Routes in Asia for selected grade

200 meters (100 meters of technical climbing, 100 meters of lower 5th class scramble)

An extremely bold route in the old school style. A blog by Aloke Surin provided the original inkling about the existence of this route.

Faruk led this extremely runout and now notorious line, as apparently guided to by Guruprasad, using Pitons and basic gear (climbing in ‘Hunter Shoes’).

The line is extremely difficult to nail down, with due respect to the original FAists. As is the nature of these routes. If you follow the line as indicated, and hit the anchor station bolts, assume you are on DIM Some. Anything to the right of the anchor station bolts, should be considered the DIM route.

Unrepeated for 30 years, until Sunny Jamshedji got on the line, and as these repeats of old school trad-lines go, created the variation Dim Some.

FA: Faruk Kariyaniya, Aloke Surin, Franklyn, Guruprasad, 1989

Body-wide chimney! The space between both the boulders provides this opportunity to experience this unique style of climbing and protected at that!

The crux involves topping out.

Route by Shyam Krishnakumar & Sohan. FA: Kiran Kallur. Nov 9th, 2022.

Fist/Offwidth

Located about 50-odd meters immediate east of Stalin’s farm.

To access, walk past the fences and turn east when you encounter a goat-trail, hike up, and then south when you hit the high boulders. The access hike is less than 400 meters long.

Through the squeeze chimney, protect high up (if you don’t have wider gear than that), and out of the offwidth & squeeze and exit right or left.

Rack: Upto #4 cam (The hand-sized cams work best).

Top-Anchor: Cracks to the immediate left, or through the easier exit to the right, trees, further behind.

FKA: Amrit Appaden supported by Shresth Mohan, May 14th, 2022.

Routes Monu's Backyard, Easy Peasy, & JugAah'D are what you come across as you hike towards the crag from the school. These are perfect warmups before the stiffer 5.10 routes further along the crag and can be climbed very quickly. As of mid-2018, the top anchors were stolen.

Monu’s Backyard starts along a crack, requiring a half mantle to get onto the slab. The top anchors are shared with Route Easy Peasy.

Route credit: Sohan Pavuluri, Alok Tater, Satish Venkatchaliah, Srivats, Vipin Kumar, Satnam Singh & Abhijit Sriramreddy. FFA, Satnam Singh

Crack and Slab

Immediately left of Shyam’s Line. Exciting and exposed grade appropriate route.

Left of the BTW crack, starts as a crack radiating right to left, and then a seemingly blank slab, a seam widening into finger, then the hand crack for next solid protection, and then angle left over the exposed slab to the top out past the upper diagonal crack.

Three cruces. One, making the slab move on the crimps and reaching the jug, two, the move through the finger crack to the hand crack, and then the final third over the blank slab to the left of the crack to the next diagonal crack.

A single piton about 15 odd feet up, just after the slab section.

Facing: West

Rack: Small- to mid-sized nuts, finger-, and hand-size pieces. Can be entirely led on nuts and hexes.

Anchor: Hand to fist sized pieces.

Natural Anchor: None

Exit: Off of a tree.

Route credit and FA: Sohan with support from Nikhil Fernandes and Akshay KV, on the 8th of Sep ,2021.

Easy face/slab climb with good features.

Route credit: Sohan Pavuluri, Alok Tater, Satish Venkatchaliah, Srivats, Vipin Kumar, Satnam Singh & Abhijit Sriramreddy. FFA, Sohan Pavuluri

Two horizontal cracks to protect.

From the left of the face, traverse right along the first lower crack, protect with finger sized cams or tricams, and then from the big jug to the second crack, and then over the lip of the mild roof.

Facing: West

Rack: Finger sized cams/Tricams, #/2 or #3 cam.

Anchor: Tree and branches (for directional). Long anchor. Or use the rope itself.

Natural Anchor: Tree

FA: Sohan, April 2021

Gear needed. Doubles of .5, .75, #1 & #2.

P1: 5.8G. 45 meters, 3 + 2 bolts. The takeoff on the block of rock, traverse right, and get onto the crack. If you have a tag line, exit from the station here. The route was partially ground up ascent by me. Tentative initial attempts at ground up climbing in early 2017. The rest of the route was rap bolted, hence the odd length of the route.

P2: 5.5. 20 meters. 0 + 0 bolts. Climb the easy slab, over the ridge, and get into a bucket on the other side, and belay your partner over, and walk off.

Route credit: Sohan Pavuluri & Narayan Pai. FFA, Poonacha Medapa.

The high-boulder between the King Swing and the Cola-Berry boulder. is one of the tallest high-boulders around. There are four lines, here.

To access, hike up to the King Swing boulder, and through the chimneys between that and the Mango Seed boulder.

This chimney is infact the gap between this boulder and the Cola-Berry boulder.

The bolted line runs along the outside edge of the chimney. Still chimney climbing.

A beehive in May of 2022. There seems to be in- and out-season for the hive.

Route and FA by Sohan (LR Solo). 21st October, 2022

The prominent cracked boulder is about 50-40 feet, depending on which side you look at it from. Sits higher on the down slope.

On a family camping trip with kids, decided to check out Paul’s long pending desire to get on top of this high ball, via the chimney.

The route starts from the east of the chimney, and cuts diagonally across in the chimney to the west.

A good thin ledge to use that goes diagonally. The crux is after the last bolt, unprotected traverse to mantle up to the top.

Exit: Currently, the exit it by the way of slinging a large boulder. Will need 20 feet of cordage or webbing.

FFA: Ground up onsight by Sohan, supported by Paul Rosolie & Gowri Varanashi

Crack and Slab

From the Iron & Argon area, turn right, behind the King Swing high boulder, and walk up for another 50-60 meters.

Watch, as you approach the base. Ditches on the either side of the base just below the crack.

For the first eight feet and the last six-odd feet, not much of protection. The seam is too small for average sized pieces.

Crux is the top-out on the slab after protecting the double-finger sized crack.

Rack: Double finger sized pieces and below, small or micro-nuts.

Anchor: Either sling the slabs of rock lying atop or use the cracks below them. Hand-sized pieces or below.

Exit: Take a 10-foot leave-behind cordage or rope. And back up the TATs currently left behind with a maillon. No walk-off.

FA: Amrit Appaden & Sonakshi Mittal. July 20th, 2022.

Far left corner crack. Currently, a medium Lost Arrow piton is placed where there is nothing else to protect with.

Gear needed, all the way upto #4 cams. Smallest Ball-nuts could be useful, in the lower half.

Per Griffin: “Start by climbing up the chockstone boulder and mantling up to a ledge. Follow the seam on the face, up to where the corner crack narrows. We are hoping to place a bolt here, as the only way I found to protect this part, and avoid a potential ground/ledge fall is with a tipped out #6, and that micro-wire you never wanted to use.

“Follow the corner crack to the easier ground, then climb up, through and then above the tree to the roof. You could continue straight up the corner would add a number grade or so to the climb, and get rid of some rope drag, but then you would miss out on the fantastic traverse.

“Follow the beautiful hand crack right along the roof on the exposed slab and delicately transition across down onto the corner where the route joins ‘Bungle in the Jungle’ (This is the crux). Traverse along the bottom of the flake and chimney through to the chains above. Serious rope drag on this route, so be sure to extendyour runners.”

Sohan's notes : The route turns sharply to the right after 25 odd meters, and then joins Bungle in the Jungle route and goes straight up through the broken rock after about 30 meters. High possibility of the rope wedging in the cracks where the route turns. Optionally, break up the route into two pitches. Best anchor station, if breaking up the route, is at the point after the traverse, where you have to step onto the lower slab. Takes couple of #3s and a #4 to create a solid three-point anchor. If you only have one #3, you could use #1 or #.75, in the smaller crack where you step off onto the lower slab.

The crux is about 20 feet off the ground, before the corner crack. Crux is largely about finding a good placement after the fixed piton, and before the corner crack. Thereafter, the route is relatively easy. The next crux moment is second half of the traverse, before the route goes through the chimney. Especially for the shorter folks.

Route credit & FFA: Griffin Ernest & Sohan Pavuluri (Mar 2019)

Finger Crack

The scratch of a finger crack going from left to right to the left of this boulder.

When we initially came across this line, it looked simple enough to get on and knock-off, as we would call our quick ascents. But then, the mud-filled crack was not as easy it had seemed from the ground.

Double-finger and smaller sizes protect the crack, and after the bonsai, the crack narrows to less than the finger-sized seam. And disappears altogether.

Attempting to connect to the crack above through the six-feet of face seems rather stiff. Additionally, the crack formed by the overlapping rock is not confidence inspiring. But a potential line for someone capable of pulling of hard grades and with a solid temperament to connect the two cracks.

Rack: Double-finger sized cams and below. Doubles of them. If top-roping, then micro-nuts or micro-cams.

Exit: Down-climb to the shoots growing out of the bonsai, ghost-knot it and rap- off. Complicated exit. Or connect to the upper crack through free or aid- climbing and traverse right to the top of Twig-Shower route.

The first route that realized the Jungle set of routes!

Right of the corner crack. Was done ground up in Nov 2018.

Gear needed, all the way upto #4 cams. Where a big bro was used on the initial ascent, a bolt was placed on a subsequent ascent.

Layback on the slab and through the tree growing out of the crack. Crux is transitioning from the crack from below the flake to the chimney, on frictionless slab.

Continues through the two trees, along the finger crack, and then turns slightly right, and straight through the chimney.

Original anchor station was inside the cave to the left of the currently bolted station and is used by the monkeys as the community lavatory. The cave walls are smeared with shit.

The anchor station shared with two other routes and is the start of the ‘Meghaduta’ traverse.

Route credit & FFA: Sohan Pavuluri, Griffin Ernest & Jaqui Ogle (Nov 2018)

Finger and hand-sized crack

Another 50 meters to the north of the Ball-Rama boulder.

This boulder has two cracks, including this easy one to the right, as you face it from the west. The one to the left (facing north) is more complex.

Jams are not necessary but protect using the cracks. The placements are from not-so-great stances, while the climbing itself is easy. The top out can be heady, as the pieces below are suspect.

Starts as a finger crack, then radiating left briefly as a fist sized crack. The crack below the slab top out is largely a seam, with some potential to protect with small sized cams.

Climbing is largely about trusting your own ability and relying less on the protection.

Facing: West

Rack: Small sized nuts, and a #3-sized BD cam.

Anchor: Long anchoring material needed (two lengths of 20 feet or so of cordage). Boulders and cracks.

Natural anchors: One tree and some boulders wedged between the boulders. And about 40- or 50-foot length of cordage.

FKA: TT Niranjan and Shyam Krishnakumar.

Gear needed, a single rack upto #4 BD cam size. The crack itself is less than 12 odd meters.

You could directly get on the crack, while on the third pitch of the Meghaduta Traverse, but will create severe rope drag.

Best option is to complete the third pitch traverse, and then reverse the traverse to get on the crack.

Crux sections, right at the takeoff into the crack, and then somewhere in the middle.

After topping out, walk another 30 odd feet, and build an anchor in the crack system available.

FFA: Griffin Ernest & Sohan Pavuluri (June 2019)

Corner Hand-Crack

The crux is the hand-sized corner crack, before the second boulder above. One Red BD cam to protect and run it out or protect above as needed.

The chocked stone at the bottom, the mud and the vegetation in the center of the line cleaned up in June 2021.

Rack: Regular rack with fist sized cams and below.

Anchor: In the crack before the top out.

Natural Anchor: None, or hip belay from top. Boulderable line.

Exit: Walk off from behind.

FKA: Sohan, June 2021

1p (A0|30m) 2p (A1|20m) 3p (5.8|25m)

1p (|48m) 2p (|53m) 3p (*|45m)

As you walk along the base to the south, a couple of slabs separated by a channel filled up with mud.

Both sets of the slabs could be protected with gear or from the trees atop them.

A daring variation climb by Lopsang Thsiring, Arun.S - both visiting members to IMF Rock Climbing Camp with couple of members of 'The Climbers' - in 1987.

Opened by Lopsang Thisring, Kamalesh & other members of 'The Climbers' in 1987 during IMF All India Camp.

Route opened by either Naresh, Paramjeet, Annie in 90/91 (5.9/5.10aR) as per Dini, or by Subhomoy, Kamalesh & Jagadeesh in 1994.

Left of the cave. Slab below the cave.

Traverse from the cave, left to a ledge.

Onto a couple of buckets, clear that, go left.

Diagonally left and top out.

Started by Srikanth and Dini, and completed by Naresh, Ajay Balak and Raju K.H. (Mar 1986)

Original first pitch of 50 meters is shared with Basanti.

The original first pitch is an extremely runout line, though on easy terrain after the first 10 odd meters. And the bolts are hard to locate. So, most folks get on CACCAC, and traverse right onto these routes.

P1: 5.6. 50 meters, 3 + 2 bolts.

P2: 5.8. 40 meters. 4 + 2 bolts.

The first bolt is about 20 meters after the P1 anchor station on a very easy terrain. Thereafter, interesting face climb. • Route credit, Dini and Nifa, Jan 25th, 2015.

Requires one #7 or #8 BD Nut.

Two pitches of 35-50 odd meters in length each. Can be done in one push with a 70-meter rope if you scramble up the initial low angle slab.

P1: 5.6. 35 meters. 4 + 2 bolts.

The first half is a low angle slab, with two bolts that are missing hangers. Either carry your own hangers or use nuts to sling around them and protect the scramble up the slab. The slab is only 5.4 in grade. So, you could run it out. There after another 20 meters of 5.6 steep angle slab to the anchor bolts.

P2: 5.8. 50-55 meters. 7 + 2 bolts.

With a 70-meter rope, from top of the low angle slab, and where the steeper slab begins, the climb can be completed in one push.

Second pitch is a sustained 5.7ish and the crux begins from the small roof. After the roof, traverse left towards a horizontal crack. A slight run out between fourth and fifth bolt, which can be protected with a nut (Black Diamond nut #7 or #8).

The route was named to inspire Tsai Yuan Chan (friend of the sponsor of this route, Babitha Dhuler), who was fighting cancer at the time of the route being put up. She passed away in 2016.

Route credit, Sohan, Poonacha, Prashanth, Shreyas, Roma. Jul/Aug 2014.

P1: 5.5. 30 meters. 5 + 2 bolts

Route credit & FFA: Satish Venkatchalaiah.

P2: 5.8. 20 meters. 5 + 2 bolts

The second pitch turns left and goes over the bulge and provides for mildly exciting moments on an otherwise forgettable route.

Second pitch by Karthik Vijayakumar and Abhijit Sriramareddy

Exit by rapping off. If you attempt to walk out, it makes for a long walk across the plateau and down slippery slab (especially during the monsoons).

The route that takes you to the top out.

P1: 5.8. 31 meters. 9 + 2 bolts.

If you don’t follow the route, the grade might feel harder. The headwall with massive pockets provides for the experience.

P2: 5.7. 8 meters. 2 + 2 bolts

Nice airy move to the first bolt, and then quickly gets over. This pitch was put up during route development to allow us to exit faster from the crag.

Route credit, Sohan, Ferdin Sylvester, Griffin Ernest. Dec 2018.

FFA : Karthik Vijayakumar.

According to Sunny Jamshedji, this is “...the best route/crack I’ve climbed in India except for Miyar routes. Hands down!”

“Very small pieces all the way to #4 on P2 anchor.”

Route credit: M.Oberoi, Shyam Krishnan, Dinesh K., & Ajay Tambe (1997-98)

Offwidth crack that takes #3, #4, & #5.

To the left (or north) of the Red Sea, on the plateau a step above.

Facing: West

Rack: Fist and Off-width gear

Anchor: Tree

Natural Anchor: Tree

FKA: Karthik Vijayakumar, 2017

Gaurav (Gujju Razzak) soloed and first ascended this route in April 2016, in apparently 45 minutes! And impressively, down climbed via another line left of it (Snake in the Eagle Shadow - Variation).

The route starts at the base of Flesh Trade, angles left on the slab, goes through a gulley just below the shrubbery, gets on the headwall along a water line, and then goes up straight along the slabby prow. • The yellow line you see to the left, closer to the base is the line, Gujju took to exit, by the way of down climbing. The top was apparently overgrown.

100 + meters.

Old school trad.

Exit by walking off

2 pitches of 70 meters and 35 meters respectively with double bolted anchor stations to rap off.

A variation of the DIM route, done by Sunny Jamshedji in Jun 2018

According to Sunny, he followed the DIM first pitch, the he went left, not right, to keep a straight line up the wall to the large white flake, where he setup the first rap station at just shy of 70 meters with ‘a bit of a zig and a bit of a zag’. Then they continued straight up to the next ledge. “But there was no gear there but much lower angle”. Hence his decision to stop there at half rope.

“First piece on P1 was way above the right-side roof, with moves very difficult to reverse. The first piece was about 50-60’, but that was 100’ off the ground as we started 40’ up a ramp on a large flake.”

If you get on this line, and veer right, and miss the bolted anchor stations, you are probably climbing - DIM (Richard in Mouth)

Exit: Three rappels of 35-meter each to the ground. Or continue on the Shakuntala route and top out.

FFA: Sunny Jamshedji, Murali Manja, Karthik Vijayakumar, and Narayan Pai

A 3 bolt line

Anchor - Trees

Route by Shyam Krishnakumar & Sohan. FA: Shyam. November 9th, 2022.

West face

Gear #.3-#4

Anchor = 2 bolts + 梅陇锁

机械塞：.3-1

North-west rib

East pillar of the north-east face

Route starts in the right part of the north face by an obvious triangular pillar. In the corner of the pillar, then along the pillar towards a triangular funnel. In its right part to a gallery. From the gallery walk to the summit or rap in NW couloir.

Four pitches in very bad rock. Route starts in the middle of the north face (long flat ridge made of buttresses) and follows obvious crack looking for solid rock (unsuccessfully).

South-east ridge

周鹏 ：位于林阴长廊北侧，清理了岩壁下面的木丛之后，发现起步的线路都不好搞。要么太细，要么太湿。

最后硬着头皮从湿的地方起步，计划从左侧的线路走。但上面的缝是死的，走不通。只能换中间的线路。

中间的线路上半段极碎，还是个烟囱。缝里像小孩子玩家家搭起来的石头，一碰就掉。而保护员就在落石攻击范围之内！

烟囱两侧是岩脉裂开之后粘在上面的大块石头，手点脚点都很大，难度也就5.7，5.8。但是直觉和经验告诉我，这种诱人的大手点并不可信，可能一发力就掉。所以，不能信任每一个好用的点，做动作的时候保证四肢任何一个意外脱落的时候也要保证身体不脱落。事实上也确实踩掉了几个很大的以为还算结实的点。这种策略完全不是多余。

烟囱里面没细缝，而本身又太宽，保护点很难找，有效保护10-15米一个。

这个难度就算是solo也倒是无所谓，但面对随时可能会掉的手脚点，缝里不能碰的浮石。着实把自己搞得很狼狈。

再加之线路很长，70米到顶。10个延长快挂加三个普通快挂用完，最后无奈把绳梯和抓结都当成了快挂用。如果不延长，绳子在岩石上摩擦，拖不动绳子，再加之绳子贴在碎石上，一定会带下一阵阵石头雨，保护员危险极大。

线路初步清理了一番，但缝里的石头是“无穷无尽”的，落石的风险依然非常大。保护点还是如之前一样，有效保护10米左右一个。后来打顶的位置比用顶上的树矮了10米

就叫它“地狱之路”吧。除了以往高海拔的一些攀登，这么麻烦的还真是有些年不曾经历了！

Mixed bolts and gear, not recommended.

一定要尝试onsight的一条好线。

C4 .4～4, 7, double .5

Right part of the north-west face