Ascents in New Zealand by Troy Kendall

2 days of getting spanked on this 😂

Good fun climb

Linked all the moves besides the crux.

Great route! Gonna have to come back to redpoint the first pitch! 😢 foot popped off the smear..

Combined first two pitches. Fun climbing.

Third attempt at finishing this climb off. Excellent climb, is actually four pitches goes at 16-16-19-17. Cool slab climbing!

First attempt didn’t have the right gear, second; snowstorm came in and made a quick retreat. Third times the charm!

About grade 19 to the crux. Effectively a hard boulder on a rope. No feet, big moves.

16? That’s a sandbag and a half.

First ascent. Boulder crux move, V3/V4. Really cool, ends up into an opposing pressure double gaston with bad feet and small holds. Could be a potentially harder grade than 23.

Bottom part is pretty eh. However, it steadily improves in rock quality as the climb goes up.

Blew the flash, Pumped out just before the last bolt before the anchor.

Keep falling on the same spot… just one more sequence then the rest jug… pumpy as!

Not worth the risk. Stupidly bolted.

More superb rock quality! really good moves through overlaps. Tricky moves with rest in between. Makes it a wee bit easier.

Showing around

Lots of pressing

Fell on this one a long time ago!

FFA. Awesome route. Uses an arsenal of moves. Hope you have shoulders for the crux press.

Tricky to grade. Suggests 24 in the old CD guidebook from 2004-2006. Though could be between 22-24. Great climbing, worked the moves on top-rope. Quite staunch climbing, very varied to typical Castledowns style.

Cool climb. One hard sequence. Fairly burley and pumpy.

Repeat. All us went up to get across to the open project. This line is a good warmup for it.

Old school! Such wicked moves up the pocketed rock! Recommend to anyone. Though incredibly hard to onsight.

Bolts are old, had no hangers. Led on clove-hitched cord. Tree anchor.

Super hard steep slab! Very hard for the grade!

Tricky start, an "Apparent" 16. Though, much like castledowns is, very slabby and very choosy. However Its an awesome traverse with an intresting finish

The triple mantle boulder problem 😂

Average climb, first slab makes it tricky until you find the magic holds.

One of the best 16s around

Typical Castledowns 16! Would be a 18/19 in Wanaka

Warmup.

Easy warm up

Juggyesque pockets (they are deceiving) to a mantle. Afterwards is the mother of all mantles... is pretty darn hard

Awesome wee project! Though the crux is pretty intense! Maybe V3-V4 crux? Cut feet to 2 finger pocket to sloper side pull.

Beta sorted. Now just got to send. Powerful move.

Three attempts, couldn’t land the crux move. Next time.

Classic route, pretty boulderery with pockets, slopers, jugs, sidepulls, and a mantle or two. Great quality. Stoked to send this after tearing the hamstring on it couple months back.

Start is quite boulderery. Makes it tad harder than 18.

Don’t let the grade fool you, defiantly harder than an 18! Tense your core, layback the crack and search for a sloping pinch. Pleased to finally get the his after so many attempts in the past

Can’t do a trip to castledowns without climbing GOAS

Another ol lap of Girl on a Swing. Quality Castledowns test piece.

Really fun climb, hidden holds in the bush, lots of smears and high steps, pull the bulge then the rest is sweet

Another lap of a retro. Great climb on small crimpers, slopers, pinches.

First pitch is a piece of cake, second has a tricky start but after the crux becomes a piece of pie.

Castledowns, home to New Zealand’s hardest grade 16’s

Easy warm up climb

Bit loose and dirty, will send next time hopefully!

Good start to test your balance, once you get over the ledge becomes a piece of cake