Ascents in Australia as various tick types by Douglas Hockly

10 days, two knee bars and two heel-toes. Mostly layaways and underclings.

I did the easy start (HAGF), which makes it maybe 27. Good technical climbing. 2 days. On the top wall I remember lunging for a jug, my feet came off and Gareth took in thinking I was coming off - but I held the jug and then had to hold nearly being pulled off. Just squeaked through.

I really like this one. Great line, great climbing, great history. 4 days.

Maybe 3 days? Quite good, and not particularly slimy. One slippery hold. Reachy though - there's a move at the start that is about 23 for me and looks 32 for Dave Jones.

TR'd it one day and led it placing the gear the next - it had 2 fixed wires so gear wasn't that hard to place. The bit up to the crux - about 24 - is really insecure and great climbing. The crux is interesting but the dyno for a gravelly fingerlock is not heaps of fun if you blow it. The top bit is easy (Gordy fell off it te he). Not a three star route though.

Great route. Classic Arapiles hard route, slopey and slippery and sustained. 6 days, including falling off slapping the last jug...

Thanks to Neil for the rebolting! I think this took me 7 days in the end. Clearly a sandbag at 28 ; ) (I did actually do about four other 28's in 2004, all in 2-4 days, but this one is an unusual style)

Actually a very good route if you live in Melb and like crimping, aretes and slabbing.

Beautiful climbing in the initial groove and the top, the crux is not quite as nice - just really hard crimping. I wore a groove in my left boot on the crux edge - always thought my foot was going to blow but I guess the groove held it on! Strangely takes lots of gear between #2 and #3 RP size. 3 days I think.

Really great, just lacking a good finish really. Finishing up Copyright is probably a better route all round.

Two days

Words can't do this route justice. Photos can't do this route justice. Hell, even justice can't do this route justice. Wendy says it's just an unjust route. Undeniably a world-class, "you should travel here to lose skin on this" route. Despite making fun of Lee, (Hi Lee!) this is a complete megaclassic, one of the best things I've done. Awesome.

Boom! 3:30am, done. Hype hype hype - this is the best route I've ever dogged into submission. What's better than this? Procul...what else?

Has a very, very cool crux move - drive by from layaway to undercling

Dave and I both did it in bare feet - I'm sure it's easier without shoes as you can get your toes in the pockets for the dyno.

Interesting climbing but wanders about. It'd be an ugly fall off the crux.

Interesting and varied, good but not great.

The 21 version

I really like this one! Great underclinging with not much for your feet. Saw Dave solo it and I think I was more nervous than him.

I really like this one. Best route on the wall (that I can do!)

Paul onsighted this, of course.

Really, really good but really, really hard.

The bottom bit is quite good. Second shot.

Just as well Dave got to this first. I was going to do it on the RP placements. Wouldn't have been so popular!

I think this is borderline 27. I'm always so impressed when people onsight this as it's hard, sustained and technical till close to the end.

Not that great

Fantastic route. Second or third shot.

TR'd it with a fall then led it placing the gear on another day. Hadn't really looked at the gear so it felt like a proper 'placing the gear' tick. While it has good history and a good line the climbing's not that much fun, worth one star but not two.

I led the second pitch about 2005 and thought it was well protected.. went back 2015 and jumped off a few times as there was a runout traverse and a mantle before gear. Backed off as if you fell off the mantle you'd hit your belayer/the ledge.???

The slopey traverse in is crap, the DS much better.

Two star 23 - awesome - to a ledge and then dyno for a thread off slopes.

A bit slimy now, but I did it with three dynos, so that's always fun.

Very cool past the pillar.. I wish the chip was bigger! Nearly fell off every move after the crux to the top. Was too pumped to put the wire in so it was pretty exciting!

More like 24?

Really good, 4 x 23ish cruxes, a slopey bulge, a technical footsy traverse, a powerful iron cross, and a technical crank at the end. A great mirror image to Birdman.

25? Remember something a little scary about this, but also that it was good face climbing and that the finish was a bit exciting - probably mostly because I was pumped. Remember AlRob doing it well.

I thought this was 25, may have had a few more holds in 2004 by the sounds of it! Really good face climbing.

I really like the top half, but not the bottom, and the crux is tweaky. Julian Saunders says he's had more business from the pocket on this route than any other hold in Australia. Beware.

Thin and very hard.

Good but not two stars. One or no stars

Good actually, but too thin for me these days.

Too short.

Great climbing and great rock once you stop traversing right and left and actually go up.

Crap with a chipped hold.

Not sure why people bother with this. If you're going to do one 24 at Arapiles, make sure it's not this one. Sonic Boom is good! Do Sonic Boom instead! Go for a walk! Read an improving book! Phone your Mother!

I think Chrispy led this by accident - it's a very bold lead, not sure if the gear would keep you off the ground. Impressive!

Oh so greasy! I find this super hard, the climbing's good but so slick. At least you're unlikely to hurt your fingers...

Looks good but doesn't really come together

Lovely climbing on the top wall, if you start up BST this feels like 24/5. I did TR the original start, which is quite hard but sadly not that great and has some dodgy rock.

Top crux is very reachy. Climbing is good, but not awesome.

A really good wire at half height, then that's it.

This route is excellent! Really interesting and hard for.. quite long enough.