Climbing report - Macintyre Falls

Spent the long weekend in Kwiamble National Park near Ashford in NSW aka Macintyre Falls. A great spot for camping and swimming, as well as playing on granite. After a clean, scrub and chalk, I toproped this 8m high arete at about grade 27. No footholds! It felt like my absolute limit in the hot conditions. Someone will highball boulder it one day once a spiky dead stump at the base is removed.

I also repeated one of the Wilde boys' new lines in the Main Falls area - quite tricky slab and arete climbing on smooth rock. Johnny Wilde reckons about grade 16 - I reckon about 20/21! And I was defeated on one of the smoothest low angle slabs ever on the same section of wall. Put up by old school master Mr Wilde, I would have needed cooler conditions to stop my boot rubber sliding off the non-existent holds. They reckon it's about 24. I don't know how you grade a route like that.

I also put up a new line in the gorge above the falls. There are now at least seven bolted routes I know of in the area. For this one, you belay on a tilted boulder perched amid the raging torrent. Wild!

Pray For Rain 10m 18 (sport)
50m above the main waterfall, in the gorge itself. Rap in off top FH or scramble down. There is a FH for belay at the base. Four FH’s on polished moon rock.
Lee Cujes, Erik Smits 26/01/08

All in all a good weekend.

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