Nodos en Sandstone

The sandstone climbing is on the concentric rings of rock at the top of the mountain

This area is dominated by the Gendarme and offers some of the longest pitches on Lions Head.

Start just right of 'Route by T. Hughes'

1. [18] 25m

   Head up the left side of a wide and dirty crack (deep groove) to an overhang. Pull diagonally up and right through the small roof and into the break out right. Continue up to the grassy ledge and walk across to the next cliff band.

2. [15] 42m

   Start a bit right of the 'Rainbow Crag' recess on a face. Up to join 'Rainbow Crag' for a few meters then step left onto the left bulging face of the recess. Move left a meter or two and then straight up to the top.

Opening new lines where other RD's are not detailed, hmmmmm! Startup the wide and dirty crack (deep groove) to the ledge, move slightly right to gain the rail (on the left) in the overlap. Move left and head up for the cleft/ notch in the skyline.

The route starts from the Tea Cave ledge directly where the abseil comes down from the bolted anchors (between Naught For Your Comfort on the left and Aquanaut on the right).

1. 20m (19): Pull up onto the steep white face and climb directly via a pocket and a thin gear placement to the ledge above. Cross over Aquanaut (which traverses left here) and move up to below a bulge. Pull straight through the bulge and continue to the bolted anchors. Cross the huge ledge to the start of the next pitch of Clifton Crest. Pitch 2 of Codgernaut takes the face between Crest’s corner and Excaliber, which climbs the front of the Gendarme.

2. 25m (18): Move up Crest for about 2 metres, then step to the right to gain the white face just to the left of a precarious looking jutting out block. Blast straight up the middle of the face past a few rails, till you reach a deep hollowed out rail about two-thirds of the way up the face. Step right and using a hollow flake, which forms the top of the rail, move up and right to gain the left edge of the Gendarme. Climb the edge on thin grips till it eases at the ledge above (this last section up the edge is shared with Excaliber). Follow either Excalber or Clifton Crest to the higher ledge and the abseil anchors.

The third pitch on the book says it is a 15 but I had climbed a 17 and 18 pitch before it and those all felt easier than the third pitch, that's why I am suggesting a grade 19 for it. The second pitch is an amazing 18 pitch, really fun.

Start a bit left of the Rainbow Crag recess. Climb up a short layback crack, then continue straight up a vague recess and a short crank onto the face above. Up easy ground to the top.

Start a bit left of the Spookies. Climb up a short face,and then the tricky arete to the right of the corner. A strenous pull through the roof leads to easier climbing to the top.

A direct line to the left of Greyscaling.

Start ~2m right of a low roof and follow a thin crack to a ledge. Pull onto the next undercut face and up to a ledge with a large block in the middle. Head up to the right of a vegetated recess and then straight to the top.

Start ~5m left of Stuffed Lion, just left of a corner crack. Climb straight up the white face to a ledge. Continue straight over blocky terrain to the base of a steep, brown layback crack. After a few meters, when the crack peters out, continue straight up, and easily to the top. The lower sections of this route have surely been done before.

Start up Greyscaling. At the ledge take the crack to the right of Greyscaling, then follow a curved crack. When this peters out climb straight up to the top.

Start on the obvious open book between Greyscaling and Stuffed Lion, which leads to a big ledge/stance. Take the crack up the clean brown wall to an overhang, pull through this and up a white face to the top.

Start ~4m right of Stuffed Lion directly below the centre of a roof ~10m up. Climb the short face to a ledge, step 1m left and up to a rail below the roof. (There is a loose block to the right, treat with respect). Pull through the roof using large, solid flakes over the lip to the next rail. Move up and right using an undercling and a jug to the base of a wide crack. Continue up and left to a ledge, and then over a bulge (large pocket on the left). Tend slightly right to the vague arete for a few moves, then step left and straight up to the top.

Start ~6m right of Stuffed Lion, just left of a bush in vague corner. P1, 20m (20). Climb up, step right over the bush and up to a ledge. Step left to a recess, then up to a white, hanging pillar. Move carefully across the pillar to the right, then up to a small roof below a short, brown face. Some tricky reaches bring you to the next roof. Pull through this on good holds, then tend left to a good ledge. Stance below a corner. This will be a grade or two harder if you are short. P2, 15m (15). Climb the crack system in the corner, near the top head left to a wide ledge.

Single pitch, 35m, bang in the middle between Cosmonaut & Aquanaut's pitches right of the Gendarme. Start 1,5m left of Aquanaut and hold the line to the ledge. From the ledge pull into the layback crack below the triangular roof 3-4m up; climb through the middle of the roof on good jugs; step left and go straight up the open book to the next roof; step out left from under the roof and go straight up, staying to the right of Cosmonaut. Hold your line up to the abseil anchors. The name came up after a debate on which knot to abseil off.

Single pitch variation right of the Gendarme. Climb Astronaut P1 to the ledge but rather than heading left up the corner crack, blast straight up the steep face above with a powerful crux dead point. At the bush on the next little ledge step ~1m left and then straight up to the bolted abseil anchor.

Start about 2.5m right of Dreadnaught. A tricky first move up the centre of the short square face leads to a small ledge. Continue up the next short section to a darker grey face. Climb just left of the middle of this to a small overlap. Pull through and straight to a wide ledge. Move about 2m right and head up the left side of a whitish face. Continue up a vertical crack and a last short section to reach the big ledge.

Start about 3m right of Relic News. Climb the corner and then step left. Pull up onto the next shelf and step back right to a crack in the darker grey rock. Follow this crack and move right to gain the next vague corner. Climb up a few meters the traverse across the face and up to the next ledge. Place gear high in the Wild Things Run Free narrow corner but climb the arete to the left. Continue straight up to the big ledge.

A Cape Argus Newspaper from 25 March 1933 was found shoved in the crack at the start of this route, still readable.

Don't go up the V- Notch, keep right up the open book. Traverse left under the roof. Opened it cause I can't read an RD. Harder if you are short.

Start about 3m right of the Headline '33 corner. Follow the break above the boulder to a right tending series of layback flakes. At the ledge, move 2m right and climb the right side of the short faces above (do not climb the lichenous corner to the left as there is a large, loose block in the crack). Head up to the left of a large clump of grass, and then step over the grass and up a tricky recess. At the top move slightly left and then straight to the big ledge.

The direct version (20/21) starts up the next break right from the start of Newsflash. A better, straighter line, but if you can't reach the square two finger pocket from the ground it will be much harder.

A direct line, that is both better and easier than it looks. Essentially climbs ~2.5m parallel to Beware the Dark Horse P2 all the way. Start about 2m left of Beware the Dark Horse. Pull up to a short white face and over this to a ledge. (Sunset Crag crosses this little ledge and heads of left). Head straight up a thin seam in grey rock, past some good rails, then straight up a white face (between the lichen). Continue straight up to the bulge in the grey section above. Pull thought this (crux) and then finish up great holds to the top.

Plumb line between the second pitch of 'Beware the Dark Horse' & 'Blueberry Hill'.

Start between 'Beware the Dark Horse' and 'Blueberry Hill'. Climb up to a triangular undercling on the first overlap 3m up. From the ledge, gain the blank looking face directly above and stay left of the crumbly flakes, going onto good jugs – you run it out a bit at this point (there are some micro nut placements if you have time to fiddle with gear) - the hard pull onto the face is right above good gear though, and the jugs higher up are bomber. Hold the line straight through the undercut crack system (crux) that is capped by a small triangular roof; and then onto the belay ledge – there is a threaded abseil point from which to belay.

Single pitch just right of Blueberry Hill. Start up a short face directly below a steep crack, which leads to a prominent sharp arete. Pull up onto the arete and climb directly to a ledge.

Single pitch just right of Simba Serendipity P2 (which follows the line to the left of the roof). Climb straight up to the middle on the long thin overhang (can stand on a ledge to the right). Pull through roof to thin rail (aliens useful) and up excellent crack. Climb the central of three columns stemming left at one stage to reach a rail.

Start 5m left of Juggernaut P2. Straight up to small ledge. Move right into short, bottomless corner (tricky) and then straight up face and steep prow to ledge. Small cam useful for the crux.

Start 3m left of Juggernaut P2. Use a short, undercut face to gain the rail. Tend left and up through a steep blocky section to below a roof. Pull straight through the roof just right of the crack (sneaky undercling) to a left leaning ramp and short open book above. Easy ground up to ledge.

Start to the right of Juggernaut up a crack system that moves up and slightly right across the steep face to join the Y-shaped recess on Cat’s Pyjamas. Head straight up the face above, then a short arête and then a final bungle with an intermittent crack on the right hand side. Scramble up to the big ledge. Abseil point to the left.

Start up the break left of Mane Course and pull right onto the shelf. Climb the open book to the roof. Continue up the steep, flaring crack above to the next roof. Reach straight over the roof to find good holds (and small cams for gear). From here, a funky but difficult crux sequence leads right and then up onto the face above. [There is a key, large flake under the roof, which seems solid, but treat it with respect]. Continue straight up to the ledge with a small tree. On the left side of the ledge climb straight up the right hand side of two short faces to the big ledge. Abseil point to the left. Consensus grading needed.

Excellent single pitch located on the Gendarme level vegetated band, near the start of Cat's Pyjamas. Almost 5 star. Start up a short crack and then a short face to first roof - pull through (tricky) to a rest below the second roof. Hard moves at the lip lead leftward to a rail and then up to a small ledge with a bush. Up easily to big ledge.

Takes the steep crack to the right of Mane Course. Starting on some large boulders, follow the crack through a tricky, thin corner to the roof. Gain the next good hand rail and tackle the humbling crack to the big roof. Traverse a metre right and up into a recess. Step back left and follow a vague arete easily to the big ledge.

The project listed in the guide book on pg 51. Start about 3m right of Pride Breaker and climb straight up to a good break in the slanted roof. Stretch or dyno to a flake (which flexes but seems solid enough) on the lip, tend slightly right then straight up easily to big ledge. Concensus grading needed - probably easier if you are tall.

Great for quick single pitch climbing after work. There are glue-in lower-offs which makes getting back to the ground quick.

Follows a direct line between Druggernaut and Taut Naut. Climb the oblique corner to the roof. Pull right and then contort yourself up the short, smooth, bottomless corner to some wide rails. Use the projecting fin to pull up and left to the final steep face and finish up Druggernaut. Consensus grading needed.

Climb the thinner crack on the left. You can use standard sport rope. This nook is in shade when the rest of the crag is in the sun. Scramble up a few meters then walk left to access Clifton tea cave level.

Climb the wider crack on the right. You can use standard sport rope. This nook is in the shade when the rest of the crag is in the sun. Scramble up a few meters then walk left to access Clifton tea cave level.

Start by laybacking over a large block. Continue up and to the left of some loose-ish blocks (take care!!). Finish up the vague corner to the left.

Follow a recess passing a bush. Follow the crack, and then the face left of the big succulent. Step back right to the crack under the large grass tuft. Follow the crack and exit to the right of climbers friend bush on top. Listed originally as one pitch, but you will have to be very bold to scramble after the actual climb.

Follow the crack line all the way, to the left of the wide recess in the orange wall.

Surprisingly good, and tricksy. Climbs the wall and arête to the right of And the Living is Easy. Follow the rib to the wide rail, Hard moves onto the face above lead to rails. Continue up the arête (flakes on the face to the left are loose). Small cams are useful higher up.

Written for sake of completion. Not recommended. Just right of The Time Wasp is a face with a small roof a few meters up. Climb beneath the middle of the face to a roof. Realize it is too hard to go direct and use holds on the right to be able to step left over the roof onto the face. Make a gripping traverse up and left (with nasty fall potential) to the arête, which is climbed easily to the top. Gets one star for the funky traverse moves.

Just past the South-East arête (Pitch#2) on the Clifton side. Start up a nice hand crack and then follow a vague arete to the top.

Power Struggle Sector used to be called Wally's Cave Sector which was misleading. Power Struggle seems more appropriate as it is the iconic line in this sector and is where the rap point is. Routes are all single pitch.

Start between Heatwave and Boris the Bullet Dodger. Pull onto the face and at the small overlap step left then up easily to a ledge. Climb the face above between the crack lines.

The route follows the obvious crack line a few meters left of Cold War. Pull straight through the bulge (a little strenuous) below the vertical crack higher up. Continue straight up the crack to the top.

Start between Boris the Bullet Dodger and Cold War. Pull onto the wall by some vertical side pulls. At the small roof, step left then up between some large stacked blocks. Head up the light grey face on good holds to the top. This is just left of a darker, narrow, square recess.

Start just left of Power Struggle, and follow two, white stacked aretes on the left of the face. Head right to the first roof. Pull through on the left into a vague recess, just left of where 'Power Struggle' pulls through. Continue up to an undercling flake at the base of the white face above. Pull out right and boldly follow the white arête to the top. The boulder on top wobbles, so railing left or right a foot below the top is safer.

This interesting and quite hard route ascends the face directly below the only prominent overhanging prow. Move directly up and through two sets of overhangs on strenuous and gymnastic moves using large cams for protection. End at a nice platform. Originally the route had 2 pitons which were removed in 2010, after consensus that the route could be adequately protected.

This good route lies five metres to the right of Power Struggle and forms a straight line on the side of the prominent overhanging nose. With a tricky start through a small overhang ascend the face directly below the right side of the prominent overhanging prow. Halfway up step left onto the prow and ascend the shallow recess and steep top section to finish at the Power Struggle platform. Originally the route had 2 pitons which were removed in 2010, after consensus that the route could be adequately protected.

Great steep climb. Excellent rock.

Start up Kalashnikov but then head up and left to underneath a narrow roof. Pull through and then up the left side of short white face.

Start to the right of Kalashnikov. Pull up into a short right-facing corner and up to the brown rock. Follow two layback cracks to the top.