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Little Eiger

Type
Altitude
1500m

Apparently (perhaps in a heavy mist) this wall resembles the famous Eiger Nordwand in Switzerland. The wall faces east, down valley, and has many good long outings – almost all of which are rarely climbed and will need a clean.

Image
Aspect
East
Lat/lon
-39.29472,174.082317, NZ Topo Map
Topo50
BJ29 933 500
Approach

The best descent route is to the left as you look at the wall, down a shallow grassy groove and a short slab.

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Routes

Reference Title Grade Length Pro Quality Alert Operations
1 1Eketahuna International Airport, 18 18 14m
0

  • P1
  • 18
  • 14m
  • Trad

Start up the centre of the appealing small slab left of the main wall. Head up and then left to a crack that leads to the top of the wall.


2 2Imported Talent, 18 18 14m
2.01

  • P1
  • 18
  • 14m
  • Trad

Start as for EIA but trend right then up passing two ledges. A small cam is useful near the top, otherwise protection is sparse.


3 3Blake’s Route, 16 16 22m
0

  • P1
  • 16
  • 22m
  • Trad

Start as for EIA but continue right to finish up the right edge of the slab.


4 4Aspo’s Flight, 17 17 20m
0

  • P1
  • 17
  • 20m
  • Trad

Starting further right, follow the crack/groove feature to the broken arête above.


5 5Very Silly Crack, 19 19 56m
1.02

  • P1
  • 19
  • 56m
  • Trad

Look for a rusty piton about 2.5m above the ground, above a red-stained rock. Climb to the piton then up the cracks above. It is possible to fashion a belay on a ledge below the overhangs or, if you have a very long rope, you could finish the climb as a single pitch through the overhangs and up a mossy groove to glory.


6 6Longdrop, 16 16 57m
1.02

  • P1
  • 16
  • 57m
  • Trad

Start as for VSC. From the piton, move up and right to a good ledge. Finish up the corner above and slightly left.


7 7Skylarking, 19 19 55m
2.01

  • P1
  • 19
  • 55m
  • Trad

A few metres right of Longdrop, head up next to a smooth wall to gain blocky ground and a belay ledge. Continue right then up the vague groove/arête feature and finish as for Space Truckin’.


8 8Space Truckin’, 18 18 57m
3

  • P1
  • 18
  • 57m
  • Trad

Start up a jam crack, heading for the obvious protruding block. Belay under the block, if you dare, then move up a groove to the left and on to the exit crack. Scramble up mossy slabs and park your rig on the summit.


9 9Coming Home, 18 18 57m
2.01

  • P1
  • 18
  • 57m
  • Trad

Climbs the most obvious corner/V-groove on the wall. To gain the groove, scramble up a right facing corner. You can belay at the bottom of the groove, but beware some loose blocks.


10 10Regular Rowt, 21 21 50m
0

  • P1
  • 21
  • 50m
  • Trad

The name may be stolen from a route at Titahi Bay, but the route itself is classic Egmont. Shares a start with Commodores and Fingers on a Landscape. Start up the right facing corner past a piton at 5m. At the white band, go left to gain the left-most crack on the wall. Follow this to the top. Can be climbed as one or two pitches.


11 11Commodores, 19 19 40m
1.02

  • P1
  • 19
  • 40m
  • Trad

Start as for Regular Rowt but continue up the main crack to the top. The top-out is a little underwhelming.


12 12Fingers On A Landscape, 21 21 50m
3

  • P1
  • 21
  • 50m
  • Trad

A great route. Start as for Regular Rowt but at the white band head right to gain a seam in the compact face. Climb the seam to finish as for Commodores. Take plenty of small wires and cams. Anti-revolutionary revisionists wanted to change the name to ‘Figures in a Landscape’


13 13Involuntary Pelvic Contractions, 19 19 50m
2.01

  • P1
  • 19
  • 50m
  • Trad

Sounds less than ideal! Charge up the obvious line right of Commodores all the way to the top. The ‘first ascent’ was claimed as a two-pitch grade 22 affair with some aid moves. Lionel Clay put things right two days later, giving it 19.


14 14Master Grasshopper, 23 23 50m
3

  • P1
  • 23
  • 50m
  • Trad

Above the initial overhangs, step right then commit to the wall above. Near the top, head left to join IPC. Take smalls wires and lots of courage.


15 15Stranger to this Planet, 18 18 50m
2.01

  • P1
  • 18
  • 50m
  • Trad

‘ … welcome to this hole, let’s strap on a guitar and play some rock and roll.’ Or so the song goes. The right-most crack with good gear the whole way. Note: is now revegetated.


16/2 16/2Kaya, 23 23 25m
0

  • P1
  • 23
  • 25m
  • Trad

The thin elegantly sculptured arête right of Stranger to this Planet. Take a long neck. Finished on the half-height ledge at start of The Slug Patrol.


17/2 17/2The Slug Patrol’s Revenge on the Thrash and Dangle Man, 18 18 25m
1.02

  • P1
  • 18
  • 25m
  • Trad

This route starts from the half-height ledge which runs in from the Little Eiger-Eiger Wall corner; due to loose conditions and wet moss, traversing along this ledge is not recommended. A more stylish and interesting approach is to climb Jim Collins Hits Egmont to the belay stance on top of the large boulder—the chock stone in off-width can be used for belay. Start the climb about a metre to the left of the cited chock stone and follow the fist-crack to the top.


3 3Jim Collins Hits Egmont, 17 17 20m
0

  • P1
  • 17
  • 20m
  • Trad

The twin cracks right of the large wet corner. Start up the loose blocks past three very old in-situ pegs. Climb one of the hand-to-fist sized cracks. The original route took the right-hand crack, but better climbing and belaying is found by taking the left hand crack to the base of The Slug Patrol thus beginning a splendid sunny two-pitch climb. Jim Collins was apparently a pseudonym for Chris Morris.


4 4Desmodramatic, 19 19 17m
0

  • P1
  • 19
  • 17m
  • Trad

The capped right facing groove just right of Jim Collins Hits Egmont. Sustained climbing with a strenuous roof at the top. Leader rested on rope during first ascent.


5 5Prescription Poison, 16 16 19m
0

  • P1
  • 16
  • 19m
  • Trad

Climb the right hand side of the site of the shattered arête which has now blown away. Note this is the same arête described as ‘fairly stable’ in the previous edition!! Climb to the sloping ledge. Move up corner crack, laybacking or jamming, to second ledge. Finish by climbing last 3m on a small face. Despite the demise of the much lamented arête the climb is still possible and still 16, but is not altogether safe or recommended.


6 6Green Eggs and Ham, 20 20 20m
0

  • P1
  • 20
  • 20m
  • Trad

Start as for Prescription Poison until sloping ledge. Traverse right into the slightly overhanging crack. Climb crack direct. The first ascensionist described this route as being particularly desperate, but not in those precise words.


 Eigerwander, WI4 WI4
0

A short icefall often forms down the red slabs.


  • P1
  • Water Ice WI4

Start up the summer walk-off ramp on the Eiger Wall side of the Little Eiger, or more directly by a short groove just to the left. Belay on the middle ledge then follow shelves and grooves up and rightwards to the top. On the fist ascent a rock move in crampons proved the highlight, protected by a Camalot #3 otherwise the ascent was entirely on snow and ice.


Images

Comments
Attribution
Updated with RDN text & pic.
UUID
 
ed8d34e8-9aba-4e64-a168-a5ea6c0125a3