The East Face is a spectacular sweep of good solid rock and is the crowning glory of the Young Valley. There are three routes up the face; summer rock routes of good quality.
Climb the large, right-facing dihedral, one corner system to the left of "The
Weta Walk". This dihedral climbs mostly mediocre rock with very limited
protection for
8 pitches before joining the right side of the uppermost snowfield seen in
the picture. Descend via the South East Ridge.
This nine pitch route climbs out of the snowfield at the bottom left hand side of the face via a four pitch arête at about grade 17. This arête forms the side of a gut which can often be choked with snow or have a waterfall running down it. From the top of this arête head right up a narrow ledge which can have snow on it. This ledge takes you into the middle of the face and into a corner topped by a small roof. A good crack system takes you around the roof and then up into open country.
There is a sting in the tail to this route in the form of a small overlap which is the crux. A piton driven in upside down protected the moves through this overlap, but small cams would probably be better. Two more technical pitches follow and then the face finishes at the summit after a section of scrambling on loose but not horrific rock.
This is a great looking 11-pitch route taking in some well-protected climbing
in a stunning setting.
P1
18
Alpine (Commitment)
III
Alpine (Mt Cook)
5
40m
Trad
From the snowfield in the middle of the face climb up to a fixed anchor (red tape).
P2
17
30m
Step right and up 30m, then angle back left 10m to fixed belay.
P3
19
50m
Up 40m to fixed pin, may be difficult to find, then up left to fixed belay
P4
18
45m
Up 2–3m then veer right up seam to fixed belay.
P5
16
45m
Up to fixed belay.
P6
18
45m
Traverse 8m right along ledge then up to natural belay under roof.
P7
21
45m
Step out right onto slab then up 8m to fixed piton. Keep trending right to broad ramp. Follow this left to large ledge and natural belay. Abseil cord is to your right.
P8
19
51m
Belay 10m left of abseil sling. Follow obvious crack with a small grass patch and through right facing corner.
P9
45m
Traverse left finding line of least resistance through broken rock to natural belay. The abseil sling is to your right.
P10
20m
Trend up and right 15m to abseil cord and walk left 20m to summit.
East Face of Mt Awful; the first 3 pitches follow a left facing sickle shaped
formation on the face, about 3/4 across from the left.
(19, 50m) Start by single bolt, climb slab via thin crack to a right
trending ramp that leads to the left facing corner (sickle handle) follow
this vertically for 50m to anchor.
(18, 50m) continue up corner crack (18) until it leans back into a series
of right trending flakes (16) follow these to anchor.
(20, 45m) climb corner above anchor, or flakes just left of anchor, to
gain 3 bolt runners where flakes are suspect. Continue up good flakes
slightly left of corner to anchor just under overhang.
(21, 30m) Under-cling crack going left (to the tip of the sickle blade),
then up and right slightly, up more flakes to ledge going left to a shallow
corner. Up this to level of single bolt, step right and then difficult step
up (21?) to gain under-clings going right.
(20,30m) Step up and left of anchor through small overhang (20), up blunt
arête and leftwards to avoid large hanging flakes, step right above these
flakes, then up rightward facing flakes on easier ground to anchor.
(20, 56m) Follow left leaning corner system to a single bolt. Thin face
moves out right gain an under-cling crack going right and then step up again
at first opportunity before grass, follow cracks and flakes directly upwards
to anchor on a ledge.
(17, 45m) Up and across grassy ledge to a wide crack, pull round
overhang/nose into off-width which becomes chimney. Turn and step onto
slabs, five bolts point towards anchor.
(21, 45m) Up corner crack from ledge (19) to top of pedestal, continue
upwards on thin crack to a rightward traverse on quartz seam and smeary feet,
then up and right to right facing corner, and step left onto arête and up
face to anchor. 6 bolts and good natural pro.
(16, 10m) Move right to obvious crack, beware loose edges until that.
Then up to ridge, beware loose rocks on top. There is a rap anchor on ridge
to abseil off.