Home Forums First Ascents New climbs on Muton Bird Hill- Albany

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #112257 Reply
    Patrick. M
    Guest

    6 New short climbs on Mutton Bird hill. This is a recently developed Mini crag Near Albany. A mini guide is being developed as there is also some great bouldering around this area.

    Directions:
    From Albany follow the lower Denmark road until you reach Elleker Grasmere road. Turn left and follow this for about 8km and turn onto Mutton bird road. (All sealed roads). Follow this for another 6km until you come to the SSAA shooting range. Just before their access gate, there is a sandy 4WD drive track heading up the hill– take this (do not go through the gate on the left or right!) Park here if you do not have 4WD. Head uphill for approximately 800m until you see the crag on your Left hand side. Park on the small parking area directly West of the large boulder with the big splitter crack through the middle. A smaller, round boulder will be directly below that. Blaze a trail through the low scrub directly up the hill towards the round boulder. Make your way around the crag from here. These routes can be found on the steep west facing slab on top of the hill and are named Left to Right(north to south). The climbs are only short but the moves are pretty intense. A great spot to practice your balancy slab moves! All you will need are hangers, quickdraws, a few long slings for anchors and a 30 metre rope. There have only been a couple of ascents on each so grades are subjective. Enjoy!

    Holy Brail (17)6m– Straight up the rounded corner using the small pockets. 2 BR(need hangers). P. Maher 2013. DBB on the top (Need hangers)

    Skinkter (19)6m -Start 2m right of HB. Straight up using very small edges and shallow pockets. 2 BR(need hangers) P. Maher & J. Nevin Oct 2013. DBB as for HB

    Marchfly (11)7m – The obvious crack line/ water runnel in the middle of the face. P. Maher (solo) Oct 2013

    Dish It Out(16)8m – Start 2m right of the water runnel. Blank start straight up to orange coloured horizontal breaks. 2 BR(need hangers).DBB at the top. D. Reed Oct 2013

    One Small Step For Man (17)9m- Start 5m right of water runnel on small ground level flake. Balancing moves straight up the face using small cripms and orange coloured horizontal breaks. 3 BR(need hangers) and DBB as for DIO. D. Reed Oct 2013

    *Blazing guns(21)12m– Great little line! Corner on the far right hand side of the face 1 metre left of the corner. Pull up on the vertical crack line and crimps. Head directly up using horizontal breaks and shallow pockets. Very sustained and balancy 5 BR(need hangers). DBB on the top as for DIO. D. Reed & P. Maher Nov 2013

    #112289 Reply
    John boy
    Guest

    Wicked.good stuff Patrick .a great addition to the area.

    #153835 Reply
    Phillip
    Guest

    Hi All. While hiking around the Mutton Bird Hill area late last year I saw the boulders and had a look at the boulders and the routes looked great!

    So over Easter 2015, I went there with three others, dodged the flying lead and we did the six routes – they were all a lot of fun in a really nice spot! Very scenic!

    We also did the splitter crack – I’m surprised it’s not written up as it seems to be the most obvious route there.

    If it hasn’t been done, well, we did it, so route #7…

    Sweet 16 (20) 10 m. The obvious parallel crack in the bolder on the hill above the shooting range. Hand and foot-jam your way up to the top. Several BD #2.5, 3 and 3.5, or equivalent, required. Those with smaller hands and feet may find this route easier than those with big hand and feet! P. Calais, T. Martins, A. Separovic, C. Delides.

    Why ‘Sweet 16’? Because the day before at Peak Head we did what I thought was a 16 or 17 or something and it turned out to be a 21. The easier climb was about 5 m to the left. Before we got to MBH, I told the others that the crack is probably a 16 or 17, but then after grunting and swearing my way up it, admitted it was a bit harder and was given a hard time by the others for misleading them.

    Sweet16

    #153836 Reply
    Phillip
    Guest

    Photo didn’t upload properly – try again…

    Sweet16

    #153877 Reply
    Patrick. maher
    Guest

    Hi Phillip

    Glad you enjoyed the routes. nice quiet area and great atmoshphere.

    As for the splitter crack, i am afraid you are decades too late. Apparently it was soloed years ago by Someone. Jim neven will be able to shed light on this one. but it has been done plenty if times since then as well, myself included about a dozen times. Original grade was a 14, name unknown but 16 would be a better grade for it. Pretty good fun all the same.
    If you want a good crack challenge, try The Clarence crack, behing the high school ( first ascent posting from last year). Bring your big cams and tape.

    #153987 Reply
    Phillip
    Guest

    Hi Patrick,

    I had a look through various old guidebooks and on the CAWA forum, but couldn’t find anything about it.

    Yes, it was good fun, but I thought it was a lot harder than a 16 – I thought it was as hard or harder than ‘Blazing Guns’.

    But maybe I’m just not a crack-type of guy!??

    #153994 Reply
    jim nevin
    Guest

    hi mark . the crack was soloed on sight in october 1986 by pete lowe. he said it was a 14 which is a bit off the mark. 17 is what i’d say. he didnt name it but it was written down somewhere. “sweet sixteen” seems a pretty good name though. I will see what the locals think about it . jim

    #154063 Reply
    Phillip
    Guest

    Hi folks,

    yes, it’s such an obvious climb I’d be surprised if it wasn’t done before.

    Grade 17 sounds about right for someone who hasn’t got big feet and hands and likes cracks!

    I’ll be in Albany probably late next week for a funeral, so if I can I’ll have a look at Clarence Crack and also have a bit of a boulder at Burt St.

    #154465 Reply
    Bryn
    Guest

    Hi all,

    A couple of us spent the afternoon working the lines bolted lines. A big thankyou to those that put in the effort – your work left us smiling today.

    I was disappointed to see that someone has recently driven up to nearly the top of the hill. Putting such a conspicuous track up to the base of the routes is surely going to draw attention from the likes of DEC (and I think detracts from the aesthetic of the place). Its not a tough walk up the hill, and with the car tracks now in place the way up is clear. Can I suggest that in future climbers walk up from the main track, rather than hastening erosion by driving up to the base of the climb? Id be interested to hear the thoughts of those that put the lines up?

    Cheers,
    Bryn

    #154468 Reply
    Phillip
    Guest

    Hi Bryn,

    yes, that track has been there since at least about mid-last year when I first walked up the hill.

    Not having a four-wheel drive, I park near the rifle range and walk up the track.

    Phillip

    #154473 Reply
    Bryn
    Guest

    Hi Phillip,

    I wasnt intending on having a go at anyone in particular, one car going up there isn’t a big deal anyway. Its opened up a nice clear track which will help concentrate foot traffic (similar to the track into Gib Rock), rather than having everyone bashing their own route up. I just wanted to suggest that in the future, people continue to park either where you did, or just off the main track below the rocks. It would be a pitty if the track up to the hill turned into washed out mess like some one the other tracks in that area.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
Reply To: Reply #154465 in New climbs on Muton Bird Hill- Albany
Your information:




Scroll to Top