Routes in Australia for selected grade

A good aid climb turned into a great free climb. The first pitch is worth a star or two in its own right and is justifiably very popular with Taipan virgins.

Start 25m R of The Great Divide, and 8m R of The Chick is Trouble.

1. 25m (23) Up shallow orange flake/corner to the large deep break, then traverse 5m L to pocketed roof (an alternative but inferior start is as for TCiT). Over roof (RB) on pockets, then follow flakes up and L to a ledge and DRB (20m rap).

2. 30m (27) Some great moves in prime positions, but unfortunately not very sustained. Up to smooth wall, then step R to the desperate slabbing crux (FHs) to a good rest. Up the incipient crack to the bulge and over this with difficulty. Up and L to a good slot and up to another slot and then a fingery wall leads to the top. This pitch has 4FH's and a lower-off shared with Daedalus.

Another classic up this unlikely looking section of cliff. The crux at the start of the second pitch is ridiculously hard, and can be quite demoralising. Some prominent international climbers have suggested up to 8a for this move! It is also enjoyable, and far easier, to either (a) pull on that one bolt to reduce the grade to 25M1, or (b) freeclimb around to the R past the 1st bolt of Father O then back L into Sirocco before the 2nd bolt of Father O.

Start about 20m R of The Seventh Banana, and 3m L of The Seventh Pillar.

1. 23m (21) A popular pitch in its own right, for many their first on the wall. Has a distinct move which makes grading highly subjective, enough said. The pocketed open corner doesn't reach the ground: gain it via a short pocketed slab 5m to the R (direct up the slab beneath the corner is insecure unprotected 21). Corner past FH (rebolted April 2011) and then jug L along break to belay ledge. For 2 decades the anchor was an eyesore of shitty fixed slings, then for 2 months it was some underwhelming fixed wires, now it is DRB (18m rap).

2. 32m (26) Delicately up factor 2 territory for 3m to break (small cam), then lunge up L past bolt via diabolical crux. Mantle and crimp straight up to the 2nd FH (don't go R to Father O's 2nd RB like lost Euros often do!). Step L and blast up wall above, through bulge, then veer R (again, don't clip any RBs on Father O'!). Move back L and up final wall to a new (2011) lower-off (30m+, tie a knot in the end of your rope!). 4 FHs, fixed thread, wires and cams up to #3.

Some consider this a route that isn't worth recording; others consider it to be better than either of the two original routes that it links!

It is easier than either of the original (sandbagged) lines - maybe that accounts for its popularity.

Start up Father O to its second bolt, then traverse delicately left to join Sirocco's second bolt. Finish up Sirocco.

Extraordinary moves on immaculate rock. If you're picky you might deduct a star due to the numerous rests, and the bouldery crux start being several grades harder than the final 25m. Tougher than many Taipan 26s, but easier than Sirocco so it can't be 27 ... can it?! Often repeated using only the bolts with some 6-8m runouts, but most people also use a couple of wires and cams.

Start as for Sirocco pitch 2, delicately to the horizontal break at 3m (cam). Step R then up cruxy wall (2 RBs) to ledge. Step R to RB, up the juggy scoop (wires), then veer L to stance below roof. RB on lip, then a long reach/dyno gains the delightful grey headwall (3 RBs, cam). Lower-off (30m+ to ledge, tie a knot in the end of 60m ropes, or 48m to the ground). Rebolted ~2006.

A great 25ish variant avoids the crux past the 2nd bolt by moving L below it, joining Sirocco for a few moves then rejoining Father O above the 2nd bolt.

An independent start has also been done off the ledge, its protected by tiny trad and, instead of sharing the first few metres of Sirocco p2 off the L end of the ledge, it goes up and a bit left from the middle of the ledge to the 1st bolt of Father O.

A good option if you think Father O eases off too much after its crux. Start as for Father O, until just past it's 3rd bolt. Now head up the R side of the scoop, through bulge past 2 FHs and 2 RBs (thin crux direct past 2nd RB - deduct a grade (and maybe some self respect) if you deviate L around this bolt into Father O) to break. Trend R from break to top. Take cams & wires. If that's not enough harder climbing for you then throw in the worthwhile direct start, from the middle of the belay ledge and heading up L (good tiny trad) to Father O's first bolt.

Variety! The famous HB dyno route as immortalized by Simon Carter's photos in the early 1990s. Take a full rack up to #2.5Fr, including Aliens, RPs, and sling runners (and/or double ropes) to minimise drag. Start as for Sirocco.

1. 35m (27) A great series of features. Follow pitch 1 of Sirocco to the horizontal. Swing R along this to tricky white corner and gain slab (FH). Trend R and up technical slab and finally the infamous big dyno between buckets (battered FH), to lower-off (25m, but a 60m rope barely reaches if it's still through all the gear so tie a knot in the end).

2. 35m 32. The daunting beautiful red wall above to a rap anchor at the top. Yet another contender for the best pitch on the wall. Renamed Orange Desire by Quentin; more like 33 according to Alex Megos.

Goes left from 7th Pillar LHV to finish at the top of Mirage P1.

Start from the ground as for The Great Affair. Trend diagonally L past 2 new bolts to ledge. Continue L and up 7th pillar LHV flake, then finish as for Snake in the Grass to Mirage ledge. 3 cruxes separated by rests.

Another excellent 15m variant to Serpentine. Follow Serpentine pitch 2 for 12m until halfway up the fridge hugging. Trend R and up past bolts to loweroffs (30m to 1st belay, 52m to ground). The loweroff is somewhat diagonal - be careful not to end up hanging in space.

A strenuous single pitch, mostly superb 22-23ish but with a distinct hard section. It takes the main arete-like thing bounding the L side of this large red scooped out section of cliff. Start on the elevated ledge, 3m L of the top of the boulder you scrambled up.

1. 28m (26) Easily up ramp/corner to break under roof. Scuttle R to strenuous roof flake (FH) and onto slab. A small arete (hangerless bolt) leads to the much steeper main arete with 3 FHs. A bomber titanium (!) piton plus a few small-med cams protect the roofy juggy finish to the rap station (30m to the ground).

2. 20m (-) Garry Phillips bolted an extension in 2006 (still a closed project). It's a V9-ish traverse R from the anchors to the black streak, then straight up the black streak to a fairly low anchor (45m to the ground). However this version is mostly redundant since the completion of Southern Delight and Trouser Snake.

A few pieces of gear down low on the easier sections. Probably the most popular route on Taipan - not least because of it's spoodgy grade and the quantity of shiny stainless steel! Start on the elevated ledge, just L of the top of the boulder you scrambled up, below a well-chalked slabby thin flake. Clip some cams as the start is easy but delicate and unprotected.

1. Carefully up slab to rooflet then mantle onto slab. Delicately up this to horizontal, slap the slopers, ride the horsey, monkey up the flake and dyno like a madman to lower-off (30m). Take two #5 Rocks if you can afford them.

2. (15m, 34, 8 bolts) The extension through the bulge (bolted by Ben Cossey/Al Pryce) and up the black streak on the headwall to the top (bolted by Garry Phillips) was sent by Kilian Fischhuber on 3/8/12. As usual in this guide, this is written up as a "second pitch" so that the easier first pitch is also recorded, however the hard version is best climbed in a single 45m pitch to the top. Kilian calls this version "Southern Delight".

A link-up of The Invisible Fist into the top pitch-and-a-half of World Party. One of the greatest single pitches in the universe for anyone with the stamina. 'Almost' a sport route (15 bolts) with only two medium wires being optional on the entire route. Climb Invisible Fist to the 2nd last ring, then step right (FH) into the slopey rightwards traverse of World Party pitch 2. Finish up pitch three of World Party. Rope drag is ok if you use extenders and roller-biners appropriately, but could be horrendous if you don't.

Start on the elevated ledge, 4m R of the boulder and 2m L of a small tree. The wall between IF and WP, then finish up IF past it's last bolt. If you're not as long and strong as Rhys, its still a good 26M1 by pulling past the jump. The extension out the scoop/roof to the lip has 2 very old bolts in it and is an open project.

The stunning final pitch is one of the very best on the wall. Before you get there, there's a hard crux on the 2nd pitch. The hanging 2nd belay is best avoided by linking pitches 2 and 3, while pitch 2 is easily worked from the ground if you have a recalcitrant belayer. Start on the elevated ledge, 7m R of the top of the boulder and just R of the small tree, at a short fat flake on the slab.

1. 20m (21) A worthwhile pitch in its own right, although all the mantles are somewhat above gear. Up the slabby flake then 4m R along breaks. 3 slithery mantles lead to rap anchor on ledge (18m). Cams, med. wires.

2. 13m (27) Follow fused flake up L with increasing difficulty, then a draining fingery traverse back R to 3 bolt anchor (8m to 1st belay, 25m to base).

3. 20m (24) Brilliant. Tough moves out slopey 3m roof flake, past the only remaining original bolt - consider a small cam just below to back it up. Now blast up the very steep and very exposed water groove past 4 bolts and a spicy final runout. A wire can reportedly be finagled in on the top runout, but with all that air below your remaining energy is probably better spent in braving the final moves without it! DRB rap anchor (48m to ground).

A rising traverse line across a major feature linking Anaconda into Mr Joshua. Start at rap chain at end of first pitch of Anaconda. Climb Anaconda's 2nd pitch for 3 bolts then scuttle right (2 UBs) into white cave. A good alternative is to head R from Anaconda's 2nd FH and heelhook up the diagonal bulge (pre-extend the 1st UB). From the cave, go-go-gadget span between scoops to reach juggy flake. Swing across this (large wires/cams, or just run it out) then up final scoopy headwall (UB) to join Mr Joshua pitch 1 at it's last bolt. Backclean, or get some idiot to second then rap off (38m).

The brilliant first pitch is one of the most popular at Taipan and was a very impressive effort by the young bumblies Jared and Simon. Often cited as the best 25 in Australia. Pitch 2 is far less popular, but still excellent. Start from the R-hand end of the ledge, 4m R of Anaconda's flake. Set a belay, or belay from the ground.

1. 28m (25) Pockets and mantles to ledge. Move R along wide break then slopes lead to a spike hold. Head R to arete then up to break. Blast up the R side of the groove above, finally trending L to a compact cave with DRB lower-off (28m to tree then swing back in to ledge (60m rope), or 38m to ground (70m rope)). A #2.5Fr is needed to eliminate nasty fall potential below the crux bolt, & most climbers also place 1 or 2 large wires & a #3.5Fr.

2. 15m (26) Bring a bolt plate for the belay setup; there's a carrot which lets you get comfy in the cave and spend less time stuck on the uncomfortable hanging belay. A techy big dyno to start, then some great technical moves up the vague arete. 4 bolts, trad, & rap chain (15m to 1st belay, 48m to ground).

This linkup provides an easier way to do Tourniquet p2 as a single monster pitch from the ground. Climb Mr J p1 to it's 2nd last bolt, slopy traverse R to middle of black streak (cams), spicy up black streak into the spacious cave. Join Tourniquet pitch 2 up the arete.

The easiest way to do Venom p2. Climb Mr J until 5m above it's crux, then take the jug traverse R to join Venom p2 and follow this to the top in one mega pitch from the ground.

2 bolt boulder start to RS. Classic!!

Ho hum, just another fantastic Taipan route. You'll be shaking on the slab section! Continually bouldery climbing split by good rest stances. Start as for Venom on the ledge 15m off the ground. Traverse right as for Kaa pitch 2 (small-med cams), past the black streak with 2 FHs (don't clip them, that's Rattler), almost to Kaa's second bolt (don't clip this either!). Straight up grey streak above past 6 FHs and a fixed wire up high. Route finishes in large cave at rap rings (35m to the ground). You need a 60m rope to (laboriously) tramline back to the belay, or a 70m to lower off to the ground.

Underrated and sustained. Graded 27 for many years although Simon originally thought it was 28. Some people love it and some people hate it. Six u-bolts and an exciting runout at the finish. The last bolt was added ten years after the first ascent to stop a potential 14m fall!

Up Menstrual then head right past a few more bolts, should be more popular but run out at the crux.

Start below twin pockets. Lunge to jug. 'Excellent' top crux. A climb worth a good look.

Equipped by Simon Ozolins in the mid 90s, but with a crappy start a bit further right (indicated by 15a in the topo).

Start: Start where the Menstrual tree used to be (3m R of the new Menstrual start).

Climbs Garry's old project up and left from third bolt on Weak Boy past a cool boulder. Was a bolting (and glueing?) controversy, with a dodgy SIKA hold.

Start: Start as for 'Weak Boy'.

Short + soft + bolts = popular. Climbs better than it looks. Rebolted 2013.

Start: Start 4m R of Dial-a-Lama.

The direct version of Weaky Boy, less slopers and more pockets!

Soft tick if you can crimp. Bouldery climbing from start to finish. Three FH's.

Sit start a couple of meters to the right of the end of the 'The Spurt Traverse'. Start on small edges heading up an left to the good pockets and final victory jug.

Should be obvious due to the name, the nature of the crux, and the whereabouts of the 30ft slab under the final move. Sit start and make a HUGE move out of a RH pocket undercling to the massive jug out on the lip, either direct or via the intermediate sloper. What ever you do - don't come off the match!

A variation, but one of the best lines here. Starts as for 'Chas Remains' to the 3-finger pocket, then gaston right and continue rightwards past good pockets and a pinch, finishing as for 'Between the Sheeps'. A great 13-move pumpfest. Watch the landing on the final move.

A direct line out from the start of When We Were Kings to a 'thread' undercling, then big move out to the large pocket, then finish directly (same finish as for 'Remains of the Sheep'). Watch the landing! Note: The original write up finished as for 'Chas Remains' and was given V7.

The name becomes apparent as soon as you take position in the sit start (there's a tree between your legs). Awkward low start then up via crimps and a fantastic finish jug.

Burning bright.

Start beneath the overhanging corner 20m R of 'The Rubicon'. A burly start leads into the corner which takes you to the roof, which has three manky pitons (and bomber gear). From here there is a tough move at the lip and 2 FHs before the lower off.

This steep and powerful roof looks like fantastic climbing, but unfortunately the bolts have not aged well and it is mostly only 4-5m off the ground requiring care to avoid groundfalls.

Start: Start 25m R of 'Gilgamesh' at the R end of the low rooves.

Blue Mountains-like rock and style. Sharp, crimpy, steep and a great landing.

Another dynamic problem.

Wolf/Liew

Super techy grit slopes, mid height rest and cool finish. Optional #3 Camalot on long sling above crux.

Powerful corner climbing at its best. Start about 20m right 'Technorganica' around the right side of the arete. Stick clip the first bolt. Climb starts about 2m right of corner, climb up to horizontal crack, traverse this to gain corner proper. Continually powerful moves up corner to exit it on the left then traverse back right over the top of it to DB lower off. 'Extension' is an open project.

Isolated highball problem away from the main 'Citadel'.

Callum

A direct start to 'Skim Milk' - finishing as for that problem.

A direct route up the smooth orange wall. Several huge dynamic moves, and is very well protected despite appearances. Rebolted 2017. A hold may have come off this route making it harder

The FA was nearly stolen by my younger brother Daniel who fortunately fell off after the crux. Start 3m R of The Fear of Music. The thin face to a very thin and hard boulder to reach the break. Step R a move and take the R side of the headwall to the DRB loweroff. The old carrots and hangers have been replaced with Fixe ringbolts 3 Mar 17

(Is this Slit Your Throat as per http://vicclimb.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Grampians-update.pdf )??

Excellent climbing with a very technical finish. One of the only Scott Camps projects that he actually managed to get up!

The original line (24) traversed left and then back right, avoiding the dyno. The direct version powers straight up past 3 FHs.

Starts as league of Nations, Goes into UN, then finishes as good fight direct. Some linkups are pretty lame, but imho this is f#cking ace.

Fantastic boulder sequence to finish off a great route.

Eat your spinach for the top!

Bloody hard finish which can be done two ways.

Start: Line of FH's up black seam just to the right of 'Amnesty International'.

Starts about 3 or 4 metres right of 'Sendero Luminoso' and a couple of metres left of the easy stuff. Up the wall past a fixed hanger to the horizontal break. Move a couple of metres left to a pocket and head up immediately right of this through the bulge past a second fixed hanger. Trend left to join 'Sendero Luminoso' at its fourth bolt and follow that route to the top.

Crux slab hold may have broken.

An area classic that is more technical than it first looks. Sit start on good holds in the low seam and climb up and leftwards, making the most of a variety of challenging slopers!

If you use the line of sidepulls and underclings going out right at the start, then you are on the right-hand variant V4 (but you won't be the first to be mistaken!).

Phyllis climbs Riding Shotgun!

Climb most of 'Croatian Cow', keep traversing around the nose, to mantle onto the slab.

Sit start matched on little input edges and a sidepull. Climb straight up to top out. Getting your butt off the ground is no easy feat.

Sit start on big jug hole of Sydney Highrise and climb left to jug pockets and left again to smaller pockets to finish up French Toast Direct.

Technical highball.

Sit start on the right side of the scoop. Make a big move up the face to a crimp and big edge. Continue to the top.

Start as for Ass Backwards and move up to slopey features. Dyno from here up right to the worn white jug on the face....like a boss! Top out. (Good holds used for Ass Backwards, up from the slopey feature are out - besides why would you not want to do the dyno?)

Sit start matched in bucket jug on left side of prow. Bust out right and compress up. S1m1an

Start with LH edge and RH slopey pinch. Traverse 3m right on the horizontal weakness and bust straight up the face on a crimp and chicken heads and an easy mantle. Fantastic line!

Start at the good jugs near the left most of the big pockets. Cross to a deep pocket and jump for the lip. Careful of the landing.

A run-out excursion that will probably be more popular as a top-roping problem.

Start: Start a couple of metres right of 'A Long Way From Verona'.

Put up by Corrine Gwynther

Outstanding arete with some very technical moves. Rebolted 2011 (thank goodness).

Start: 10m L of 'Clicke Crack' is the scarily exposed traverse which leads left to the main section 'Clicke Wall'. Start just L of the scary bit, under the L side of the obvious short arete.

The giant scoop 10 meters left of Gripmaster.

Step into scoop gaining two well chalked under clings, walk up feet high and leap for rail. Needs many pads and spotters as it is committing and in serious ankle breaking territory.

Belay below the crack leading out right through the roof. When the crack gets really small go out to the jug to the left. Originally climbed as an M3 aid route. Who did the first free ascent remains a mystery.

Another trademark HB roof climb. Shitty looking rock but climbs well.

Start: The flaky roof on the right side of the terrace immediately above Gunboat Diplomacy's first pitch.

Steep crack climbing. It's the finger crack straight up the headwall, starting about 18m up Sandinista.

On the slightly overhanging face right of 'The Font Mantle' block. Sit-start (or crouched!) on a good horizontal jug, then traverse right (staying low) along the lip - then up around the nose to finish on a jug.

Sit-start under the 'flat' roof just where the XXXX graffiti resides. Sharp pocket and hopeless edge, then up and slightly left, finishing as for 'Fallen Cow'.