North West Face

The north-west face is a fearsome wall that has seen little more than a dozen ascents. The aid-lines that tackle the central part of the face are very committing and at present unrepeated. There are possible flat bivouac ledges located under the face, once the snow melts, for attempts on the wall and these can be reached in a long day from Homer Hut.

Type:

Face (Alpine)

Aspect:

North West

Reference

Title

Grade

Length

Quality

Bolts

Gone

Natural pro

Link to edit content

Herron Whiston Aitken

13 pitches: From the ledges right of the Yak Pastures climb the corner immediately right of the North Buttress, angling right to the gully between the buttress and the North West Face. A committing line requiring an uncomfortable bivvy on the first ascent.

Rob Aitken, Phil Herron, Neal Whiston, Jan 1975.

Sarkasmos

, 18 , , , , 18 , , ,

Starting from the snow-field under the North West Face where the buttress meets the face. Right-facing corner.

#	Ewbank	Length	Trad
1		0m	Yes
	Starting from the snow-field under the North West Face where the buttress meets the face. Right-facing corner.
2	18	0m	Yes
	Traverse right and up a rib onto the right side of the ledges,
3		0m	Yes
	Up ledges and traverse right.
4		0m	Yes
	Twenty metre wall then up ledges.
5		0m	Yes
	Traverse right; take a chimney on the left side of a flake then across the top to a belay.
6	18	0m	Yes
	Traverse right into a slabby groove, up this and swing out left into a crack with some loose blocks
7		0m	Yes
	Up ledges and short walls on the left to join a large right-slanting corner.
8		0m	Yes
	Up the corner to a gully with a steep flake.
9		0m	Yes
	Traverse right to a slabby gully and up this to the ridge.

Calum Hudson, Nigel Perry, Feb 1982.

Kamikaze Line

The initial three pitches of slabs from the snowfield follow a right facing corner to the large terraces under the face, slabby and protection is scarce. Above the terraces a huge flake lies against the face, climb the chimney on the left side. Steep face climbing above a small roof leads to the base of a clean cut overhanging corner with a 30m knife-blade crack. This is followed by two further pitches of mixed free and aid climbing. A wildly overhanging chimney ends abruptly on a broad ledge where it is possible to scramble around to the East Ridge.

Bill Denz, Phil Herron, Murray Judge, 1975

Original Line

Follows a line of chimneys splitting the buttress in the centre of the face. Start up a right-slanting ramp towards the big corner, angling back left to a pedestal below the large roofs. Climb a delicate wall to the roofs where a wild pendulum regains the main corner. Bridging, thin aid and the occasional ‘30 foot fall’ lead to a good ledge. Follow easier chimneys and slabs up and right along a prominent ramp to easier ground.

Bill Denz, Phil Herron, Murray Judge, Jan 1974.

Tora Tora Tora!

24 , 20 , 21 , 20 , 16 , 18

450m

The first all-free route to be climbed on the central part of the face, with a hard first pitch. Take a standard small rack.

#	Ewbank	Length	Trad
1	24	48m	Yes
2	20	50m	Yes
3	21	27m	Yes
4	20	50m	Yes
5	16	25m	Yes
6	18	250m	Yes
	Continue up a gully and slabs to the top.

Jonathan Clearwater, Mayan Smith-Gobat, Derek Thatcher, January 2007

Rowell Route

This route takes a vertical corner just right of the Original Line, with some aid, and then follows broken ledges across to the West Ridge.

Andy Campbell, Hugh Logan, Galen Rowell, Daryl Thomson, 1977

Garrity Parker

Eight pitches to join the West Ridge; crux on the second pitch.

Dave Garrity, Robert Stavely Parker, Feb 1982.

English Hillary

Climb slabs and walls to a large corner capped by a roof. Climb the wall to the left of the roof then a groove to broken ground and the West Ridge.

Merv English, Peter Hillary, Nov 1980.

Attribution:

Craig Jefferies

This place appears in

The Darran Mountains: an alpine and rock climbing guide

2005

UUID:

65ce269b-f75a-48e5-8ee6-8f2eb92e3962

(8 routes)

This place appears in