OPEN: Access is subject to conditions.Updated 18 December 2024, by Richard Thomson.
Permission is required to cross private land. Log in for contact details.
Mission to Mercury
OPEN: Access is subject to conditions.Grade
22
Length
400m
16
Natural pro requiredQuality
First ascent
Anna Brooke, Grant Piper, Ed Machado, Jonathan Tye, 2022
Located on
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
- 58m down pitch 10 & 9 (large ledge) Beware of loose rock when pully rope
- 50m down pitch 8
- 40m.down pitch 7
- 60m.down pitch 6, 5, 4 (Don’t forget to tie knot in end of rope
- 50m down pitch 2 & 3
- 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.
Comments
Attribution
Description enhanced by Cliff Ellery
UUID
a1b3d184-7417-4c7f-8fb4-a8bdca3ceeb8
Climbed Easter 2022 - the 21 pitch is particularly good. Thanks to the developers for setting this and also for the straightforward rap line. Alternative option A on the last pitch is more than grade 18. Pitch 5 is likely easier than 16 and we missed the deviation on P6 involving the overlap - we just carried on up Mission Impossible ramp (easy scramble) as this seemed most obvious at the time
Updated description for p2 - has 16 bolts not 11. Easy to bump draws in a couple of spots or just use nuts so not necessary to take 16 draws.