Node em Wafer Thin Fin

One of the most novel routes in the country up an extraordinary natural feature that redefines the term knife blade arete. No amount of hyperbole will prepare you for the first sight of this exposed prow on a remote tower. Imagine 'Flake Crack' but without the main wall and 70m high. You can even hang your arm through holes in the arete in several places! Rock quality is generally pretty poor but it's all about position, position, and position! Protection is good, generally on solid ring bolts and occasionally on fixed slings/rope tied through holes in the arete. Although technically this is a sport route be prepared for large amounts of rope admin - bring jumars, lots of biners and helmets. Have an escape plan if it all goes wrong and the tower falls down.

Rap-in

The route is located on the south east arete of the Lost Pillar on Dalpura Head. Locate 2 x ringbolts (no longer carrots) on top of cliff above the Lost Pillar (peer over edge to locate pillar!). It's a 120m abseil straight down the wall (joining ropes is an option). It's recommended you re-belay at one of two DBBs. The first hanging DBB is slightly above the top of the pillar and is used for the tyrolean exit. The second DBB is on a ledge 15m below the top of the pillar with some vegetation, a small swing to the left, recommended for the bounce exit. Pick your re-belay and finish rapping straight down into the gully. Scramble down a few metres to the line of ring bolts traversing left for the first pitch.

Stick clip the first bolt (optionally, belay off the rap rope, or off some slung sandstone) to avoid a bad fall off the ledge on the opening moves.

Climbing

1. 35m (21) The Floating Fin Pitch. Start on right wall of fin, about 5m up the gully. Traverse hard left across the horizontal break (super chossy) past lots of stainless to gain better rock on left side of arete. Up. No, seriously keep going up, taking care not rip a fin off, to belay on ledge at triple bolt belay. Rope drag is a minor issue on this pitch. 30m of rope will make it if the second is near the edge.

2. 18m (22) Sea Cliff Pitch. Go against all logic and traverse out right above the sucking void to gain the knife blade arete again. Up. Yes, the slings are bomber. No, you can't come down. Take care with the top-out onto the belay ledge, there is quite a bit of small loose shale. Double ring belay.

3. 18m (23) Sandy Boulder Pitch. Surprisingly punchy in the bottom half. First bolt is a dangerously high clip, so pull on belay bolts to reach it. Belay on double rings and FH.

Exit options

Scramble to true summit 5m away and locate double rings on west facing block.

The Bounce (recommended)

The simplest but most exciting. Rap 15m between main wall and pillar, then kick with all your might to sail across the void. Grab your rap line and pull onto the ledge. The rope will only be close enough to grab if you re-belayed on the vegetated ledge.

The Welsh Dragon

Rap 30m down to western lower tiers of pillar to a 2 x carrot belay (visible from top, has in-situ gear to facilitate next abseil (!) ), and rap another 30m back to the start gully. From the gully, either jumar back up the fixed ropes, or climb Welsh Dragon (shady) or The Opposition (harder and sun after 1pm).

The Tyrolean

It's also possible to tyrolean off the top of the pillar (avoiding the first 70m of jumaring) by towing the end of the fixed abseil rope behind you up the climb and diagonal ascending up to the re-belay anchors. Look up how to set it up!