Ascensions de Stop the Bolts! contenant Bêta

Fixed a 60m static to rap from the top anchors to P1 anchors, then used lead rope to rap ~10m to the ground. Had to rest on a cam about 1m above the P2 bolt, in sight of the anchors. Then broke a hold going slightly off route to fall on the same cam.

Got absolutely spanked. P1 traverse destroyed my soul. The rest went ok. Rory pulled a hold off on p2 and went sailing. Different a lesson to climb more trad, just couldn't find good body positions. Looking 👀 forward to coming back for a clean send 😄

Finished it off!

So good trad climbing in gong exists! Will be back to tick off the best pitch, took a pretty fun fall after the crux breaking a handhold, was going the wrong way which is now even less of an option. My blue totem held, how good!

Well, we climbed from the bottom to the top. Spoogy conditions made P1 pretty hard and scary. The bottom few metres is sandy choss. Mungo ripped off a ~5kg piece of rock just before the traverse. P2 was pretty good, but I was seconding so I missed out on the exhilaration of leading it I think. Mungo liked it a lot. P3 was fun and a bit challenging but quite short. P4 was a bit awkward and tricky. We didn't do P5 because the top was wet. Altogether it was certainly a challenging climb with lots of weird moves

Forgot to Traverse right after the crux and spoilt the send by trying to go up Slopers next time!

Fun and adventurous

Sick route! Although a little scary at times, there's really good gear so don't be put off.

Really great for a Sydney route and pitch 2 is legitimately a terrific bit of trad climbing. Great rock and great gear and I think it overhangs by at least a few meters. The pitch 1 hand traverse is also pretty fun. Definitely worth the effort to get out there.

A full lap from the ground to exit the crack. Finally led P1 (Onsight) - I'd forgotten how terrifyingly scary the sandpit rock for the first 6m is... great corner crack and traverse after that. P2 - Clean 2nd (Repeat). P3 & P4 (Linked) - Clean (Repeat). P5 - Red Point (technically, since I'd seconded Neil on this over 2 years ago, can't claim an Onsight), but in the dark, without stripping down unnecessary gear, and without ticking or cleaning the chipped topout hold and slopers. Fun. Short.

Repeat. P2 (the money pitch) only. Just a leading lap on this great pitch to kill time while Stephen worked Gravity. Perhaps not as epic as I remember it, but still great trad-ish climbing on bomber rock, in an awesome location. Great protection and moves. Save a #3 if you want to skip the 1 bolt on this pitch for an all-trad ascent.

P2 (22) - Onsight (with some beta from Neil as to where the route goes), and P4 (20) via the original finish this time (partial onsight, as I'd done some of it before in the variant finish). P2 is a stunning pitch of unlikely trad on bomber rock, with great pro, in an exposed position, and with surprisingly pumpy and technical climbing. Stoked to get on this one! P4 is good in the "adventurous trad" style.

Pitches 2, 3, 4. Super tired so a bit of dogging occurred! Wicked climbing up pitch 2 and pitch 4 is trickier and cooler than it looks. Thanks for the rope gunning Neil.

Pitches 2, 3 & 4 with Neil and Bulti. 2nd pitch is awesome! 3rd is awful access rubbish. 4th is a great weird finale and harder than it looks.

Pitch 4 into pitch 5 linkup only. Seconding Neil on the first ascent. Intriguing "very trad" start to the ledge (pitch 4), then tricky roofing and hard topout finale (pitch 5). Good fun, and a great way to end the day.

Only lead pitch two so that's what the insight applies to, this is the money pitch. What an awesome position! Quite overhanging, rad! Finished the whole route in the dark. Good Sunday arvo adventure!