The Mate's Little Brother

The Mate’s Little Brother contains some of the best free routes in the Darran region. The Half Dome-shaped Little Brother is 180m high and the rock clean and coarse.

Type:

Face (Alpine)

Aspect:

North West

Access:

To access these routes, follow the scree slope below Moir’s Mate round to narrow ledges (try not to lose too much height) which traverse along the base of the wall.
Descent of the Mate’s Little Brother
By far the easiest option is to rap your route. Otherwise it is possible to walk down the true left of the Little Brother to the Cleddau ledges. In early summer the snow basins can be full, making descent down the true left both difficult and dangerous. An alternative route lies over a col beyond the Moir’s Mate and down the northern slabs to the Homer Saddle ridge.

Reference

Title

Grade

Length

Quality

Bolts

Gone

Natural pro

Link to edit content

Where’s My Epirb?

18,21,21,21

On the left side of the Mate’s Little Brother.

#	Ewbank	Length	Trad
1	18	0m	No
2	21	0m	No
3	21	0m	No
4	21	0m	No

Murray Ball, Nick Cradock, Glen Einam, 2008

The Milford Cruise

Three pitches. 20, 22, 21. An excellent and sustained route through three overlaps; the route avoids much of the water-streak, staying right through the overlaps.

Murray Judge, Paul Rogers, Feb 1989.

Brothers in Arms

20 , 23 , 21 , 21

150m

Starting on slabs left of the arches, move up past some bolts then step right and into obvious crack.

#	Ewbank	Length	Trad
1	20	45m	Yes
	Starting on slabs left of the arches, move up past some bolts then step right and into obvious crack.
2	23	45m	Yes
	Sustained moves left of the belay then move right into the white leaning corner – a 25m, grade 20 overhanging jug-fest. Belay out left.
3	21	30m	Yes
	Step right from belay, climbing right trending crack to bolt on face above. Step right then continue up and left through cracks past bolt to belay.
4	21	30m	Yes
	Straight up corner passing a bolt to the butterfly flake. Two bolts lead to a long reach left then up and over the Mate’s Little Brother.

Murray Judge, Paul Rogers, Mar 1989.

Cradock's Retreat

21 , 21

80m

Climb steep slabs and small left facing crack, passing a number of bolts. The crux bolt has been replaced. Climb through a small roof to bolt belay.

#	Ewbank	Length	Trad
1	21	35m	Yes
	Climb steep slabs and small left facing crack, passing a number of bolts. The crux bolt has been replaced. Climb through a small roof to bolt belay.
2	21	45m	Yes
	From belay climb left into the shallow corner, passing two bolts before steep cracks lead to the big white corner of Brothers in Arms. Continue up corner to belay.

Guy Cotter, Nick Cradock, February 1989

Second Coming

16 , 23 , 26 , 22 , 21 , 19 , 19

122m

Easy-going slab takes you to the base of the overhanging arches.

#	Ewbank	Length	Trad
1	16	25m	Yes
	Easy-going slab takes you to the base of the overhanging arches.
2	23	9m	Yes
	The dihedral requires wide bridging and lay-backing on fingertips with protection from small wires.
3	26	10m	Yes
	Hard moves up corner ‘til crack opens out to underclings. Take big Friends #4.
4	22	8m	Yes
	Move past three old bolt ladder bolts, then traverse over to the newer bolts cutting back into flake/chimney system.
5	21	15m	Yes
	Up right, then back left following ramp to single bolt and natural belay.
6	19	25m	Yes
	Move through big corner past black rock band to belay in horizontal break.
7	19	30m	Yes
	Straight up, moving out right to bolt then a lengthy stretch of steep slab climbing with no protection over the Little Brother. A trouser-filling top-out!

Paul Aubrey, Mark Moorhead, Feb 1980.

Armageddon

22 ,28 ,28 ,26

95m

#	Ewbank	Length	Bolts	Trad
1	22	20m	3	Yes
2	28	25m	8	Yes
3	28	20m	4	Yes
4	26	30m	5	Yes

Derek Thatcher, 2007

Revelations

27 , 26 , 25 , 20

140m

Mostly bolted with obvious cams (sizes 0-3). Take 14 quickdraws and two ropes. Descent is by abseiling the route.

#	Ewbank	Length	Bolts	Trad
1	27	55m	8	Yes
2	26	20m	4	Yes
3	25	35m	4	Yes
4	20	30m	3	Yes

Derek Thatcher, Jamie Vinton-Boot, 2008

New Jersey Drifter

24 , 21 , 21 , 22 , 18

145m

Staunch moves off the belay lead to more staunch moves through an undercling layback before continuing up corner and face to belay.

#	Ewbank	Length	Trad
1	24	40m	Yes
	Staunch moves off the belay lead to more staunch moves through an undercling layback before continuing up corner and face to belay.
2	21	20m	Yes
	Dynamic face moves past two bolts lead into the Yosemite Flake and steep jug-filled corner.
3	21	30m	Yes
	Move right off belay then up past a bolt before trending left along ramp to overlap and bolt. A healthy rock-over leads onto a slab. Continue up and right to bolt then left to belay.
4	22	35m	Yes
	Cranky moves lead up and left off belay past two bolts then right under overlap. Continue up and left to bolt under second overlap. Traverse right on underclings, clipping bolt on face above before pulling roof to belay.
5	18	20m	Yes
	Head up and right on slab, then mantle onto sloping ledge. From bolt on wall move left into black and white vein which trends right to exit at the top of the crag. Three full 60m abseils to reach the ground from the top anchors.

Kester Brown, Craig Jefferies, Jan 2006.

Gough-Wayatt

On the right side of the Little Brother start off the broken slabs further round to the ledges. Seven pitches. Five pitches of aid, two of free-climbing. Tends up and left towards a small roof near the top of the face.

Peter Gough, Geoff Wayatt, 1974.

Crystal Void

On the right side of the Little Brother start off the broken slabs further round to the ledges. Four pitches. 17, 13, 19, 16. Follow a corner into left-tending ramps before heading straight up over the right side of the Mate’s Little Brother.

Hugh Widdowson, 1989.

Crystal Meth

On the right side of the Little Brother start off the broken slabs further round to the ledges. Four pitches. 16, 17, 19, 16. Starting from slabs on the right side of the wall, follow ledge systems up and left. The route moves through a series of cracks leading into a lone right-facing corner on the edge of the Mate’s Little Brother.

Brigid Allan, Steve Eastwood, Craig Jefferies, Feb 2003.

Mechanical Failure

18 ,20 ,23 ,18

Start at the RHS of the crag, right of the arch and after beginning the scramble up to the Moir ledges. About 15m up above the ledges and back left a bit a bolt and a maililon by a left facing corner mark the start of the climbing. The climb needs cams 00 - 3 (Camalots) and a few wires. Route is rigged to rap. Follow left facing corner then break left to flakes and cracks to a grassy ledge. DBA

#	Ewbank	Length	Bolts	Trad
1	18	0m	4	Yes
	Start at the RHS of the crag, right of the arch and after beginning the scramble up to the Moir ledges. About 15m up above the ledges and back left a bit a bolt and a maililon by a left facing corner mark the start of the climbing. The climb needs cams 00 - 3 (Camalots) and a few wires. Route is rigged to rap. Follow left facing corner then break left to flakes and cracks to a grassy ledge. DBA
2	20	0m	6	Yes
	Gain the slanting slab and follow it to an overlap, over this to another slab. DBA
3	23	0m	7	Yes
	Up obvious corner, exit it at bolt to arete on left. Climb this to steep blank wall. Desperate move to gain groove and wall system. Ledge with DBA
4	18	0m	4	Yes
	Pull onto arete up to ledge and then move left on slab to finish up arete. DBA

John Entwisle, Chris Burtenshaw and Jonathan Clearwater Feb 2010

Attribution:

Craig Jefferies

This place appears in

The Darran Mountains: an alpine and rock climbing guide

2005

UUID:

0184bbcf-dc03-4d7d-addc-2cf3836987e8

Comments

The Mates Little Brother

Permalink Submitted by Peter Dickson on Fri, 23/09/2011 - 21:54

The Mates Little Brother possibly has the best mountain rock climbing in New Zealand, (In my opinion).

(12 routes)

This place appears in

Comments

The Mates Little Brother