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Crag & Route Beta

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All NSW (General) (General) (General)

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Barrenjoey (All sport or trad gear needed)

surfziggy

21-Aug-2013
11:43:26 AM

Just wondering what the status is of the routes at the SW crag here. Are they fully bolted or is some trad gear needed. Also is it possible to access the belays easily to set up a top rope.
I'm getting back into climbing after a 7 yr lay off due to kids. I used to climb french 6b on bolts in the UK, but have limited trad experience.
Ideally I'm looking for somewhere in the northern beaches with some easy lines so my oldest daughter can have a go. She's 7 and and has her own harness + shoes and has done a bit indoors now and is ready for her first outdoor challenge.
I've got 'draws, rope, harnesses, shoes, slings etc. But no trad gear.

Thanks in advance.

IdratherbeclimbingM9

21-Aug-2013
12:16:24 PM

Unless things have changed radically, since my days spent there, the place could best be described as 'mixed' (was mostly trad with some bolts). ... Though it would not surprise me if there are more bolts there these days, particularly climbs harder than Gd 20.
Try looking up The thecrag.com for beta (some photos there will give you a good idea of what it is like).

The top can easily be accessed from the left (western) end for setting topropes, though I'd expect any anchors (used to be all natural), to be well back from the edge, so would need extending with slings etc.

Unless your 7 y o is a climbing prodigy, the place doesn't have much in easy-easy grades. The centre of 'Abseil Wall' might work as a toprope, but the big holds (horizontal breaks), would be reachy for a person of short stature. The wide crack adjacent that wall on the right is a bit of a thrutch fest for a newbie.

The beachside boulder at Nth Palm Beach might be a better learning spot for a first outdoor experience?

ajfclark

21-Aug-2013
12:27:45 PM

There's a up to date guide to Barrenjoey on Sydneyclimbing.com or on your iPhone.

kieranl

21-Aug-2013
12:36:37 PM

On 21/08/2013 ajfclark wrote:
>There's a up to date guide to Barrenjoey on Sydneyclimbing.com or on your iPhone.
So I'd need a login to the site to see the climbs?

IdratherbeclimbingM9

21-Aug-2013
12:44:05 PM

On 21/08/2013 kieranl wrote:
>On 21/08/2013 ajfclark wrote:
>>There's a up to date guide to Barrenjoey on Sydneyclimbing.com or on your iPhone.
>So I'd need a login to the site to see the climbs?

It would appear not, as I have just returned from perusing it, though I have no idea about the iPhone bit.

It is interesting to see the variations in those sites (mine and ajf quoted), when it comes to dates / first ascentionists / & topo's for some of the climbs...

nmonteith

21-Aug-2013
12:55:06 PM

Sydneyclimbing.com is the current definitive guide to the area.

rodw

21-Aug-2013
1:02:42 PM

Hit up Lindfield and top rope stuff, excellent location for first time outdoors.

http://www.sydneyclimbing.com/confluence/display/nswrock/Lindfield

Location in guide, easy access quick access to top to top rope.

kieranl

21-Aug-2013
1:03:31 PM

On 21/08/2013 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>On 21/08/2013 kieranl wrote:
>>On 21/08/2013 ajfclark wrote:
>>>There's a up to date guide to Barrenjoey on Sydneyclimbing.com or on your >href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/sydney-climbing-guide/id554116475">iPhone.
>>So I'd need a login to the site to see the climbs?
>
>It would appear not, as I have just returned from perusing it, though
>I have no idea about the iPhone bit.
>
It appears to be yet another advanced feature of Internet Obscurer that compulsorily hides the climb descriptions but displays the comments. Firefox shows the climbs as well.

tnd

21-Aug-2013
1:09:06 PM

On 21/08/2013 surfziggy wrote:
>Just wondering what the status is of the routes at the SW crag here. Are
>they fully bolted or is some trad gear needed.

Mostly mixed, especially the easy grades.

>Also is it possible to access
>the belays easily to set up a top rope.

Walk up steppy gully at western end, there are double-bolt belays above most routes, easily accessible but some near the cliff edge, so be careful. You'll need bolt plates. It's an excellent toproping crag.

>I'm getting back into climbing after a 7 yr lay off due to kids. I used
>to climb french 6b on bolts in the UK, but have limited trad experience.
>
>Ideally I'm looking for somewhere in the northern beaches with some easy
>lines so my oldest daughter can have a go. She's 7 and and has her own
>harness + shoes and has done a bit indoors now and is ready for her first
>outdoor challenge.

Try Jezebel (9), Carrie Bradshaw (14), Tropico (15) on the main cliff line or, up top at Insomnia Cave Rock, Baby Steps (10), More Tea Vicar (11) or No Sorry It Makes Me Fart (14).

>I've got 'draws, rope, harnesses, shoes, slings etc. But no trad gear.
>
>Thanks in advance.

tnd

21-Aug-2013
1:20:48 PM

On 21/08/2013 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>>Though it would not surprise me if there are more bolts there these days,
>particularly climbs harder than Gd 20.
I rebolted this crag end-to-end over a three year period in the early 2000's. Pretty well bolt for bolt, old carrots with stainless hex-heads except for Mikl's 25 - Pulse of Fools - on which he asked me to put rings, and Cranky (20), which had rusty home-made angle-iron brackets, which I replaced with rings.

I added bolts to perhaps three routes, but removed bolts on a couple of others and didn't replace them as they were beside excellent micro-cam breaks.

So the number of bolts on the faces pretty well remained constant. I did add a few double-bolt top belays where trees were getting trashed or there weren't any close.

The SRC Access Fund paid for the materials.

bw

21-Aug-2013
7:49:06 PM

Yep, v easy top roping crag in an awesome location. To lead most stuff you'll need some gear or toprope on most routes is easy with well placed bolts. Thanks niall

Big G

21-Aug-2013
8:41:31 PM

Alternatively, if you want sport on the northern beaches, you could try narabeen. Berowra is not far either

There are 12 messages in this topic.