Mt Hay

While Mt Hay has some very popular canyons, very little climbing was recorded in the area until Hayden Brotchie started investigating the area in late 1996/early 1997. He has since put up almost half a dozen big adventure climbs in the region, with grades between 13 and 20. Most of these routes are 250m+, although because the cliff has a large halfway ledge, there are also shorter alternatives.

The guidebook for the area is the "Rockclimbs in the Grose Valley" guide, however this guide is quite out of date for the area around Mt Hay. The SRC magazine "Thrutch" has had a number of new routes in this area published over the last couple of years.

The climb starts about 250m right (facing out) from the base of the Mt Hay canyon exit climb (continue right after doing a short abseil off a ring bolt). The route starts on the right hand side of a prominent rounded hanging arete, and is marked by a small chipped square and a scratched M.

Be warned that this is a long climb, and you will need to conserve energy and weight if you want to get up it all in one go. For gear I would recommend taking a full set of cams (including a #4.5 or #5 camalot), a set of wires and slings. There are also plenty of hex placements, but you'll get by without them. Duplicates of cams to #2 camalot will come in handy if you're linking pitches (which is recommended to save time). 60m double ropes are highly recommended for some of the longer pitches, and helmets are a must. There are no bolts on the route, so don't bother bringing along bolt plates.

Pitch 1 13m 13
A tricky and rather poorly protected traverse left leads to a large cave and a block belay out on the arete (good large cams for the belay).

Pitch 2 35m 9
A long and pleasant pitch up the nice tortoise shell wall above, getting easier with height. Wire and cam belay.

Pitch 3 (combined original 3rd and 4th pitches) 42m 11
Step up on top of the large flat block, place some gear at the back of the scoops, then step right to steep and juggy moves. These lead up for about 8m to a bushy ledge. Walk left along this (marvelling at the excellent looking faces and cracks above!), slightly down around the arete and left for approximately 30 metres across an easy wall to a tree below a crack through the bulge. Tree belay.

Pitch 4 (combined original 5th and 6th pitches) 55m 9
A really enjoyable and surprisingly long pitch. Head up the crack for a couple of metres then step out onto the right face. A long and juggy wall awaits, with a variety of gear. Tree belay on the halfway ledge.

Follow the track up for 40m to the start of the upper cliffline.

Pitch 5 58m 9
Start on the juggy face just to the right of the right facing offwidth corner crack. Another long, juggy and really enjoyable slab, with some good exposure up higher and well spaced but adequate protection. Small tree belay.

Pitch 6 (combined original 8th, 9th and 10th pitches) 55m 13
An excellent pitch up the short chimney and lovely corner above (better than it looks), then up two lovely little 5m finger size layback cracks above that. Tree belay.

Pitch 7 35m 13
Another excellent pitch (they just keep on coming!). Climb the initially vegetated, but nice corner up to the big roof, then traverse left to the arete. Straight up this (big exposure!), using the face on either side when it blanks out (take care of the hollow flakes on the right of the arete). A #5 camalot is highly recommended for this section. Continue up to small tree and mid size cam belay.

Walk 25m right to the obvious chossy chimney and a poor belay off a small tree.

Pitch 8 30m 8
Up the chossy and unpleasant chimney for 8m or so (some pro in crack in left wall), then traverse out right on the easy ledge to big exposure. Up the short wall to the next ledge, then crawl back left to the belay cave (yuck!). Ridiculous rope drag is inevitable on this pitch. Apparently some people head straight up the chimney, but it looks bloody desperate! Very poor belay off a single small thread in choss at the back of the cave. The second should exercise extreme care on this pitch, since a fall could blow the belay.

Pitch 9 30m 6
Step left onto the easy wall, place a #4.5 or #5 camalot just above the roof then easily up a dirty groove to the final ledge. Walk 20m right to the end of the ledge and the base of the final pitch. Belay off a good wire at eye level and a good small cam down near the ground.

Pitch 10 30m 9
Step up and right onto a small ledge below a left leading groove. Delicate stemming up the groove leads to a banksia tree and a final small ledge. Good gear in lovely crack on right then step up and over final 8 foot wall to the top. Two small shrubs for the belay.

To walk off, walk right for 15m until you stumble across the Mt Hay canyon exit track. 15 minute easy walk back to the carpark.

The climb starts about 750m right (facing out) from the base of the Mt Hay canyon exit climb (head right soon after doing a short abseil off a big ring bolt). The start is on a small belay ledge about 5m up, about 20m past a small creek fed from a wide, dripping waterfall high up on the cliff.

One last thing to note: I didn't choose the name!!

Pitch 1 15m 16
A nice technical start to the climb. Orange corner left of belay. Hard moves up the corner, then easier up the flake/crack and a gully to a tree belay to the left.

Walk and scramble up and left 35m, then up a short corner to the base of the second short corner.

Pitch 2 10m 10
Easy wall right of crack to long, narrow ledge below nice black slab

Pitch 3 18m 15
A nice slab (with plenty of variants), with a really atmospheric belay ledge. Easily up unprotected black slab to small ledge (piton). Crank up short, steep wall on thin chickenheads to belay ledge (BB and cams).

Pitches 2 and 3 could be linked quite easily into a single pitch.

Pitch 4 55m 15
A great pitch up a fantastic wall, with big exposure, and generally good rock. This pitch can now be split into two pitches, since a BB has been added since the FA. I've been told that the belay stance is fairly obvious, and takes good cams as well as the BB, but I haven't repeated the route since the bolt was added, so I can't give any more details. Traverse right from the belay (be careful of the thin plates below) then strenuously up through the bulge on jugs. Continue up the long, generally juggy slab, tending right to the shallow groove. Continue up the groove to the halfway ledge (tree belay). Take plenty of slings for chickenheads and be careful of rope drag.

Walk 30m up halfway ledge to a pleasant belay under a small roof.

Pitch 5 15m 10
Step right onto block then up to ledge. Up pleasant slab to ledge (tree belay).

Walk up and left 25m to small ledge below hollow corner.

Pitch 6 5m 13
Up hollow corner into cave (small cam with runner out onto face), then back onto the overhanging face and up to ledge.

Walk up and left 20m to chossy cave. From here on, the climb follows the easiest line to the top of the cliff, thereby avoiding a lot of the great rock on offer to the right. It is expected that a better, direct finish will be done beginning here, and heading out to the right on the nice looking slabs.

Pitch 7 25m 8
Step left and up around arete to ledge, Straight up buttress (or walk up at left hand end). Scramble up to ledge below chossy roof.

Pitch 8 25m 10
Walk left along ledge below chossy roof, then easily up blocks to base of pleasant black slab. Left and up the black slab to belay ledge below steep orange wall.

Pitch 9 15m 12
Up choss to layback crack on right. Pleasant layback to top (tree belay 15m back).

To walk out, head up and right, passing an unusual "inverted V" cave. Keep heading right until the open heath is reached, at which point continue straight up the ridge top, up a short, steep white slab and over the top to the walking track. Walking time to the carpark: 20 minutes.

FA: H. Brotchie, P. Monks (alt. leads), 27th September 1998