Mt Pilot - Bakery Wall

The Word: Worthwhile if you're passing by.
The Crag Classic(s): Beechworth Bakery (*** 21)
The Hidden Gem: The real Beechworth Bakery. Not exactly hidden, but still awesome!
Best Season(s): Autumn, Winter, Spring. Any day above low 20s will be too hot in the sun.
Sun/shade: Bakery Wall gets sun all day and really roasts.
Wet weather options: Nuh.
Style & Length of Climbs: 15-20m, almost vertical
Rock type: Reasonably good granite, though many routes have dodgy loose crystals just waiting to crumble off.
Guidebook(s): Eastern Victoria (Page 70??)
Available Grades; Best Grades: 10-25; 15-25

The Details: A surprisingly steep little wall for granite.

Access: 3.5 hrs from Melbourne, halfway between Beechworth and Chiltern (and 15mins from either). Wander up the hill from the day use area to the Fire Tower, then turn L and head along the top. Since the major 2002/2003 fires, the use of a "black stump" as a reference marker for the trail head is entirely useless. In any event with all the regrowth going on no new track has been established so just head along the top for about 700m from the fire tower to the clifftop, where an obvious descent trail appears at the far (W) end.

Descent(s): Walk down.

Described R to L.

* Solo Man 15m 16 (OS)
Barely worth a star to be honest, but ok for a little bit of jamming practice. It's the obvious first deep crack you come to L of the walk down, with the crux holds over the top bulge requiring a solid clean before you can do the move!

Solo Man - Greg approaching the crux.
Don't solo, man!!

*** Beechworth Bakery 15m 21 (OS)
Super-elegant climbing up a lovely finger crack system. Heaps of really funky moves with surprisingly good stances considering how steep it is for a granite route (i.e. vertical). Several cams of #1Fr and smaller will ease your mind.

Beechworth Bakery - a view of this excellent crack with my gear still on it
What a stunner!

Breakfast at the Ponderosa 15m 15 (OS)
Not great. The nice looking crack line L of BB is horribly carnivorous down low with several compulsory jams off disgustingly sharp crystally jams. The moves are much nicer up high but unfortunately on slightly chossy rock with all the crystals just waiting to crumble off.

More Internet Sites on Mt Pilot Climbing

Victorian Climbing Club A free downloadable pdf guide to the whole place! Navigate to guidebooks.

Bureau of Meteorology Navigate to "NorthEast" - Wodonga and Wangaratta's weather is the closest.

Australian Maps Enter "Beechworth" into the suburb field (and Victoria as the state) - Mt Pilot is about 15kms NW along the Beechworth-Chiltern Rd.

Chockstone A few photos.

Parks Victoria Park information, downloadable maps, etc.

TheCrag.com As always. Record your Mt Pilot ticks here, and see what everyone else is climbing.