Routes in North Shore

Not many Sydney climbs can claim to be fully enclosed, but if you want sub-meter chimney in the semi-underworld this has it all.

Start: Behind the face climbs, or walk down from above.

Compress into it at any number of places, with or without petrophilic flora and overhangs, to your personal taste.

Left arete of high front face on its left side, moving leftwards at top to finish. Great.

Corner crack avoiding the walls.

The first FA of the crag. Facing the corner make your way up by bridging between the left and right boulder

Left side of the slab, up easy angle with good holds

Up finger crack, avoiding wall

Up at the right end of wall using an underling and arete slap to get your feet on the highest horizontal break, then a very easy high traverse across the green door

Traverse across the top of the green door with your feet on the lintel (the stone above the door frame), and hands on the upper crumbly horizontal break.

Up just right of the arete

sit start then up the arete

The following problems are all on the big block down the hill. On the slab side of the long block, start bottom left. Hold the lip and move up it to the apex of the block.

Start a few metres left of the concrete bridge

Start a bit to the left of Right and Left with both hands on the top of the crack. You can do it quite dynamically. Finish like the end of Right and Left.

Up the breaks then the sharp arête. Fun.

Start up the centre of the wall and traverse the breaks leftwards to finish on the arête.

Just right of the arête is a pleasant slab/wall with some very nice crimps, head slightly left. Very good climbing.

Off the sandy underclings, take on the arête to the jug.

Awesome, funky, but easy bouldering. Mould yourself into the low scoop, then make a series of fun and interesting moves up left of the large Angiphora.

Same start hold as 'The Sandy Traverse' then head straight up the flakey arete

First FA in the area, done on a wet day in steel cap boots.

A good warm up to give your first climb confidence in the rock.

Start ~2m left from the arete, right were the ground leave rises.

Follow the large cuttings up to the first horizontal line of solid holds. From here move right and then up to keep following the man made cuttings until you reach the dominant ledge.

Down climb the same way you got up.

You'll get good at doing this climb in reverse as its the best way to down climb (without a challenge!)

• Historical FA: Unknown
• Documented FA: Ranger Dave Archer, 2013

The name of the climb says it all. Up the flake via some lay back and foot jamming action.

A fun and very simple way to practice your confidence with the world of dynos. Keeping your feet low and smearing, match your hands on the solid ledge above, look, leap and lunge for the next ledge up.

First Recorded Ascent: Brendon Flanagan

Follow the crack up using the vertical pockets. Finish by tapping out at the top of the line.

Starting at the letter P (graffiti) head up and to the right via the small flake and drill hole tapping out on top.

Start on the ground at the left end, below the arete. Straight up via the large jug.

Follow line of least resistance/direct up crack centre of wall. good gear. Fun beginner trad route.

Start: 1m left of 'HJ'.

Gymnastic move over the overhang then easily up the juggy wall with cams in breaks.

Climb the funky arete using the crack and breaks for solid pro. "Counterintuitive climbing."

Stiff move to start, up to traverse and exit up right side of cave via slung horns and bad rope drag. Cunning pro in pocket at base.

Line of least resistance up juggy wall with cams in breaks. Beware gritty slopes and missiles hurled from above. Might seem run out.

Fun finishing moves. Upon cleaning the crack, there was a brown tree snake which popped out. So be wary with your fingers in the crack!

1m right of bolt ladder

1m Left of OTB. Two rusty carrots, first at 4m. Nice pockets and edges.

Chimney and crack at left end of TCFTH wall. Mantle, short chimney then small roof and up crack to right. Solid pro in cracks and breaks, and tree belay.

Start right of the arete (left of MAWS). Hard start past a bolt, then up the arete past another bolt and cams to the top. DBB. Bolted by previous party.

A flared bottomless off-width.

Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, so shove whatever you've got deep into the pot and stir vigorously!

Corner crack that takes smaller gear than first appears: a 50-80mm cam or two will see you through some burly crackin'.

Start 1m to the right of Crackit. Up over mantle and through big moves on committing crimps. This route is SHARP! Three carrot bolts, all easiest clipped overhead and a two carrot toprope anchor.

A V1 boulder problem with no name now a bolt ladder.

Big layback to start then jam deep into the dirty crack avoiding the ironstone face plates as much as possible.

The crack left of Clingwrapper.

Shared lower offs with Clingwrapper.

Start: Obvious crack L of PYMP4. DBB.

Go up the crack.

Start: 1m L of 'Rusted Iron', between boulder and wall. DBB.

Up to mantelshelf then up slab.

Route on the right hand side of the slab. Broken slab with nice holds on the head wall. Most of this climb has been engulfed in vines and tree foliage. A rotting fixed line at the base of the slab (on the climber's right) presumably marks the original start of this climb. An ancient carrot in the centre of the head wall shows previous unrecorded climbing activity.

Don't cheat the top out! go straight over the left side of the most overhanging point of the arete. Watch out for choss

Up the corner. Good.

Start as for HITW. Climb the short wall to the ledge and gain the slab at the left end. Climb steeply on good holds to top. DBB

Tough start in front of where the tree meets the ledge. Climb up to the ledge and then up the crack next to the orange streak. Two good carrots at the top to set up top rope.

Stem up flared and sometimes wet corner, or wall either side. 2 carrot belay on left ledge.

Begin in the corner and moving right just below the little cave to then go straight up the face.

Start just left of large scoop, up and slightly right then follow left side of runnel to top

Traverse right from the runnel then up via fine firm edges and lips.

Clean firm breaks, great pro, and fun finishing move via adequate old carrot.

Up the wide corner crack, laying away to the left or jamming to the right past the fern patch.

Start just left of "CTOB". Up past six closely-spaced bolts in 8 metres. Beginning leaders note these are old rusty carrots.

Sandy diagonal crack.

This short corner offers a range of options, from the Layback to Offwidth. For three minutes of character-building, bring long pants, thick socks and a modicum of commitment.

Start: About 25m right of walk down steps below giant scribbly gum. Up left side of runnel on pockets and jugs.

Gets it name from the feature at the top looking like an old mans face. Start in the middle of the slab. Up past two bolts until you reach the horizontal breaks. Move right to the old mans nose and then up to the top. Small to medium cams. DBB on top

Start about 3 m right of GOM move up over bulges then to arête and head up to single carrot then up to grumpy mans nose and top out. Cams and single bolt. Use same DBB as GOM

Start in middle of slab on ledge. Bouldery move protected by bolt to start, then up slab following natural line using horizontal breaks for gear - make sure you take a 20-30mm cam. Carrot belay - one rusty and one new stainless.

A short face climb at the left end of YKS wall. Cams in breaks to rounded top out. Needs DBB

It's probably 8 with a V2 start. 3m R of Waving Wall. Start off the ground, not the boulder.

Short crack on left when heading down descent gully with dirt-filled rounded top. Better to learn to jam elsewhere.

Mush easier than it looks. Overhang then delicately up right edge of the cave.

Start: 2m L of Ept

Start: Right end of cliff below bollard-like lump of rock. DBB

Up the juggy ramp to the top.

On the backside of the Mossrock boulder. Standing start. Up the juggy overhang. So named because of the first ascentionist's interesting top out style over the prow.

Standing start. Easy problem up the right hand side of the boulder using the rightmost pocket.

Easy layback corner and slab

Wide corner crack with bits of rock and veg in it.

The Descent Ramp off the nose. The rock is soft and wears easily so tread carefully.

The buttress on the left of the 'One Hold Wall' area

Start with left foot on the small outcrop thing on the ground (bottom of topo route) and right leg in a mantle position on the first ledge. Grab over to the man made cut out. From here use crimp on the right. For footing you are NOT allowed to use the nice flat platform on the very left with the bush. Use the more slopy footing right above the yellow arrow. Finish with both hands in the crack.

Start on the left side with your feet on the lower segment and head to the right, then up and then back to the left and finish with both hands in the little cave/hole at the top of the overhanging rock over the path. Make good use of the man made drill holes for the last section.

As for Black Pearls but when the flake runs out follow the horizontal seam to the right and finish up Three Storey Rock

Just to the right of the yellow streak.

Commonly used as a decent.

Start 1 meter left of Practice Your Mantle Part 2. The perfect mantle for the beginner who's never done one before.

In the middle of the wall below a large hole. Climb up to this hole and then move left and up. A variant also exits right and up. BB.

Right side of arete via solid jugs and breaks past one unnecessary old carrot at the top.

Straight up the edge then crack.

Start between Corner Chimney and Bolt Ladder. Up slight bulge then smooth headwall.

The wide corner-crack with plenty of good gear and decent climbing - an easy trad lead. DBB on top or walk off. Probably done in the dark ages.

Chimney on west face of block. Natural anchor at top and rap off rings into courtyard. The Usual Chimney style.

Up to the flake and following it. Caution when placing pro in the vertical crack. Shared lower offs with Balance and Crimp.

Start: Up crack 2m L 'Cold Chisel'.

Start below the arete at the right side of the back wall. Climb onto ledge then up the arete on solid holds. BB. Inverted 0.75 placement in pod below layback flake.

Wall 1m left of The Corner. Note that a very poor 8mm dynabolt appeared about halfway up this route at one stage.

Start: 4m left of the arete, right of tree half way up wall. Up grey wall with great edges to mini corner via breaks.

Start: 1m left of the arete. Up wall via breaks.

Straight up wall 2m left of corner.

Easier start to CTOB, following the upper blind crack just right of it.