A Crag Guide gives an extensive view of all sub areas and climbs at a point in the index. It shows a snapshot of the index heirachy, up to 300 climbs (or areas) on a single web page. It shows selected comments climbers have made on a recently submitted ascent.
At a minor crag level this should be suitable for printing and taking with you on a climbing trip as an adjunct to your guidebook.
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Contributors
Thanks to the following people who have contributed to this crag guide:
Oliver Story Benjimin Gavin Evans Brendan Heywood Brendon Flanagan Dane Evans Chris Bennetts-Cash Peatey Eliezer Stuart Anderson
The size of a person's name reflects their Crag Karma, which is their level of contribution. You can help contribute to your local crag by adding descriptions, photos, topos and more.
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Table of contents
- 1. White Rocks / Wickerslack Crag 24 in Crag
- 2. Index by grade
1. White Rocks 24 routes in Crag
- Summary:
-
All Trad climbing
Lat / Long: -35.381871, 149.247606
summary
Good holds, easy angle and a reasonable amount of gear makes for a pleasant top-roping and trad practice area.
description
A small limestone crag - unusual for the ACT - just outside Queanbeyan and along the river. Unlike some limestone rocks, this crag tends more towards large horizontal breaks than pocketed climbs.
While generally used for top-roping and learning to place gear, there are several more serious climbs, particularly the slab which is growing more polished by the year.
No details of first ascents or original names have been recorded - those given here were suggested by the regulars.
Dries quickly after rain. Good sun for winter mornings and shade for summer evenings.
access issues
If you have benefited from climbing access and infrastructure in the ACT, please consider joining the Canberra Climbing Association (CCA). The CCA spends considerable behind-the-scenes time and effort managing access for the climbing community to ACT climbing areas.
Membership is inexpensive and provides a great way to keep up-to-date with access issues, codes of conduct and general goings on in the ACT climbing community. Membership also provides discounts for local outdoor retail and climbing gyms.
For CCA details visit: http://www.canberraclimbing.org.au/
approach
Option 1
Park 0.5km down Wickerslack Lane at a layby on the left (roughly opposite 44 Wickerslack Lane). Walk north-east along a trail bike track, which swings right (downhill) to the Pipeline Track. Cross this and continue straight down the ridge. At the cleared area, don't turn left on the main track - keep heading straight down the ridge until you reach some jutting rocks. This is the top of the cliff. Access steps to the left. 15 minute walk.
Option 2
Drive through Queanbeyan down Old Cooma Road, past Karabar shops and turn left down Barracks Flat Drive. Two km down this turn right into Doeberl Place. Park at the end of the cul de sac. Space for about two cars.
Climb over the gate and walk uphill along a rough vehicle track. Near the top of the ridge cross the first gravel road (Lime Quarry Track) onto a foot pad through the logs. Veer left to join another gravel road beside Googong Water Main (Pipeline Track). Walk south-east along Pipeline Track past two buildings, up onto the next ridge, then turn left. Follow the track straight down the ridge. Don't turn left off the ridge when you get to the cleared area - keep going straight, following cairns. Look for some jutting rocks, this is the top of the crag. Access steps to the left. 25 min walk.
Cliff can be found at GPS coords -35.3818,149.2475
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Route | Grade | Style | Selected ascents | |||||
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1 |
★ Far Right
Start 4m right of Fizz. Enjoyable climbing up cracks and ledges to the anchor bolts. | 10 | 8m | |||||
2 |
★ Fizz
Start 1m right of Soda Pop. Climb the left-facing corner for a couple of metres then straight up the cracks. | 11 | 11m | |||||
3 |
★ Soda Pop
Start 1m right of Lemonade. Straight up the crack. The crux is getting into the wide crack at the start, and is poorly protected. A #3 camalot may help if you can place it, otherwise probably better to top-rope this one. Alternative start: up Fizz then step left into the wide crack. | 15 | 11m | |||||
4 |
Lemonade
Start 3m right of Peroxide Power. Climb the shallow chimney, then cracks and grooves. | 12 | 11m | |||||
5 |
Peroxide Power
Start 5m right of Baby Arete at the twin shallow cracks. Climb the steep wall to the anchor bolts. Technical and sustained for 10m. | 14 | 13m | |||||
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Route | Grade | Style | Selected ascents | |||||
6 |
★ Baby Arete
The easiest climb at White Rocks. Start about 2m right of the gully. Climb the arete, generally on the right side. The climbing finishes after about 11m on a ledge below a fixed runner that gives a great view of climbers struggling on The Roof. Top-rope using anchors above The Roof with the climber's rope threaded through the fixed runner. | 6 | 18m | |||||
7 |
★ The Roof
In many ways shorter than its 13 metres would lead you to believe, this route starts up an easy grade 9 arete, then becomes much steeper, moving out over a rooflet with little to do with your feet for the first move or two but paste them to the limestone and grunt your way up. If you're feeling exceptionally lazy, you can just walk up the grass slope and completely ignore the arete! Bolt recently moved down so it's below, rather than above the crux. Ringbolt lower-offs. Update 2013-08: Lower bolt has had the hanger stolen, sole bolt is at the crux | 18 | 13m, 1 | |||||
8 |
★ The Roof Left Hand Variant
In many ways harder than The Roof proper, this route starts up the gully then left hand corner (alternatively up the left arete, then step around to gain the roof). Traverse right under the roof, then around the lip to the bolt. More smearing/oppositional holds required, and a little more skill and strength. This is also harder to protect than The Roof, as the bolt is further out. However, it will take cams, as long as you don't place them where your hands need to be! | 18 | 15m, 1 | |||||
9 |
Pulse
Scramble up the gully for about 9m until you are below the roof, then ascend the steep left hand corner exiting left under the roof to join Crossover at the committing step into the groove. Don't make the mistake of trying to directly climb the roof. | 11 | 9m | |||||
10 |
★ Intro RH Variant Finish / Climb A RH Variant Finish
As for Climb A, but take a committing step out right into the next crack and then climb up. | 10 | 14m | |||||
11 |
★ Intro / Climb A
Straight up the set of ledges immediately to the left of the roof, until you reach the two bolt belay. Plenty of spots for gear. | 9 | 14m | |||||
12 |
★ Crossover
Start on the right side of the tiny tower, about 2m left of Intro. Steep and fingery climbing up cracks and corners to cross Intro at about half height at the base of the wide right-facing corner. Then climb flakes and edges to an awkward and committing step right into the groove below the anchor bolts. Climb the groove to the anchors. Variant: finish up Intro. | 12 | 17m | |||||
13 |
★ Tiny Tower
Climb the face of the precarious tower, then trend right to surmount the slab and up to the anchor bolts. Don't forget to stand on top of the tower. The crux is getting off the tower onto the slab above. Variant: start at Crossover and climb the corner crack to join the route at the top of the tower. | 15 | 15m | |||||
14 |
★ Florin
Climb the corner crack left of the tiny tower. Crux is at the level of the top of the tower and requires a big reach to good holds and a foot jam. Slightly easier to climb up the wall on the left but you can't avoid the foot jam. #3 and #4 camalots are useful. Named after the late Florin Tepes who, with Armando, spent many happy hours here introducing youngsters to the wonderful world of climbing. | 13 | 16m | |||||
15 |
★ Spondonical / Climb B
Start 1 metre right of The Slab. Head up an easy right-veering crack, finishing at a two-bolt belay. Your pick as to which one! | 9 | 16m | |||||
16 |
★ The Slab
Bolted slab. 3 bolts + wires or cams to ringbolt anchor. Only use the slab and not adjacent rock features. Starting to become very polished with time, and limestone's not the most fun stuff to slab on in the first place! Expect to slip at least once. | 18 | 15m, 3 | |||||
17 |
★ The Slab LH Variant Start
Bit of a contrived variant, this is essentially just a few different moves heading up the left side rather than straight up and paradoxically, if you're reasonably strong, probably the safer way to climb The Slab as there's some good oppositional holds. | 19 | 15m, 3 | |||||
18 |
★ Cave Crack
A pleasant crack starting 1.5 metres left of The Slab. Nothing particularly hard or dangerous, and good gear. | 13 | 16m | |||||
19 |
★ Blinky / Climb C
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. | 14 | 13m | |||||
20 |
★ Bee Line / Climb D
Warning Flora and Fauna: Bee hive Start 1m left of Blinky at the crack. Bridge up past a white patch, then up the slab above to two bolt belay. | 14 | 12m | |||||
21 |
★ Inky / Climb E
Start at the base of Bee Line. Climb leftwards up the blocks then straight up the slab (through the white 'Pac Man' monster), placing runners in Bee Line when needed. Above the small overhang move left or right to the fixed anchors. | 15 | 13m | |||||
22 |
★ Sally
Named after Armando's daughter. The crack at the left end of the crag. Start up Inky and move left into the crack near the white rock. Pleasant steep climbing up the crack with great jugs and one hard move near the top. | 9 | 13m | |||||
23 |
Bunger hunger
Head left up the blocks as for Inky and Sally, then step left at the ledge. Funky rightwards diagonal traverse boulder problem, finishing straight over the top of the block. Repeat 100 times and head to Bungonia Gorge. | 18 | 13m | |||||
24 |
White Rocks Traverse
Traverse the crag from left to right. Difficulty depends entirely on how far you go, and the height at which you climb. | 9 - 19 | 10m |
2. Index by grade
Grade | Stars | Name | Style | Pop | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | ★ | Baby Arete | 18m | ||
9 | ★ | Intro | 14m | ||
★ | Sally | 13m | |||
★ | Spondonical | 16m | |||
10 | ★ | Far Right | 8m | ||
★ | Intro RH Variant Finish | 14m | |||
11 | ★ | Fizz | 11m | ||
Pulse | 9m | ||||
12 | ★ | Crossover | 17m | ||
Lemonade | 11m | ||||
13 | ★ | Cave Crack | 16m | ||
★ | Florin | 16m | |||
14 | ★ | Bee Line | 12m | ||
★ | Blinky | 13m | |||
Peroxide Power | 13m | ||||
15 | ★ | Inky | 13m | ||
★ | Soda Pop | 11m | |||
★ | Tiny Tower | 15m | |||
18 | Bunger hunger | 13m | |||
★ | The Roof | 13m, 1 | |||
★ | The Roof Left Hand Variant | 15m, 1 | |||
★ | The Slab | 15m, 3 | |||
9 to 19 | White Rocks Traverse | 10m | |||
19 | ★ | The Slab LH Variant Start | 15m, 3 |