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740 Hits
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70.83% Score
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1 Votes
Page Type:
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Route |
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Time Required:
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Half a day |
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Difficulty:
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F1 ***** |
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Number of Pitches:
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4 |
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Overview
This is a popular route that starts up the eastern side of the mountain and finishes with the main pitches on the south face. Some parties’ battle to find their way to the start of the main climbing. When looking from near Bell Cave at the east side of the mountain, the peak has a major rock band, then a huge sloping ledge of grass. Then above this is another broken band of rock and vegetation ending in a thin narrow grass ledge that runs at the bottom of the final rock walls. The objective is to get up to this narrow grass band on its right hand side then walk all the way to the left to the starts of both routes.
Getting There
From Bell Cave walk, towards the gully between Cathedral Peak and the Bell and then up to the saddle between them. At this level scramble along the bottom of the rock band on the Bell in the direction of the Mweni Valley, until there is a break in the rock. Then scramble up on steep ground and then contour back (left) above this major rock band until above the saddle between to the two peaks onto a big grass ledge. (30 mins from Bell Cave).Route Description
Start on the big sloping grass ledge on its right-hand side. There is no distinctive marker at the start.
1. 50m (C). At this point scramble up a vegetated pitch on steep grass tufts to gain a grass ledge high above. Some people try to rope this section, but there is very little protection for the leader. On the ledge a bolted abseil point is found. Walk all the way to the left to the corner between the south and east faces. Leave hiking boots and any extra gear about halfway across this traverse, as the first abseil ends on this ledge. Wong’s Route starts at the far left corner.
2. 45m (C). Belay at the start of Wong’s Route on the corner of the mountain Then contour around the corner, dropping down at one point, past some old abseil slings then up to a wide ledge.
3. 10m (F1). Start a little way along the ledge. Climb a short steep open-book with 2 pegs in it to a huge ledge. Walk left along the ledge some 20 m and cross a loose landslip gully and belay from large erica bushes on the other side.
4. 30m (F1) The start is not very distinctive. Climb an easy, short black face on good holds to a peg which is often obscured by grass. Then when a about 10m above the ground, traverse left to a nose of rock, then around this to the left past fixed pegs to a recess. From the bottom of the recess step left a few metres to find 2 pitons at chest height. Then straight up a delicate face of rock above the pitons to a big ledge. At the top of pitch 2, scramble right and then up through broken rock bands to the summit.
Descent: Abseil from chains at the top pitch of Wong’s Route, 45 m to the narrow grass ledge. Walk northwards to find another set of chains back down the vegetated pitch 1. 1.5 hrs from summit back to Bell Cave.