Help

Cheops Buttress

Seasonality

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Description

Emergency Location: Mount Arapiles, Pharos Gully Area

Access issues inherited from Arapiles

Cultural heritage closures now apply to some parts of Arapiles. This advice continues to evolve and may not be fully reflected in this website; refer to Parks Victoria for details applicable at the time of your visit. https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/-/media/project/pv/main/parks/documents/management-plans/mount-arapiles-tooan-state-park/mount-arapiles-tooan-state-park---aboriginal-cultural-heritage-protections---october-2020.pdf

Bird Nesting September-December Raptors usually nest on the following climbs in Spring : Cassandra, Eurydice, Harlequin Cracks, Revelations. Nesting usually finishes mid-December. There may or may not be signs in place at these times. Please keep 50m clear of these climbs if there appears to be nesting activity.

State Park - no dogs. No fires allowed Oct-Apr (inclusive).

Ethic inherited from Arapiles

Mount Arapiles is first and foremost a trad climbing area. The few sport climbs tend to be in the higher grades where no natural pro is available.

Bolting, particularly retro-bolting, is discouraged and should only be undertaken after extensive consultation with the local climbers, first ascensionists, etc. Inappropriately placed bolts have been chopped.

Do not chip the rock.

Look after the park.

  • Stick to the paths.

  • Don't disturb the wildlife.

  • Routes near peregrine falcon nesting sites are closed in the spring.

  • Minimise the impact of your camping (fuel stoves not fires, take your rubbish with you, etc).

Tags

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

Routes

Add route(s) Add topo Reorder Bulk edit Convert grades
Grade Route

There is some very minor potential for climbing on the rock between here and the Spellbinder area but it should be ignored. Some climbing has been done but it isn't worthwhile and accessing the rock could create erosion problems for the walking track.

Vague, left-leading seams up the middle of the wall left of "Fly By Night"

FA: Roland Foster & Mark Moorhead, 1983

Unlikely with a committing finish. Take plenty of small wires.

Start as for "Fly By Night".

Bridge up chimney then pull onto wall and follow left-leaning flake just left of Fly By Night.

FA: Clive Curson, 2001

A good, pumpy route with some suspect rock.

Start on the left wall at the back of the chimney.

Bridge up the chimney (purists may decline to bridge) to start then pull into steep left-leaning groove.

FA: Keith Egerton & Chris Baxter, 1986

From the highest point in the floor of the gully, scramble onto ledges then bridge up the chimney. When it narrows, head for and go up inside of chockstones. Belay on top of chockstones at rap anchor.

FA: Ben Wright, Heather Murray & Amber Blodgett, 25 Dec 2015

Walk through to the back of the gully where the floor ends at an edge. Up into a scoop in the right wall, then rightwards up ramp and corner. Exit left to belay on boulder ledge. Be wary of the rock. Descent: scramble through (suggest staying roped up) to the rap chains above Fly By Night.

FA: Ben Wright & Amber Blodgett., 26 Nov 2017

On the wall directly opposite "Fly by Night". Scramble up to the large scoop with the right trending crack. A bouldery move into the scoop. Move up and left, following the edge of the scoop. Traverse right underclinging the top of the scoop before pulling through the lip onto an easy topout. Cross chockstone to "Fly by Night" anchors. Gear is sparse, but adequate and bomber.

FA: Steve Greig & Mark Baker, 15 Feb 2018

Climb flakes 2 metres left of "Gwen" to overhang and finish up flake and wall above.

FA: Chris Baxter & Keith Egerton, 1985

Steep, juggy corner on right edge of chimney.

FA: Heather Phillips, Kieran Loughran & Keith Egerton, 1981

A nice climb making its way up the twin cracks right of Fly By Night Gully.

Originally started at Chemistry Class but that is pretty hard. Select guide says to start from a convenient tree just downhill from the entrance to "Fly By Night" gully but this start is hard, poorly protected and accessing it risks erosion to the track. Better to start at the arete on the outside edge of "Fly By Night" gully.

Gain the ledge, then up left-hand crack for a few moves then move into steep right-hand crack and go up.

FA: Rod young & Kevin Otten, 1979

Hard seam to ledge, step left and follow the line into the finishing crack of "Cheops".

Start: Start at thin, left-leading seam down right from "Cheops".

FA: Ant Prehn & Rod Young, 1983

Seam right of 'Chemistry Class' (crux), step left and go up wall of big bums, trending right.

FA: Jon Muir & Greg Pritchard, 1993

A novelty start leads to an intimidating finish.

Start under the massive chockstone in the gully below the "Cheops" buttress.

Climb up to and through the hole between the chockstone and the face. Up shallow black corner to old fixed peg. Continue straight up steep wall which is slightly run-out.

FA: Greg Pritchard & Jon Muir, 1993

Essentially a variant finish to "Long Hair And Greatcoats". It originally started by moving around the right side of the huge chockstone but that is worthless.

Start as for "Long Hair And Greatcoats".

Follow Long Hair And Greatcoats to manky old peg at top of shallow black corner. Make a committing move left and then up interesting thin crack to top.

FA: Daryl Carr & Ken Readwin, 1967

Could make a good second pitch for Turquoise. Could also be undergraded and runout.

Start on big ledge above the jammed block that Hendor starts below.

Climb up to small orange cave. Pull through righthand end and go straight up the wall, stepping right at the top.

FA: Jon Muir & Greg Pritchard, 1993

Hard to justify this one; essentially an indirect version of Hendor Direct Finish a quarter of a century later.

  1. 18m Climb past right side of the massive chockstone (original start of Hendor'. Belay just below obvious orange cave.

  2. 20m Climb past left side of the orange cave, then step delicately right to diagonal crack. Up this then traverse right and finish up right side of the wall.

FA: Keith Lockwood & Norm Booth, 23 Feb 2017

Hello!

First time here?

theCrag.com is a free guide for rock climbing areas all over the world, collaboratively edited by keen rock climbers, boulderers and other nice folks.

You can log all your routes, connect and chat with other climbers and much more...

» go exploring, » learn more or » ask us a question

Selected Guidebooks more Hide

Author(s): Simon Mentz, Glenn Tempest

Date: 2016

ISBN: 9780987526427

This selected yet in depth guide, in its third edition in 2016, is a must for first timers or regulars to the "Pines". By Simon Mentz and Glenn Tempest. It features 1200 routes over 23 different areas as well as bouldering, history info on flora and fauna, plus heaps more.

Author(s): Gordon Poultney, Simon Carter

Date: 2013

ISBN: 9780987087461

444 of the best routes on the best stone on earth? Yes Please! Who has time for all those other wondering pitches anyway when Gordon Poultney and Simon Carter have picked out the classics and printed it in a pocket size handy guide with string attachment. You'll take it on the multipitches, you'll take it to read in the toilets, you'll take it everywhere!

Author(s): Lindorff, Goding & Hodgson

Date: 2011

ISBN: 9780646529387

Get ready to fully experience the rock climbing scene in Victoria with Sublime Climbs, a comprehensive guidebook authored by Kevin Lindorff, Josef Goding, and Jarrod Hodgson. This full-color, 380-page book covers the best climbing locations in the region, including Mt Arapiles, Mt Buffalo, and the Grampians. It features descriptions of over 700 routes, topographic maps, and breathtaking images. Whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the sport, Sublime Climbs has everything you need to make the most of your climbing experience in Victoria and experience all of it's classic routes.

Accommodations nearby more Hide

Share this

Photos Browse all photos

Upload a photo of area

Thu 25 May
Check out what is happening in Cheops Buttress.

Get a detailed insight with a timeline showing

  • Ticks by climbers like you
  • Discussions of the community
  • Updates to the index by our users
  • and many more things.

Login to see the timeline!

Deutsch English Español Français Italiano 한국어 Português 中文