Routes in Around Nairobi for selected grade

Fully bolted. Start on slab below first bolt. Move straight up to anchors. First section is tricky and technical to a large block. Climbing past this block is the crux, with different methods better suiting different heights of climber: either go straight up on poor crimps before moving right, or get a heel-lock and toe-jam in place either side of the block and reach straight for a small but positive crimp up and right. Finish on small crimps to top. Grade subject to debate, bu last 3 people to climb the route suggested 7b+ as the grade so that will be kept for now. FA and date unknown.

The second should have a back rope for the first 9m. At the right-hand end of Upper Cliffs is a prominent chimney. This superb technical route starts just left of this feature, below a slab, Gain slab easily and traverse left to corner (bolt). Swing around left edge and ascend face above (crux). On up steep rock (bolt), to a final belay bolt. Up easily to top or abseil off bolt.

Start on the big horizontal rail then a huge move up to the higher horizontal slot above, and easy top-out. Not too hard once you actually get it, but low-percentage for many people.

Up the face on the left side of the boulder next to Treehugger.

Sit-down start on good rail, moves up the rail and over the lip. Avoid dabbing on the tree that is directly under you.

On the boulder with a tree in front of it just to the right of Nightcrawler.

Sit-down start on the arete, left hand on good side pull and right hand on lowest crimp, starts up the arete and then takes a big swing to the face of the overhang with a very tricky mantle to the top. A true Lukenya test-piece.

Start low in the cave on a crimp rail and up to bigger jug (left of razorback start holds). Up and left the steep face on small crimps, avoiding any of the larger razorback holds to the right. Join razorback for the topout only. Would be 3* if not a bit of an eliminate!

Start with right hand on good crimp and left on your choice of bad holds lower down. Pick between two poor choices of of foot beta and make two moves to the lip and top out. The sit-start from the two lowest crimps remains to be done.

Start on arete, make your way left onto face and then straight up through big powerful moves.

Same start hold as Farasi and goes left on a powerful traverse and topout.

Sit-start on the only real obvious holds through the middle of the boulder. Hard move to get established in the pocket, then hard moves to the top.

Sit-start matched in big low crack, right of Shin tingler. Move up to lip then even harder mantle.

Choice line in the middle of the boulder. Stand-start matched in a big horizontal pocket. Move up to the lip then work your way right to slightly more incut holds and use the left-hand edge of the rock on top to finish. Harder than it looks!

A mantling testpiece. Stand-start around the middle of the boulder with hands on the sloping edge, and feet on an obvious rail. Go up via a couple of small holds, hip flexibility and thrutching to better holds above and easy top-out.

To the right of Jack. Sit-down start matched on the thin edge, powerful moves up and to the right out of the roof then left up the short pace. Amazing, precise moves!

A sharp and aesthetic traverse of the boulder. Start matched in "The Joker" crack and proceed to make a full traverse of the boulder utilising the features on the main face to the end of the climbable holds marked by a short horizontal crack with a small pocket at it's end. Once the furthest hold right "the pocket" has been achieved, the climber may top out. Note: the top edge of the boulder is off limits. The climber must dance around on the holds and features on the main face and belly of the boulder.

To the right of Heavy is the Head. Sit-down start with hands on low on quasi symmetrical crimpy edges, a few big moves straight up to the top. Deceptively difficult and low percentage.

Start on pocket/crack at the end of 'Final Boss' and proceed to do the problem in reverse up to where you join 'Jack.' From here, the problem proceeds up and left, sharing a stylish top out with 'The Joker.'

An alternative finish to Heavy is the head. Start on the same holds as for Heavy is the head, but when you arrive at the decent crimp about midway in match and head out left rather than right.

Great little V5 up the overhanging nose of the boulder. Start matched on the good holds about chest height and use power or heel-hook trickery straight up.

Up the centre of the main face. Same sit-start as for Rising tides. Instead of crossing with right hand to the pocket though, take it with your left and go straight up, using the diagonal crimp on your right and stretching for the top. Probably harder for shorter climbers.

Lovely technical climbing up the right-hand arete of the main face. Sit-start in the big crack, then work your way up with right hand using the arete and left on face holds. Figure out how to get your feet high and go for the finishing jugs at the top!

A pleasingly aesthetic line, though the start hold is very tough on the skin. Stand-start with left hand on an incut hold low on the arete and right hand on a higher very sharp and small crimp. Bump up the left hand and get feet higher before going up to the decent hold just right of the arete, and from there to top on okay holds.

Squat-start in the cave on two decent holds, move up and then left to big underclings, keeping tension to join the end of Sugar Rush. Crux is maybe avoiding dabbing the rock behind you!

Deceptively difficult and techy problem. Sit-start with left hand in lowest horizontal crack and right in a good low undercling. Make your way to a standing position via okay crimps, then up and right via weight shifts and tenuous body positions to top out on the right edge of the boulder on good holds.

Start on two small crimpers above the rock. Traverse left and finish as for act of blasphemy. #SD #traverse #crimpy

Start with your feet all the way at the bottom of the cave, on the boulder. Hard move to start. Then hard moves. #SD #crimpy

Sit-start with right hand on same start as act of blasphemy and left hand further left, in a wide t the large rail. Straight up trending left from there.

Up the arete left of Sniffing Glue. Stand-start on two decent flat holds and work up the arete with power and precision to top out either straight up or left.

Crimpy highball up the left side of the boulder, on the face.

The logical conclusion to a lot of messing around on this boulder! As for Big Knife, but keep going with tricky beta along the rest of the boulder, finishing up Corkscrew. Long, fun and knackering!

Crouch-start low on good crimps. Work your way up and to the right through hardish moves to a good hold just below the overhang, then commit to big moves to decent holds for the airy topout. Beauty of a boulder problem.

Long and sustained! Start way to the right under the overhang, just left of the entrance to the cave, matched on the slanting hold from a sit-start. Work your way left on decent holds and bad feet to a hard match (crux), then round then corner and up the blocky finish.

On the left side of the boulder. Grade is not really a good barometer on this one. Start on the good rail, get your feet set and launch for the top and mantle.

Start on the left of the same juggy rail as 'Gobi Head' and go straight up by way of sharp crimps. The only feature this route shares with Gobi Head is the rail at the bottom. Stay away from the holds far right as this is a different problem.

The arete immediately left of 'The Calm Before the Storm.' Start matched on the decent square knob. From there its just a matter of braving the storm ahead.

Line up the overhang left and under The Storm. Stand-start on the lowest juggy rail, figure out a way to get established on the obvious cracks above, and exit right onto the finishing jug of The Storm. Named in honour of the stubborn lizard living in the start holds.

Alternate finish to Shelter from the Storm. Start in the same rail where the mjusi lives, but ignore the higher rail on the right and instead go straight up from the small pocket crack for a crimpy finish.

On the far left of the boulder. Short problem from a stand-start on a rail where the rock above has broken off. Straight up through a tricky mantle.

The sit-start to Machungwa. Start on the two low crimps down and right, hard scrunched-up move up and left to the start hold of Machungwa, and finish straight up. Harder for the tall.

Start matched on the same holds as for How old are you now?, but go up and right to a decent crimp, and straight up from there.

Start awkwardly below a scoop and work your way into it with fantastic undercling moves. Hard hand traverse along a sharp leftward sloping ridge with poor feet, before a heady direct top out.

Straight up the middle of the boulder, using a tiny sharp left-hand crimp on the face. If you are 11, very light and very strong like the first ascentionist, you can match on this and use a tiny crack side-pull. If you are not, get your feet up and throw to a good hold at the top - very hard!

Same as Finger-Tingler, but adding in a sit-start from the lowest crack.