Jane Fonda Workout Wall

(39 routes)

The best crag on the Port Hills (for climbs in the grade 21–26 range.) Being perched on a steep hillside above Lyttelton Harbour adds to the crag's lovely atmosphere. The crag gets little sun, so is great in summer, especially on those hot nor'west days. Sheltered from northerly and westerley winds.
The crag has a somewhat unfair reputation for bold climbs. About half the routes are very friendly clip-ups. Some of the routes require you to perform moves above a bolt, but the climbs are never really dangerous. There are a couple of trad routes, and a couple of mixed routes, for which the gear is always adequate to good.
The sporadic and disjointed nature of the route development here (combined with the 2011 earthquake) has led to a bunch of link-ups, alternative starts, filler-routes, collapsed features, and generally confusing guide information. This page seeks to provide clear descriptions of the commonly climbed, and logical lines (as secondary to being a historical record. The existing print guides provide a good history of the crag).
The numbered routes are the major (best) lines.

Type: 
Crag
Altitude: 
150m
Aspect: 
South
Walk time: 
10-15 min
Access: 

ACCESS UPDATE, 23 APRIL 2013

The crag is now officially open with the City Council's blessing.

This crag is on the Lyttelton Harbour side of the hills, above Livingstone Bay. Drive to Evans Pass on the Summit Road, and drive 3km towards Godley Head. Park in a layby directly above Taylor's Mistake on the Lyttelton side, next to the two large watertanks, use the stile that accesses the Crater Rim Walkway, then follow a sheep track horizontally westward towards Lyttelton above a couple of rocky spurs until you glimpse the profile of the Wall – an awesome sight! Continue on the track around the top of a broad gully, then drop down the gulley and traverse across to the bottom of the wall.

Lat/Lon: 
-43.594907430000, 172.764557700000
NZMS260: 
N36 910347
Topo50: 
BX24 810 731
@@@@@@
Reference Title Grade Length Quality Bolts Gone Natural pro Link to edit content
Jane Fonda from Behind 15
0
1 wire representing trad
Climb the chimney on to the wall behind Debauchery.
Stu McConney
The Penetrator 21 16m
1.02
2bolts 1 wire representing trad 1
Past two chastity-bolts to establish yourself in the thin overhanging crack. Finish right. Good pro. THE TOP HALF OF THIS CLIMB HAS FALLEN DOWN
Guy Cotter, 1989
Resurrection 20 25m
1.02
8bolts
Scramble into the gully on the Left side of the crag. Cruise up the system of ledges, staying to the left of the arête. Good fun!
Tony Burnell, 2015
1 Meat Injection 20 25m
1.02
4bolts wire representing trad
The arete that forms the left edge of the crag. The first half is bulgey and the second half is a more pronounced arete that is climbed on the right-hand side. Some trad gear may be required before the final bolt, which can be placed out right.
John McCallum, 1986 (first half)
2 Polish The Cucumber 19 28m
2.01
3bolts wire representing trad
Up the brown groove past three bolts, then the thin crack to steep section, and finish up groove and semi-detached pillar to belay station at top of crag on the right. Good protection. Blocks and pillar at the top seem solid but please treat them with caution.
Roger Parkyn, 1986
3 Debauchery 18 25m
2.01
wire representing trad 1
Start up Purity of Essence, but join Polish the Cucumber at the halfway block/rest. An excellent all-trad climb. The original climb traversed left to a crack on the far left of the wall, but since the buttress at the left end of the crag fell off this version no longer exists.
Henry Mares, 1977 (original)
4 Purity Of Essence 21 30m
2.01
wire representing trad
Start on the faint buttress, up to thin crack in brown rock, then head rightwards and up on white rock past the broken plate feature. Best to head for the bolt anchor of the sport routes to the right. Original line finished up past a small overhang feature further right. Protection is sparse but adequate, has a reputation for boldness.
Richard Thomson, 1986
5 Whacking Moles 21 25m
2.01
8bolts 1
A very relaxing proposition. Climb past the left edge of the hole/cave feature. Follow the bolts. Great, fun climbing, and easy for the grade.
Joe Arts, 2004
6 Wacking Wendy 22 26m
2.01
9bolts
Gentle pats on the bottom lead to greater excitement. The line of bolts just to the right of Whacking Moles. Skirts the right-hand edge of the large cave/scoop. Another fine, popular route with friendly bolting. The long run-out in the middle is as inexplicable as the missing 'h', but the climbing is of much lower difficulty on this section. The original route on this section of wall was Spanking Wendy (Guy Cotter, 1989), which has the same start as HFHF, but breaks left after the first bolt to the cave and climbs the headwall section of Wacking Wendy—it has been superceded by its neighbouring routes so that it's is now a pretty much redundant link-up that is never climbed.
Tony Burnell 2012 (first half)
7 Half Fact, Half Friction 22 26m
2.01
4bolts wire representing trad
A great route, but not popular due to the minimal bolting, (compared to the two generously bolted climbs of similar style just to the left.) Even the retrobolting hasn't increased its popularity. It's a little runout, but not dangerous. From the right-hand edge of the belay platform, climb up to the large scoop and first bolt. Then follow three more bolts on the awesome headwall. Marvel at the old homemade welded hangers, but clip the new stainless trubolts. DBB on the ledge. Watch out for Austrian ice axe belays.
Gavin Tweedie, 1992
8 Cleansing The Stone 22 28m
2.01
5bolts wire representing trad
Climb the left side of the black arête.
John McCallum, 1986
9 Joint Enterprise 27 29m
3
11bolts
Takes the left edge of the shield between CTS and VN to an easy section in the middle, and finishes up the inscrutable slabby headwall, following the line of 11 bolts. Equipped by Tom Adamson and Roland Foster.
Roland Foster, 9/4/2016
10 Video Nasty 22 25m
3
4bolts wire representing trad
Sustained wall-climbing up a slight right facing rib/corner. Small-medium cams and wires on the way to first bolt. Move up past another three bolts until climbing eases. From the 4th bolt step horizontally right across the slab and continue up easyish ground past a block (cam or wires) to top. DBB just below top of the wall.
Roger Parkyn, 1986
11 Lard of the Thighs 25 25m
2.01
6bolts wire representing trad
Technical climbing on small holds up the wall between Video Nasty and Armitage Shanks. From the good ledge at the fifth bolt move straight up to the rooflet and rib (avoid the temptation of climbing right into Armitage Shanks), then past the sixth bolt and finish as for Video Nasty (small to medium cams, and/or small wire required).
Tony Burnell
12 Armitage Shanks 23 25m
2.01
5bolts wire representing trad
A great, sustained route. Starts near the bottom of the rock staircase, angles left and up through the slight groove around the left of the FTTR headwall. Finish as for Video Nasty.
James Moar, 1986
13 Flock To The Rock 27 20m
3
5bolts
A Canterbury classic. Starts as for Armitage Shanks, but go straight up and right after the first bolt, through the mini-roof feature and on up the wall above. Beautiful, technical climbing. Once the slab above is gained, most people step left and clip the final bolt of Armitage Shanks. Finishes up and right at the Feminine Positions anchor. The original line started in the vague groove feature to the right (just left of the Feminine Positions starting pillar), with a couple of wire placements before the first bolt. This version is grade 26.
Dave Fearnley, 1988 (original, right-hand start)
14 Feminine Positions 22 17m
1.02
4bolts
Starts at the top of the rock staircase at the black/brown column. The route climbs mostly to the right of the bolts. At the ledge after the fourth bolt, continue up and left for a ways on easy ground to a DBB. The original version of this climb started slightly further right (shared with Activated Sludge, and uses that route's first bolt). Would probably get three stars at any other Port Hills crag.
Ton Snelder, 1986 (original)
15 Activated Sludge 23 13m
1.02
2bolts wire representing trad
Climb up past two bolts, place a good wire, then hard moves heading up and right to anchors. The second bolt replaced a fixed copperhead ripped out by James Moar on a ground fall! Sustained.
Richard Thomson, 1986
16 L'Actic Ingredient 22 13m
1.02
3bolts
Trends up and right past three bolts. Direct start is 24 (Paul Tattersall 86), direct finish is also 24 (Dave Fearnley 88). Surprisingly safe for a Dr Death route.
Dave Fearnley, 1986
Day Tripper 20
0
6bolts
Start as for SH to the 3rd bolt, instead of moving right onto the arête climb directly up the brown streak to a bolt on a nose, move right and up before finishing up the slabby white wall to an anchor.
Tony Burnell, 2015
17 Spliffhanger 14 12m
0
3bolts
The corner right of L'actic Ingredient.
John McCallum & Chris Owens, 1995
The Big Trip 20
0
6bolts
Start in the alcove just right of SH. Bridge up the alcove and out over the roof to climb the wall to the belay ledge of SH. Three bolts lead the way across the white slab to gain the bottom of a groove, straight up the groove past three more bolts to an anchor up and the left.
Tony Burnell, 2015
Snotgobbler's Revenge 23 26m
0
4bolts wire representing trad 1
A long reach to pick the top nose. Start at the same place as The Artful Dodger. Move L up to a large wire placement, then R onto block. Straight up past three bolts, trying hard not to remove vital holds. Swing R at 3rd bolt and step onto protuberance. Continue straight up past 4th bolt on smaller holds. Big fall potential.
Steve Elder, 1990
Cinder Path 24 28m
0
7bolts 1
Start as for the Artful Dodger to its third bolt then break out left up the wall into a scoop below an overlap, over this and up the wall to a vague left facing corner. Continue up using the Gargoyles to a lower off just below the vegetated ledge, (at this point purists can move right round the rib to finish up “AD” ). NB it would be possible to clip the fourth bolt on “AD” only I did not see it and it would put some drag in the system.
Tony Burnell, 1996
The Artful Dodger 20 30m
2.01
10bolts 1 wire representing trad
A varied and interesting climb. Follow the R-trending ramp above the overhangs. Step around the corner and climb the obvious L-leaning ramp. Finish R of the bolt through the scoop and mantle. Eight bolts with hangers. Two ropes are useful. The top may have been altered by rockfall. Top section has fallen off.
Simon Middlemass, 1989
Triple Point 26 18m
0
6bolts
The steep archway on the left side of the Melting Point wall. Juggy moves through the overhang, then keep pressure constant to maintain equilibrium through top arete. Generally climbs on the left side of the bolt line. DBB.
Sefton Priestley (2018)
Dodger Direct 25
0
Follow the bolts to the ledge of Melting Point. Then up this or the Artful Dodger.
Tony Burnell, 1998
18 Melting Point 25 30m
3
12bolts wire representing trad 2
From icy-cool to jelly and eventual sublimation. Steady heat from bottom to top (except where you can sit down for a rest halfway). Start 8m R of the corner-overhang. Up slab, then trend left to slopey block ledge below overlaps, then straight up the wall above. Best route in Christchurch?
Bill McLeod, 1989
19 Tantra 26 28m
3
11bolts 1
The line right of Melting Point, which shares the first five bolts of that route, then goes right up to and through the overhang onto the headwall with lots of slopey holds and rad moves. Originally conceived and bolted by Simon Middlemass who was never going to climb it living in Wanaka. Renamed from Martyn's original hideous name.
Martyn Clarke, 1995
The Biscuit Factory 24 35m
0
10bolts
Takes a line right of MP and Ta, direct up the white slab and onto the biscuits. Through the rest on Ta to finish on the arête.
Tony Burnell, 2014
While You're Down There 14 35m
0
wire representing trad
Climbs the white wall just left of a crack to join the arête of OOTB at 1/3 height.
Stu McConney 1996
Out of the Blue 13
0
wire representing trad
Follow the arête all the way to the top. Stay left when passing the two bulges.
Lindsay Main, 1977

Places

Type Title Link to edit content
Wall The Left Wall (4 routes)
Wall The West Wall (3 routes)

This place appears in

UUID: 
9117d141-98f0-4bc0-ba26-0778357f45f3

Comments

Also Snotgobblers revenge damaged and no longer exists.
In place of these two climbs running left to right are:
Snap Crackle and Plop (20) 8 bolts
S'not that bad (23) 9 bolts
Rigor mortice (25) 9 bolts

The Artful dodger was earthquake damaged and no longer exists.

Jane Fonda cimbing guide added, please download and use, please do not upload to climbing websites or data bases