Ascensioni in Asia da Dave Scarlett

Fell on the first attempt, above the last bolt, just before the finish. There were good holds there, but I managed to get stuck on two desperate ones. In fact, good holds the entire climb, it's just that sometimes you need to search for them.

Threaded sling 1m left of first chopped bolt keeps the start sane, but you'd still be looking at a ground fall if you fell while clipping the first remaining bolt.

Fun roof finish, requiring some reachy moves. Slightly wet after rain.

Fun, easy bridging, them becoming strenuous when moving under and through overhang. Definite crux around 8th bolt.

Fun bridging start, then a compressed traverse left which is awkward for tall people.

Crux moving up from big horizontal break. Fun tufa-climbing finish. Some water stops at top.

Start left of bolt for an optional harder, bouldery start. Fantastic moves through overhang on tufas, requiring lots of bridging and careful footwork. Crux gaining stance on wide tufa left of 5th bolt.

Easy up to overhang, then tough finish with some jugs but poor feet. Do not head left at overhang. Fell on 2nd last bolt (crux overhang).

Sandbag. More like 23/5.11c/6C+. Super bouldery with slippers and poor, polished feet.

Another sandbag. Maybe 22/5.11b/6C. Crux after big upward pointing flake - move left there, don't go straight up, as it is blank! Long draws advisable for last two bolts to about drag. One fall at crux.

Easier than Jugtastic. Difficult moves up the flake, but a no hands rest possible at the top (right foot & left hip), but then you are committed to going straight up rather than the possibly easier moves to the left. Easy and fun tufa moves to finish. Tufas drip slightly when wet.

Sandbag. More like 21/5.11a/6C. Up overhang on jugs that are occasionally sharp and occasionally requiring a but of searching to find. Big reach at the top. First bolt is over a slope, so trad gear or a dyneema sling (very thin thread possible) recommended to protect belayer, especially if wet. One fall around bolt 4 or 5.

Amazing moves through roof on a big flake and good feet. A few more tricky moves up Allan and corner after that. Use long draws on at least the bolt before the overhang, and ideally the one before that too.

A brutal sandbag. More like 6C+ than the 6A+ claimed by the Climb China guidebook. Head left at overhang for easiest ground. Finishes with a desperate wall of slopers after overhang. One fall at overhang.

Diagonal traverse on good crimps and delicate footwork in some places, and jugs and huge foot ledges in others.

Awkward moves wrestling around the knife arête, and some very dusty holds. Probably easier if you stay in the cracks, but super awkward getting out of them! Use a long draw on the 4th bolt to avoid drag.

Moderately easy to very high first bolt, with BD C4 0.5 (maybe 0.75) cam placement possible mid-way. Very good rest at half-height, then sustained climbing through closely spaced bolts to awkward rest with arm through thread hole on poor feet, before committing finish.

Easy climbing to very high first bolt. Trend right through overhang from 5th bolt.

Loose block after 1st bolt. Interesting traverse up overhang.

Ridiculously high first bolt (after original was first bolt chopped), but a sling thread is available to the left of the original first bolt, half way to new first bolt. Lovely, steep jug hauling.

Gets hard after the tufas, with occasional jugs, but generally either very delicate moves or huge reaches to get to them. Cruxes are at bolt 6 (big reach left with poor feet or jug to right with delicate traverse following it) and bolt 8 (delicate sequency moves to juggy hole). Rested on bolts 6 & 7, fell on 8.

Incredible, 3D moves through tufas. Crux is probably getting up the initial small bit of flowstone between the tufas.

Gets thin and cruxy after the 2nd last bolt, where the rock darkens.

Easy jug hauling until the R-facing corner, where there is a difficult layback to reach the ledge where the next bolt is.

Harder and more sustained than Mini Pee, with a good rest at tufa near 4th bolt, but then crux immediately after, with poor hands.

Bouldery start with crux (poor hands) around 3rd bolt, then plenty of rest once the left facing corner is gained.

Steep and strenuous on polished rock. Occasionally reachy.

Vegetated, but with great views. Guidebook (Climb China) grades inaccurate. The book claims the 6 pitches are 5b, 5c, 5a, 5a, 6a, 5a respectively, but P2 was definitely the crux, and P5 was more like 5b. So I would grade it as: 5b, 5c, 5a, 5a, 5b, 5a.

A brutally difficult sandbag. Listed as 6b+ in the Climb China guide, but felt more like 6c+. Upside down holds which offer only useless slopers, some reasonable underclings, and the occasional pinch. Rested every bolt.

Bouldery start, possible crux around 2nd to 3rd bolts, but felt easy, possibly due to height advantage. Trivial slab finish. Felt more like 5C to 6A.

Short and easy. Few moves to the lip, then trivial slab finish.

Beautiful, sustained climbing up long, weird tufas. Crux at half height, coming out of small concave section around two bulbous tufas.