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Chockstone Forum - Crag & Route Beta

Crag & Route Beta

Area	Location	Sub Location	Crag	Links
VIC Eastern	Cathedral Range	(General)	(General)	[ Cathedral Guide \| Images ]

Author

Worthwhile Cathedral Routes grades 18-22

dalai

31-Aug-2005
10:19:21 PM

North Jawbones

The route left of Xanthene is Terminal Youth 20 - bold lead from memory. (Recall having to use a hollow flake a fair way above gear).
Whiteline Fever is a quality though runout in places slabbing. Fine if 18 isn't your limit.

Ten Fathom Ridge

Two Way Stretch 22 Balancy climbing up an impressive wall.
Naked Ape 20 Retrobolted so now probably a fair bit safer (and no GAB - it wasn't me!! Was still super bold the last time I was there)
Evilution 21 Kachoong of the Cathedrals! Flake out a huge roof. Surprised this one wasn't climbed earlier!

Neds Gully

Holly Snapping Ducksh!t 21 steep sustained face Can step right after the action and use the chains on Canard A L'Orange 7a (24 sport route) to descend.
Free Standing 20 Monster overhanging trench
Down and Out 22 Variation on the above for those who find the main line too tame!

Sunset Strip - would be far more popular than other Melbourne crags if not for the epic access. By the approach paths as described give yourself a good 1 1/2 hours. Direct up the hill above Neds Gully campsite it's more like an hour.

Left tier has some good though very short roof climbs.

Face shots and finger slots 20 is the highlight.

The Main Tier - deserves a good rap anchor above this wall

Devils Pastry Cook 18 pleasant face
Lanky Cop in Club Med 21 Entertaining outing through multiple overhangs
The Tax Man 21 Said to be good.
The Gift Of the Gab 22 Brilliant jug pulling through the huge top overhang. Worth the walk just for this climb!

In fact just about every climb on this wall is deserving of some attention. Just remember to pack the head torches. As the cliff catches the last rays of sun, you are tempted to do just one more climb. But the descent back to the car is on the shadowed side and gets really dark after nightfall!!

Bissets Pinnacles

Scene of the Crime 21, Wuthering Heights 19, Gates Of Delirium 21, Spiral Architect 18 are a few of the climbs worth hunting out this cliff for and fighting your way from climb to climb trhough the prickles!


SNAFU

1-Sep-2005
2:34:42 AM

Sunset Strip is indeed an underrated area at the Cathedrals; the vibrant orange colour of the sandstone is quite impressive. I recently did Devil's Pastry Cook and while it felt like an easy tick for grade 18, i'm keen to return. The Cathedrals has an abundance of quality climbing, but as dalai said most of the crags require some full on hiking to get to them.
One place i've never been to though is Cathedral Gorge. Might be planning an exploratory trip in the next few weeks if anyone's interested ?

dalai

1-Sep-2005
9:57:04 AM

On 1/09/2005 SNAFU wrote:
>One place i've never been to though is Cathedral Gorge. Might be planning
>an exploratory trip in the next few weeks if anyone's interested ?

Walked in there by myself early last year? to check out bouldering potential. Saw nothing worth climbing or bouldering, tumbled down a gully breaking the digital camera and vowed never to return!!

Maybe a new set of eyes might uncover something worthwhile?

gfdonc

1-Sep-2005
11:13:16 AM

I did a very early exploratory of the Cathedral Gorge in the early 80's when rained out of a North Jawbones trip - that is assuming we are talking about the gorge a couple of k's north of the Jawbones.
Was considered worthless - mossy broken and loose - and never went back.

dalai

1-Sep-2005
11:21:09 AM

That's it!! Bit of a lost world feel to it. Fun to explore, but for climbing I agree with your prognosis...

gfdonc

1-Sep-2005
3:31:02 PM

So now I have to ask: where is Ten Fathom Ridge?

dalai

1-Sep-2005
4:01:01 PM

Approximate location of Ten Fathom Ridge, Neds Peak and Sunset Strip

gfdonc

1-Sep-2005
5:04:12 PM

Twas I long time ago but I traversed the range a couple of times in my bushwalking days - the descent down the north end of Little Cathedral is steep but I recall you get to the road fairly quickly from there. Has anyone tried getting access to Sunset Strip that way?

dalai

1-Sep-2005
5:21:58 PM

The track direct between Neds Gully and Little Cathedral did exist but has been closed. It would then be more like an hour walk in vs the longer walk via Neds Saddle.


SNAFU

1-Sep-2005
11:37:38 PM

The main reason I'd thought Cathedral Gorge might be good was that I saw it from the top of Bisset's Pinnacles a while back. It really does have that "lost world" look to it from there. Sounds like Bisset's or Ten Fathom Ridge have better climbing though...

duglash

2-Sep-2005
10:39:18 AM

any promising harder lines there dalai?

dalai

2-Sep-2005
11:19:01 AM

Perhaps...

kieranl

3-Sep-2005
9:10:30 PM

Has anyone looked at the middle of The Verandah roof at N Jawbones? Looks doable to the lip but turning the lip could be impossible depending on what's (not) up there. I had one quick flail on it many years ago but didn't make it to the lip.


SNAFU

4-Sep-2005
2:55:44 AM

I've had a few goes at The Veradah myself and it is true that pulling the lip of the roof is the crux of the route. Haven't managed to send it yet, but the trick seems to be arranging pro so as to minimize rope drag. The guide says to belay from Northern Ramble next door, but the only decent anchor point would be the start of the second pitch on that climb, where a large crack begins. Perhaps climbing Northern Ramble to that point then abseiling down to top-rope The Verandah could be the way to crack it ?

dalai

5-Sep-2005
9:59:44 AM

On 3/09/2005 kieranl wrote:
>Has anyone looked at the middle of The Verandah roof at N Jawbones? Looks
>doable to the lip but turning the lip could be impossible depending on
>what's (not) up there. I had one quick flail on it many years ago but didn't
>make it to the lip.

Looked at it with a view to give it a go (because it's there) but it doesn't appear to offer good climbing so never bothered... at least with all the horizontal breaks pro would be in abundance!

Better lines in the Cathedrals still to go!

Fish Boy

6-Dec-2010
7:56:10 PM

BUMP

^^^^ care to share marty???


davetheyounger

6-Dec-2010
8:51:31 PM

what about freeing thrills and spills

dalai

6-Dec-2010
9:09:14 PM

On 6/12/2010 Fish Boy wrote:
>BUMP
>
>^^^^ care to share marty???

Blast from the past!

Not sure if I do care to share Fish Boy... Though more because I can't remember off the top of my head ;-)

Fish Boy

7-Dec-2010
2:53:17 PM

Whats that dave?

dalai

7-Dec-2010
3:14:17 PM

Though I'm not Dave, I do have the guide handy...

Thrills and Spills is Tempest route at Bissets - 26 M1

There are 22 messages in this topic.