Castle Crag Area

The Word: From crowded to secluded in 50m.
The Crag Classic: Chinese Algebra (*** 21)
The Hidden Gem: Hidden Secrets was better than expected
Sun/shade: Castle Crag offers sun until ~4pm, and shade all day, depending which side you're on. New Image Wall and Voodoo Gully are sunny until ~4pm, while Rats Alley gets shade earlier and Tarantula is shady almost all day.
Wet weather options: Yeah not a bad place to try - Castle Crag has several mid-20 or harder steep routes, plus a good cave to sit in and wait out the rain. Tarantula would never get direct rain. Voodoo Wall is steep enough that the routes withstand a shower (or hail!!) - but you and your gear get wet.
Style & Length of Climbs: 15-50m, mainly single pitch.
Available Grades; Best Grades:11-30; 19-26

The Details:

Access: A brisk 5-8min walk from the Pines, although the inevitable ogling of routes along the way tends to make it a bit longer.

Descent(s): Almost exclusively by abseil - usually one rope is enough.

Described L to R.

The Grotto

* Toad in the Hole 12m 20
Directly behind Castle Crag is a recessed slab with chains. Tricky to ledge, and to first bolt. After clipping do the famous Toe-In-The-Hole move (blank slab, hole at full stretch, smear to get R hand on poor crimp out R, undercling pocket to get Left toe into pocket, pull weight in using undercling so crimp is usable, then to slightly better crimps at full stretch) - hard for 20!!

Castle Crag

Another little freestanding nubbin of rock, nestled down in front of Tiger Wall. Has some very popular climbs, as well as some very hard ones. Rap down Trapeze off chains.

* Trapeze 20m 11 (RP)
A lovely late afternoon jaunt when the main cliff shades this area. Clip BR, then crux traverse L, take care with gear after this - the Zoro effect tends to rip non-opposed nuts out. Rap chains.

A slothful climber crawls across the pumpy traverse of The Low Down. Trapeze takes a dogleg up the face on the right, while the Bard Buttress is visible at far right.

Castle Crag - viewed from the Grotto. Trapeze at far left, Swinging takes the L side of the square L arete, while Undertaker (25) is the steep crack on this face.
lets hope it doesn't fall over...

Same guy still going on The Low Down. I've never seen anyone hang around so long on a steep route!

New Image Wall

While only a 2min walk up behind Castle Crag, these areas amazingly get only a fraction of the luvin' that Castle Crag sees. Excellent walls with relatively few people - what more could you ask for? Rap off DRB & chains above Hidden Secrets.

** New Image 18m 20 (YP)
Technically only 20 but the old guide gave it 21 - probably because of the pump factor to fiddle in gear through the cruxy start. Excellent climbing, although initials have unfortunately been scratched into the rock to indicate the start. Above about 5m the moves start to flow and the gear is great all the way.

New Image - Thomas the German gets another holiday tick
The tank engine is everywhere!

* Loading Zone 25m 22 (flash)
Solid 22 and a bit bold above the roof. Two #1Frs adequately protect the grunty low bulge, then insecurely up easier wall to roof. Tricky traverse L to end of roof (good wire), then crux crank through bulge into sidepulls, then step R on lip of roof to a good little wire (finally!). The headwall is sustained at 19ish, bloody pumpy and a bit mossy!

Loading Zone - me pulling through the crux. New Image takes the wall at far left, the Rats Alley slab is in profile behind, while the top of Tarantula's corner is visible at far right.
Solid 22! Loading Zone - me pumped silly and getting stressed out about the small gear on the headwall
sweet rock

** Hidden Secrets 18m 22 (YP)
Quite easy to give 2 stars to this one, despite the guide only giving it one. Start 12m R of NI at base of large corner (3m R of Loading Zone). A grunty layback start assisted by the obvious chalked crimpy nose out R gains a jug, leave corner to mantle onto ledge. Great sloper moves lead over bulge and more easily to next bulge. Step L under it then steeply up the beautiful small crack before moving slightly L to breach the top bulge.
** Crooked Mile 25m 18 (OS)
Start about 10-12m R of Hidden Secrets. Bouldery start is probably 20 but avoidable up the boring chimney on the R, and we don't let bouldery starts affect the grade do we now?!? Traverse L along obvious break (backclean to reduce drag), then the fun begins, a fantastic juggy steep wall with oodles of pro.
* Blackguard 25m 22 (flash)
Same bouldery start as Blackguard, then head straight up from the R end of the major break. Must admit to pre-inspecting the pro on this as it looks crap from the ground, but it's quite well protected and with a big rest every few metres it's not a hard 22. But a real fun section of climbing for about 8m above the major break. Reachy thin bit at the end of the vertical section (about 10m up) is the crux.
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Joe romps up the delightful Crooked Mile
Hey Joe.... where you goin' with that gun in your hand

Rat's Alley

The same wall as New Image Wall, but these routes are quite a bit longer as the slab is uninterrupted until a ledge at 30m. Gets morning sun, but is then largely shaded by Voodoo Buttress for most of the day.

* Rat's Alley 25m 19 (OS)
Both gear-wise and climbing-wise, it's ok but not great. Climb diagonally up L to the bolt (with an ok sideways wire on the way), then cruxy up the two seams above (gear available on the L needs extending), before moving up R to small ledge at base of flakes. Put several wires in up the flake, to protect a runout slab finish above - only 16ish but it gets you going!

Mark doing a strip tease up Rats Alley. Note Castle Crag further down the hill, and Joe on belay at the top of New Image Wall
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* Crystal Vision 12m 26 (TR)
Easily toproped after doing Tarantula, so we did. Has hard bits down low and then again moving left up high, but there's no killer move, just reachy crimping the whole way.
* Tarantula 12m 19 (OS)
Burly steep corner climbing - any longer and it'd be 21! Fortunately the pro is great and the holds are mostly huge. Too bad about the annoying gully scramble up the base. The TRB anchor makes for a quick descent, and you may as well have a play on Crystal Vision while you're here.

Tarantula - Thomas the German continues his ticking spree. Note the roof of Voodoo's 3rd pitch at top right.
The tank engine is a machine!!!

Voodoo Gully

A wall of immaculate rock, the following 3 routes are all stunning.

*** Chinese Algebra 25m 21 (RP)
A complete classic. One of the best pitches I've done at Araps. Bloody solid for 21 though (apparently used to get 22 until the Shepherd guide). Double ropes will allow you more gear out R to protect a crux fall. Take the thin cracks up the face about 2m R of the arete, until below the bulge (high gear recommended here). Step L to a tiring stance, from which you must place solid pro to protect the crux. Be warned that the "obvious" wire slot here actually has an outwards flare and often pulls out on people - a small cam (#2 Metolius) seemed much better to me (and I flight tested it too!). Tough fingery laybacks off the thin crack with crap feet lead through the first bulge, where better gear appears if you have the strength to hang on mid-crux to place it. Otherwise, do another move to where a stance appears when you least expect it below the next bulge where a #1.5Fr goes in like a dream. A hands free rest ledge awaits just above, then swing back R around the arete to the awesome fun headwall, which goes about 19 (and is quite exciting when a hailstorm starts hammering down!). Rap off DRB.

Chinese Algebra - some pissed off dude high on it. Note the black slab of Rats Alley on the L, and the orange roof of Voodoo's 3rd pitch at top right.
He was definitely on the angry pills! Chinese Algebra - Mark well above the crux.
sweet rock

** Voodoo32m 18 (OS)
Another excellent route. Starts about 5m R of CA, and follows the diagonal crack through steep gymnastic territory. Very pumpy for the grade until a ledge appears at 18m. Continue direct up the R crack above (16ish), to a DRB rap station. Apparently the top pitch with its big roof is well worth it.
** Wasp 20m 20 (OS)
Excellent, though a hard to find sidepull at the final hard section evaded me and made things much more exciting! The initial mantle is poorly/not protected, then a #4Fr backs up a good wire. R hand in the fingerslot, then a hard stretchy move to a high hold on the L face. Slightly easier corner work, then a contorted move gains the flake up R. A crux pull over the small bulge to gain a fingerlock high L, then jugs up R. Step L into the small slot where a hidden sidepull makes the difference between the end being nice or bloody pumpy and nice! The DRB are just over the bulge, hidden a little to the R just around a short arete.
Sound Chaser 15m 18 (YP)
Nice but not quite a star. Short thin flake 5m L of the very upper end of Voodoo Gully (15m R of Wurlitzer), then balance L across slab, up to juggy traverse line and swing L to bush. The rest is humdrum.
* Spider 15m 13 (YP)
The black nose at the top end of Voodoo Gully (5m R of SC). Start on the R for a few delicate slab moves, then L through the tree branch and up the front of the nose, and through the top bulge (stepping as far L as needed).

Peter jams through the short grunty cracks on Wurlitzer. Chinese Algebra is the white/yellow arete 25m down L, while Wasp takes the (surprisingly tricky) low corner 6-8m L of Peter.
mmm fist jams...

Looking Glass Wall

Seeps quite a lot after rain. However it's visible from below the Pharos so at least you can check it out before walking all the way up the hill. The best access is up past Castle Crag, up Voodoo Gully to the top and Looking Glass Wall will appear another 50m along on your left. It is also possible to walk up past the South Face of the Pharos then walk left along under Ministry Wall for 300m and it appears on your right, however this way is more of an uphill slog and slightly more overgrown for the last few hundred metres.

* Menage a Trois 27m 16 (OS)
Delicate step R into line then great moves all the way up the surprisingly insecure slabby crack. Step R to rap anchor (25m, take a sling).

Looking Glass Wall - Damien dances up Menage a Trois

� 1998-2005 Will