Blue Mountains Pictorial

After Christmas we packed the car and headed south on a 12 hour journey to one of Australia's finest and best known sport climbing locations, the Blue Mountains.

The Blueies/Blueys/"The Mountains" are a really extensive area an hour or so west of Sydney and are home to well over 2,700 routes on gritty, sometimes chossy sandstone. You can check out the guidebook here.

Some of my fondest memories climbing come from the joys of the humble road trip with friends. I really do think I get just the same amount of excitement from going to a great area somewhere else in Australia as I do from going to a great area overseas. It's the opportunity to go to new cliffs and get on routes I wasn't able to get on the last time I was there.

I had a great week, and we really packed it in, taking only one rest day. In six days I'd managed four 25s, one 26, three 27s (one onsight) and one 28. I also put in some good work on routes I'd like to try again next time.

Cops were on in full force on our New Years' drive down.

Wrong turn on the way to the Freezer. Not good!

Small epics are good for the soul.

Duncan Steel on Ha Ha Wall 25/7b, The Freezer.

The Log Of Death. This thing which sits above a 40m drop has scared climbers for well over a decade.

If you squint you can see me. Up high on Dicky Ticker 26/7b+, Freezer.
Cool wall - quite chossy!

Summer flowers.

In the office.

Sam taking down the Ancient Mariner 19/6a+, Boronia Point.

This was a route I'd always wanted to try.
Don't Believe The Hype 29/8a, Boronia Point.

Don't Believe The Hype 29/8a.
There's a million link-ups and variations on this well-loved piece of wall.

Lovely walk-in to a cliff near Bell.

Where's the clip?

Sam on this cool 22/6c at Bell

Sam at Bell

This action sequence of Erik somehow ended up on 'I Love Climbing' which meant it went onto 157,000+ people's Facebook. That's funny :)

What's going on here?

Duncan tries a MEGA SOUR candy :)
Check them out at the Leura Lolly Shop.

I went back to try 'Don't Believe...' again but didn't quite have the freshness to get it in the bag. One to go back for!

Sam launching out the start flakes of Cowboy Clip 21/6b+, Boronia Point.

My final day of climbing was at the hard-man&woman's cliff of Diamond Falls.

Amanda Cossey showed me how it's done on Fresh Goat's Milk 28/7c+, a popular variation on Hairline 2000

Taking the whip!

Jake Bresnehan on Dogbite 31/8b

Roadtrips are great for recharging the psyche! Okay, time to start training again!