Ascensioni in Oceania da Dave Scarlett

Nice climbing, awesome position. Some tricky moves at the start, where the leftward traverse begins, then eases after that.

Very tricky moves through the middle, and one point where it's possible to accidentally go off route, a few bolts below the ledge, where you hit a mini roof where you could go left or right and the next bolt isn't visible. Turns out the answer is left, and the bolt is hidden around an arete. Took a rest after getting lost at that point, and then bailed off left after reaching the ledge, to access some new trad lines spotted from the ground. Will definitely have to come back and do the route in its entirety.

Pumped out before figuring out the bouldery crux down low and had to sit on the rope... Tough down low and probably grade 20, then sustained climbing around grade 18 above the ledge, with a few good rest stances along the way.

Takes lots of small nut pro in the lower section, up to the big ledge, then medium to large nuts and similar sized cams above, with up to BD #2 being particularly useful.

Tough! The jamming was great, and pulling up to reach the face holds over the lip was easy (long arms and legs help), but actually pulling up on those okay-ish face holds was seriously strenuous! After that, it's a juggy chimney all the way to the top.

Led all but the first pitch, stringing together 2-3 and 4-5. Had a bit of rope drag by the end of P5, but don't know why anyone would want to do 2 and 3 as separate pitches - they're in a straight line and if it's warm then avoiding the belay on top of The Jetty saves you from sitting in the sun. A sling with a revolver on it at the end of the crawl kept the rope from rubbing on the chockstone, minimising rope drag for the final pitch. Great climbing all the way.

I think this and 'Flake of Fear' at Summerday Valley should switch names. Don't try to place any protection before the bolt - best case you will introduce massive rope drag, and worst case you'll fall, tear the flake off, and not only hit the ground, but also have the now-detached flake land on top of you!

Terrifying climbing up the paper-thin flake, followed by a nice, delicate slab traverse, and then a final loose finger crack to finish, which offers nice, secure finger-locks.

Tried this a year ago and fell on the top bolt. Felt easier this time. Tricky at the start and the finish.

Great jamming, and packs incredible value into its short length.

The roof crack looks incredibly unlikely for the grade, and is probably the crux. After that, it's lovely and well-protected flake climbing to the arete.

One swing, then got back on and got through the roof the second time. Need to remember when clipping the pin to keep both strands of the rope on my right hand side, so as not to get tangled in them when beginning the roof traverse!

For a laugh, done using jams only for the hands - no face holds.

It's on from the moment you leave the ground. A very reachy start, then seriously steep and pumpy until it eases off around half height. Beware the first good horizontal slot at around 4m height - it opens up on the inside and so cams that can fit through the opening are likely to open fully once inside. A BD #0.4 seemed to work well on the far right side of the slot, where the slot is much shallower.

On my first try, rested on gear (as it turned out, just below where a rest was available!) after too much stuffing around with pro, and then got it clean second try.

Surprisingly good! Looks steep for the grade (and is probably actually a few grades harder) but after the slightly tricky start, has jugs the whole way.

The start looks completely blank, but the holds are all there. Awkward, off-balance crux traverse moves!

Done as three mega pitches, linking 1-2, 3-4, and then the final two pitches of Spiral Staircase.

If there were ever an inquest held into whether there is any truth to the idea that the current generation of climbers are a bunch of softies who can't jam, the heavily chalked up layback flake next to this climb's perfect hand crack would be exhibit A.

Lovely fist and hand jams, and doesn't need gear any bigger than a Camalot #3 or #4.

Slightly run-out and committing during the traverse - get good wires in at the start of it!

Lovely. The roof takes finger-size cams, then there's plenty of small nut protection above, with medium cams occasionally useful.

Delicate start with fiddly protection, then an intimidating crux requiring a high reach over a ledge with the only protection being at your feet! The finish is easy, but you're probably run out by 4-5m, by the time you get any gear in after the crux!

A one move wonder, and a long reach really helps. Thin and crimpy over the bulge. Looked like protection was extremely sparse - would not have wanted to lead it.

Very nice, with some good jamming up towards the top.

Good mainly because of the position, but the rock itself is extremely sandy and feels pretty terrible. You're climbing on big knobs the whole way, but few of them could be slung, and the gaps between them rarely took nuts or cams. So protection was a little fiddly, but hexes may have worked well, had I brought them. Done via the direct start.

One very difficult move getting up from the obvious, chalked up horns. I tried to put in too much get above the horns and partly obstructed the half-decent side pull up there, and fell. After that, the actual traverse is easy.

Not runout, just very fiddly gear at the start. Lots of small and micro nuts in shallow channels. The pro seemed better out right. One you get past the initial bulge and reach the slab, it eases significantly, leading to lovely easy corner crack climbing.

A stiff start (especially if you're short) and then lovely, cruisy climbing the rest of the way. The flake itself is certainly nothing to be afraid off.

Nice, but very short. Takes small nuts down low, then can get cams in higher up when the flake opens a little.

Difficult start on sloping holds with tricky protection. The direct start actually looked like a much better option. Very nice above that though, with a pumpy, slightly overhanging section.

Ridiculously reachy and bouldery start, going from wide left to wide right, to wide left. Still a little delicate getting up to the 2nd bolt, but eases from there.

No way this is only 21. 22 more like it. Gets incredibly blank around the last bolt(s)* and I had to pull on a draw to get past there.

Steep, crimpy and pumpy start leads to juggy horizontal crack, then crux above getting past last bolt, and finally a moderate slab above with a big flake available on the arête.

Gear: Cams around BD#0.4 size for the first crack, possible #1 in crack above that, and finally a finger-size cam or small-medium nuts for the flake on the slab.

* The bolting is very confusing. The final bolts are a fixed hanger near the arête, and a ringbolt level with it 1m to the right. The left bolt feels much easier to get to, unless you're doing 'Sluts Alliance'. There's also a hanger way out left and below the first ringbolt, which could be for a left variant start, or for 'Biker Mice From Mars'. Stick clipping the first ring and climbing from below it offers a nice start.

Quite hard for the grade, especially getting past the little roof on the left. Don't even look at it if you can't jam, or if you dislike dirt.

Great fun, but those with a short reach would probably hate it. Aside from the crux lunge and the tricky moves immediately following it, the rest of the route is probably only around grade 20, with a bouldery start and then delicate, Nowra-esque face climbing in the upper section, before traversing to the chains on a huge, juggy rail. If you think you need pre-placed draws for the crux, take a 60cm sling on your shoulder instead and throw it over the second melon.

Rested on the pre-lunge bolt and then on the aforementioned sling.

Excellent, with pitch 2 and the start of pitch 3 being the good bits. Be sure to take BD #3 and #4 size cams, or 2 #4s, as there is no other protection except a severely rusted old piton for the crux start of the 2nd pitch. P3 is surprisingly easy, with just one difficult section in the thought-provoking pull around the end of the huge flake.

Very tricky moves for the grade on P1 getting up the wide crack to the bolt, and then a very confusing final pitch, where there's sloping holds, poor pro, and no clear line to follow. I went up the right corner, chimneying against the right scarab horn, which was mossy, but at least had decent protection.

Done in two pitches. Led final pitch.

Great jamming from the pinnacle up to the little roof, interspersed with occasional face holds. More face holds than crack up through the overhang though. A BD #4 size cam and one or two #3 cams keep it sane. Beware some loose rock at the very beginning of the crack, though it seems like it won't actually come out.

The starting traverse is easy, though thought must be given to rope drag and how to protect your second. (Double ropes really help!) Slightly committing moves up the layback crack, and then a thrutchy but interesting crux start to the wide crack above. A BD #4 cam will fit the crack in the vicinity of the terrible bolt, but there's also small nut protection available in a crack to the left of the bolt.

I was surprised at how difficult the layback section was, particularly the poor feet. Keep a BD #2 size cam for after the layback, as you're rewarded with a perfect slot for it once you're through that crux.

Came off after getting soaked with water when the crux jug turned out to be a bird bath.

Have a thin sling ready for the "peanut", as that's likely the last placement you'll get before being through the hard stuff.

Ok. Some fiddly gear in the lower sections, before the crack is reached.

Easy start, but then gets very hard through the last 3 bolts or so. There seemed to be easier climbing about 1m left of these final bolts, but then this is awkward (especially for a second) as the climb then suddenly swings right to reach the ledge.

Done with the direct start ('Sorry'). Somewhat committing crux moves half way up pitch 2, after the 5th bolt, then eases after that.

Just spectacular. Continuously difficult the whole way, but with plenty of rest stances, and an increbile variety of climbing. Pumpy, overhanging crux start (figure out where you want to go before leaving the ground!), then delicate, balancy slabbing, then a final, committing bouldery move getting around the bulge past the final bolt.

Definitely take a BD C4 #1 size cam, as it is quite runout from the final bolt to the anchors. (The placement, about 3m above the final bolt, tapers down perfectly, so a large nut would also work.) Micro nuts are also very useful for a thin crack after bolt 7, which will take a large RP or small aluminium nut.

Strung together P1 & P2, extended P4 to the alcove directly under the break in the roof, then strung together P5 and P6 from there. Possibly could have been done in 4 pitches if I'd extended P4 all the way up to the balcony instead, and then done the entire traverse as one pitch. Took the arete start left of the chimney, which was probably more like grade 14-15. Additional difficult moves after the first (very loose) piton on P3, but maybe I'd just headed right too early - it looked easier to the left. (There are two pitons on P3, and the one described in the guidebook is the second, which is about a meter above a very obvious ledge.)

Difficult to navigate the walk-off. Accidentally wandered too far in towards Central Gully, when we should have tried to stay more over Tiger Wall. Eventually ended up on a track with a left path that apparently led up to behind Missing Link (the better option), but took the right path which led down the very steep Major Mitchell Gully. Eventually managed to get from there up to the south side of the Bluffs by hugging the left wall, and then continued down Alis.

Have done it several times before, and this was the first time I'd been able to get any protection in after the piton, before stepping out of the cave and around the arete. (There was a decent, small Wild Country Superlight Offset Rock placement above head height near the arete. An offset RP might have also worked.)

Was graded 16 in Louise Shepherd's book, and described only as the line above the cave, which Mentz/Tempest revised it to 13 and described it as starting right of the cave and traversing over it. Maybe the original start was different, but starting right of the cave is definitely only 13.

Bouldery, undercut start (hard ask for a 10!) and then jugs the rest of the way.