Southerly Front Slab

Type

Part of

‘Andy Macfarlane was on the phone, excited: “I’ve just seen the biggest unclimbed slab in Australasia and we’re going to put a route up the middle of it.”’
— Dave Brash, New Zealand Alpine Journal, 2001
This impressive feature of tilted greywacke is separated from the main wall at the top and is free of stone-fall danger except in the white corner and around the scree gully at its base.
Descent is possible from the top of the slab via fixed rap points (lower section equipped in 2021).

Approach

The slab can be approached by climbing one of the two-pitch routes on the Half Moon Slab or via an easy gully in front of Half Moon Slab.

Add Place Add Route

Routes

Reference	Title	Grade	Length	Pro	Quality
	Gomers Go Round, 18	18	0m		0
P1 18 Trad Climbed to access the top of the Pulp Friction wall. P2 17 Trad Climb up to join the Logan-Scaife route on the buttress. P3 17 Trad Follow the Logan-Scaife route to the ledge.
	Gomers Go To Ground, 24	24	0m		2.01
P1 24 Trad Three bolts and a little natural pro, some very fine slab climbing.
	Pulp Friction, 20	20	0m	8	2.01
The next two pitches are almost as good. Rap top belay of Southerly Front to ledge then down Rock Vandals bolts. Take your RPs. P1 19 8 Trad Straight up the centre of the left-hand slab for an amazing first pitch on perfect rock. Take small wires. Bolt count estimate only. P2 20 8 Trad Almost as good. Bolt count estimate only. P3 19 8 Trad Also almost as good. Bolt count estimate only. P4 17 8 Continue to the large ledge. P5 13 Trad The upper wall eases back. P6 16 Climb to the top of the slab.
	Fully Wired, 22	22	0m	8	0
P1 19 8 Trad Climb the first pitch of Pulp Friction. Take small wires. Bolt count estimate only. P2 22 8 Trad Traverse 3m left and climb to a bolt, then through bulge and seam to bolt belay. A full 50m pitch. Bolt count estimate only. P3 20 2 Trad Straight up past two bolts to grassy cracks, then right to the third belay of Pulp Friction.
	Southerly Front, 23	23	0m	8	3
The classic Twin Stream line. Start below the large chockstone. Take a small rack of wires, RPs and cams to 4cm. The first four pitches took a week to put up because of the need to make frequent runs back to Mount Cook Village to recharge the six-volt battery used to drill the ultra hard greywacke, combined with a southerly storm that plastered the wall with ice. Andy Mafarlane endured a 13m whipper on the fourth crux pitch during the first ascent. P1 17 7 Trad Climb the shallow pillar to a horizontal break and traverse right to belay. P2 20 8 Trad Follow the line of bolts. Bolt count estimate only. P3 23 8 Trad Follow the line of bolts. Bolt count estimate only. P4 23 8 Trad Follow the line of bolts. Bolt count estimate only. Very spicy. P5 18 8 Trad The intensity eases once the ledge is reached. Bolt count estimate only. P6 15 8 Trad Climb to the top. Bolt count estimate only.
	Ground Hog Day, 20	20	0m	8	0
P1 17 8 Trad Climb the first pitch of Southerly Front to the traverse and continue up the shallow pillar to belay on a flake. Bolt count estimate only. P2 19 8 Trad Climb the pillar to the roof and a quick pull onto the upper slab and up to a bolt belay on the ledge. Bolt count estimate only. P3 20 8 Trad Traverse left across the slab and up the left-hand edge. Bolt count estimate only.
	Sticky Date Pudding, 24	24	0m	8	0
Warning: Some bolts damaged by rockfall in 2015. P1 24 8 A long, hard and committing pitch. P2 24 7 Another long, hard and committing pitch.
	Rock Vandals, 22	22	0m	11	0
P1 20 11 Climb right of the white corner. P2 22 11 Continue right of the white corner to a ledge. P3 14 Trad Climb the upper wall. P4 16 Trad Climb the upper wall. Bolt belay.
	The Western World, 22	22	0m	8	0
P1 21 8 A variant on Rock Vandals. Climb the first two pitches of that route, then take the right-hand line of bolts. P2 22 8 Continue on bolts to a bolt belay.
	Stealing a March, 18	18	0m		0
The first “modern” route at Twin Stream. P1 16 Trad From the valley scree, climb the broken right-most of three pillars to the base of Southerly Front slabs. Bolt belay. P2 17 Trad Up a groove left of the arete. Bolt belay. P3 18 Trad Traverse right, around the arete, to a thin crack on the upper wall.
	March Hare, 18	18	20m		2.01
Three excellent pitches up the arête, grades 17, 18, 17. Great position and exposure at the grade – a must. P1 17 TBA P2 18 TBA P3 17 TBA P4 16 20m Trad January Hare. From the top of March Hare, climb the buttress and crack system to the top of the pinnacle. Belay and rap off large bollards on top.
	January Hare, 16	16	30m		0
P1 16 30m Trad From the top of March Hare, climb the buttress and crack system to the top of the pinnacle. Abseil off bollard.
	Forced March, 20	20	0m		1.02
From the belay at the top of the first pitch of March Hare go right to the ledge and climb the slabs 7m right of the arête. P1 18 TBA P2 20 TBA
	Passing Through, 18	18	0m		0
P1 18 Start on the ledge right of Forced March and join the top pitch of Stealing a March.
	Corner Chimney, 15	15	0m		0
P1 15 Trad The wide crack and chimney line on the right of the upper wall.
	Splitting Hares, 18	18	0m		0
The right hand of the two cracks in the wall right of the chimney, starting off the ledge level with the first belay of March Hare. Natural gear. P1 17 Trad TBA P2 18 Trad TBA

Comments

AlJMark

Does anyone know about the state of the bolts on "Sticky Date Pudding"?

Mon, 11/03/2019 - 16:48 Permalink

This place appears in

Ōhau Landsborough Alps: a guide for mountaineers, 2021

Buy this guidebook

UUID

7739e37b-b74f-4e7a-9b72-bf45c3667ad9