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Main Wall (Ferris Cave)

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Access issues inherited from Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains are a World Heritage listed area. The Grose Valley, the cliffs around Katoomba and much of the Narrow Neck peninsula are part of the Blue Mountains National Park which is managed by the NPWS. The Western Escarpment - where most of the climbing is - is Crown Land managed by the BMCC. While the NPWS Plan of Management nominates several locations in the National Park where rock climbing is deemed appropriate, the majority of the climbing remains unacknowledged. To maintain access our best approach is to 'Respect Native Habitat, Tread Softly and Leave No Trace'. Do not cut flora and keep any tracks and infrastructure as minimal as possible.

Practically all crags are either in National Park or in council reserve: dog owners are reminded that dogs are not allowed in National Parks at any time and fines have been issued, while for crags on council reserve the BMCC leash law requires that dogs be on-leash.

For the latest access related information, or to report something of concern, visit the Australian Climbing Association NSW Blue Mountains page at https://acansw.org.au/blue-mountains/

Ethic inherited from Blue Mountains

Although sport climbing is well entrenched as the most popular form of Blueys climbing, mixed-climbing on gear and bolts has generally been the rule over the long term. Please try to use available natural gear where possible, and do not bolt cracks or potential trad climbs. If you do the bolts may be removed.

Because of the softness of Blue Mountains sandstone, bolting should only be done by those with a solid knowledge of glue-in equipping. A recent fatality serves as a reminder that this is not an area to experiment with bolting.

If you do need to top rope, please do it through your own gear as the wear on the anchors is both difficult and expensive to maintain.

At many Blue Mountains crags, the somewhat close spacing of routes and prolific horizontal featuring means that it is easy to envisage literally hundreds of trivial linkups. By all means climb these to your hearts content but, unless it is an exceptional case due to some significant objective merit, please generally refrain from writing up linkups. A proliferation of descriptions of trivial linkups would only clutter up the guide and add confusion and will generally not add value to your fellow climbers. (If you still can't resist, consider adding a brief note to the parent route description, rather than cluttering up the guide with a whole new route entry).

If you have benefited from climbing infrastructure in NSW, please consider making a donation towards maintenance costs. The Sydney Rockclimbing Club Rebolting Fund finances the replacement of old bolts on existing climbs and the maintenance of other hardware such as fixed ropes and anchors. The SRC purchases hardware, such as bolts and glue, and distributes them to volunteer rebolters across the state of New South Wales. For more information, including donation details, visit https://sydneyrockies.org.au/rebolting/

It would be appreciated if brushing of holds and minimisation/removal of tick marks becomes part of your climbing routine. Consider bringing a water squirt bottle and mop-up rag to better remove chalk. Only use soft (hair/nylon) bristled brushes, never steel brushes.

The removal of vegetation - both from the cliff bases and the climbs - is not seen as beneficial to aesthetics of the environment nor to our access to it.

Remember, to maintain access our best approach is to 'Respect Native Habitat, Tread Softly and Leave No Trace'. Do not cut flora and keep any tracks and infrastructure as minimal as possible or risk possible closures.

For the latest access related information, or to report something of concern, visit the Australian Climbing Association NSW Blue Mountains page at https://acansw.org.au/blue-mountains/

Some content has been provided under license from: © Australian Climbing Association Queensland (Creative Commons, Attribution, Share-Alike 2.5 AU)

Routes

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Grade Route

Ugly metal waste sticking out of the roof!

Warning Fixed Gear: Loose anchor bolt?

Sharp jugs. Lefthand route on the main wall. Start as for Sydney Rose, traverse left for three bolts then head up the steepness.

FA: S.Bell & C.Vandereydt, 1995

Steep power packet. All rings to lower offs.

FA: J.Smoothy, 1989

Should see more traffic, definitely worthwhile. Great angle in the bottom half. Boulder direct past 3rd bolt, no need to pike left into Sydney Rose. Then a Lyptus-type headwall which is pretty clean despite appearances. No anchor: step R to Eureka's.

FA: M.Baker, 1992

A very worthwhile alternative to Euchre; shared start for 5-6m then head left. The run out to the anchor is exciting but easy. Now has new ringbolts.

FA: L.Trihey & J.Smoothy, 1989

FA: J.Smoothy, 1989

Link up. Starts up Lyptus for 4 bolts, extend the draw and move left into Euchre. Small runout but good holds. Easier warm up option than Lyptus and still fun.

One of the best warm ups for the harder routes and a fine route to earn the grade also. Very popular. Anchor replaced 16/10/18. [If the headwall of this route is wet, an equally good but dry 23 is “Lyptus Power”: Lyptus to the crux then easily R across Grape Hour (which will also be wet up high), to join Grey Power].

FA: J.Smoothy, 1989

Classic pumper in the middle of the wall - get a ticket and get in line. Start at the enormous permanent cairn. Stickclip essential.

FA: Mike Law, 1994

Start up Grape Hour into the finish of Grey Power. You move R just before the 3rd bolt of GH. Good luck at saying all these route names and not getting confused!

Grape Power into Onions (Extended Dance Mix) via the top 2 bolts of Veteran's, avoiding the Veteran's anchor jugs. If you finish at the Veteran's anchor its a good 25 (Grape Affair).

Start 3m R of the enormous cairn of Grape Hour. Clip the low RB so that the leader doesn't slam into the rope working the hard moves to the 2nd bolt. Very tough thin moves past the first 2 bolts then the right side of the scoop. Most people step L at the last bolt but the glued up flake direct finish goes too.

FA: J.Smoothy, 1989

FA: john smoothy, 1989

Start as for Grey Power (if you think the start feels hard it used to have a jug...). After the 2nd bolt veer R (3rd bolt often gets skipped). After the 5th bolt go straight up, despite what all the chalk circling around to the left might suggest. Clint

FA: G.Bradbury, 1997

Start up Veteran's, into Onions, through Mudeye and finish up Don't Believe. A very similar link is Hyper (30), which skips the Mudeye pocket move by traversing R beneath it to the base of the flake on Don't Believe. Yet another similar link is Bunions (softish 29), which starts up Veteran's, joins Onions at its 4th bolt and finishes up Onions Extension.

FA: N.Hoette

New start into Aneurysm. If you traverse left into Grey Power to avoid the top crux you've done "Spray Power" at about grade 25. Straight up is the way to go.

FA: Stuart Simons, 2017

Start 3m L of Onions. Boulder your way up to the first link bolt of Aneurysm then straight up into Onions. Hopefully frees the Onions start up a bit.

FA: Stuart Simons, 30 Sep 2017

New start into Mudeye then finish direct via Onions Extension. Loads of fun climbings and a good option if the Onions start is under siege.

FA: Stuart Simons, 2017

Start up Onions to 3rd bolt then head left into Veteran's Affair. Rebolted 28-03-19

FA: Mark Ashmore, 2006

The original route up the right side of the wall, to anchors beneath final bulge. This used to be 26.

FA: G.Bradbury, 1989

This ones for those who like to get full value from their climbing experience. Having reached the anchors of Onions keep chugging, move right and up and finish at anchors now shared with Don't Believe the Tripe. Originally 27.

FA: Kim Carrigan, 1992

Onions for 5 bolts then a cool pocket boulder to move R into Don't Believe.

FA: S.Atkins, 2000

The Boronia classic and continually under siege. Onions start, head R as for Tripe to 5th bolt, L into the flake and up. Fixed draws are a common sight on this route and become extremely sharp very quickly. Check them carefully or risk death. Bin any sharp ones you find. Clint Inalee

FA: S.Johns, 1993

Oz's first 34! Since relegated to a tame 33. A 6m direct variant of Tripe, squeezed in between Don't Believe and Tripe. Ben Tom Jake

FA: Ben Cossey

Onions start then trend R up onto the awesome steep grey wall, then drift back L. Axel Jarmila Clint

FA: M.Baker, 1992

A RHF for Tripe.

FA: B.Littleford, 2006

Traverse. Onions start, then head R as for Tripe, then traverse the lip all the way to the right. Back jump to clean.

FA: M.Baker, 1992

Project starting up Big Wednesday then heading left through roof, joins Green Eggs at the crux and finishing ...probably up Tripe but maybe Mechanical Animals!

As for Big Wednesday, then up through the bowl and into Tripe.

Start about 15m R of the shared Onions start. Very dusty base, and often muddy/seepy start holds, but great after that. Tackle the steep R-leaning line of flakes and then the biggest part of the roof. JackM Tom

FA: M.Baker, 1994

Up Big Wednesday then right and up.

FA: L.Cossey, 2011

Cross the gully to find a few more bolted routes on the right side. This section of wall is entirely south facing - all day shade.

Short steep wall 10m left of offal. The entire crux and grade has been circumnavigated since the first three ascents by a jug out left which was not reachable or cleanable during development and appeared chalked and cleaned aboutva year after f.a, therefore grade is 25-26. R. Hoffman made first ascent using crimp directly above flake as intended, then C. Coghill ripped it in half. If your ever wondering how it was 28 and your imagination fails you...try it without going in the opposite direction to where the bolts are and skip the jug horn out left. (Still soft)

Set: Eww

FFA: Roman Hoffman, Jan 2017

A solid 23. Located 80m right of Big Wednesday. Rebolted 2018 thanks to Kip for the bolts. Stickclip first u bolt and also use draw on mallion to keep rope and belayer in a nice place. Very chossy and hard moving past first bolt. The difficulties continue until eventually settled in corner. From there on up good climbing on dirty rock. If everybody brushes something it should clean up nicely.

FFA: Mikl Law, 1883

Walk about 80m past Big Wednesday. Very high stickclip then traverse in from right and across to big ledge. Consider a sling on first bolt otherwise noticeable ropedrag. Up to second bolt with care then good sustained climbing to loweroff. Rebolted with U-Bolts courtesy of Kip. December 2018.

FFA: Mike Stacey, 1991

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Selected Guidebooks more Hide

Author(s): Simon Carter

Date: 2019

ISBN: 9780958079075

Simon Carter's "Best of the Blue" is the latest selected climbing guide book for the Blue Mountains and covers 1000 routes and 19 different climbing areas. For all the sport climbers out there, the travellers, or just anyone who doesn't want to lug around the big guide that's more than 3 times the size - cut out the riff-raff and get to the good stuff! This will pretty much cover everything you need!

Author(s): Simon Carter

Date: 2019

ISBN: 9780958079082

The latest comprehensive, latest and greatest Blue Mountains Climbing Guide is here and it has more routes than you can poke a clip stick at! 3421 to be exact. You are not going to get bored.

Accommodations nearby more Hide

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