Mount Somers
By Murray Judge 1997
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Photo © Mark Sedon / Off Piste Photography
Character
Tumbling down the north side of Mount Somers are huge columns of rhyolite which form one of the best climbing areas in Canterbury. The routes are long and sustained outings up grooves and aretes up to three pitches high. Over the past two years these, together with andesite pinnacles lower in the valley, have been developed mostly by a small group of Oamaru climbers. There are now over 60 routes, grades 9-25, with potential for many more.
Access
The track to Pinnacles Hut starts from the Sharplin Falls car park, turn off the Geraldine to Darfield road 5Km north of Mount Somers Village (10Km south of the Mount Hutt Skifield entrance) at the Stavely sign, follow the road across the bridge and turn right to the Falls.
The track climbs steeply for the first half an hour over Dukes Knob before dropping back down to the stream bed above the falls. Follow the stream for 40 minutes then take the sidling path to Pinnacles Hut, about 2 hours or 3 for a slow party. Pinnacles Hut has 19 bunks but is often full over summer weekends and is popular with school parties. The climbs start 10 minutes above the hut, 25 minutes to the Orange Wall.
The Orange Wall
| What's Up Doc? | 19 | Murray Judge '94 |  |
Climb the slab and curving crack to the bushy ledge and up the upper wall.
| Have you been Stung? | 19 | Murray Judge '94 | |
Climb the shallow arete and layback the left side of the block, then directly up to the top.
| Steady Eddie | 23 | Murray Judge '94 | |
Has been climbed by traversing left at the fourth bolt and back right at the seventh, a direct ascent would be much harder.
| A La Weta | 25 | Murray Judge '94 | |
A sustained line keeping to the arete, climbed with two rests.
| Uno | 21 | Andrew Macfarlane '94 | |
A sustained route cleaned and climbed by Andrew on his first visit.
| Skate | 22 | Murray Judge '94 | |
Thin bridging up to the superb finger crack.
| Snapper | 25 | Murray Judge '94 | |
The double cracks. One attempt with two rests. Red-pointed by Wayo Carson March 1997.
| Groper | 23 | Jay Kinsman '94 | |
The left facing corner, jamming and some fine bridging towards the top, Jay finished the route and Andrew Mcfarlane followed in the rain.
| Orange Roughy | 16 | Murray Judge '94 | |
Start at the foot of the Orange Wall going up and right to the hand traverse onto the arete.
| Red Herring | 16 | Murray Judge '94 | |
The groove right of Orange Roughy.
| Dogfish | 15 | Wayo Carson '94 | |
Past two bolts and up a thin crack.
| Sardine | 15 | Murray Judge '94 | |
The Fortress
| Scimitar | 14,21,16 | Murray Judge '94 | |
| Banana Split | 20 | Murray Judge, Wayo Carson '95 | |
Traverse left at the second bolt, 45 metres, take a good sized rack of gear up to #2 friend. Rap to the start or down to the Beach.
| Mississippi Mud Cake | 17,16 | Murray Judge '95 | |
Climb the slab then the shallow crack to the belay ledge. Move right and climb a short second pitch to the next belay.
| Black Velvet Sin | 18 | Andrew Macfarlane '95 | |
More than a pitch in length, so needs a belay at half height.
| Hotline to Jim | 17 | Andrew Macfarlane '94 | |
A long and pleasant arete, either scramble up from the bottom or abseil from the top to start. (some say its 19)
| 0800 Butch | 23 | Tony Pine, Murray Judge '98 | |
The long groove to the right of HTJ
| Psychological Trauma | 24 | Chris Burtenshaw, Sean Waters, Grant Piper '95 | |
The most obvious corner three metres right of Hotline, good moves, the upper wall above the break and arete are loose.
| Crackline right of the broken arete | 8,13,19 | Stuart McConney, Brian Davia '95 | |
The second pitch is a 35 metre crack with a short third pitch on the upper buttress (7m).
The Waterfall Wall
| Wailing Wall | 22 | Murray Judge, Andrew Macfarlane '94 | |
Best approached by abseil, climb the right facing corner to the roof with a wide bridge to pass this.
| Tsunami | 16,15,24 | Wayo Carson, Dave Brash, Murray Judge '95 | |
Three pitches starting off the "beach" at the foot of the waterfall, climb the slab to a belay on the bushy ledge, go left and up a short slab and back right onto a short buttress. The third pitch takes the steep wall to the top, eight bolts. (Three raps back down).
| Hang Ten | 25 | Wayo Carson '97 | |
Abseil to the Tsunami belay and clinb directly up to the triple roof, some wild moves through the overhangs.
| Pipeline | 23 | Murray Judge '97 | |
Abseil to the belay, layback up the crack as high as possible, clip the bolt and reach for the holds. Step to the left to start the top section.
Wayo Carson and Dave Brash below Waterfall Wall
The Far Side
| The Far Side Buttress | 19 | Jay Kinsman '94 | |
The crack up the centre of the buttress.
| New Age Deceit | 21 | Andrew Macfarlane '94 | |
Some 'Scottish' style bridging to reach the upper groove, use 3 bolts on right.
| Dubious Means | 24 | Andrew Macfarlane, Murray Judge '94 | |
A fine bridge with some tricky finger work makes the crux.
| The Contortionist | 22 | Murray Judge '95 | |
The start was easier before the block fell out, bridge and chimney in the groove then move left at the roof and left again on the upper wall.
| Pain and Pleasure | 24+ | Murray Judge Aug '94. | |
(Formerly called Weta). The finger crack has fallen off but the rest of the route is still as hard, lead with three rests.
| Gecko | 21 | Murray Judge '94 | |
Up a bridging groove to the roof, step right to the crack and hand traverse back left above the roof then up a shallow corner.
| The Far Side of Never | 21 | Andrew Macfarlane '95 | |
Pull through a small roof into the groove, using the three bolts on the right.
| The Longest Hardest Climb | 21 | Murray Judge '94 | |
Abseil in, climb up right of the roof and up the shallow crack to the ledge before traversing left to the groove.
| Once a Jolly Swagman | 16,16,20 | Murray judge, Andrew Macfarlane '95 | |
A popular three pitch route close to the waterfall, start at the pool and scramble up left to a single bolt belay, climb the easy groove to the break and hand traverse left to the upper groove (original line) or continue up the groove and traverse at the top.
Pitch two crosses the bushy ledge to a layback start, tending right up the cleanest rock to a step left at a bolt.
Pitch three follows a superb groove to the ledge and left up broken blocks.
It can be descended in two rappels but probably safer to make three and avoid the swing under the waterfall.
| Where's My Jolly Jumbuck? | 19 | Murray Judge '95 | |
Starts from the last belay of Swagman, traverse right and up the next groove to rejoin the route at the ledge, Andrew Mcfarlane followed directly up the crack at (21).
| Koala in a Coolibah Tree. | 21? | Sam Bossard '95 | |
A finger crack from the start of the hand traverse on pitch one of Swagman.
East Pinnacle
| Crunchie Nuggets | 16 | Wayo Carson '94 | |
Move right up the lower wall then follow the arete.
| Hokey Pokey | 19 | Murray Judge '94 | |
Start up the ramp then straight up a short wall on small holds.
| Pixie Caramel | ?? | Murray Judge '94 | |
Up the ramp and around right to a shallow groove.
| Hound Dog | 20 | Murray Judge '94 | |
Climb the front of the doggie flake, with lots of quickdraws!
| Perky Nana | 16 | Toby Judge '94 | |
Bridge the lower wall and step up onto the arete, climb a slab to the top.
Central Pinnacle
| Rocky Horror Show | 21,17 | Andrew Mcfarlane, Murray Judge '96 | |
Climb into the bottom of the first scoop, traverse L below a roof and up the overhanging pillar on the left of the scoops.
| Rocky Road | 17,20,18 | Murray Judge '94 | |
Exciting climbing on the steep second pitch, even when the holds stay on!
| Send the Bill | 21 | Murray Judge '96 | |
Right of RR to the shoulder, second pitch of RR to finish.
West Pinnacle
| Soap on a Rope | 17 | Pete Illingworth '94 | |
Starts behind the small pillar near the stream.
| Same, Same but Different | 17 | Sash Nukada '95 | |
Finish at the belay on the shoulder.
| Fresh Start, Dude | 22 | Jason Crichton '95 | |
Just left of the water streak.
| Zephyr | 15 | Wayo Carson '95 | |
A bit of a breeze
| Cloak and Dagger | 14 | Murray Judge '94 | |
On the back of the Pinnacle, four bolts to the abseil point.
| Nameless Girl | 16 | Sash Nukada '95 | |
A short arete on the boulder.
Hut Pinnacle
| Strong | 16 | Murray Judge '94 | |
| Silent | 17 | Murray Judge '94 | |
| Type | 17 | Murray Judge '94 | |
| Eh | 22 | Murray Judge '94 | |
| Frisky | 19 | Murray Judge '98 | |
| Foxy | 22 | Tom Riley '98 | |
| Zesty | 23 | Murray Judge '95 | |
a fine climb on small holds.
| Feisty | 25 | Wayo Carson '95 | |
another fine climb on small holds.
| Bart's Climb | 12 | Geoff McLennon '95 | |
On the slanting pinnacle up to the right.
| High Step | 20 | Tim Green '95. | |
Christian Principals Crag
The prominent crag on the ridge above the East Pinnacle
| Bring back the cane | Murray Judge '98 | |
crack to the left of the groove
| Sunday School Felching | 16 | Chris Burtenshaw '95 | |
climb tge cracks in the groove to the left of the broad arete.
| Buns of steel | 19 | Murray Judge '98 | |
two bolts on the broad arete.
| Screams in the Night | 17 | Sean Waters '95 | |
takes a small sharp arete then moves onto a wall on the right with an obvious crack system, loose at the top.
| Sleeping with the Nasty Boys | 16 | Sean Waters '95 | |
Takes the left hand of the two prominent ribs in the centre of the crag.
| Corporal punishment | 16 | Tom Riley '98 | |
the right arete, tending R at the top
| The Staircase | 17 | Chris Burtenshaw '95 | |
Starts up the groove capped by a small roof and takes the roof at a small bush on the right.
| Six of the Best | 17 | Murray Judge '98 | |
The Meat Grinder Wall
100 metres up the hill is a short crag with two prominent ribs in the middle.
| A Springtime Festival in Autumn | 17 | Sean Waters '95 | |
Takes a very blunt arete split by a crack, to a wall above with an obvious crack system.
| Spare Rib | 14 | Chris Burtenshaw '95 | |
Two metres right of above, takes the left hand of the central aretes.
| Misty Mountain Hop | 17 | Sean Waters '95 | |
Four metres to the right, takes a broad arete with a groove.
| Porno Star | 16 | Chris Burtenshaw '95 | |
Round the corner to the right, the right hand of the two grooves.
Fog Buttress
On the ridge above the West Pinnacle (across from the Far Side Crag).
| Terrible Tales of Teenage Angst | 20 | Sean Waters '95 | |
Yummy finger crack and the arete on the right, loose at top.
| Parthenope | 16 | Chris Burtenshaw '95 | |
Scrumptious hand crack.
| Bucket of Fino | 16 | Grant Piper '95 | |
Two metres right, starts in a prominent groove then right to bush at the top.
| Foggy Notion | 15 | Sean Waters '95 | |
Two corners to the right is a groove on the upper wall. Starts right of a roof and goes up left of another small roof.
| Watch the Itchy Gobo Blow | 13 | Chris Burtenshaw '95 | |
Takes a small arete on the lower half of the wall to a ledge.
| Scuttle | 13 | Sean Waters '95 | |
Takes the arete to the right.
Maiden's Relief Stream
The pools over the first saddle on the track above pinnacles hut (15 Mins). Climb up the track beside the waterfall and traverse in to a short wall, climb down to the stream at the top of the falls.
| un-named | 14 | Murray and Bronwyn Judge '96 | |
Four bolts up the slab
| un-named | 12 | Murray and Bronwyn Judge '96 | |
Just round to the right 4 bolts.
Honey Comb Rock
Over the saddle from Pinnacles Hut, follow the track down past where it crosses the stream and look up and left, Honeycomb Rock has some delightful solid juggy moves.
| Bit of a Buzz | 17 | Tony Pine '97 | |
3 bolts to belay on left.
| un-named | Murray Judge May '97 | |
Start in an alcove, swing R and up to the top overlap. 3 bolts.
Woolshed Creek
the cliffs above Honeycomb Rock
| un-named | 19 | Murray Judge, Tony Pine, Sam Brooks '97 | |
The thin arete towards the right end of the upper tier of cliffs, 5 bolts to belay.