Mostly good 18 except for two hard bits. Takes the line up the buttress between 'Evil Times' and 'Acid Test'.
Start: As for 'Acid Test'.
40m (20) (crux) Up through the bulges as for 'Acid Test'. Continue up shallow corners and slightly right to a small ledge below a prominent sloping roof. Turn it via a break on its right and traverse 2m left into the corner in the middle of the buttress. Follow it to a good ledge.
30m (-) Up the grassy corner a few meters then difficult moves left to the crack that splits the nose. Superb climbing to a small ledge and a trick short crack on the left to a large ledge. A short problematic bulging wall leads to the top.
30m (20) (Crux) Up through bulges as for 'Acid Test' then traverse 8m down and right into blind overhanging corner. Continue around nose onto slab then up through loose blocks to ledge on left (on 'Acid Test'). Terrible rope problems consider a belay before the hard bit of the traverse.
20m (-) Follow line on right to grassy ledge with huge block. Climb seam on left to ledge on left.
38m (-) Right of line above corner. Up with difficulty, then follow cracks, trending left through a squeeze.
A superb climb that takes a rising traverse line from 'Acid Test' to about The Promised Land including a daunting traverse of the main roofs. Exposed, Sustained and spectacular.
Start: As for 'Acid Test'
40m (20) Up through bulges and traverse rightwards from second triangular overhang, along lip of overhangs into shallow corner. Hard moves around nose as for Forbidden Delights, and easy rising line into next corner (bottom of 'The Real McCoy' corner). Drop down and around onto slab. Up and right to bottom of 'Twilight Time' corner.
30m (20) Horizontally below corners into Sago Entree. Across to and up the short V-groove of 'Iconoclast' to its main line. Right and slightly up to obvious jug on arete. Traverse horizontally across two awkward black walls to foot ledge in 'Gun Control'.
15m (20) Traverse horizontally right to good ledge on nose (high runners in crack). Along boldly to next crack (White Heat) and up to pedestal.
18m (23) Horizontally around blunt nose and continue with increasing difficulty into recess capped by large black overhangs. Across to first belay os 'Sky Pilot'.
25m (21) Across into maze of blocky overhangs. Trend to far top righthand corner to make an exciting exit into crackline. Follow crack for about 10m and move right to small ledge at bottom of black corner.
25m (22) Straight around nose to yellow corner. Continue across wall into another corner, up to roof and move right into hanging corner. Bold bridging up to hanging belay about 5m below roof.
42m (18) Traverse across 3 grooves and down slightly to obvious footledge on skyline arete. Up and across below line of roofs, around end and up clean crack to top.
30m (17) (crux) As for pitch 1 of 'Twilight Time' to a prickly bush at base of big corner. Traverse left across slab into line running up left side of undercut prow (between 'Twilight Time' and The Real McCoy).
Start: 4m left of Sago Entree. In the printed guides all the lines having the Clandestiny start are described as having scant protection on the traverse.
26m (16) Up on slab, leftwards, until crack is reached, zig-zagging makes the route to the ledge easier.
26m (16) Directly up line, some great bridging to ledge. The central section is a little scrappy but improves at the top.
20m (-) Easily to top with at least 3 alternatives.
FA:Joe Friend, John Zuiderduin & Matt Zuiderduin., 1978
Start: 5m right of 'Iconoclast' and left of a triangular overhang.
12m (-) Avoid the overhang on the left side, move right above overhang to belay.
40m (19) (crux) From right hand end of belay ledge, straight up corner to obvious roof, traverse left under roof to crackline near arete, straight up crackline to belay stance.
20m (-) Beautiful climbing up corner/crack to top.
Protection on the crux adequate but difficult to place.
Start: Just left of 'White Heat'
30m (22) (crux) Climb a small pillar of broken rock, moving left at about head height to incipient crack with overhang at about 10m. Up this to semi-hanging belay.
50m (-) Continue up line taking in the roof with diagonal crack.
Get up close and personal with the roofs. As you climb directly underneath them and traverse into the final moves of the great barrier roof.
Start: Up pillar as for 'Gun Control'
20m (17) Start up pillar as for 'Gun Control'. Head up under the roof and then continue along directly under the rising roofs to the right. Belay at nest of slings where 'Sky Pilot' breaks through the roof.
10m (22) Step right and up 2m to place an excellent piece high in roof before descending down 1m and across 5m to make break in top of great barrier roof. Remember to consider your second!! A good knee and a couple of jambs might help before making a good stance above the roof with a view back to the last belay.
50m (17) Continue up crack 6m then traverse right 5m under and around small roof to make arete. Follow obvious crack line to the top.
Start: Below two tiered roof, about 5m right of 'White Heat'.
30m (23) (crux) Take corner crack directly below two tiered roof for about 8m, traverse left on horizontal crack into first crackline which splits the side of the buttress. Up crack to belay stance.
The big line that weaves through the main roofs at their left hand end.
Start: About 3m right of 'Double Trouble'.
30m (20) Obvious broken slab with a tricky mantle to get going. Trend steeply up right for 20m to the obvious break in roofs. Semi-hanging belay.
30m (20) Delicate and tricky moves lead to bridging problems over the cracks above. Step left from double cracks and gingerly across the second roof. Pull through to a second, better semi-hanging belay.
Takes a short, pronounced, orange V cleft through the first band of overhangs to the right of 'Skypilot'. The first pitch was led with help from tension on the rope but seconded free.
Tension traverse on pitch 1 eliminated, grade remains at 21.
Start: About 10m from the left hand end of the shattered wall.
33m (21) (crux) Climb up the wall to the short orange V cleft and through this to a rest, then up to next roof for protection and step down left and traverse further left and up to semi-hanging belay of 'Sky Pilot'.
26m (-) Up to top of jamb crack in common with 'Sky Pilot', continue up and right then traverse left about 5m, right under overhang and up and around its righthand end. Continue up groove to belay about 10m above overhang below corner.
30m (23) crux) Up shattered wall to orange offwidth, traverse directly right on lip of overhang to arete, up arete to horizontal undercling, traverse left and up crack splitting top overhangs.
Start: At the seam 8m left of 'The Millionaire Touch'.
25m (-) Up the seam to small overhang, right and up past BR Up more steeply (BR and fixed wire), then left at easier angle (fixed wire) to HDBB.
22m (23) (crux) Step out and left past BR, then traverse 3m left with feet just above overhangs to good crack. Up this until you can move left to crack on arete. Up to SHB.
Start: Below right hand end of main overhangs, left of 'The Promised Land'.
40m (22) (crux) Up orange rock to right of overhanging buttress. Traverse left into dihedral up middle of buttress. Up this to roof with V-crack on left, over roof to stance.
Takes the soaring line 5m left of 'Pomp and Circumstance'.
42m (22) (equal crux) Up the line to where a broken crack goes up the left wall. A hanging belay can be taken here on SLCD's or do as the first ascensionists did - (traverse right to a small sloping ledge)
50m (22) (equal crux) Continue up the main line curving left to the lowest part of the small overhang. Through overhang and up for 5m to join crack on right side of arete. Up more easily to top.
Start: At the V-groove and wall 8m left of 'The Resistance Principle'.
30m (-) Up V-groove and wall then right around base of square cut pedestal and up to ledge. Up crack on left to top of small pinnacle, then down other side to alcove and ledge.
15m (22) Straight up for 7m, right and up around arete to small grassy ledge.
45m (22) Up twin cracks to PR and wire placement, up until angle eases. Up wall.
FA:Mark Colyvan, Paul Bayne & Brian Birchall, 1982
35m (-) Up intermittent thin crack through two bulges. After second bulge, traverse left into corner (to about where 'The Resistance Principle' leaves it) Straight up corner to roof (using arete for one move). Exit left under roof to belay above arete.
7m (-) Traverse right to the second corner right of 'A Wolf in the Heart'.
This climb now has more pitches added and is included as the first pitch of 'A Wolf in the Heart'. See the entry for 'Bum Leeper' for full explanation.
FA:Richard Curtis, Jim Nelson & Brian Birchal, 1979
This replaces Bum Leeper, the crux pitch of which was destroyed by falling rock. For full details of the rationale for the changes see the description for 'Bum Leeper'.
Start: 2m left of the original start of 'Bum Leeper'.
40m (-) Climb up for about 20 metres to a groove which slants leftwards. Climb this, exiting with difficulty close to the first belay of 'Bum Leeper'.
30m (23) (crux). This is the new pitch which replaces the original second pitch of 'Bum Leeper' which was destroyed by a rock fall. Move left and up to the bottom of a right-facing, clean corner. (It has a fine crack in its left wall which will take small gear). Up this with difficulty at start.
23m (-) Move slightly right and up the corner above.
FA:Richard Curtis (2), Ben Christian (1 & 3), 2000
As noted in the Rock Magazine guidebook, a huge block had fallen off the climb since their description was written. During Easter 2000 Richard Curtis and Ben Christian visited the Governor and inspected the climb. The huge block described was in fact the whole of the overhang at the top of pitch 2. To climb the beginning of pitch 2 originally entailed negotiating a very large but thin flake which leaned against the right wall of the corner covering a large part of its bottom half. The falling block had completely demolished this and completely changed the nature and difficulty of the pitch. A large amount of shattered rock lodged in the corner and on the ledge below was removed and the route was climbed at grade 23. (Probably technically 22 but sustained enough to give it 23 taking into account fairly sparse and difficult to place protection).
The new pitch was accessed via 'The Governor' (18) which ends near the start of pitch 2 of Bum Leeper. As pitch 2 was the crux of that climb and now bears no relation to its original state, Curtis recorded a new climb called A Wolf in the Heart which is a combination of 'the Governor' (an excellent pitch at grade 18) but with no finish, and pitch 2 of what had been Bum Leeper.
45m (-) Up 'Bum Leeper' for 10m then right into next crack-line just above overhang. Up to pedestal adn short, tricky corner to stance on left.
22m (20) (crux) Corner on right of belay (next one right of 'Sang Froid' pitch 3), directly above tricky corner until it fades then right into next corner.
20m (-) From the belay go right and behind the tree to stacked blocks. Right onto a mini pinacle, then pull up left into a short hanging hand crack. Up the crack then left to the second belay ledge of GM.
30m (-) P3 of GM. Up rightward trending crack. Some committing moves.
50m (-) Up wall and vague crack to first pro at 6m. Traverse right to alcove and coloured rock below main crack. Up to chimney-like feature at about 18m. Up on widening bridging. Bombproof pro.
30m (18) As for 'Horrendous Episode'.
FA:Joe Friend, A Queenslander & Richard Thomas, 1978
30m (-) Up arete 2m left of 'Horrendous Episode' to bulge (Cams in crack around left). Tend left through bulge, then up to BR. Up left side of arete until vague horizontal break leads right to stance on arete. Up to ledge.
20m (-) Left in to 'chimney' and up as for 'Straight Talking' to ledge.
30m (-) Up corner on right as for 'Horrendous Episode'.
A short downward traverse which connects 'Pooh Invents a New Game' to 'Red Disc'. It provides a grade 16 route for moderate grade climbers up a high part of the cliff.
25m (-) As for 'Pooh Invents a New Game'.
25m (-) As for 'Pooh Invents a New Game' until you are a couple of metres higher than the crux of 'Red Disc' to your right. Make a balancy traverse down and right to the slab which ends the crux of 'Red Disc', then up the last section of pitch one of 'Red Disc'. Belay as for 'Red Disc'.
An alternative second pitch for 'Red Disc' at a grade which better matches that of pitch one.
45m (19) As for 'Red Disc'.
48m (21) Up diagonally left to a groove which heads up the wall left of the second pitch of 'Red Disc'. Straight up the groove through small bulges to top.
"Something is sure to turn up" - Mr Micawber
Start: The left of two lines behind a tree. Initialled.
(21) 42m (crux) Up to overlap which is passed on the left. Continue up to blind section. Beautiful fine bridging to another overlap. Over this and step right to a strenuous crack and up this to stance.
(-) 35m Step off pillar into crack and delightful well protected climbing to top. Be careful of friable rock.
Large tooth of rock visible above makes this one of the more obvious starts.
40m (19) (crux) Up with some trepidation through small roof then up crack. Hard traverse left to go up left side of crack and chockstone to belay above tooth.
43m (19) (crux) Step right into crack overcoming roof. On to easier ground.
23m (2) (crux) Climb fine clean corner behind belay and continue to top of huge block where vines loom ahead. Right around rib, back into easy ground of original line.
33m (19) (crux) Up 'Air Raid' for about 8m. Traverse left and up first crackline to the right of 'Tory Crimes', ignoring righthand branch near top of pitch. Belay on ledge.
37m (19) (crux) (The Glad Bag Finish) Step left avoiding crack with vine at top, into bottomless offwidth. Strenuously up this till top of crack is almost within reach. Move left and up to ledge. Climb wall into rightward trending crack to small stance below final short crack to top.
The route which brought about the end of the climbing ban on the cliff.
Start: The major righthand corner after 'Pure and Simple'. Initialled. Double ropes advised.
42m (-) Up corner until a semi-hanging belay can be found using a large chock at about 42m.
20m (20) (crux) Delicate bridging to narrow ledge. Traverse 2.5m right and up finger crack. Trend up leftwards until an obvious undercling traverse can be made to the left. At the end of this climb crack for about 5m until it is possible to move back right around rib to a poor stance.
18m (-) Up crack for a few metres then trend right to the top.
Start as for Sunset Strip below a 12m shallow chimney initialled SS.
Pitches 1 and 2. Takes a series of small grooves and ribs to the left of Sunset Strip. Belay halfway where adequate pro can be found. Middle of climb is trickiest.
7m (-) Up easy angled groove to ledge below bulge. Belay.
46m (18) (crux) Through crack in bulge (trickier than it looks). Continue up trending left to 2m left of big overhang near loose block. Step left and up crack splitting rib to stance below corner with roofs at top. Up corner and exit right under roofs onto stance below final thin crack to top.
Start at a crack-line just before the gully at the right-hand end of the main face. Initialed. Twin ropes are useful to avoid rope drag around the roof.
20m (-) From a reddish boulder climb via a series of cracks to a belay stance below a roof which slants upwards from right to left.
33m (16) (crux) From the left end of the belay ledge, climb the rib to bypass the roof on its left (delicate) then step back right to the bottom of a wide crack. Climb the crack for a couple of moves until it is possible to step onto the easy wall on its right (avoiding the vines which block the crack at this point). Savour the fun slab moves up the right wall and then easy cracks to the top. - Good placements for trad gear can be found for a belay on the right, close to where the climb ends.
30m (15) (crux) Pull up through overhang then up corner to vertical wall. Up left over the arete and step left into jamb crack to the right of the vines.
15m (-) Across bridge to main summit
FA:Geoff Francis, Richard Thomas & Rod McClymont, 1978
Through overhang and up corner as for 'Baked Beans', then right around arete into thin right slanting crack. Up this moving left onto wall to avoid vegetation and dirt.
Start Marked below line to right of cave. Follow crack left, then right until it runs out. Head right around arete into pocket continuing right to crack and up.
Steep and varied; sheltered in bad weather. A classic. The first channel-shaped line as seen on the right from the bottom of the descent gully to the Governor (facing downhill). Initialled. Worth the 2 stars if you don't mind the easy but unprotected start.
Easily, but carefully up to below the overhang where good protection can be arranged. Right and up the steep the groove to rest, then through the overhang and up more easily. There are now chains to belay on.
