Vie in Mount York

Once the hardest route at the crag.

Now with RBs

Start on the arête right of Prehn's Pass gully (the left end of the wall). A great traverse with good gear and much pumpedness! Up to the horizontal, then venture out along the break to the cave on the far side of the wall. Take a double rack of cams. Awkward rap off rings in cave.

Flake and arete

Start as for Jargon. Up hard wall to cavey ledge. Rap.

Start: On the right side of the gully coming down. Hideous looking carrots.

Start: Right side of the gully.

Left side of the gully coming down.

Start: Left of arête, marked. Straight up past very little protection.

Cruxy undercut start 5m L of the crack. A #5 camalot will help up high but its still not the safest lead.

Has seen a few fatalities, and not a great choice if its at your limit because you have to fiddle to get gear in the middle of the hardest climbing to protect a runout. A #5 camalot will help up high. Belay off UBs near the tree roots and on the boulder, not off the tree.

Up the crack as for Crackle then veer R under the roof. Dangerously underprotected through the middle section. A #5 camalot helps up high.

Vegetated corner crack

Start: Marked.

Undercut start through steep stuff around the left side of the Aunty Jack wall. Carrots (first with fixed hanger) and small wires.

Traverse out to arete from start of Aunty Jack.

Traverse left as for start of aunty jack. Continue further left to line of carrots and up. Avoid going to the arete to keep the grade.

Classic. Take a full rack with heaps of wires. Lower-offs were added, then chopped, and are still absent as at Jan 2023.

Traverse left past single carrot to crack/flake. Climb directly up along the yellow rock to top. Belay in back of cave in pockets or top out and off trees.

Start as for Aunty Jack then straight up past bolts (take brackets) & gear. Has a good independent finish despite. Much more sustained than Aunty Jack. At top, belay off cams in pockets in small cave on the left - or sling very far away burnt dead trees (if you dare).

Start as for RotTCG, left and up. 3 rings and gear.

Ringbolts just left of corner to lower-off's. Hard start, then steady going.

Cliff splitter!! Gear up accordingly.

Traverse left from Peppercorner to Red Robin and then up the arete

Straight up the middle of the wall. Take some cams. No gear before first bolt. Original bash-ins. Bolt anchor on top of block.

Pleasant arete. Most people start 1m R of the arête for a few metres, then move left. The gear is in some opinions "good, but spaced", but in others' opinions this route is quite dangerous to half height particularly now that the wire slots are getting worn thanks to the soft rock. Take a rack including a 4 Friend, and a bolt plate in case Rattler's top carrot looks tempting.

Straightens out of the middle of Rattler.

Middle of buttress. Dirty slab (trad) then short steeper wall (2 bolts).

4m left of Lishenbak. One old bolt above sandy cave up high.

Get here early for this one.

Great climbing the whole way but barely adequate trad gear in the first half.

Start: Start 1m R of Lishenback.

Independent face just left of Birds Nest. A bit of trad down low and several bolts up high (carrots and hangers).

The attractive flakeline. Good...but not much gear where you need it.

Start 1.5m R of 'Birds Nest'. Thin face past about 5 stainless carrot bolts plus a cam, to loweroffs. The thin crux is unfortunately much harder than the rest of the route. Rebolted 2012.

This is one of the best routes in this section of wall. Sustained, interesting climbing, well protected on carrots and a couple of trad pieces to lower-offs. Easier than CCC.

Start 4m Right of 'Sparrow'. Take 4 bolt brackets and medium cams.

Chimney.

Start: This and the next 4 routes are on the right side of the gully heading down.

Thin face climbing on very slight overhanging wall to break then up. No bridging on the other route. Start is the crux. 5 RBs to anchors. Bold "old skool 80's" climbing.

Brackets to lower offs

Start: This and the next few routes start from the track on the left side of the gully coming down.

Start marked

Start marked

Thin face climbing, with a runout between 3rd and 4th bolts.

A pleasant slab with a thin but well-protected crux. Start 5m left of The Obituary, immediately right of the access restriction fence.

The blunt arete at the base of the gully.

On the Block opposite 'Misjudgement'.

Contrived face just left of the Obituary. First bolt is very high up.

Major corner crack and a popular all trad line. Beware, the route name is apt - there have been a couple of fatalities on this route. If in doubt don't run it out.

Classic face to the right of the Obituary. Quite unique rock. This is a mixed route, medium/large wires and multiple hand-crack sized cams required to back up the bolts.

Start up Atomic Punk to just before it's first bolt - then traverse right to hanging arete (hangers). Finish up ironstone feature on the left side of the arete (#2 & #3 cams). Partially retrobolts the middle of the 1970s scarefest "Oblivion".

Was once a quite serious lead - but the addition of Oblivious' bolts has removed the worst danger. Climb Oblivious to the arete (a couple of bolts) - then climb straight up mossy arete (steadfastly ignoring bolts to the left on Oblivious). The little orange arete up top is still a little heady (good large cam at feet before committing). Tree belay well back.

Starts 4m right of Atomic Punk/Oblivion. Solo 6m up wall just left of fragile scoops to ledge. Traverse left to arete (two old BRs) and finish up Oblivion's arete. It's possible to clip at least one bolt on Oblivious on left side of arete. Misidentified as "Moss's Effort" in 2018 print guide topo.

The ringbolted wall left of Refusal - starting from the ledge. Appears to climb the abandoned upper headwall that was bolted as part of a direct finish to Moss' Effort. Slabby climbing to third bolt and then up. Runout between 2nd and 3rd in the flake section (be careful). Originally graded 22 - but recent attempts have it pegged at more 24+ - possibly missing a hold between first two bolts.

For many years this route was incorrectly shown in the print guide as the arete left of Confessions. The route is actually the subtle seam crack right of Confessions and 1m left of Refusal - and directly behind an old dead tree stump. A rusty carrot is about 5m up. Original description was "1m right of Oblivion Variant Start. BR to ledge, wall (2 BR), escape right to crack. avoiding obvious finish up wall". The obvious finish is now Confessions' finish.

Corner to the right of ME.

The corner past tree. Beware of leaf litter and loose rock at top.

Start as for horror show but follow the obvious line up and to the left toward blackfella barkoo, ascending to the right of the tree. The route is full of leaf litter from the tree on up. For TR access from the first lookout when leaving the carpark.

Starts right of corner at short fist crack Up crack and follow line right along diagonal crack then up.

Great climb on some really weird rock ... Well worth it. Was once carrots, since retrobolted with rings.

Great climbing on very unique, sharp mountains sandstone. A carrot or two and then fixed hangers all the way to the anchors. Has gone from under- to over-bolted thanks to the retrobolts added circa 2012. Currently 23 in the 2010 Blue Mountains Guide

All bolts removed 13/5/2019

All bolts removed 13/5/2019

Right from Engineering Feats. The left side of the arete before the 'Exhibition Wall'.

Serious direct start to Crystal Palace starting below arete of Iron in the Soul

Nice direct finish to Exhibition Wall - clean and a little more exciting but not bold. Up EW for about 5 FHs then straight up wall just right of arete via a single ring, and a couple of solid medium cams in horizontals. Carrot belay over the top - walk off to exit.

"Stupid in fact! Like most of the routes on this wall they could do with a great deal of 'common sense' and a rebolt!" Sport climbers guidebook. "Champagne climbing.." Bold climbers comment.

Up EW for about 7 FHs then straight up the wall via some gear? and a bolt.

Either a visionary piece of bolting, or the start of a slippery slope depending on perspective. Birth of sport climbing in the Blueies. Originally homemade fixed hangers, has since been rebolted on huge, shiny mass-manufactured fixed hangers!

The long awaited direct version of EW and who would have guessed that it would be a trad line ??

Start at EW, up and right as for DF via cam breaks and optional RPs. At third break head straight up to EW rest ledge (or lower right ledge for DF) and finish up EW with large RPs for pro. Belay over the top on medium cams.

Small cams, small wires, RPs/Offsets.

A visionary piece of non-bolting to end the slippery slope...

Up to break then up and right on crimps to next break. Continue up slightly left of RTS third ring then up and right above AOR third bolt to small ledge. Up and right following subtle flake then up finishing left of tree.

Cams, RPs/Offsets, Small Wires. Belay off medium cams in wall over the top.

Very thin and technical. Used to have only 2 carrots. The line of rings beneath EW, joining Exhibition Wall halfway. The retrobolt still retains the need for small slcd's.

Perhaps not...? Definitely! Once a test piece, now forgotten, and even more testing. Take micro to medium cams, wires and optional sling for a dubious thread. Thin, technical, unprotected start eases off eventually...

Up left to slight horizontal weakness then right across to good gear in horizontal, harder direct start possible. Up via breaks and gear. Boulder blank wall and left to breaks, then up easier grade finish. Direct finish possible via clean streak, or easier to right of groove. Belay possible on small wall over the top.

Definitely perhaps ... A far more sociable version of the route. Alternate easier highball start to AoR via SF on right side of wall. Up as for SF to break and traverse left to good gear at left of break as for first gear on AoR. Continue up following breaks then up. Cams and wires. Optional sling.

Start pretty much as for SF, on face left of SF mark avoiding fragile flake arête as much as possible. Get good first gear on left at first main break. At second break instead of heading R on bolts (SF) head up to cam pod and up following obvious crease. Climbing eases towards top. Either runout or various snall/medium RPs or similar and medium and small cams. Offsets in both may help.

Route and gear placements sussed out on abseil, and climb TR'd a number of times before finally being lead. Feel free to improve on style but be careful!

Note: 2015 BM guide topo is incorrect. The line shown for SF is actually this line.

Start on right edge of wall at mark.

Up face, avoiding rather fragile thin flake edge, to break and first gear then continue up to next break before heading right and up following carrots with good #000 C3's instead Up to to break and gear; old school opposed wires or even just a hex. Continue up using as many small brass nuts as you can place to avoid needing the top two bolts.

Has be done just on gear as described after gear inspection and rehearsal, but feel free to improve on this. Bolts are in fine condition (2016) and this climb should not ever be retro bolted.

Note: Topo in 2015 BM guide is wrong, see 2010 edition instead.

Start as for SF, marked. Up to traverse then left across wall passing AoR to bolt then up to fixed hanger then bolt and traverse L to EW rest ledge and finish up EW.

Start as for Age of Rubber. Follow till bolts but ignore them, if possible, heading right to gear at third bolt and finishing up DF. Possible to use a high gear placement on Age of Reason to avoid runout. Cams, wires, RPs and optional sling.

Choss corner to arete, right side of the wall.

start on the arete below Ferny Groove up arete past 2 bolts, then up the steep bit of Ferny Groove (cams). step left and up arete past bolts to lower off

Traverse in the best of British tradition!

Start: As for RG then left and left again!

Dirty crack to rooflet.

Start: About 5m up Obstacle Course 'Gully' on the left side.

Exactly!

Start: 7m LEFT of TDotSPF.