer I took on pitch 14, and the downright F tier banter (as usual). Won't ever forget the crazy mix of emotions I felt after getting back on the horse and pulling up to the anchors on pitch 14. What a day!

What an absurd adventure that will stick with me for the rest of my life! We both expected this route to be demanding and boy did it exceed all expectations. The early march up the mountain was really stunning, watching the layers of mountains slowly appear around us.

The route threw in its fair share of challenges, with a few crimps exploding here and there, but overall, it was epic. I found pitch 5 and 6 incredibly fun… traversing out into the abyss and gaining the odd jug to be able to turn around and bathe in the exposure, and then punching up into some great solid moves. Unreal.

To go from a totally unseasoned gym climber a couple of years ago and hearing about this mega, seemingly unattainable route, to gaining enough experience to get up it, was a very surreal moment for me. Big ups to Bryn for being a weapon of a partner to train and execute this with!

What an awesome morning! a little bit of vertical gardening, some nice exposure and pleasant climbing, pitch 4 and 5 were the favourites. Summit goats demand food in order for safe passage.

This day was dedicated to Max who had a goal to climb Ruby for quite some time (see his log). Was really great to be part of this experience!

For me, it was also a great walk down memory lane as I got to hop back on the route where I did one of my first ever trad leads (Pitch 3 and 5) and built my first trad anchor way back on the Easter weekend of 2017. Safe to say I was very scared that time whereas, this time it felt like a fun and enjoyable day out. It is great to see how your skills grow over time. Can't wait for what is to come!

Although the climbing felt excellent, with good gear and was in the shade all day. We had a bit of a mishap trying to rappel down Phadera. If you don't know where the top set of rap bolts are they are a bit tricky to find and a bit of a scramble to get to. It is a beautiful (but tricky) abseil to the next set of anchors, as the second rap anchors are hidden 10m to the right behind a corner arete. I would also make sure there is no wind if you choose to get off the mountain via this route. I suspect that our ropes got prussiked around each other and made it impossible to pull because the wind blew the ropes together into a knotted mess which gave them a mind of their own.. but who knows, and nobody ever will know! Walking down is also a great option if you have the time, as I heard phadera rappel is a popular place to have your first experience at getting a rope stuck.

Mega. Last 3 pitches definitely the best, with the second being heinous for rope drag and just uninspiring climbing. 6 hour round trip.

Mega. Last 3 pitches definitely the best, with the second being heinous for rope drag and just uninspiring climbing. 6 hour round trip.

Rain nearly ruined our day, blind persistence won again though.

Great day out in the mountains, not sure I would rush to repeat it though.

Sensational! One of SEQ's best multi-pitches. Beautiful winter climbing but was chilly with wind and is in the shade from 10am - 4pm. 9 hours from car to car for us. Start was a bit tricky to find but once we located Egg Rock (look for the painted P) we managed to scramble to the start and the route finding was pretty good from there. Be careful of rope drag on pitch 2 (easy climbing but a lot of drag through the zigzag). Pitch 3 is the money pitch, but pitch 4 and 5 are good fun as well. Accurate grades, lots of gear placements and generally stunning scenery. Highly recommend!