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Hourglass & Centre Walls

Type
Altitude
1500m
Part of

The big wall, on the lower west side of Cloudy Pk.
It is now possible to abseil down the Hourglass Wall following the line of Sharp Shooter, using a single 60m rope.
Go to the top of the small gully to find the top rap station, the finds it’s way onto a large flat ledge, and then down the right side of the gully.
At the bottom of the the gully the descent route follows the Sharpshooter line.
At the 5-6 pitch change, the rap station is 10m right of the belay station.
At the 3-4 pitch change, go rightwards, there is a marker made of webbing, the rap station is just below that.

Image
Aspect
West
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Routes

Reference Title Grade Length Pro Quality Alert Operations
Dm DmDemondim, 24 24 150m
0

Start 100m left of the main corner below the Great Prow. Four pitches to the big ledge through the main overhang. Some bolts and bolt belays.


  • P1
  • 24
  • 150m
  • Trad


Ub UbUnbeliever, 22 22 180m
1.02

Good wall climbing to reach grooves and then overhangs. Five pitches, some bolts, bolt belays.


  • P1
  • 22
  • 180m
  • Trad


 Sharp Shooter, 22 22 350m 9
3

A straight up route on the left side of the Hourglass Wall.
Start 70m left of The Whole Nine Yards. 9Y. This involves a quick scramble to get to the start.
You will notice the bolts for the first pitch and the left facing corner that makes the 2nd pitch.
The whole route can be descended using a single 60m rope (raps are 30m or less apart even if pitch is 45m long)
There is a small amount of trad gear required, BD cams from #0.3 - #1.0.
Extendable quick draws are also very useful.
There is enough bolts in places to aid through cruxes above grade 20.


  • P1
  • 17
  • 15m
  • 3

Traverse right and scramble up to belay.


  • P2
  • 21
  • 30m
  • 5
  • Trad

(18 M1), 5 bolts + trad, out right into imposing corner system close to arete.


  • P3
  • 20
  • 45m
  • 9
  • Trad

Head right from belay then traverse (10 m ?) left and up headwall. Once off the steep wall, carry on 10m upwards to back of ledge and belay station.


  • P4
  • 19
  • 40m
  • 9

Head leftwards 10m from belay then following diagonal system on sloppy ledge. At ledge height, move left and use Lh belay station. If you shooting for the stars, do pitch 4 of Mission to Mercury.


  • P5
  • 19
  • 40m
  • 9
  • Trad

Head right up over belay and over diagonal breaks, at 6th bolt head left to belay, use 1st 2 bolts on Lhs. ( Ignore 1st 2 bolts on Rhs which are in the wrong place).


  • P6
  • 22
  • 25m
  • 6
  • Trad

Go right off the ledge and across to a groove then onto headwall, using thin foot holds, horizontal and vertical rails.


  • P7
  • 20
  • 25m
  • 6
  • Trad

Follow the bolts, though balance moves to a small ledge.


  • P8
  • 21
  • 30m
  • 9
  • Trad

Climb steep slab on small holds to overlap at top. Go left below 3rd bolt finger crack for gear if needed.


  • P9
  • 19
  • 25m
  • 3
  • Trad

Start on stretchy moves. Pass 2 bolts, then go up to the base of the gully. Belay is on the left below gully.


  • P10
  • 18
  • 35m
  • 4
  • Trad

Across gully and back left onto jugular wall. Or there’s an easier option; go up the right side of the gully and onto ledge, and carry on to top following a few bolts for navigation beacons.


  • P11
  • 19
  • 20m
  • 4
  • Trad

Up overlap to ledge. The best place to finish the climb. Abseil down the route from here.


  • P12
  • 10
  • 20m
  • Trad

Follow left up rising ledge to another rap station. (Optional but needed if you want to top out at the top of the wall).


 Mission to Mercury, 22 22 400m 16
1.02

A mixed bolted and trad climb that runs up the left side of the Hourglass Wall. Mixed bolts and trad, take a single set of cams from 0.3 to 3. Abseil back down route.
Decent

  1. 58m down pitch 10 & 9 (large ledge) Beware of loose rock when pully rope
  2. 50m down pitch 8
  3. 40m.down pitch 7
  4. 60m.down pitch 6, 5, 4 (Don’t forget to tie knot in end of rope
  5. 50m down pitch 2 & 3
  6. 40m down pitch 1

  • P1
  • 15
  • 40m
  • 2
  • Trad

Start at the 9Y carved in rock. Climb easy ground to bolt, move left and up past bolt to belay station of Whole 9 yards Bridge up the short off width crack section to the top rock prow below the overhang. Crux lay away move to get established on the left hand face then blast up step ground on large holds. Move right based an abseil belay and climb to the face to the right of the tree up through step ground to ledge and DB belay.


  • P2
  • 19
  • 40m
  • 16
  • Trad

Climb the wall directly above belay then move left into grove, Climb groove through a series (3) of overhangs . DB belay past 3rd overhang.


  • P3
  • 18
  • 20m
  • 5
  • Trad

Continue up grove and face then trough small over hang past 3 more bolts to Belay


  • P4
  • 14
  • 40m
  • 4
  • Trad

A 20m traverse left. Climb easy corner to left. Continue traversing left past an abseil station station (Sharpshooter), clip this then climb easier ground to belay station below left facing corner system.


  • P5
  • 21
  • 35m
  • 7
  • Trad

Climb left facing corner on trad, then clip bolt on lip off small overhang. Clip this and pill onto the face. Follow line of bolts traversing well right then up ledge system, traversing back left to the belay ledge. Your second will thank you if you put in a direction cam before the traverse left to the belay.


  • P6
  • 16
  • 40m
  • 4
  • Trad

Climb up easy ground above to large right leaning ramp. Climb this past 4 bolts till you get to a large ledge system. Traverse right and down this ledge, arranging cams and threads, for another 20m to DB belay of W9Y, complete with drill bit stuck in rock


  • P7
  • 19
  • 50m
  • 2
  • Trad

From this belay the W9Y takes the right line of bolt. Mission to Mercury climbs the roof directly above the belay then follows the right leaning crack system. From belay climb through roof past 2 bolt to the crack. Follow crack up for 15m then move back left to large ledge system, Move left back to large right tending ramp, Easy climbing up ramp, protection is sparce but can be found. After 30m move left onto hanging ledge and 2 bolt belay.


  • P8
  • 22
  • 50m
  • 11
  • Trad

Move left from belay onto exposed head wall, climb this through small roof and up head wall, crux, till you reach lower angle wall and a series of ledges . Move left along ledge then back right to bolt then climb head wall above to large belay ledge 60m below the top of the hourglass wall


  • P9
  • 19
  • 40m
  • 5
  • Trad

Follow the line of bolts tending right up wall to a large ledge system , from here put on direction runner for second and move 20m left to DB belay


  • P10
  • 10
  • 45m
  • 5
  • Trad

Climb wall out right of belay past 5 Bolts. Move back right on to arete and DB belay. Descent.


MI MIMission Impossible, 17 17 325m
0

Eight pitches on the left of the wall. The first four climb up to and through the big roof; the route then follows the prominent diagonal up and right, easier climbing but few runners.


  • P1
  • 17
  • 325m
  • Trad


MA MAMission Accomplished, 19 19 300m
1.02

This direct finish to the previous route makes a more sustained climb. Move left onto the face and up for four pitches, once the diagonal is reached.


  • P1
  • 19
  • 300m
  • Trad


 The Whole Nine Yards, 21 21 330m 10
0

A climb that goes from the bottom of the Hourglass Wall to the top of The Great Prow. You have to walk a short distance, from the top of the tier above the Hourglass Wall to the base of the Prow Wall. All belays are equipped with rings making it possible to rappel the route. The Prow Wall section is Ok, but the upper Hourglass Wall has diagonal, leftward rappels which are moderately difficult.
Take a comprehensive rack of cams between BD #0.3-#3 and a single set of wires.
The most practical descent route is to abseil down the upper section to the base of The Great Prow, and using the access way down the big shelf to near the start of the SW ridge.


  • P1
  • 13
  • 30m
  • 1
  • Trad

Scramble up ledges past one bolt


  • P2
  • 18
  • 35m
  • 8

Climb straight up v grove, skirt left around overlap and up past eight bolts. Under the next overlap, move right to an anchor.


  • P3
  • 17
  • 35m
  • 4
  • Trad

From corner on right of overlap, step up and climb right facing corner (trad.) to roof. Step left onto face and move up past well-spaced bolts on easier ground to the big ledge. The anchor is on your left.


  • P4
  • 19
  • 40m
  • 7
  • Trad

Start at left corner of big ledge, Climb past three bolts onto the face left of the corner (crux). Climb up the face past two bolts, angling right to a splitter crack. Climb the 10m splitter crack (BD 2 and 3) to overlap. Step up onto the face and continue climbing to DBBS.


  • P5
  • 21
  • 50m
  • 10
  • Trad

Climb through the overlap to the right of the anchor. Make a delicate move to the left and continue up the black face until capped by another overlap. Skirt right of the overlap into a vague crack. Climb up to a third overlap and move right onto easier climbing. The pitch finishes on a small ledge under the next overhang.


  • P6
  • 19
  • 55m
  • 9
  • Trad

Climb through the overhang (crux) and continue up the face above. After the second bolt move left across the face to gain an off-width feature with good right-leaning, left-facing edges. Continue up the edges to a horizontal ledge. Traverse right to an orange left-facing corner and trad. gear. Move up the corner onto the brown face and past a single bolt. Finish on a big ledge with a rap station.


  • P7
  • 17
  • 55m
  • 7
  • Trad

Follow the line of bolts starting at the right of the ledge, traverse right onto the red rock face, and then veering left until you reach the rap anchor at the top of the Hour Glass Wall (can be split in two pitches).


  • P8
  • 17
  • 30m
  • 4
  • Trad

This pitch starts 30m to the right of rap station at the top of the previous pitch, at the back of the ledge that joins them. From the DBB, Scramble left up the ramp to a big red face with a bolt at its base. Climb straight up using a mixture of bolts and trad. crack gear. You finish at a rap anchor below the big scree that takes you to the prow buttress


FR FRFiddler on the Roof, 20 20 280m
2.01

The first route through the spectacular overhangs on the left side of the wall. Nine pitches – the roof pitch and the wall above are very good. Finish up the Mission Impossible diagonal.


  • P1
  • 20
  • 280m
  • Trad


BD BDBig Dipper, 25 25 300m 7
0

Tackles the most impressive features on the wall. Climb over three sets of overhangs to reach the big arch. Through this and across the big roof (crux, bolts) and straight up the wall above.


  • P1
  • 25
  • 300m
  • 7
  • Trad


FL FLWhen the Frog Lifts, 17 17 80m
1.02

Yup, frog. Two good pitches on the compact orange rock of the upper wall. Accessed by abseil.


  • P1
  • 17
  • 80m
  • Trad


SM SMWhen the Snow Melts, 21 21 300m
0

‘The line of greatest resistance’. Sustained climbing up to and through the main overhang via corner systems at its right-hand end.


  • P1
  • 21
  • 300m
  • Trad

HL HLHourglass Left, 19 19 300m
0

The big natural line in the centre of the wall. Three good pitches (crux on first pitch) are followed by uninteresting climbing in loose, vegetated gullies and chimneys.


  • P1
  • 19
  • 300m
  • Trad


HR HRHourglass Right, 16 16 300m
0

The bottom right line of the ‘hourglass’ is sometimes loose and sometimes barely protectable.


  • P1
  • 16
  • 300m
  • Trad


 The Hourglass Has Turned, 19 19 300m
1.02

Sustained climbing, spaced protection, immaculate rock.
P1 - 50m (16) Start on right hand edge of overhangs. Up vegetated terrain to
rib and onto face above. Traverse left to belay in second groove. Excavation
of protection was required on this pitch.
P2 - 45m (16) up groove to shallow right corner. Belayed below roof.
P3 - 10m (10) Traversed left, belayed in the 'Hourglass Right' groove.
P4 - 50m (19) Traverse right then straight up through roof. Heading right up
shallow cracks which are fused and rounded higher up.
P5 - 20m (19) Right hand side of shallow recessed corner
P6 - 25m (17) Bridging up twin cracks then step right to corner and up to
large ledge.
P7 - 30m (18) The sneaky groove through the roof. Traverse left along ledge
to an awkward belay on wall above.
P8 - 50m (17) Traversing right following cracks, through a small corner
chimney then up onto large ledge. Belay in top left corner
P9 - 30m (15) Traverse right then up right leaning crack to scree slope.
Walked off by traversing right.


  • P1
  • 19
  • 300m
  • Trad

US USThe United States in Mind, 18 18 300m
0

Some delightful climbing on a direct line, following the enigmatic left-facing feature.


  • P1
  • 18
  • 300m
  • Trad


Yg YgYtivarg, 17 17 250m
2.01

Five good pitches on sound rock, sometimes committing and exposed.


  • P1
  • 17
  • 250m
  • Trad


SA SASlip-sliding Away, 15 15 200m
0

Sustained and enjoyable, meandering but logical. Climb the right-hand side of the wall.


  • P1
  • 15
  • 200m
  • Trad


Images

Comments
cragrat
content_editor

Lindsay Main would be the person to ask.

Sat, 25/03/2023 - 13:33 Permalink
Michael Eatson

FR Fiddler on the Roof is still incorrectly marked on the updated topo.

Fri, 24/03/2023 - 16:15 Permalink
Michael Eatson

In reply to by grubbie

Further right, I believe. Halfway between where BD and FR are currently marked on the topo. Might have been incorrectly copied across from the South Island Rock hand drawn topo. I thought it was a pretty obvious line, particularly the roof pitch and wall above. Climbed with Tawny Wagstaff in Mar 2016

Mon, 27/03/2023 - 08:53 Permalink
Attribution
Yvonne Cook and Geoff Spearpoint,
in association with the Canterbury Mountaineering Club

UUID
 
cf092387-e264-4ffe-b4f6-20dd3cae57fe