Vías en Dalpura Head para grado seleccionado

One of the most novel routes in the country up an extraordinary natural feature that redefines the term knife blade arete. No amount of hyperbole will prepare you for the first sight of this exposed prow on a remote tower. Imagine 'Flake Crack' but without the main wall and 70m high. You can even hang your arm through holes in the arete in several places! Rock quality is generally pretty poor but it's all about position, position, and position! Protection is good, generally on solid ring bolts and occasionally on fixed slings/rope tied through holes in the arete. Although technically this is a sport route be prepared for large amounts of rope admin - bring jumars, lots of biners and helmets. Have an escape plan if it all goes wrong and the tower falls down.

Rap-in

The route is located on the south east arete of the Lost Pillar on Dalpura Head. Locate 2 x ringbolts (no longer carrots) on top of cliff above the Lost Pillar (peer over edge to locate pillar!). It's a 120m abseil straight down the wall (joining ropes is an option). It's recommended you re-belay at one of two DBBs. The first hanging DBB is slightly above the top of the pillar and is used for the tyrolean exit. The second DBB is on a ledge 15m below the top of the pillar with some vegetation, a small swing to the left, recommended for the bounce exit. Pick your re-belay and finish rapping straight down into the gully. Scramble down a few metres to the line of ring bolts traversing left for the first pitch.

Stick clip the first bolt (optionally, belay off the rap rope, or off some slung sandstone) to avoid a bad fall off the ledge on the opening moves.

Climbing

1. 35m (21) The Floating Fin Pitch. Start on right wall of fin, about 5m up the gully. Traverse hard left across the horizontal break (super chossy) past lots of stainless to gain better rock on left side of arete. Up. No, seriously keep going up, taking care not rip a fin off, to belay on ledge at triple bolt belay. Rope drag is a minor issue on this pitch. 30m of rope will make it if the second is near the edge.

2. 18m (22) Sea Cliff Pitch. Go against all logic and traverse out right above the sucking void to gain the knife blade arete again. Up. Yes, the slings are bomber. No, you can't come down. Take care with the top-out onto the belay ledge, there is quite a bit of small loose shale. Double ring belay.

3. 18m (23) Sandy Boulder Pitch. Surprisingly punchy in the bottom half. First bolt is a dangerously high clip, so pull on belay bolts to reach it. Belay on double rings and FH.

Exit options

Scramble to true summit 5m away and locate double rings on west facing block.

The Bounce (recommended)

The simplest but most exciting. Rap 15m between main wall and pillar, then kick with all your might to sail across the void. Grab your rap line and pull onto the ledge. The rope will only be close enough to grab if you re-belayed on the vegetated ledge.

The Welsh Dragon

Rap 30m down to western lower tiers of pillar to a 2 x carrot belay (visible from top, has in-situ gear to facilitate next abseil (!) ), and rap another 30m back to the start gully. From the gully, either jumar back up the fixed ropes, or climb Welsh Dragon (shady) or The Opposition (harder and sun after 1pm).

The Tyrolean

It's also possible to tyrolean off the top of the pillar (avoiding the first 70m of jumaring) by towing the end of the fixed abseil rope behind you up the climb and diagonal ascending up to the re-belay anchors. Look up how to set it up!

Major direct corner system on the south west side of the pillar. All trad, and done ground up in the finest possible style (if you disregard nude soloing).

1. 20m (23) Up thin crack and either step right to belay or continue straight up second pitch. This pitch is shared with Josh's Big Trad Line.

2. 25m (18) Step back into thin corner and up, past blocks and roof to base of clean chimney

3. 25m (19) Up clean line and thru roof to belay

4. 40m (16) Up chimney to ledge and finish up right arete (Gundu).

Four varied pitches - and one stopper move on pitch three which has yet to be climbed free.

Start: Rap in from sling around bollard above 'End of Days'. All raps are diagonally rightwards (looking in), and will require some "redirection" to reach the start of the route. Best to fix 100m rope, and redirect it through several bolts to ensure you don't end up stranded in space, to the belay at the end of Pitch 1. From here, rap 30m on the lead rope to the left edge of the starting ledge (keep up a swing to ensure you land on the ledge!).

Alternatively use double ropes and rap down 35m, 15m, 40m, 30m.

It is highly recommended that you bring Cams #0.4 - #1 for the starting crack (and belay), as the first bolt is REALLY high.

1. 35m (23) Long and sustained face climbing. Easy sandy corner crack to roof, undercling left and across face which thins alarmingly near the end.

2. 45m (23) Long and exposed fused flake just right of arete to top of pillar. Up and left across short orange face to shale break. Past this on jugs to belay in slabby corner stance at triple bolt belay. Sustained!

3. 32m (23M1) Yet to be led clean. Pull on crux bolt (tricky to clip!) to knock this pitch down from grade 27 to grade 23. Left onto arete then left again to short juggy face. Thin moves to horizontal, left along this to reachy move over rooflet (glued-up hold). Up very exposed left facing corner to juggy finish and comfy bivi ledge under huge roof.

4. 13m (20) Short, steep and exposed. Up and left on ironstone jugs to hit roof at mossy crack. Jugs to top. Double ring belay.

Gripping arete which offers a good three pitch escape when finished with the Lost Pillar. This is technically a sport route, but there are some runouts (especially off the belays) and chossy rock in sections which means you want to be solid at this grade to attempt this route. The one repeat of this route has also suggested an upgrade to grade 24. This route gets sun after 1pm so slip, slop and slap. 14 draws and 8 brackets.

Start: First major arete 50m to right (north) of the Lost Pillar and 5m left of Crankenstien. To get to the start either rap down 'Welsh Dragon' and trash through the thick bush or rap direct down the route. The top of the climb is at the bottom of a major gully 50m right of the double bolts above 'Welsh Dragon'. There is a set of double BRs on a ledge at the top, rig a couple of slings and rap into the unknown.

1. 15m (22) From tiny ledge with no anchors climb leftwards to high first ubolt (try and stick-clip this with a 5m stick so you don't die) then left again to arete. Ponder the lack of holds, find a solution and scuttle up to belay below steep orange arete.

2. 40m (23) Steeply up right side of arete with a few long moves. Cross a minor choss band then continue up the ladder of jugs. Finish with a few techy crimp moves on the left then right side of arete.

3. 40m (18) Jugs to big break, over this then up techy black arete on little ironstone edges. Ramble up ledgy stuff to finish. Bolt plates needed for this pitch. Belay off double BRs.