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Routes by Will Monks

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Showing all 11 routes.

Grade Route Gear style Popularity
Oceania Australia Victoria North West Arapiles The Watchtower Faces Amok Wall
26 Helter-Skelter

Line left of Able-bodied, Boulder over small roof as for that route to get gear in the obvious flake then head left on little pockets to thin break and gear. Straight up past 2 ring bolts. More gear and a tricky sequence getting established on the slab upper wall and then to anchor on right.

FFA: adam demmert & Will Monks, 28 May 2016

Mixed trad 15m, 2
Oceania Australia Victoria North West Arapiles Far North Echidna Wall
17 Sugar Plum

Easier and airier than it looks. Start up Old Mates for 5m to the base of the main corner. Move R onto orange nose and rock onto blank slab. Continue diagonally R over orange bulges (lots of pro, it’s above you), crossing Gene Vicious, to R end of big roof. Finish direct up clean cut grey dihedral. Wander 5m L to rap rings, or top out.

FA: Emily Monks & Will Monks, 11 Apr 2022

Trad 20m
Oceania Australia Victoria North West Grampians North Grampians Mt Stapylton Amphitheatre Taipan Wall - North
23 M1 Dance of Life Clean Sweep Connection

Some link-ups are hardly worth recording, but this one is notable because it avoids the cruxy moves of each route, leaving amazing sustained climbing around grade 22 with bomber pro the whole way. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find a better 23 in the Grampians.

Follow Dance of Life to the horizontal break 10m below the top, step L 3m, and finish up the lovely well protected blunt arete of Clean Sweep. Needs double ropes to do it in a single (ultraclassic) pitch. Has also been done by going further L along the break to Dinosaurs Don't Dyno.

FA: 2004

FA: Will Monks, James Pfrunder & Kevin Lindorff, 2004

Mixed trad 45m, 1
Oceania Australia New South Wales and ACT Sydney Metropolitan North Shore Castle Cove Echo Point
24 Legged Snake (Open Project)

FA: Will Monks, 1988

Sport 8m
Oceania Australia New South Wales and ACT Central Tablelands Blue Mountains Leura Sublime Point West Face (Main Area) Middle Cliffs Ben Trovato Wall
25 Vespasian's Wall
1 25 25m
2 33m

Ewbank's original aid line turns out to be an absolute cracker of a free route. A very impressive orange face, originally established as a 2 pitch aid route via a bolt ladder up the guts of the wall to the top by John Ewbank in 1964. Mentioned in old guidebooks (including Ewbank's) as "Vespian's Wall" - but was surely meant to be named after the Roman Emperor who built the Colosseum. Soon after bolting it, Ewbank's anti-bolt sentiment kicked in and he chopped the bolts. Nearly half a century later, this free version lets you marvel at the relics. Start 8m left of Guillotine.

  1. 25m (25) Possibly the best single pitch on Ben Trovato wall. Tiny hanging arête to start then right and up amazing sustained wall with crux near the top. Clip the first bolt with a stick, or off a kneebar in the break. Ignore the manky chain at 20m and continue another 5m to a new anchor.

  2. 8m (14) Continue up and left on easy grey ground past another bolt to cosy foot ledge and DRB. (35m to ground). You can get here more easily via Guillotine p1 if you prefer.

  3. 20m (24) Step right to the flake/corner left of the guano, then take the orange streak above the guano. Currently finishes after about 20m, just below an overlap, 3m above a jug rail. This pitch is really good, on fantastic orange rock, tho you need to lower off a single ring. A proper anchor will hopefully appear some day.

The bolted continuation for another 15-20m to DRB near the top is open, help yourself. Will be 27+, and is increasingly let down by the usual deteriorating rock quality up there.

FA: Will Monks

FA: John Ewbank & Bob Smith @ 15 M.3, 1964

FFA: Neil Monteith (p1), 2011

Sport 58m, 2, 20
Oceania Australia New South Wales and ACT Central Tablelands Blue Mountains Katoomba Area Narrow Neck Diamond Falls Access Ledge
26 Diamond in the Flesh

As per Jewel Thief to 4th bolt then straight up. Maybe 25, once you work out all the tricks.

FFA: Will Monks & Geoff Johnston-Hall, 4 Feb 2017

Sport 28m, 10
Oceania Australia New South Wales and ACT Central Tablelands Blue Mountains Katoomba Area Ngula Bulgarabang/ Radiata Plateau The Pit Sector 'Pit Fighter'
23 Harness Ahh-ness

The warmup this crag was missing. Start as for Mono then step R at the ledge; clip then backclean Mono's 1st bolt.

FA: Will Monks, 2016

Sport 15m, 5
26 Pit Stop

The double overhung arete at the L end of the wall. 5m L of Akimbo.

FA: Will Monks, 8 Sep 2020

Sport 20m, 8
23 Pit Trip (linkup)

Fun jugging. Pit Stop to the main ledge, traverse R across Akimbo, up Damocles then R again to finish up Problem Child. Put an extender (and maybe a roller) on the 4th bolt, and the next few.

FA: Will Monks, 8 Sep 2020

Sport 25m, 10
Oceania Australia New South Wales and ACT Central Tablelands Blue Mountains Katoomba Area Ngula Bulgarabang/ Radiata Plateau Elphinstone Main Wall
30 Tiger Hook (Linkup)

Tiger Snatch to the crux then diagonally right forever. After doing the Tiger Snatch crux, follow good holds R to join Sitting Bull in the roof. Turn the lip as per Sitting Bull, cross Bandula at the top of the flake, and join Brummel Hook at its 2nd last bolt to the top. Around 2013 Quentin Chastagnier did a similar linkup via a crimpy traverse a few metres higher, called "Le Tigre … " (TBC), grade 31.

FFA: Will Monks, 26 May 2019

Sport 40m
29 Gravitational Wave

An epically long steep quest, never harder than 26ish ... but rarely easier. Joins Elephant Man for the last 2 bolts. Circle around the 2nd last bolt, similar either way. 70m rope isn’t enough to lower off. Redirect(s) essential to make the ledge.

FA: Will Monks, 21 Oct 2021

Sport 45m

Showing all 11 routes.