Nodi in The Balkans

The Balkans is partly located in the Sydney suburb of Baulkham Hills so it's no wonder that its location was initially mistaken for "Balkan Hills", and the name has stuck. 'The Balkans' is unique in Sydney bouldering in that there is truly something for everyone, from total beginners, to pumpers and power mutants. Very few of the problems are eliminates and they all top out!

Useful Info: 'Excelsior' Park is a popular bush walking area. So far the friendly rangers, bush walkers and local residents seem happy to share it with us.

The Frontline was the first area discovered and developed in the Balkans. It is the biggest area with about 150 individual problems ranging from V0- to V13. There are excellent problems of all grades and styles.

These cliffs and boulders are generally west and south-facing and receive plenty of afternoon sun so they are perfect for cold winter afternoons and hot summer mornings. In summer they can get very hot. The rock is fast drying and clean but beware of the crimps, some have broken with "interesting" consequences. Learn to pull gently and evenly on the holds and tread very carefully.

This part of the Frontline is on the northern side of the small creek that runs parallel to the track. Although home only to a few problems, it certainly offers variety and some pretty good bouldering too.

Start matched under roof. Work your way up the left face, traverse along the lip to finish as for 'the bright side var'.

Start at the back of the cave on the obvious chalked holds. Move out the left side of the roof and continue up the front face via slopey holds (keeping right of the cluster of big jugs).

'The Low Side' variant where the cluster of big jugs to the left are in. Start in the back of the cave on the obvious chalked holds just like the other climbs.

Start in the back of the cave same as The Low Side but pop out the right side of the roof and up the slopey ramp.

Start in the back left of the cave, following 'The Bright Side' out the right side of the roof, then exit as early as possible from 'The Bright Side' with a high right foot.

When you reach the slopey lip on the bright side, move right to the big knob and mantle through the scoop. Alex Stokes

Keep going right.

Sit start with hands in lowest 'jug' in the crack and move up via the mega jug, topping out through the high scoop.

Sit start on hidden double undercling jug in roof and up cool scoops to top out above.

Up water runnels. Gorgeous.

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

Sit start at small tree on left of cave, traverse right and finish up Hollow Mountain Dreaming. Mauricio Chino

Start on good hold on the left side of the corner and head left out the roof. The separate boulder at the base of the start is not in for hands or feet.

Start: Sit

A real wrestle. Starting on the obvious jug at the end of the rail, reverse Hollow mountain dreaming and finish up '7th Day Ascentist'.

Sit start 1m right of Hollow Mountain Dreaming and go out right side of roof not using any holds of Hollow Mountain Dreaming for hands but ok for feet..

Oliver Chen

'7th Day Ascentist' variant, the same up till the slopey rail then all of Hollow Mountain Dreaming is off for hands and feet and instead of going up the crimps you go straight to the roof. Top out is the same as '7th Day Ascentist'. Maybe V8? Needs some repeats.

Chris Beers

Traverse from The Bright Side through the slopers, all the way around into Ultimate Surrender. 80+ moves, sport grade incoming...

Up the flake to the top and mantle away.

Start: Sit M.G Chino

Eliminate all intermediate holds.Go straight from start to top jug.

Stretch up and right and mantle away.

Start: Sit

Start on small crimpy bulge and crimp, small edges lead to top out.

Sit start using slanted slopey crack, head left and up to top out Alpha.

Sit start the same as for Bravo, head right and straight up to top out.

Start on juggy bulge, straight up to slopey top out.

Start on the good edge, straight up to top out on the arete.

Start on the cup jug, blast straight up to top out

Sit start on the low jug on the right side of the nose shaped arete, gently head left to top out Foxtrot.

Sit start the same as for Golf, head up the bulging nose shaped arete to top out.

Start on the side pull edge, straight up to top out.

Start on the juggy slot, big moves up the overhang, top out over bulge.

Start on the two good crimps, straight up to top out.

Start on two jugs, up and right to top out next to The Low Side.

Traverse left from start holds of Lima to exit out Foxtrot. Staying low and avoiding the lip.

This area has some very pleasant moderate wall problems and of course the first crack, 'Revelations'.

Left to right traverse using whatever you find on the way.

Up over bulge on big holds.

Straight up knobs just left of the tree branch on top.

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

Start in the bottom of the little flared crack and go up diagonally left under tree branch.

Start on 2f pocket and rounded crimp then straight up over the sloping bulge. Rightmost climb before the corner.

Stay right of the good crimps out left.

Mauricio Chino

Go up through dirty crack (with a handjam/fingerjam). Only a crack addict would be desperate enough to boogie down on ths before Revelations

Up layaway arete.

It is nice

Start 1m right of 'Point of View' and go straight up.

Climb left of the flake

Follow the flake through the rooflet. Cave is out. Watch the topout

Up the slab below the cave

Crawl in behind the tree then up overhanging face.

Start: Sit

Start on broken horizontal ledge (ie. not the boulder) and stay on the left of the crack.

Mauricio Chino

THE fist jam crack. Avoid using any of the face holds for some added fun.

Mantle up the slab

Up the slightly overhung arete. Finishes at the top of Underground Movement.

Mauricio Chino

Start on crimps, then go left to the good pocket and up to the top.

Dan Adijans Jimmy

Sit start as for 'C.O.A.T', trav left and into Underground Movement.

Chris Beers Dylan Soin John B

Sit start on slopey crimp. Move straight up via sharp LH crimp to top on slopers.

Oliver Chen Tyrone Clements

Three boulders with some fun climbing. Dries very quickly.

Easily up the layaway arete.

Find shallow mono above head height 1m R of "Sherman Tank". Up using this with R hand. Sherman Tank is off.

Up the middle of the eastern rock, from the middle. Up through some slabby crimps

Left of yellow streak and up overhung boulder

Right of yellow streak and up overhung boulder

Right slabby arete of western side. Usually pretty sandy. Bad fall

Up the crimps between You Go Slow and You Go Slopia without using any holds on the arete or the big edges out left.

Mantle on the slopers and then balance to the top.

Left of You Go Slow, up the crimps

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

Left of 'C?', up the streak of lichen.

Sit start, pinch, squeeze and wiggle your way up the knife edge arete.

Mauricio Chino

Desperate rounded sidepull climbing in the alley up the face.

Left of The Pincer Movement, follow chalked cobwebbed crack.

Elijah Mercado

One hard move on small crimps.

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

Start from the obvious left hand sidepull and work your way rightward using the slopey crimps to finish up Missile Silo. Better avoid it when wet. Alec Landstra

Go up from above the low white scoop. Westernmost face of The Corridor Boulders.

Small dyno on slabby wall. Start from two good jugs on the right side of the wall and swing towards the left, up towards a good jug which you can match. Then climb towards circular jug at the topout on the top left.

Directly to the right of the tree. Westernmost face of The Corridor Boulders.

Sit start on the horizontal break, move up via some angled crimps and top out over bulge feature.

Full Metal Jacket Original but exit out right via a small left hand crimp and another right sidepull. Jug bulge is out for hands and feet.

Hugo Hornshaw

Start with hands on the lowest side-pulls (the right hand is below the lower horizontal seam right at the bottom of the vertical seam where it tapers off), head powerfully up the overhanging arete.

The original problem 'Full Metal Jacket (Original)' uses all the sidepulls and generally requires a high heel hook.

Start with hands on the lowest side-pulls (the right hand is below the lower horizontal seam right at the bottom of the vertical seam where it tapers off) and don't skip any!

See also: Full Metal Jacket, a V5 variant skipping the shallow right sidepull.

Rounded bulge catching the sidepulls then lunge to the knob with your left.

Start: Sit

Rounded bulge catching the sidepulls then lunge to the knob with your right.

Start: Sit

Start on flake then pocket and up to slot and mantle over.

Start: Sit

Start on flake to the jug right side of the cavity, big push to the crimp up and to the right, top out like Full Metal Jacket

This medium sized boulder sitting in front of The Main Wall definitely has some little goodies. It is almost never wet.

Up the overhanging arete on jugs and slopers. Perhaps the best V1 of the Frontline!

Start: Sit

Start up Eastern Bloc Arete, finish up Mission Impossible.

Trav the whole bloc & finish up Eastern Bloc Arete.

From break to slopers on top and over without any of the holds on Eastern Bloc Arete or Mission Impossible.

Mauricio Chino

Up the crack finishing left. Quite a sting in its tail unless you're tall.

Start up Mission Impossible, traverse the rising break and finish up left side of Eastern Bloc Arete for an exciting top out.

Quality moves from pocket to little pocket up right then delicately up and over.

Mauricio Chino

Links sit-start Crewcut into Coffee Anann.

Start on pocket and then go up left and top out around ramp.

Sit start on right side of arete then up to pocket to join the rest of the problem. Worth Doing

Start: Sit

Link the Crewcut sit-start into Dog Tags. Desperate and crimpy.

Start: Sit.

Not quite a sit start but close. Up the left side of the rounded arete on crimps.

Start: Sit

Layaways up the middle of the face