The ground rules for climbing location "yeahs" and "neahs"
Summary
The Blue Mountains are located about 1.5-2 hours north of Sydney, Australia. They are extensive, scenic, and a popular place for vacations and climbing. The access to/orientation of the Blue Mountains is unique, as the towns and roads are primarily on top of the mountains (whereas in the U.S. we access most of our mountain ranges from the base). This orientation makes climbing access interesting and, in many locations, easy. When you park and approach from above, depending on the area, you either rappel down to the base of the climb (better make sure you can get back up though!) or walk down. Then, upon completion of the climb, you are often near where you park – i.e. no long walk-offs.
The development and maintenance of the locations we climbed were impressive. Trails were large, well-marked, and well-constructed with stairs and/or ropes and rails to assist with steep or exposed areas (see the photos and beta page for photos of some approaches). Please note, however, that the Blue Mountains are extensive and climbing options numerous, which likely means there is variability with the conditions and what I describe may not apply.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
Australia has its own rock climbing grading scale and conversions to the Yosemite Decimal System (e.g. AU 17/ U.S./YDS 5.9) can vary. In the locations we climbed, the grades were “modern” and not sandbagged.
On the sport climbs, we found bolting was often well-protected, but run-out exists, particularly on “easier” climbs. Use of expansion bolts, glue-ins, and carrots varied per climb. Carrots are the old-style Australian bolting system where you have to bring your own plates to hook onto a bolt in the rock. Here is the process for using carrots:
Be sure to read the guidebook or thecrag.com for specific information about a climb. Some descriptions will tell you if there are carrots on the climb, but it is probably best to come prepared with carrot plates just in case.
Guidebooks:
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
The rock here is sandstone, so it can be fragile in some areas and becomes more so after rain (it is usually best to wait at least 24 hours to climb on sandstone after a rain, more if it is a heavy rain). Although the rock here can be fragile and vary with location, we found it to be far more reliable/stronger than the sandstone at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
The Blue Mountains offers both sport and traditional climbing. There are single pitch crags and long multi-pitch routes. The style of climbing is mostly featured face, although you can find crack and slab as well.
As usual, do not top-rope or lower off permanent anchors, especially glue-ins, as they are very difficult to replace. When top-roping attach your own anchor to the bolts. When cleaning routes that don't walk-off at the top, rappel instead of lower.
Directions
The Blue Mountains are located about a 1.5 -2 hours drive north of Sydney, NSW, Australia. Multiple cute and well-stocked towns extend across the mountain-tops and along the main highways (Mt. Victoria, Bleackheath, Katoomba). On the main roads you are rarely far from a town. If your climbing is focusing on a specific area in the Blueys, you may want to stay closer to that area, however if you will be climbing throughout the Blueys, you can stay in or near any towns (it is easy to get around on the highway).
There is a mix of toll and free roads within and outside of Sydney, so directions will vary depending on whether you want to pay a toll. We avoided tolls out of Sydney and, as a result, the driving directions ended up being fairly complicated. But phone GPS did pretty darn well to get us there.
Because the climbing areas are scattered throughout “The Blueys,” you will need to obtain directions to the area of choice from The Crag or the Blue Mountains guidebook.
Camping
We ended up staying at a neat and quite affordable AirBNB called the Caravan, located in Blackheath. The Caravan is an updated camper van parked in a backyard with access to its own outdoor toilet. On a hot day the Caravan got a bit toasty. The owners also climb, so that was an excellent bonus to get recommendations for the area.
Camping is available throughout the Blueys, but because we did not camp, I cannot offer any tips or advice. But, here are a couple of websites that might be helpful.
Yeahs
Neahs
- Each location will receive an opinion rating - "It Rocks!", "Worth It," "Meh," or "Trash."
- Each crag has its own personality with unique advantages and challenges, which are highlighted.
- It is tempting to list “beautiful” as a “yeah,” but that is true for a lot of crags. I allude to beauty and scenery in the summary. You can also (sometimes) tell by the photo. If the place is a dump, then that will be listed in the “neahs” and rated as "Meh" or "Trash.
Summary
The Blue Mountains are located about 1.5-2 hours north of Sydney, Australia. They are extensive, scenic, and a popular place for vacations and climbing. The access to/orientation of the Blue Mountains is unique, as the towns and roads are primarily on top of the mountains (whereas in the U.S. we access most of our mountain ranges from the base). This orientation makes climbing access interesting and, in many locations, easy. When you park and approach from above, depending on the area, you either rappel down to the base of the climb (better make sure you can get back up though!) or walk down. Then, upon completion of the climb, you are often near where you park – i.e. no long walk-offs.
The development and maintenance of the locations we climbed were impressive. Trails were large, well-marked, and well-constructed with stairs and/or ropes and rails to assist with steep or exposed areas (see the photos and beta page for photos of some approaches). Please note, however, that the Blue Mountains are extensive and climbing options numerous, which likely means there is variability with the conditions and what I describe may not apply.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
Australia has its own rock climbing grading scale and conversions to the Yosemite Decimal System (e.g. AU 17/ U.S./YDS 5.9) can vary. In the locations we climbed, the grades were “modern” and not sandbagged.
On the sport climbs, we found bolting was often well-protected, but run-out exists, particularly on “easier” climbs. Use of expansion bolts, glue-ins, and carrots varied per climb. Carrots are the old-style Australian bolting system where you have to bring your own plates to hook onto a bolt in the rock. Here is the process for using carrots:
- Carry a stash in your chalk bag (borrow, rent, or buy these);
- When you arrive at a bolt, grab a plate and hook it over the bolt;
- Clip your draw into the plate. The draw is what prevents the plate from coming off the bolt as you climb. Draws with larger carabiners often work better. Some smaller draws may not adequately “lock-off” the plate.
Be sure to read the guidebook or thecrag.com for specific information about a climb. Some descriptions will tell you if there are carrots on the climb, but it is probably best to come prepared with carrot plates just in case.
Guidebooks:
- Blue Mountains Climbing by Simon Carter (2015) - http://www.onsight.com.au/product/blue-mountains-climbing-2015/
- The Crag (online resource) - https://www.thecrag.com/climbing/australia/blue-mountains
- Sydney Rock Climbing Guidebooks (online guide) - http://routes.sydneyrockies.org.au/confluence/display/nswrock/Blue+Mountains
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
The rock here is sandstone, so it can be fragile in some areas and becomes more so after rain (it is usually best to wait at least 24 hours to climb on sandstone after a rain, more if it is a heavy rain). Although the rock here can be fragile and vary with location, we found it to be far more reliable/stronger than the sandstone at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
The Blue Mountains offers both sport and traditional climbing. There are single pitch crags and long multi-pitch routes. The style of climbing is mostly featured face, although you can find crack and slab as well.
As usual, do not top-rope or lower off permanent anchors, especially glue-ins, as they are very difficult to replace. When top-roping attach your own anchor to the bolts. When cleaning routes that don't walk-off at the top, rappel instead of lower.
Directions
The Blue Mountains are located about a 1.5 -2 hours drive north of Sydney, NSW, Australia. Multiple cute and well-stocked towns extend across the mountain-tops and along the main highways (Mt. Victoria, Bleackheath, Katoomba). On the main roads you are rarely far from a town. If your climbing is focusing on a specific area in the Blueys, you may want to stay closer to that area, however if you will be climbing throughout the Blueys, you can stay in or near any towns (it is easy to get around on the highway).
There is a mix of toll and free roads within and outside of Sydney, so directions will vary depending on whether you want to pay a toll. We avoided tolls out of Sydney and, as a result, the driving directions ended up being fairly complicated. But phone GPS did pretty darn well to get us there.
Because the climbing areas are scattered throughout “The Blueys,” you will need to obtain directions to the area of choice from The Crag or the Blue Mountains guidebook.
Camping
We ended up staying at a neat and quite affordable AirBNB called the Caravan, located in Blackheath. The Caravan is an updated camper van parked in a backyard with access to its own outdoor toilet. On a hot day the Caravan got a bit toasty. The owners also climb, so that was an excellent bonus to get recommendations for the area.
Camping is available throughout the Blueys, but because we did not camp, I cannot offer any tips or advice. But, here are a couple of websites that might be helpful.
- Blue Mountains of Australia Camping - http://www.bluemts.com.au/info/thingstodo/camping/
- Blue Mountains Caravan Parks and Campgrounds Accommodation - http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/blue-mountains/accommodation-caravan-and-camping
- Blue Mountains National Park website - http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/blue-mountains-national-park
Yeahs
- Abundant, incredible, varied climbing
- Although soft and chossy sandstone exists, the rock we climbed felt solid
- Plenty of bolted and trad routes in a variety of grades
- Plenty of single and multi-pitch routes
- Many “groomed,” well-developed areas
- Because you approach the climbs from above, the car is often close by at the end of the climb
- There are numerous, cute, well-stocked towns nearby
- The vistas and surroundings are incredible
Neahs
- Popular destination for Sydney-ites, so traffic can be heavy and towns busy.
- Can get expensive (food generally costs more in Australia than the U.S.), lodging and camping fees can add up.
- Carrots – they actually weren’t that bad to deal with, but we were able to borrow a bunch of plates. If you have to buy the plates it can add-up.