Voies trad dans Blackheath Area

The dirty but decent looking crack. It will get better as it cleans up. Take small cams and a vision of what could be.

Face crack right of vegetated corner

Climb corner 2m right of Mr. Big, traverse to Mr. Big P1 belay. Continue up right from belay to Mr. Big P2 belay

Take gear!

Line of RBs on the arete left of Cold Finger to DRBB.

Steep roof crack, starting in cave, finish to 'Thunderball' anchors.

Take gear!

Take gear!

Take gear! Pitch 1: 25m, 11 carrots. Pitch 2: 20m, trad.

Thin finger crack 10m left of The Phoenix. Has its own lower offs.

Soft for the grade, but very long and moderately bold. Wandery thin slab that rejoins The Phoenix at its crux (last 8m of climbing) to avoid the much harder direct finish to the top.

Originally led as one giant 50m pitch, it can be broken up into as many as 3 pitches if necessary.

6 draws + Full set of Wires + small cams (to green 0.75), and 1 x #2, and 1x #4/#5 (for The Phoenix).

From the GROUND, start up Firefly and continue past its anchors. Trend right to arete (#2 cam), then up trending left to semi-detached block (Quetzal Bolt #1), then trend right to thin flake system for a move or two, then back left, moving a few metres left at Quetzal Bolt #3), before heading back right past 2 more bolts to an anchor. Move right into The Phoenix, then up The Phoenix to top on gear.

The harder Direct Finish to Quetzal. Can be climbed from the ground in 1 (50m) pitch, 2 pitches, or 3 pitches as desired. Alternatively, it can be climbed as a rap-in, climb-out single pitch from the Quetzal anchor.

P1 - As for Quetzal to the 2nd set of anchors (before moving right to join The Phoenix).

P2 - Thin and techy moves up and slightly right past 3 bolts to the ledge, avoiding The Phoenix.

Long, sustained predominantly finger-crack climb with an exciting finish. Beautifully clean on good rock. Best done as one long 45m pitch (no rope drag). Bring the usually passive pro and doubles of cams 0.3 to 2, and singles 3, 4 and possibly 5. More small gear (0.3 and 0.4 or Aliens) keeps it sane. Be CAREUL of the loose blocks in the back of the off-width section. Crack completely re-cleaned October 2012.

Relatively easy climbing, in an outrageous position, marred by some rubbish rock on the arete.

Bring 1 x 0.75, 2 x #1, 1 x #2 and 1 x #3 camelots, 6 draws + anchors.

1. 20m (15) As for Archeopteryx Pitch 1. Start at the bolt at the end of the fixed rope traverse (8m RIGHT of The Phoenix abseil anchors). Up to first bolt (some loose rock) via corner system, then traverse left on HUGE holds but with amazing exposure past 5 more bolts. After last bolt (long sling), climb delicately up past scarily loose rock to belay below headwall).

2. 25m - Up flake, then hand traverse left. After 3rd bolt, keep going left past 2 more bolts to overhanging arete. Climb arete past 0.75/#1, #2, #1 and #3 cam placements on monster jugs (peek-a-boo) and some suspect rock to top. Bring up second and walk up to anchors above Archeopteryx P2.

EXIT: Directly BELOW the belay at the start of the headwall are 5 bolts that can be used to redirect the abseil rope BACK under the rooflet to the anchors above The Phoenix. Alternatively, top out and bring up your section, and wall directly up vague trail to rejoin the walkdown track.

From first belay on Archaeopteryx head up corner for a few metres then traverse across past thread to main crack line directly above Phoenix and up it. May need a bolt at top to avoid runout finish.

Everything has a cost... choose wisely. Various options on this climb...

Starts at obvious overhanging corner left of cave in upper wall.

Up corner and arête to ledge then left slightly and up wall via crack, scoops and horizontals, finishing on the face or in corner as you prefer ..

Double rack to 3, triples in medium sizes, plus some small cams. Nested gear helps at times.

On the upper wall, left of the cave. Overhung corner as for The Fee then arc right to alcove and finish up thin crack as for Nix. Original version of route before direct finish found. Great finish after doing The Phoenix.

Standard rack cams and wires with doubles in small sizes, plus extra small Aliens/C3/X4s and largely RPs or similar small wires.

Upper wall left of cave, takes the right facing shallow corner below upper thin crack.

Start to right below corner, up to horizontal, small cams, then left into corner. A few small wires and cams help you up the corner, then large cam before small roof and to alcove. Right into thin crack with small gear and up. Easing towards top. Looked like it would need bolts but in the end it was nix ...

Standard rack cams and wires with doubles in small sizes, plus extra small C3/X4s and RPs or similar small wires.

The obvious corner. A bit grovelly to start, but then decent. Take 2 decent sized cams. DRBB.

Rap in, climb out. Old bolt holes viable but unnecessary as it is protectable on gear. Starts left of Grit Downunder, on left side of ledge. Boulders start leads to the odd runout sections and scoopy crux.. Very hard 23 ....

Great climbing up a right-hand fused flake, after a cruxy face.

Half-dozen Cams and wires - classic old school Blue Mountains 23 . . . Love it . . .

Start: Find the carrot on the shelf 2/3rds of the way along main wall, and rap in to ledge with big tree. Start in faint corner on left.

Start: Corner just right of access gully.

1. 25m corner to trees

2. 25m wide corner

Start: 2m left of 'Moment of Truth'.

Seam and corner.

Start: 150m right of access gully, marked with faint MOT chip. Small right leaning corner with twin trees on ledge at 25m.

Corner and layback.

Start: Small right leaning corner 40m right of 'Moment of Truth' marked S-F.

1. 10m To block.

2. 17m Right to groove, left to gully.

3. 43m Gully to tree.

Start: Marked S-F Rambly grey corner.

Start: 15m right of S-F.

Flared overhanging offwidth chimney strewn with fragments of cathartic writing on plates thrown off the lookout above "to everyone who has ever stuffed me .. STUFF YOU" etc. Get into it, and get your rage out!

Start: 66m right of 'Calm'. Marked with giant KA. Horribly broken chimney with what looks like better crack to left.

1. 17m (11) yellow corner, traverse left to chimney, right to crack.

2. 13m Chimney and crack

Start: At break in overhang 10m right of 'Knees Also', marked T.

1. 17m Left to tree then easy slab to block.

2. 13m To right.

Start: At break 3m right of 'Troika' marked Q, below obvious lengths of gal chain.

One grade 9 move up break then up easy grade 4 gully and rambly slabs, passing old iron eye bolt on slab and DRB under niche which might be the top of some line of carrots. Tree belay with superlative 180 degree views of cliffs from ZigZag to Shipley and the valley below.

Old Description

1. 14m Crack, traverse left and up to tree.

2. 16m right leading chimney.

Start: 3m right of 'Quadrill' at break in overhang marked Q.

1. 16m Through break, right and back left to piton belay.

2. 14m Right up bulge

Start: Chimney 33m right of 'Us'.

1. 20m chimney, squeeze right to ledge of piton.

2. 6m Up and out of chimney.

Start: Base of chimney at head of gully 33m right of 'Bottle Chimney'.

1. 20m Chimney to chock.

2. 10m up to roof, traverse right, big chockstone to tree.

Start: At base of chimney 13 right of 'Tanglefoot'.

1. 13m chimney to tree.

2. 17m gully then left and up easy mossy corner.

3. 13m Easy chimney.

Start: Small bluff 6m right of 'Clam'

1. 20m crack, traverse left and up bulge

2. 13m 'Clam' P2.

Start: 40m right of 'Knees As Well'

1. Arete.

"Start at crack"

Chimney

Crack in corner.

Start: Middle of giant recess in small corner 100m right of 'Knees'

1. 13m Corner and piton.

2. 6m Corner and traverse left to tree.

3. 20m left to arete and tree.

4. 17m Right and up overhang.

The steep corner crack up the middle of the North-facing orange walls, 300m E of Blackheath Lookout. Rap in to semi-hanging trad stance above vegetation.

The finger-crack corner in orange rock in the lower cliffband, about 70m R of and below Blistering. Move R around roof and up crack above.

Warning A massive (2020?) rockfall has fallen down the corner right of this wall.

Note: This is not the route of the same name at Cosmic County.

Very impressive buttress.

Start: Marked HPD just left of red wall and major corner.

1. (15m) Climb wall between crack and arête to good ledge and belay.

2. (30m) Pull with difficulty through overhang moving left then right to gain base of buttress. Up buttress with 4 or 5 BRs (3 rusty FH visible)

Warning Fresh rockfall smashed down nearby so unwise to ground-up until inspected from above.

Soaring slightly-vegetated off-width corner 4m right of High Plains Drifter.

A wall followed by a crack in the higher buttress.

Start: 35 metres right of High Plains Drifter on left hand side of ledge above the track, marked I with an angled up right arrow.

1. (17m) Up scoopy wall passing a drilled in baby angle runner. Fine groove leads left around the arête to belay at base of crack.

2. (18m) Up crack moving right at half height into parallel crack. Follow this to top.

Scrubby crack.

Start marked HWS / AMB below SS FH on same ledge as AMB, although climb may start from ground as described below. One old rusty bracket and 2 SS FH visible on grey slab above initials.

1. Layback to ledge via BR

2. Left up slab via 2 BR to BB on ledge

3. Blind corner 2 BRs

Scramble up right near the Isis mark past 5m of horrid vegetation, or better still send up a willing assistant, to the pleasant starting ledge -33.64125, 150.25595.

Start marked HWS / AMB below SS FH.

Climb may trend right up somewhat vegetated wide corner.

Marked "GC/A". Under the thick ferns is a crack in a slabby right-facing corner. Not climbable in current condition and probably best left alone.

Climb ferny crack of Grandpa Chook for about 7m then traverse right to arete (3 BRs) to break, 2 aid pitons then easily to bollard and piton belay on right.

Several sets of side-by-side and other single carrots visible from above start.

Looks very freeable - but description says aid. The direct start looks cleaner and better and is marked "SCA" - apparently Silver City Express.

Nice initial wall.

Start: Marked SCE

1. Up slightly left to gain the main wall then straight up it past 3 BR’s to bushy ledge below sloping bulge. Piton (in place) used to pull over bulge to another in situ peg runner. Up wall above to convenient ledge or tree. - K. Bell

Good climbing up a spectacular curving orange corner. A little vegetated at the bottom but it does not affect the climbing.

Start: Marked P, 4m right of Silver City Express.

1. (35m) Pull over bulge and move left up wall towards corner above the bushes. Follow the corner with increasing difficulty. Exit right to single BB which can be reinforced by a 3.5/4.0 cam above.

Delicate grey wall with some bolts but mostly on cams and stoppers. Belay as for Polybius.

Start: Marked P, same as Polybius.

1. Over bulge and up wall to BR. Move left past bolt then diagonally right into middle of the wall and up to another BR. Hard blank section above to a narrow horizontal slot. Over this to another BR then slabby ground leads to belay shared with Polybius and On Any Sunday.

Blunt arête to the right of Kerisal on trad pro. Take range of stoppers and cams. A cam larger than a #4 can be considered essential.

Start: Marked OS, 1m right of Polybius.

1. Up groove then move right to bulge below blunt arete. Through bulge then follow arête to horizontal break. Belay

Start: Marked SS/H/J, same as Sargasso Sea, or from the right end of the shale ledge at obvious cracks that head out to the right of the end of the roof above.

1. Step left onto obvious arête and follow it to a good ledge shared by Sargasso Sea, Jericho and El Desperado. Top run out, take a range of cams to reinforce the belay.

First attempt to crack the Sargasso Sea wall.

Start: Marked SS/H/J, same as Sargasso Sea.

1. (40m) Up short groove to ledge and move left. In the middle of the ledge take a rising traverse towards the obvious arête. Up it to belay as for Sargasso Sea.

A great wall and slab pitch. So named because the wall was initially very mossy. Take 1.0 to 1.5 cams to augment the belay.

Start: Marked SS/H/J about 5m right of the drop down from the traverse around from On Any Sunday, and 3m left of El Desperado.

Up short groove to ledge and the undercut blunt arête. Climb this and the orange slab above to an obvious bulge. Take this on its right to gain a horizontal break. Move left along this then climb up to a BR. Diagonally left for a few moves then up right to another BR. Directly up to a good resting spot and BR. Climb the wall and slab above either side of the bolt to a good ledge and belay (22). Alternatively, move left to the arête and follow it to the top (21). The first ascent went directly above the bolt. A #1, #3.5 and #4 cam are essential on this pitch. Take a range of stoppers.

Ascends the thin corner crack that is capped by a spectacular curving roof. Probably the first climb in the area. Start: Marked ED, 3m right of Sargasso Sea.

Up the thin corner, harder than it looks but gets easier about half height below the horizontal break. At the break swing out left and follow the arching wide crack to the Sargasso Sea belay.

Crack, traverse then unusual corner crack. Follow El Desperado until slightly above the BR on right wall. Step right and diagonally across and up to crooked corner crack. Follow this to the top.

Direct and delicate wall climbing.

Start: Marked SOTB, 1m right of El Desperado at ground level (not the high ledge part way up El Desporado)

Directly up wall to bolt above small ledge. Easier up to break. Up through break right of obvious arête. Continue through scoop to the steep final wall (bolts and cam runners). Up the wall to top passing an in situ peg runner.

Great climbing above the leftward leaning arête capping the roof of El Desperado. As for South of the Border to horizontal break. Through this and move left climbing just above the obvious arête above El Desperado (BR’s) onto wall above. Up and diagonally left to the obvious curving crack and follow this to the top.

Start: Marked BA.

Rambly gully.

Start: 2m right of Bitter Aloes on other side of gully.

May have been marked LD?

Don't confuse with Pussy Galore climbed later at the James Bond area.

Vegetated start but rock and moves above are good though a bit run-out.

Start: Marked F, 2m right of Pussy Galore.

Up slab past trees to steep wall and double bolt runner (a second bolt was added by somebody on a subsequent ascent), pull onto slab and move up past large tree to the right of a blunt arête. Up this to ramp, move up and right to good ledge below final short wall. Up this (BR) to top.

At least five BRs up the grey slab and arete left of corner up high. FA unknown

A delicate slab leading up to corner.

Start: Marked J, 8m right of Felix.

1. (35m) Up slab to roof, move left and onto slab above. Follow this to obvious corner crack. Up this to exit left onto the Felix buttress. Tree belay. - K.Bell

Start: Same as Jokerman.

Short somewhat vegetated corner. Start not marked.

Two glue in BRs on arete 5m left of Hi Tension. Not sure if it has an indepedant finish? Details unknown.

Wanders through some steep territory.

Start: Marked HT, in corner with a crack on its right.

1. (15m) Up corner then right left along diagonal crack. Pull over bulge to horizontal break – belay.

2. (30m) Up wall right of arête past BR. From the ground two rusty FHs are visible on this top pitch.

Listed in Harry Luxford's guide as P? FA please rename and claim.

Start: Marked P, 0.5m right of Hi Tension.

Short corner followed by longer corner.

A corner followed by a sweeping traverse across a wall.

Start: Marked HT, corner as for Hi Tension.

1. (10m) Up corner to tree belay.

2. (30m) Move right onto slabby wall. Tap across it taking a diagonal route towards arête. Up wall to the left of arête to top.

Crack and flake followed by a steep wall. Steep and run-out wall to finish.

Start: Marked SD/JB, same as Senile Dementia.

1. (40m) Climb corner to flake then out right under flake until it runs out into wall. Move up and right to BR (hard to clip) then up and left through bulge onto steep wall. Up the wall to a strange pocket taking a 1.5/2.0 cam then move right and up to BR. Up wall above to ledge. Climb remaining wall to top – tree belay.

Good looking corner but vegetated again. Was cleaned before climbing.

Start: Marked SD/JB

1. (40m) Follow corner crack to top – tree belay.

Glue in carrots and FHs up the lower section of the arete of High Riser. Traverses in from the right to start. At least five bolts visible from the ground. May be entirely independent of High Riser?

Another nice arête.

Start: At the base of a narrow gully 15 metres right of Business as Usual.

1. (15m) Up the crack at bottom of gully then follow ramp out left past steepening rock to good ledge at the base of the wall.

2. (25m) Up wall moving right to arête, follow it to the top. - K.Bell

High Riser Variant

Climb directly up wall above first belay. FA: Keith Bell, Kevin Bell​​​​​, 1980’s.

A sharp little wall.

Start: Gully beside High Riser.

1. Climb the gully beside High Riser to a narrowing chimney with ledge out to the left. Climb onto ledge and follow it to a fixed peg and hanging belay.

2. (30m) Climb above piton to BR above ledge, move right and up to another BR. Continue up the wall to another BR. Up steepening wall to a break on the left, cam runner. Move slightly right then up through a bulge to BR with easier ground above. - K. Bell

Climbed on News Years Day and the name reflects the condition of the first ascentionists as well as the climb. Start. Keep following the ramp above Ferny Chimney to the top of block. Climb starts off its left hand side.

1. 20 Straight up the obvious crack.

Classic old chimney groove though steep in places. Start: Follow the ramp left of ‘The Square’ up to marked overhanging start behind tree.

1. 30 Climb overhang into the gully and follow it to the top.

Faintly marked "A" at twin cracks above horizontal tree. Shares its first pitch with The Square.

1. 15m Up first pitch as for ‘The Square’ then move left along ledge to below hollow.

2. 25m Steep moves to start past bolt runner. Up slab to hollow taking it on its left. Climb wall above moving slightly left to top.

Good looking crack followed by a chimney. ("Thin crack right of A" in previous guide)

Start: At crack through a red wall marked by a chipped square.

1. (15m) Climb crack to good ledge and belay at base of corner/chimney.

2. (35m) Climb strenuous overhanging crack into chimney then up chimney behind to the top. - K. Bell

FA unknown but climbed by Keith Bell and Greg Mortimer in 1972.

Short square cut arete just before crag disintegrates. Start on right and swing around left. Two BRs and cams.

Broken grey fist crack in left wall of Donkey corner.

Short low-angled wide corner/gully providing potential access to top of cliff. Not really a descent route.

Prominent wide corner near where cliff changes direction, just downhill from Donkey.

Downhill and right of Tosca is this wide hand-crack that leads to juggy grey headwall. No first ascent info known.

Start 25m right of Tosca at wide overhung chimney with white sandy rock on left side. Into the depths you go!

The next three routes share the same start 4m right of Sport Unknown2 at undercut shale bulge that can be avoided by stemming up the tree (it also makes the first bolt clip possible). This goes straight up grey wall on good quality glue in carrots. There appears to be no lower-off anchors - top out to tree belay.

Long wall with one short section of crimps and lots of reachy bits. Well worth doing. Shared start with Carrot Unknown1 for one bolt then take right line of good quality glue in carrot bolts up edge of grey/orange going straight up. The route goes all the way to the top of the cliff and tops out to a tree belay - there is no rap bolts so perhaps walk down somehow? It is possible to down climb the top 15m and traverse right to rap anchors on Carrot Unknown3. Bring a single set of finger/fist sized cams to supplement the spaced bolts.

Quality airy wall with generally great rock. Shared start with Carrot Unknown1 for one bolt then take right line of good quality glue in carrot bolts and keep traversing right above void to orange wall left of hanging arete. Bring single set of cams from finger/fist size to supplement bolts. A set of rap rings is at the top on small edge.

Start: At flake 4m right of choss traverse. Up via BRs.

Start above blocky corner 3m right of GF. High reach off ground to break (cam). Five BRs & breaks (cams?) to chain.

2m right of Sunspot at dead tree. Long ironstone encrusted face on mix of bashin carrots and FHs. Looks good.

Thin crack on far left end of wall, just around the corner from the bolted routes.
 Hard and committing off the ground. Jug left of crack and moving into crack. Up on mixed quality rock.
 Mostly finger tip and hand sized cams all the way to the top. One large cam useful but not necessary.