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Afternoon sun |
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IntroductionNarrabeen Steep Side is another of the pleasant crags located behind Narrabeen Lakes. The crag is set in a pleasant bushland environment, although traffic noise tends to remind you you're still in the 'burbs. A 'four seasons' crag, it faces west and is cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon. The crag has little in the way of moderate routes but offers a great range of harder classics on excellent rock, many of which were recently re-equipped with ring bolts. |
AccessTo find the crag, it's easiest to start at the Sport and Recreation Centre on the Wakehurst Parkway. From here, drive about 900m west until you reach the first left hand curve. Park in the small gravel area to the left, located just before a right curve road sign and an 80kmh speed sign. If the carpark is full, you can also park 150m to the east, in the same carpark as for the Narrabeen Slabs. From the western end of the gravel area an obvious single track heads up the hill for about 50m to the crag. Climbs are described left to right, facing the cliff. |
| * | Bloggs Eliminate | 14 | 10m | ||
| 20m left of Flack, on separate buttress. A steep start, then up the scoop above. Originally started with a tree for aid, and solo. Now all bolts | |||||
| Jeff Crass 2018 | |||||
| Ready, Set, Go! | 4 | 8m | |||
| 8m left of F, below corner. Up the easy ledges and corner. | |||||
| * * | Happy Birthday, 21 again | 22 | |||
| 21, every move! Wall left of PL/LD. Either bridge up corner to break, or desperate boulder start on pockets. | |||||
| Jeff Crass 2018 | |||||
| PL/LD | 23 | 10m | |||
| Marked, 2m left of F. Thin wall with 3 BRs. Shared lower off with HB21. | |||||
| * | Flack | 17 | 10m | ||
| 10m left of SS. Short aesthetic wall with a hard (18?) start, 3 U bolts and a lower off. | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| OB Project | 21 | 10m | |||
| Finger crack to the right of Flack | |||||
| Canuck Chris, 02/02/2015 | |||||
The track reaches the base of the crag just here.
| Seedy Saturday | 18 | 8m | |||
| The obvious vegetated, seeping crack, where the track meets the cliff. | |||||
| Fowlgrowlla | 18 | 8m | |||
| 2m right of SS. Head up the vegetatied flakes, passing a shocking BR. | |||||
| Strange Like Norman | 21 | 8m | |||
| 2m right of F. Head up past two BRs. | |||||
| Apyla | 22 | 6m | |||
| Marked. 10m right of SLN. Up and left to arete, passing two rusty BRs. | |||||
| Areeba | 19 | 7m | |||
| Start as for A, just left of the corner. Straight up past 2 Ubolts. | |||||
| Keg's Korner | 13 | 7m | |||
| Corner just right of A. | |||||
| Bedrock | 18 | 7m | |||
| Up KK then head right and up (2 BRs). | |||||
| * | AirtimeTraverse | 20 | |||
| Exposed roof swinging on good jugs. Start in orange rock 15m R of Areeba. Right side of cave and traverse L along lip. Easiest to lean right and set up lower off from rings on top of right-hand route (Turbulent Pleasure) | |||||
| mikl 2018 | |||||
| Turbulent Pleasure | 17 | 12m | |||
| Fun wall, start as for Airtime Traverse and straight up | |||||
| Jeff Crass 2018 | |||||
| * | Lido Man | 21 | 8m | ||
| As for JM. Step left, over bulge and up seam. 4 RBs in total. | |||||
| Daniel Webster, Dale Tweedie 2005-08 | |||||
| Jammin' Measles | 17 | 10m | |||
| The crack 10m right of KK. | |||||
| Unfair Dismissal | 20 | 10m | |||
| As for JM. Step right and up through scoop and wall to double U bolt rap anchor. Fixed sling and 3RBs en route (take care clipping the 3rd RB). Topo is wrong, goes wright low past un-fixed sling | |||||
| Dale Tweedie, Daniel Webster 2005-08 | |||||
| A | ? | 15m | |||
| 5m right of MW. Two manky BRs in the nice looking overhang. | |||||
There is a splitter corner crack to the right which has undoubtedly been climbed!
| Ms Wilkins | 24 | 15m | |||
| 10m right of A, 4m right of (apparently unclimbed) corner. Short and cranky. Undercut hanging wall to roof and 2m left to mantelpiece. Head up and right up wall. | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * | Technorabble | 23 | 15m | ||
| 2m right of MW, 3m left of corner. Undercut start or start on right. Up then left to jugs, big heave to pocket, big heave to pocket. Up to clip and go anchors. | |||||
| Craig Martin 1980s | |||||
| * | Technorabble Variant | 20 | 15m | ||
| As for Technorabble, but avoids the crux by moving right, you can clip the 4th bolt from the jugs, then up and traverse L to 5th bolt and up to clip and go anchors. Topo is wrong, it traverses back left about level with the "17" on the picture below. | |||||
| Craig Martin 1980s | |||||
| Worthless Cracklines | 18 | 15m | |||
| Corner crack 3m right of T. | |||||
| * * * | Big Tick | 26 | 15m | ||
| 2m right of WC. Up to BR, right to flake, up smooth black wall. 4 BRs in total. | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * | Image Intensifier | 24 | 15m | ||
| Start below BT. Straight up wall | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * | Slap and Tickle | 24 | 15m | ||
| Up II to 2nd RB, then right to arete and up. | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * | Pickaxe | 22 | 15m | ||
| 4m right of SaT. Strenuous bulging wall | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * | Relax | 23 | 15m | ||
| 2m right of P. Popular pumpy classic with new RBs. Straight up through roof. | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * | Smilax | 23 | 15m | ||
| Start up Relax to ledge then right, great moves out big roof and over lip to desperation. | |||||
| Craig Martin 1980s | |||||
| FHP | 19 | 10m | |||
| Straight up the corner crack. | |||||
| Craig Martin 1980s | |||||
| * * | Clouseau’s Edge | 20 | 10m | ||
| Wall right of Smilax, FHP. Start in corner and out R to arete and up. | |||||
| Jeff Crass 2018 | |||||
The following eight high quality routes are all in close proximity.
| * * | Self Saucing Sandbag | 25 | 15m | ||
| 8m right of FHP. Start up ladder. Wall to big roof, orange streak past odd rings. | |||||
| Giles Bradbury 1980s | |||||
| * * * | Tilt | 23 | 15m | ||
| Start up ladder and right A Sydney mega classic. Up wall, subtle reach to lip of roof then sustained headwall to lower off. Solid for the grade. | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * | BRT | 28 | 15m | ||
| Just right of T. Up steeply | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * * | Full Tilt | 26 | 15m | ||
| 2m right of T. Another mega classic. Roof, then steeply out bulge. New RBs. | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * | Wolfy and the Scientist | 25 | 12m | ||
| Just right of FT. Stick clip, then up underside of bulgy arete past 4 BRs. | |||||
| Leonard Coyne 1980s | |||||
| Dancing on Ceilings | 24 | 12m | |||
| As for WATS, then traverse right to join SP. | |||||
| Jeff Crass 1980s | |||||
| * | I Wanna be an Airborne Ranger | 21 | 15m | ||
| Start and traverse left as for SP, then continue left and finish up FT. 6 BRs. | |||||
| * * | Septic Penguins | 21 | 12m | ||
| Marked. Up right of FT. Hard, foot free start then veer left. Up left side of scoop, then past breaks to ledge. Lower off double U-bolt at start of arete (Hectic Penguins) or rap off rings on left. | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * | Hectic Penguins | 22 | |||
| Arete finish above Septic Penguins. | |||||
| mikl 2018 | |||||
Now more choss...
| * * | The Old Man of Heave | 24 | 15m | ||
| As for CMF, then continue up thin crack past old BR to trad hardness. | |||||
| Moss 1980s | |||||
| Crack Man Fever | 21 | 16m | |||
| 1m right of SP. Bulging crack, step right and up final crack. | |||||
| Mikl Law 1980s | |||||
| * * | Pat the Pig | 23 | 15m | ||
| 19m right of CMF, below thin seam. Bouldery moves up the seam, then continue up wall and through roof , slap right to anchor | |||||
| mikl 1980s | |||||
| Roger the Rabbit | |||||
| Closed project (ants!) Seam and wall 5m R of Pat the Pig | |||||