<guide version="3">
<header access="Van Diemens Buttress is approached from Organ Pipes Track further along to the left of the junction with the Sawmill Track.<br/><br/>The approach to Fools Couloir from the top is quick and easy. From the summit carpark, follow the northern fence-line of the communications tower down and by maintaining the same line reach the top of the couloir. <br/><br/>To approach Broken Buttress vfrom the bottom do so via the Bulging Buttress/University Buttress track, which is signposted off the Organ Pipes track. The track climbs uphill to meet the base of Bulging Buttress, traverses left below Jelly Wall, Aperitif sub-buttress and up to enter Avalanche Couloir. Go down left around the arete along past Triclinicity sub-buttress following a foot pad south along the base of the buttress until you come to routes in The Good, The Excellent and The Ugly Area." acknowledgement="" history="" intro="The far lefthand end of the Organ Pipes is a confusion of indistinct ridges, short spurs and buttresses and steep vegetated slopes. The most reasonably continuous line is found on Van Diemen Buttress, to the left of a number of short but steep walls and chimneys.<br/><br/>Further right is Broken Buttress a relatively low buttress bordering both sides of a short steep gully known as Fools Couloir. Fools Couloir culminates in a gendarmed ridge and is sometimes mistaken from the top as the descent route down Avalanche Couloir. If a descent of Fools Couloir is made, an abseil is required to reach the bottom.<br/>" name="Broken Buttress" rock="Broken dolerite buttresses" sun="Not much sun" walk="20 min" id="1" camping="" autonumber="true"/>
<text class="heading2" id="13">Van Diemen Buttress</text>
<text class="text" id="14">Van Diemen Buttress is a narrow, sloping buttress well to the south of the main climbing areas. From the junction of the Sawmill Track and the Organ Pipes Track, continue south for another 100m or so before cutting up through a narrow band of scrub onto a a large block scree slope, heading for a distinctive square shaped face on the ridge above.</text>
<climb extra="" grade="11" length="" name="Van Diemen Buttress" number="1." stars="" id="15" fa="Various stages due to J. Elliott, M. Elphick, P. Hewitt, B. Higgins, P. Johnstone, J. Manning, 1959.">One of the earliest routes on the Pipes, generally following the crest of the stepped buttress. Start at the very toe of the Buttress<br/><br/>1. 13m Climb the short pillar to a large ledge below the square face <br/>2. Continue up until progress is blocked by a short tower which is split by a crack on the R<br/>3. Either climb this direct, or veer to the L before rejoining the crest via a short cleft <br/>4. After another pitch along the crest, a further gendarme blocks the way <br/>5. Climb halfway to the top, then either ascend the gendarme direct, or traverse around to the R to a ledge <br/>6. Continue either straight up the wall above, or via the crack on the R<br/><br/><br/></climb>
<text id="16" class="heading2">Broken Buttress</text>
<text id="17">To get to routes on Broken Buttress, which start near the base of Fools Couloir, continue along from the far LH end of University Buttress.</text>
<image id="39" src="seamstress.jpg" height="913" width="1000" legendTitle="Broken Buttress" legend="true" legendx="12" legendy="14">
<drawing>
<path id="65805" points="195,774, 227,601, 276,389,lower" d="M195,774C207.79999999999998,704.8 212.51126245791502,669.8662216506509 227,601C241.48873754208498,532.1337783493491 256.4,473.8 276,389" linkedTo="6"/>
<path id="719" points="261,801, 281,622, 265,592, 288,455, 288,394," d="M261,801C269,729.4 280.73976057610355,635.5975098985899 281,622C281.26023942389645,608.4024901014101 264.4304402484859,605.5880683575501 265,592C265.5695597515141,578.4119316424499 285.18458782902087,479.23702651538554 288,455C290.81541217097913,430.76297348461446 288,418.4 288,394" linkedTo="5"/>
<rect id="43983" x="341" y="259" width="78" height="22" style="black_text_on_solid_white" text="Fools Couloir"/>
<rect id="50999" x="444" y="93" width="131" height="22" style="black_text_on_solid_white" text="The Good etc. Buttress"/>
<path id="77439" points="537,805, 537,554, 547,368, 550,134,belay" d="M537,805C537,704.6 535.2954702696578,628.4879492159529 537,554C538.7045297303422,479.51205078404706 544.694920971734,442.4717839901358 547,368C549.305079028266,293.5282160098642 548.8000000000001,227.60000000000002 550,134" linkedTo="113"/>
<path id="50634" points="476,809, 485,586, 495,446, 487,343, 497,163,belay" d="M476,809C479.6,719.8 482.0654197669296,642.0659276107662 485,586C487.9345802330704,529.9340723892338 494.6598955933832,487.3226854039352 495,446C495.3401044066168,404.6773145960648 486.7079642892479,384.32305307142303 487,343C487.2920357107521,301.67694692857697 493,235 497,163" linkedTo="114"/>
</drawing>
<legend>
<climb>6</climb>
<climb>5</climb>
<climb>114</climb>
<climb>113</climb>
</legend>
</image>
<climb extra="" grade="16" length="48m" name="Spurline" number="2." stars="" id="7" fa="R. Alsop, M. Douglas, A. Keller, Mar 1968. Direct Finish: R. Mansfield, P. Robinson, Sep 1980.">The southeast spur of Broken Buttress. Seen from the Organ Pipes track, it is the notched skyline spur. Start at the top of the first step on the spur. 1. 30m. Climb to the base of the crack which forms a direct line up the spur. Up this and a short crack on the R to a large platform. 2. 18m. Two options: (a) Original Route: Up a short chimney, exit R and climb the LH of two cracks; (b) Direct Finish: Follow a short jam crack to a large ledge, then climb the RH crack. Either continue up the ridge, or traverse off R.</climb>
<climb extra="Þ ↓" grade="25" length="25m" name=" Seamstress" number="3." stars="**" id="6" fa="S. Edwards, Nov 1995.">Lovely climbing on the high orange wall L of Assault Course. The crux is near the top. Mostly on bolts, but also requires some natural gear (#0 and #2.5 Friends, or equivalent).</climb>
<climb extra="↓" grade="23" length="20m" name="Assault Course" number="4." stars="*" id="5" fa="N. Deka, S. Bunton, Nov 1987.">A strenuous excursion.The direct finish is now taken by Seamstress. From Start Me Up, scramble up the gully 5m L to the base of the imposing orange wall capped by a huge block. Start at a hand crack on the RH side of the smooth wall. Climb the hand crack for 10m, step L to gain a finger crack, and follow this until forced R to a large ledge. Abseil off.</climb>
<climb extra="" grade="19" length="30m" name="Start Me Up" stars="" id="4" fa="N. Deka, S. Bunton, Nov 1987." number="5.">Press the go button. Start 5m L of Crestline, at the lower pillar at the RH end of Broken Buttress. Climb a finger/hand crack to the horizontal weakness halfway up the pillar. Move insecurely R, and follow the arête just L of the Crestline groove to the top. Abseil off or continue as for Crestline.</climb>
<climb extra="" grade="16" length="45m" name="Crestline" number="6." stars="" id="3" fa="U. Aurelli, D. Cox, P. Sands, Nov 1961. FFA: P. Robinson, R. Mansfield, Sep 1980.">Follows the nose a metre L of the base of Fools Couloir, starting at a dirty groove that splits at 12m. Up the groove taking the LH line. The unctuous crux at 15m was originally climbed with a point of aid. Continue up to a platform and either traverse off to the R into Fools Couloir, or continue up several easy pitches among the spires on the skyline ridge.</climb>
<text class="heading3" id="109">The Good, The Excellent and The Ugly Buttress</text>
<text class="text" id="110">This buttress is a bit of effort to get to, but has some excellent climbing. Continue L from Two Angry Young Men up a rough track to another orange and black streaked buttress, which overlooks Fool's Couloir. Descent for the following four routes is by abseil from rap station above The Way (30m).</text>
<climb extra="8Þ ↓" grade="22" length="20m" name="The Truth" number="7." stars="*" id="116" fa="R. Parkyn, Nov 1994.">Un-obvious, bizarre and interesting. This route starts 2m L of The Way and follows the seam and bulge just R of the arete. Finish at DBB on the ledge at the end of pitch one of The Way. Fully bolted.</climb>
<climb extra="10Þ ↓" grade="23" length="30m" name="The Way" number="8." stars="**" id="115" fa="R. Parkyn, Oct 1994.">Pumpy face climbing up a slightly overhanging wall 10m L of The Good, The Excellent and The Ugly. <br/>1. 20m 23. Quite a tricky start. The difficulty (but not necessarily the pump) decreases with height. Can also be done by traversing R after the first U-bolt and climbing a crack-line to the R (clipping the U-bolts by reaching L) then re-joining the route between the 3rd and 4th bolts. It's a pleasant enough variation, and one or two grades easier, but avoids the meatiest part of the route. <br/>2. 10m 20. Ascend the corner and face above to the rap station (the 2nd U-bolt on this pitch is not visible from below).</climb>
<climb extra="3Þ ↓" grade="23" length="35m" name="The Light" number="9." stars="*" id="114" fa="R. Parkyn, Mar 1995.">Start on the face between The Way and TGTETU. Technical climbing past three U-bolts leads to a crack, about grade 18 to finish.</climb>
<climb extra="" grade="22" length="30m" name="The Good, The Excellent and The Ugly" number="10." stars="*" id="113" fa="D. Stephenson, N. Deka, 1988.">Takes the line on the R and front of the buttress. Climb the finger crack to the bulge, surmount this (crux), and continue up the dirty RH crack above to the top. Abseil off.</climb>
<climb extra="" grade="15" length="125m" name="Prodigal" number="11." stars="" id="112" fa="G. Kowalik, P. Robinson, Nov 1981.">A rambling route with sketchy route details that starts at TGTETU, traverses R, crosses TAYM and finishes up L of Sisyphus. Scramble L up the vegetated ramp to the base of the buttress. <br/>1. 35m. A long traverse up and R over grassy ledges leads to a short crack below a big grassy ledge. <br/>2. 10m. Up the crack and move R past TAYM pitch 2, to belay on the ledge below two easy cracks. <br/>3. 25m. Climb the cracks, taking the R one near the top. Scramble up to the small buttress with a thin clean crack. <br/>4. 15m. Crux. Climb the enjoyable crack. <br/>5. 40m. Follow the ridge easily until one can scramble down into Fool's Couloir (abseil at bottom), continue to the top and walk over to and down Avalanche Couloir.</climb>
<climb id="118" name="Blind Faith" length="35m" grade="21" stars="*" number="12." fa="S. Edwards, Feb 1995.">Start 20m R and up from TGTETU, below a nose of rock. Climb the steep wall (crux) to an easier crack. Finish up the hand-crack on the L side of the nose. Abseil off a bollard (take your own sling).</climb>
<text class="heading2" id="8">Upper Fools Couloir</text>
<text class="text" id="9">Although the routes are short, access to the climbs in the upper reaches of Fools Couloir is easy and quick from the summit carpark, the rock is excellent, and there is a potential for more lines in the future, making it an ideal summer evening crag. It's quite a complex area of small columns and pillars. The easiest way to the top of the couloir is to walk down the northern fence-line of the enclosure surrounding the communications tower, then head in the same line for 5 minutes down the hill, passing a couple of cairns. You should end up at the top of the couloir, and be able to see the double FH on top of Short Changed, next to a cairn. From here you can set up a fixed line off the anchors and rap in. Alternatively, about 40m south is a gully at the SW branch of the couloir (GPS: MTW190) which leads down through scrub to the chain on top of No Fools Like Old Fools which is the easiest way to approach these climbs. For the North Ridge climbs, walk and scramble down the ridge about half way, and then either scramble down into the couloir, or set up a rap.</text>
<text id="33" class="heading3">Redneck Ridge</text>
<image id="37" src="redneck nl.jpg" width="800" legend="true" legendx="9" legendy="13" legendTitle="Redneck Ridge" height="562">
<drawing>
<path id="99075" points="212,377, 208,328, 191,259,belay" d="M212,377C210.4,357.4 211.4455995029259,347.3609876831074 208,328C204.5544004970741,308.6390123168926 197.8,286.6 191,259" linkedTo="11"/>
<path id="45209" points="253,447, 248,391, 246,333, 254,249,belay" d="M253,447C251,424.6 249.37831422245515,413.44683162284105 248,391C246.62168577754485,368.55316837715895 245.0200101031032,356.1930942265576 246,333C246.9799898968968,309.8069057734424 250.79999999999998,282.6 254,249" linkedTo="10"/>
<path id="46172" points="542,337, 545,222, 550,132,belay" d="M542,337C543.2,291 543.5940257737385,258.0280895479498 545,222C546.4059742262615,185.97191045205022 548,168 550,132" linkedTo="19"/>
<path id="17966" points="674,256, 674,151, 678,78,belay" d="M674,256C674,214 673.3430017597458,180.23642169131344 674,151C674.6569982402542,121.76357830868656 676.4,107.2 678,78" linkedTo="18"/>
<path id="72196" points="703,73,lower" d="M703,73"/>
</drawing>
<legend>
<climb>11</climb>
<climb>10</climb>
<climb>19</climb>
<climb>18</climb>
</legend>
</image>
<text id="24">Access to the routes on the gendarmed ridge on the south west (R) side of the couloir is via a rap chain on top of No Fools Like Old Fools. From the top of the couloir, traverse south (R) to a rough track that leads to the top of the first group of gendarmes. It is posible to scramble down into the main couloir from the bottom of the abseil. The first route is beside the rap station pillar.</text>
<climb extra="" grade="19" length="20m" name="Tired Clichés" number="13." stars="**" id="12" fa="A. Adams, Pete Steane, Nov 1992. Alt finish: K. Robinson, P. Robinson, Jan 2010.">This is on the SW face of Brand New Lies gendarme. Climb the layback crack and finish up L or alternatively follow the wide crack trending R to a tricky traverse R across the wall then straight up. Sustained.</climb>
<climb extra="" grade="12" length="15m" name="Brand New Lies" number="14." stars="" id="11" fa="Pete Steane, A. Adams, Nov 1992.">Found on the next gendarme downhill from Rick the Redneck. Step off the boulder and climb the hand crack on the NW face. Follow the crack to the top. Rap off via the chockstone. Looks hard for the grade.</climb>
<climb extra="" grade="19" length="25m" name="Rick the Redneck" number="15." stars="*" id="10" fa="Pete Steane, A. Adams, Nov 1992.">The NE face of the highest gendarme is split by a fist crack. Follow this for 4m up to a bulge on the R wall. Step R below the bulge and climb the more appealing line 1m to the R. Follow the line to the top finishing L. Hard for the grade.</climb>
<climb id="19" name="Keep Your Hair On" length="12m" grade="17" fa="A. Brooks, A. Beech, T. McKenny , Jan 2011" stars="*" number="16.">Takes L facing corner crack on L end of gendarmes. Well protected. Straight up with some balancy moves at around 3m. Then up the hand jam crack to the top.</climb>
<climb id="18" name="No Fools Like Old Fools" length="12m" grade="18" stars="*" fa="T. McKenny, D. Gray, I. Snape, Jan 2011." number="17." extra="↓">Steep, well protected and sustained crack climbing on excellent rock. Chain on top of the column.</climb>
<text id="31" class="heading3">Head of Fools Couloir</text>
<text id="25" class="text">Immediately below the cairned anchors (double FH) at the head of the couloir is an area of 5-10 meter blocks. Rap in off the anchor or scramble in around the south side.</text>
<climb id="32" stars="" name="Short Changed" length="8m" grade="21" extra="3Þ ↓" fa="J.Nermut, D. Humphries, Jan 2011." number="18.">The LH arete directly below the double FH anchor.</climb>
<climb id="26" stars="*" name="Insecurity" length="8m" grade="23" extra="3Þ ↓" fa="D. Humphries, J. Nermut, Jan 2011." number="19.">The RH arête. Stick clip the first bolt. Bouldery smears lead to a jug and slabby top-out.</climb>
<text id="29" class="heading3">Fools North Ridge</text>
<image id="38" src="foolsNorth nl.jpg" legend="true" legendTitle="Fools North Ridge" legendx="330" legendy="9" height="416">
<drawing>
<path id="61275" points="120,215, 119,97,belay" d="M120,215C119.60000000000001,167.8 119.39999999999999,144.2 119,97" linkedTo="28"/>
<path id="94283" points="444,290, 448,245, 456,181,belay" d="M444,290C445.6,272 446.0224831295352,262.9624449067221 448,245C449.9775168704648,227.0375550932779 452.8,206.6 456,181" linkedTo="36"/>
</drawing>
<legend>
<climb>28</climb>
<climb>36</climb>
</legend>
</image>
<text id="27">The whole north ridge is actually in the sun in the evening. The Fools Gold crack is located a few metres to the L, as you face the crag, of a very obvious horizontal pillar (visible from the rap station at the top) that juts out into the gully, directly opposite the Rick the Redneck gendarme.</text>
<climb id="28" name="Fools Gold" length="12m" grade="18" fa="T. McKenny, I. Snape, Jan 2011." number="20.">The continuous crack line, capped with a jammed block at the top. A difficult off-widthy start leads (after a little rest, Ian... ) to good climbing, finishing out over the block.</climb>
<text id="35">Continue down the ridge line to a flat shelf. Abseil in to the couloir floor and traverse R towards the large spike on the arête.</text>
<climb id="36" number="21." name="Balrog" length="18m" grade="14" fa="I. Snape, A. Brooks, T. McKenny, Feb 2011.">Climb the deep chimney about 2m L of the spike and finish up the twin cracks behind. Better than it looks but care needed with loose rock at the chockstone.</climb>
</guide>
|