Arapiles Guide

A pleasant, low-angled buttress.

Start: Start 20m L of Melville's Cave.

Very nice.

Start: Immediately right of 'Bullet Buttress'. A steep wall leads to a baby chimney, then up easily and step left into BB.

Up via the offwidth slot then finish as for 'Long Bow'.

Start: Start just R of 'Holdup Line'.

Short chimney then finish as for 'Stage Coach'.

Start: Just right of SC.

The groove with snap-o-licious flakes and a tricky finish.

Start: 1m R of 'Working Class Hero'.

Line immediately right of Long Bow.

Start at crack two metres left of Ckinell but climb up grey slab on left to an easy stance directly below large thread. Straight up to middle of the two steep roofs. There's an undercling with a rattling tooth like block that is not going anywhere. Tricky gear and pumpy to place but regular gear can be found. Once over the roof follow the same line as Fracas to the top or head right to rap anchors.

Start at crack line two metres left of Ckinell, up crack, gradually veering left into second crack, then through large guano filled pocket and jug hall through the easier section of roof above pocket. Easy climbing to top or head right to rap anchors.

The overhung arete 1.5m left of Ckinell. Limited gear at roof and pumpy to place.

The slightly overhung corner. Beware snapping holds especially on the poorly protected start.

Start: Just L of Melville's Cave.

Long traverse.

Start: As for 'Ckinell' to gain Melville's Cave. Step right and traverse under the overhangs all the way to 'The Ghost Of Melville'. Meander right just above second cave, then up.

Out through big roof in the main cave. Downgraded to 24 in recent guide.

Start: Beneath L side of Melville's Cave. Then the thin wall above.

Mosey up to the cave via the L crack, launch out onto the lip jugs of 'Repo Man', then veer R and up on good but spaced holds past two FH's into the finish of 'Cricket Bats In A Box'.

Poor pro. The right side of the cave to a sickle flake, then left.

Start: Below the R side of Melville's Cave.

Step R from cave to ledge. Then up corner or nose, both with poor pro.

Start: Start as for 'Cricket Bats in a Box'.

Start 5m right of Melville's Cave. Up wall and through cruxy overhang.

Start 10m right of Melville's Cave. Climb the rotten crack and go through the overhang at the top.

Cracks, then finish up gully or up crack to the left.

Start: 8m right of 'Sexless Sue'.

Discontinuous cracks.

Start: Start just L of 'Revolver Crack'.

The deep crack.

Start 20m right of Melville's Cave.

Lovely rock to start, and a dramatic exit to finish.

Start: As for 'Revolver Crack' then head R up thin crack.

ATTENTION: There can be a Bee Hive on this route, take care.

The major corner, facing the second cave.

Start: 3m R of 'Revolver Crack' up major corner facing second cave. Step left to finish.

Presumably this climbs just R of the corner taken by 'The Ghost Of Melville'... but the write-up doesn't say.

Start: R of 'Hangman'. Up slab, keeping right of corner to big pockets, over tricky bulge then directly up and through roof to top.

Bring some painkillers.

Starts in the second cave (Nick Cave) through the obvious weakness in the roof with one bolt.

Fun roof climbing, past a slightly spooky block.

Starts in Nick Cave, on the right hand side past two bolts and finishes up headwall at a sling anchor.

The least mossy line.

Start: About 3m right of 'Big Dog's Cock'

The crack 6m right of 'The Ghost of Melville', through overhang and up gulch.

Warning Flora and Fauna: Skeleton Fork Fern

Crack to horizontal break, then go 2m right and up crack.

Start: 1m left of small cave on the grey wall just left of the descent gully.

Start just right of the cave, heading up until level with the top of it, then head diagonally up left until above the centre of the cave and continue straight up from there.

The crack with a hard start.

Start at the right side of the grey wall.

A pleasant jug-haul arete.

Start: The arete right of the walk-down gully.

The wall between 'Cartridge Arete' and 'Cartridge Chimney'.

The chimney.

Start: Just R of 'Cartridge Arete'.

A nice little line. Start up the left edge of the orange wall, then step right and proceed up the weakness on good holds.

The fun starting move up to the vertical finger slot directly up the wall between the grooves of Dead Ned and OC. Well protected.

The crack.

Start: 3.5m right of CC.

The steep orange corner facing L.

Start 0.5m R of OC.

Start 3m left of Tullah's Tease and up the bouldery start. Straight up through the middle of the orange face on ripper incut jugs. Stay in the middle of the face the whole way up. Protection is great all the way.

Layback for 5m then step right into crack.

Start: Start 5m right of 'Cobb & Co'.

Up the pockets through the overhanging wall, about 4m right of 'Tullah's Tease', then continue easily up the line above.

Start 8m left of 'The Ferrets Are Coming', below a rock step. R up vague ramp then up.

Start as for 'Pot Boiler' but continue up to the horizontal break at 8m, then head right and up.

Incorrectly labelled as 'Tonic' when first put on The Crag. FA details on this alternate finish for 'Pot Boiler' are unknown.

Start as for 'Pot Boiler' but continue heading right then up gross looking crack.

Once graded 17! 21 for tall people and/or topropers. Fiddly to protect.

Start 7m left of 'Craddock Crack' and head up left leaning crack before moving back right.

This baby offwidth was possibly first climbed by Bob Craddock.

The left-most deep crack on the roadside face.

Up 3m, left across 'Craddock Crack' to freaky block on arete, then up crack 3m left of arete. The RH Variant goes up the crack on the arete at grade 18.

Start: 1m right of 'CC'.

Think this is the front of the little buttress immediately right of 'Craddock Crack', starting as for 'Raiders of The Lost Crack'.

Hard start, then easy climbing to the ledge.

A direct finish continues up the crack above this ledge at about grade 18.

The undercut direct start to 'Marshmallow Sea' is definitely a little harder than the original.

Move left to the sparsely protected smooth wall facing the road.

Start: As for 'Deck Gully' but move left and up, finishing past the small overhang.

The rightmost deep gully facing the road.

High traverse that circumscribes the wall above 'Deck Games'. The original purpose of the 'mystery' bolt.

Start at the top of 'Deck Gully' at the obvious traverse line. There is gear that protects the step out to clip the bolt. Scamper along the traverse line clipping a bolt on Gordy's route till you get to the front of the block. up and belay.

This is the 2 FHs up the nice little face trending L from 'Deck Games'.

Start: As for 'Deck Games'.

Very appealing rock.

Start: Under the nice bulgy orange buttress closest to the road and start up the left leaning crack only to break right almost immediately.

Start as for Saggitarian, head left under bulge and dyno up left through it past a carrot bolt hammered into a break like a piton. Yes, you read that correctly, and that's why I've attributed the route to Mike Law as surely noone else would have thought this was a great idea. I just TR'd it.

Left-hand finish to Sagittarian (Grade could be suspect ).

Steep crack 6m left of 'Sickle' to break, then move R and up past a bolt, onto easier ground.

Start as for Slip Knot and head up left to the bolt on Sagittarian. Easier and better than the original.

Start up 'Slip Knot', then left across 'Sagittarian' to the arete, and a hard move up R to jugs.

Start 1m right of 'Sagittarian' and up poorly protected wall just right of the bolts.

Good beginner's lead.

Start just left of the plaque and right of the small overhang. Climb the wall between 'Hammer' and 'Slip Knot'.

Great beginner's route.

Start as for 'Sickle' and go up this a little way then step left to short ramp then up shallow corner. Climbing it direct is around grade 8, but has no protection.

Impossible to get lost on.

Starts above the plaque on the north-west side of the crag. It's the obvious wide chimney, that narrows to a crack near the top.

The nice face between 'Sickle' and 'Little Thor' gets classed as "serious" as it has seen plenty of groundfalls and a death. However, the pro is fine if you know how to put it in. Treat it as an exercise to see how much you can place.

Start 3m L of 'Little Thor', immediately right of 'Sickle'. The nice glassy face with small cracks for wires and hardest moves at top. Note the arete just to the R has been done at 18.

The lovely right-facing flake corner bordering the left side of the great blankish north-west wall. It's a pity that it gets heavily top-roped.

Climb the right-facing corner with hard moves past the little roof then keep cranking up slightly left to the top. Gear has a habit of unzipping on people; consider placing a directional at the start and being generous with the draws.

After the crux on 'Little Thor', continue straight up instead of scuttling off left. Take a bolt bracket.

Sustained crimpiness up microscopic edges. Fixed hangers up beautiful wall 3m R of Little Thor.

Tara Sutherland's Jan '98 ascent was the first Aussie female ascent of a grade 29, followed shortly after by Megan Osborne.

Originally climbed by Claw with a rest and named "Wild Drugs and Crazy Sex".

As for 'Look Sharp' to first bolt, then move left and up the wall past more bolts.

Up weakness 8m right of 'Steps Ahead' to first bolt. Go slightly right to second bolt and hard moves lead to pin. Finish up right.

Bouldery crux. Up crack 2m left of 'Problematic' to bulge and bolt. Onwards.

From the finish of 'Problematic', traverse L across the top of the wall under small roof-line with a piton, 2 BRs (take brackets), then over rooflet and left past a slung knob for pro.

Start: as for 'Problematic'.

The short bulging crack on the right-hand side of the north-west-facing sheer orange wall.

Start left of 'The Pleb'. Up to ledge, traverse L to corner.

Start left of 'The Pleb'. Nice crack to ledge then bulge.

The chimney on the south-west side of the outcrop.

Sit start

Follow the wide crack the whole way up.

Bouldery start then move rightwards into the line.

Start at the vague line towards the L end of the wall.

A pair of weaknesses lead to a bulge, which succumbs to a layback/mantle. Start just R of Sausage Of The Century.

A miniscule direct middle to Oogie Boogie. Straight under the DRB anchor.

In the same vein as Je Suis Un Legend, links all the easiest bits of the existing routes to create a conceptual megaclassic. Unfortunately the climbing is only one star.

Start up Oogie Boogie, go diagonally right to join the top of Asteroids and finish up it. Up the slab (a touch runout) and right up the corner to finish. Its possible to keep traversing from the final corner/groove to the chains of Hyperspace Bypass (below top of cliff).

Warning Flora and Fauna: Skeleton Fork Fern

Steep jugs, crack, face. Start R of OB, just L of overhangs, beneath small flake on bulge.

Warning Flora and Fauna: Skeleton Fork Fern

Start in V corner, soon moving left until under large jammed blocks. Pull through the bulge, then up vertical seam, then step up and left. Soon after, traverse left to the ledge with rap station.

Warning Flora and Fauna: Skeleton Fork Fern

Starts at the same corner as for Popeye, then steps up and right to a higher V-corner. Pass the bulge using the big pockets, then higher to where the angle eases. From here you can either traverse far left (to 'The Wizard of Id' abseil station), or veer right up the dirty weakness (to 'Vogon Destructor Fleet' abseil station).

Warning Flora and Fauna: Skeleton Fork Fern

Start right of Asteroids, head up to small V in overhang below bolts. Follow bolts through bulges, then 2 bolts trending right through head wall to shared anchor with 'Hyperspace Bypass'.

Warning Flora and Fauna: Skeleton Fork Fern

Up short corner 2m right of 'Vogon Destructor Fleet' to bolts, then up right line of bolts in head wall, finishing left to shared anchor with VDF.

Shallow corner then R through bulges.

Start at bushes R of 'Asteroids'.

The orange flake start, bolted by peter stebbins. Doubtful it's been done.

The others noodled around for a few days cleaning up the easy stuff, then Moorhead produced this! Sustained, with a strenuous bouldery crux. In fact, two bouldery strenuous cruxes.

Start at short black flake 10m R of 'Hyperspace'. Flake to grey coloured RB, L to pockets (#4 friend), then R up flake to tough finish.

The original start climbed a tree, which has since fallen down. Following this you needed to batman to a the bolt and start at the flake. An independent right hand start which goes free from the ground was later bolted and climbed.

Start at the next flake R of 'Letting Go'. Climb the edges up the face to the R, then layback with difficulty up weakness past another bolt. Originally given 24 with a rumour it was hard for the grade.

Originally 26 in the best of Law sandbagging tradition. Quite good, and not particularly slimy. Reachy though, looks way harder below about 6' reach.

Start R of 'Failing New Romantic'. 2 bolts up the seam, step L, then finish past a couple of fixed wires.

The line just L of the arete.

Start on the black back wall of The 'Thimble' which faces 'Comic Strip Wall', 1m L of the arete.

The arete.

Start just R of 'Yakshini'.

Short corner then R and up.

Start 1m R of 'The Last In Line'.

Beware loose block. Adequacy of pro is unknown. Join 'Nothing Too Serious' at the top.

Start 3m R of NTS, just L of tree.

The crack.

Start beneath the R side of the front face.

Long moves between good holds. Start direct. Size 3 Camalot handy. Finish right onto the arete.

Start on arête up and left past bolt up to break 3cam then straight up to top of head wall small wires, then finishing out right on arête and up to high anchor

The arete.

Start 2m R of 'Thimble'.

Wall 5 metres left of 'Crucifixion'. Hopelessly contrived. You can sort of make an OK 21 out of it by zigzagging left and right.

Grunt your way up the offwidth crack on the wall around left from 'The Rack'.

Start at the arete just L of 'Christian Crack'. Up the corner on the arete, trend right past FH, before landing on the ledge. From here you work your way back right, and the theory is that you finish up the arete, but inevitably the holds lead you further right, such that it feels contrived to avoid finishing up 'Christian Crack'.

Excellent sustained climbing up the line with great pro. A borderline classic. There are two striking cracks on the wall on the left side of Colosseum Wall - this is the left one.

Ann Pauligk's 1977 ascent was the first Aussie female ascent at this grade.

People rave about this being a brilliant jamming testpiece, when in fact its a one move wonder ... so ticking it doesn't prove you're a jamming maestro. It's a very nice little climb though. The crack 3m R of 'Christian Crack'.

Start just R of 'The Rack' and go up past the BR.

The scrubby corner.

A low bolt then try not to die above that.

Start: Start between 'Spasticus' & 'Nero'.

The crack requires a bit of jamming.

Start 3-4m R of the 'Spasticus'.

Warning Flora and Fauna: Skeleton Fork Fern

The steep corner.

Start 6m R of Nero.

Arete with poor pro.

Start 3m R of 'Petronius'

The layback corner.

Start 1m R of 'Petro-Fy'.

The corner then finish R.

Start 1m R of 'Tom Thumb'.

LH crack in narrow buttress, then R to a pair of thin cracks.

Start beneath the roadside-face of the buttress.

The provided description is as follows: "Offwidth crack on left side of main nose of 'Colosseum Wall'. Not necessarily that new!" This sounds like it should be near 'Castration'. But how an 8m route could be in this vicinity is a bit baffling. Also it sounds like it might be left of 'Castration', but that area is already pretty packed with routes and they're well harder than grade 12. So, an improved description of this would be nice.

The line.

Start around R from 'Castration', on the wall facing The Pines, at the initial.

Try to stay out of the chimney, then finish up the crack on the R. The direct finish has also been done by Peter Lindorff.

Start just R of the descent chimney.

The wall right of 'Flavius Maximus'. This was also written up as 'Tribute To God' in the April 2009 Argus.

Over block to undercling, then straight up wall to top. Protection in crack on left of wall.

The usual claim of those who don't...

Start 8m R of FM. To break (wire on left), then right to bulge.

The bottomless corner.

Start 2m R of 'I've Got A Big Honker'.

I assume its the grey wall between The Martyr wall and the Welease Witchard wall.

5m right of 'Welease Wodger' is a small buttress. This takes scrappy line up left.

The right line.

Up the wall 1m right of corner 10m right of 'Welease Bwian'. Continue up crack from ledge at 3/4 height.

The jam crack 10m right of 'People Called Romans, They Go The 'Ouse'.

The nose on the buttress 8m right of 'Incontinentia Buttocks'. Start on the right side of arete, then up and over nose.

The rightward leaning crack around right of 'Roaming Knows'.

first accent

Rotten crack.

Start: Start off the ledge on the E side of the pinnacle.

Lean R and clip the BR on the unknown bolted line. Then go straight up.

Start: Start R of MC at jugs.

Bolted pre-86, and even then the 2nd bolt was poxy and the 3rd bolt hadn't been put in. Unsurprisingly this seems to have been completely ignored ever since.

The arete, veering L.

Start: Start where the E face meets the N face.

Try and find this one, I dare you.

Start: South of the 'Pimple', across the vegetated gully is a short grotesquely overhung wall and right of this a small wall behind a large boulder. On this wall is a big detached flake, forming a ledge. Start at the lowest point of the ledge.

Starts on left side of the wall immediately left of 'Bermuda Triangle'. Up to where a series of wedged blocks in a horizontal break leads right. Follow this rightwards until you are nearly at the BT roof then climb strenuously straight up to top using a series of pockets. - Fun!

The corner, then R around the roof.

Start: Start beneath the distinctive orange triangular roof towards the L end of the crag.

The weakness up the thin face.

Start: Start 6m R of BT.

Very contrived as it's much easier to use jugs just L.

Start: Start 5m R of T&Q.

Big L-facing corner with an attractive flake-crack in excellent orange rock. At a length of only 24m, the original probably finished at the ledge at the top of the left-facing corner/flake, and walked off left past the base of 'Bermuda Triangle'. However, it seems fairly obvious to do a second pitch up the short corner just left, then step right and up the orange crack above (this is shown in the topo).

Start: Start ~50m R of BT.

The corner on the R to ledge, then interesting curving corner.

Start: Start as for LHV.

If you can find this you're doing better than us. May be a repeat of final crack of 'Right Hand Variant'

Start: High on the broken cliffs right of Bermuda triangle is a curving offwidth crack which is almost impossible to see from anywhere. Find your way to the base of this.

The topo for this route and the next few is pretty much a guess. Left of the start of 'Ddark Ddigit' is a broken orange wall with an arete on the right hand side. Pitch one follows this arete.

1. 20m (14) Up arete.

2. 30m (14) Scramble up left to middle of wall. Up most obvious line.

Easy wall, orange rock, then L under overhangs to arete. Up it.

Start: Start 30m L of 'Light Fingered' (which is described on a separate page).

Easily to pillar then flake up R. L below bulge and up seam.

Start: Start at obvious slender buttress between DD and 'Light Fingered'.

Steep direct line with some brittle rock.

The vertical seam/crack on the right side of the pinnacle of A Sore Thumb, finishing up steep crack.

An obscure choice for this era when almost all the other classics of 'Arapiles' were still unclimbed! For over thirty years guidebooks placed this climb in the wrong gully. The good news is that no-one has missed it. Some awful rock.

Start a few metres right of A Sore Finger. There's a wonky letter S painted somewhere.

1. 22m (7) The loose juggy crack to a large ledge.

2. 32m (7) R and up loose dangerous rib.

3. 12m (-) Scramble off.

Up to cracks and up to the ledge below 'Urban Sprawl'.

Start: Start: On the left of the entrance to 'Hunger' 'Gully' is twin cracks through a

shallow prow.

The crack at the L end of the short overhung orange wall.

Start: Start at the top of a steep gully L of 'Light Fingered'.

Caveat emptor!

Start: Start in the cramped gully, up L of 'Hunger'.

Bridge, then into seam with 1 bolt and 1 piton. Double rings on ledge.

Start: Start on the R wall of the gully L of 'Light Fingered'.

The seam.

Start: Start just R of 'Hunger'.

sling anchor is death

Struggle up the good line.

Start: Start below the obvious grey wall just before the gully narrows below crack that widens.

Scary face with stacked blocks, then wall and arete.

Start: Start 2m R of LF.

Head R then up the chossy front-side of the prow.

Start: Start at the teetering stack on the R side of the gully, at the initials.

Traverse both cheeks via the orange weakness at half height.

Start: Start up the L side of Bum Rock.

Mantle, bulge, and groove past oval shaped roof.

Start: Start 3m L of the bumcrack, er, central chimney.

Up L leaning flake, R to orange weakness through bulge, then L to seam.

Start: Start 1m R of GM.

Start 3 metres right High School Antics on left side of chimney. Stay on left side of chimney avoiding the temptation to bridge at any stage. Climb up to horizontal crack and into corner. Up to overhang and obvious thread through. Blast through juggy overhang and spare a size 3 cam for pocket in upper head wall.

Slab just L of small overlap then L to arete.

Start: Start 3m R of the bumcrack.

Loose flake then lichen. Reachy.

Start: Start 1m R of F.

Start 3 metres left of Pulling the Yorkshire Pudding follow first of two shallow right facing corners, step right to block and directly up to top of pedestal. Climb through small juggy rooflet above pedestal. Small good gear.

Up the hanging block just L of the hole, then L leaning groove.

Start: Start on the R side of the crag.

Straight up the slab and clean wall about 3m right of Pulling the Yorkshire Pudding.

Start as for Bottoms Up, moving diagonally right and up short grey wall to alcove. Straight up nice wall above, steeply at first. Juggy steep wall to the summit (originally done as a separate, 6m, pitch).