Browns Road
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2 minutes
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The crags face west but the courtyard is well shaded
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Short vertical walls
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Introduction
Browns Road is a great little play area, offering a variety of problems on excellent, compact sandstone, with walls up to about 12m in height. The crag is set in lovely surroundings, overlooking the upper Lane Cove river opposite Thornleigh Park. The crag faces west, so is best on summer mornings and winter afternoons. There are numerous old manky top rope bolts along the top of the cliff (back them up with trees). A number of new SS glue in carrots, U's and rings have been placed around the court yard for backing up some of the older carrots.
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History
Details are sketchy, so what you read here is guesswork based off initials at the base of the climbs. Most climb names have been made up. If you know much about the history of this place, please send in what you know. If you've top-roped a few of these climbs, please send in some suggested grades.
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Access
Drive to the end of Browns Rd, Wahroonga (just off the Comenarra Parkway near the Sydney Adventist Hospital). A well worn track leads past the left hand end of the white fence and down to the top of the courtyard (about 75m from the road). Descent is via the cleft to the right.
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Follow the track from the carpark and you come out above a deep courtyard. There are two giant rusting ring bolts here, placed by the local scout group for absquealing. To get down into the courtyard, jump from the boulder across the cleft, and then spiral down into the cleft.
Main Wall
Entering the courtyard coming down the descent gully the climb are listed left to right after you pass Dirty Hand Crack .
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Dirty Hand Crack
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7m
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The short hand crack at the far left end of the wall, on your left as you exit the descent cleft.
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JP
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22+
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12m
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Up Slab Between DHC and CB DBB on top
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CB
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10m
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Wide crack with left-leaning zig zag hand crack to start. Trad Belay.
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FF - Fingers & Fists
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16?
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10m
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Direct start to CB, up the pencil thin crack. Large pro for top section.
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K
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12m
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Directly up slab 1m right of FF
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*
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K2
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22
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12m
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1m right of K, up on good edges and then the sidepull and up to top. DBB on top.
(would make a nice sport route)
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*
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Sexy Sue
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16
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12m
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Obvious Offwidth on main wall. Is a good line to practise the art of hand stacking and the rest of your offwidth skills.
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JR
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12m
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The mossy face right of SS.
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* *
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Sandrine
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16
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12m
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The left-leaning awkward finger crack.
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*
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The Cheerful Giver
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18
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12m
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3m right of Sandrine. A delicate route with some interesting moves. Up right leaning feature over bulge to lower off.
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Ranger Dave Archer, 2014
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Now to the northern end of the courtyard. Starting to the right of the decent gully.
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Pocket Rocket
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22
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9m
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The single ring bolt. Up on thin moves to jugs. Cams in breaks up past slopers to top out a DBB
was previously marked with a square and was probably top roped off a single carrot now replaced with 2 rings.
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The Block
The block forms the west side of the courtyard. Climbs described clockwise from the gap between the block and the main cliff. It is possible to traverse along the wall on a series of convenient holds.
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Dad
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10m
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Chimney between block and main cliff. Solo
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*
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PTTP
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21
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10m
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The face 1m left of the gap. Up face past single bolt runner to DBB
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Jon Reilly 1990?
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LON
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10m
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1m left of PTTP, up face past 1 BR. DBB
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Jon Reilly 1990?
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*
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Veronica
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17
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10m
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The offwidth. Marked "V". A great top-tope problem to learn the art of hand stacks and knee jams. DBB
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TC
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22+
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10m
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Face 1m left of V. DBB
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LE
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22+
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10m
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Arête on the south end of the courtyard. DBB
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Bolt Free
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22
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12m
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1m left of LE on the south face. Up features past three empty bolt holes.
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BC
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12
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12m
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The chimney on the west side of the block, facing the river.
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The following two climbs are on the northern end of the block. Possible to top rope using the 3 carrots (could do with being replaced) and a good length of static.
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T
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16?
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10m
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Up the right side of the face to the top. Climb marked with a square and "T"
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S
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18?
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10m
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Climb is marked with a square and "S" 1m left of T. Climb up the face heading slightly left. Stay off the chimney behind.
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Spike Boulder
Head to the south end of the courtyard near Bolt Free and Scramble 20m further down the ridge to an isolated boulder with scoopy caves at each end.
There is a long wall that has some decent traverses and boulder problems and some nice chipped steps to down climb from its top.
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Love Spike
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V3?
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The steep juggy problem at the southern end of the boulder. The infamous "love spike" has since been chopped.
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North Arete
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V2?
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The arete at the northern end of the boulder.
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YKS Wall
Go through the gap between the block and the main wall, and turn right.
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Thin Crack
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15
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7m
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the obvious thin crack feature at the end of the wall. Single bolt Belay on top.
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Young Kids on Speed
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21
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12m
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Pass a short chimney and then to a thin wall. Two BRs to dirty scrappy exit. With a wirebrush clean and some loweroffs this route would be good.
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Jon Reilly 1990?
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The Lower Cliff - Grumpy Old Man Area
Head down the hill from YKS wall and you will see a Blunt Arête that looks like an old man's face if you use your imagination.
There are a number of easier mixed routes here with new stainless glue in carrots and DBB's.
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May As Well Solo
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14
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10m
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Starts on the block feature on the right of the old man's face. Bouldery move to start using a rail. then up weakness to horizontal. No.1 cam. Move left to the arête and up.
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A.Batey 2014
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Piss Easy
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15
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10m
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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.
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Enmoore Lin 2014
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Arête 1
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14
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11
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Start at the nose to the left of GOM. Hardish start then straight up the arête to the top.
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Grumpy Old Man
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14
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10m
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Start in the middle of the slab. Past 2 bolts then up to steeper headwall and horizontal breaks moving right to gain anchors.
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A.Batey, G.Muraoka 2014
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Above - Adrian Batey on the First ascent of Grumpy Old Man
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Easy Chimney
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13
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9m
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The chimney to the left of GOM. Up chimney using nuts , cams. and DBB on top. Pretty Clean for a chimney and would be an easy first lead for the new trad climbers.
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A.Batey, G.Muraoka 2014
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Trolls Arête
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16
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10m
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Start where the shallow crack is in the lower wall. Up to ledge. Step right then up Arete to finish.
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A.Batey, G.Muraoka 2014
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Above - George Muraoka on the 2nd ascent of Trolls Arete
High Alley
Continue along the cliff until you enter a narrow alleyway. Good bouldering here, including some long traverses with good landings.
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Nice
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V4
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Towards the right hand end.
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Bollywood Bad Boy
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V9
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The high hard line in the center of the wall.
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Hira Verick
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Aid Wall and TCFTH Area - Currently being cleaned and rebolted.
A taller section of cliff behind the turning circle that has some nice mixed climbing. Rap in from the tree with sling or walk in via the high alley.
Area was original thought to be an Aid area but closer inspection the routes go in the high teens and low 20s.
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Tuff Cs Fall The Hardest
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19
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14m
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Start marked. Up crack to ledge. Up past 2 bolts to horizontals then up easier ground to top out to DBB
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A.Batey 2014
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TCFTH original Route
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16m
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Up crack then left to FH, up to scoop/cave and FH past horizontal break and up nice headwall.
(Fixed hangers need replacing and rings added)
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Unkown
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Climb 1
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16m
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Starts towards the left end of TCFTH wall. Layback start to gain the break for gear. Move left slightly to jugs and FH, Up and tending right running it out now towards the scoop/cave in the middle and break for gear. Up on good edges to anchors.
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Unknown
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* *
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Climb 2 - Closed Project
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20
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12m
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Left end of TCFTH wall. Start at shallow crack. Up, traverse L to arête, RB on R and continue straight up passing an another RB and Lower offs (DRB). There are an another set of DRBs, about 1m above the Lower offs, to rap in if you like.
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Closed Project - Adrian
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Crack
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14m
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The crack that splits TCFTH wall and the aid wall. often damp deep in the crack but can be climbed stemming the chimney.
Up the crack to roof and move right to tree belay at top.
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Unkown
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Bolt Ladder
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M1
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10
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The bolt ladder up the centre of the wall starting from ledge. Up bolts the move left to crack and out.
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Unknown
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Left leaning crack
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?
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10m
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Start on the ledge at the crack to the left of the bolt ladder. Up and tending left and then either up to top out or continue left through the cleft.
Has some letters inscribed at start. Will update on next visit.
There will be rings where this route crosses the Finger Crack
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Unkown
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Finger Crack
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10m
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A good looking line but damp after rain. Start below ledge near corner. Up the pencil thin crack to ledge. step left then up the finger crack to top.
(Being cleaned and rings added at present sep 2014)
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Unkown
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Bumpy Boy Wall
Scramble a 5m downhill and you reach a steep wall with two lines of U-bolts of unknown origin. Appears to be dry in light rain.
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U-bolt 1
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23?
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7m
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The line inside the cave of closely-spaced U-bolts through steep terrain. Chain loweroff.
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Unknown
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U-bolt 2
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23?
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7m
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Climbs the left line of the cave with nice exposure on steep rock. Chain loweroff.
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Unknown
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There may be additional sport routes further along this wall.
