The Feb 22nd Earthquake has caused major damage at the crag! There has been major rockfall. THERE ARE LOOSE ROCKS TOTTERING ABOUT THESE CRAGS, EAGERLY WAITING TO SKANK YOU! Aftershocks are feature at the moment. USE YOUR BRAINS AND STAY CLEAR!
Update 28 April 2014. Crag remains very dangerous with numerous large boulders scattered down the hillside and mass destruction to all but a few climbs. This crag is likely closed forever.
Punk Rock is an interesting diversion from the mainstream of rockclimbing society. This is a small cliff at Sumner, a few miles east of Christchurch. The climbs are mostly well defined jam cracks (exemplified by the classic New Reality Jam Session), but a few routes have been established on walls and incipient cracks. Subsequent sport routes have been added.
History
Considered worthless for many years, the cliff was climbed on by John McCallum and Lindsay Main in early 1979. It received little other attention throughout most of the mid-80s and 90s, with the exception of one new route by Marcus Thomas. The exceptionally hot and dry summer of 1997/1998 prompted a new wave of interest, with several new routes added.mostly well defined jam cracks (exemplified by the classic New Reality Jam Session), but a few routes have been established on walls and incipient cracks.
More routes mainly sport routes have been added 2009 as well as some exsisting routes tidyed up
Sumnervale Drive is at the back of Sumner valley. The cliff is about 100m above the road end to the west, above Sumnervale Drive
Alternatively, park down by the end of the Captain Thomas Walkway and wander along this above the houses until you can cut up the hill to the crag. A little slower, but much less strenuous and less likely to annoy landowners.
Routes
Reference | Title | Grade | Length | Pro | Quality | Alert | Operations |
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Drack, 22 | 22 | ||||||
Minor and obscure; undoubtedly not repeated. A thin overhanging crack |
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Mange Tous, 17 | 17 | ||||||
/Fifty metres left of the turn in the crag is a small buttress split on its |
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God Save The Queen, 16 | 16 | ||||||
/Twenty metres right are two low overhanging noses with orange lichen and a |
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Changing The Guard, 13 | 13 | ||||||
Up the groove right of the right nose, skirt the large roof on the right,
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Heading For Sydney, 16 | 16 | ||||||
Wide crack on the left end. |
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PND | PNDPunk's Not Dead | ||||||
At the left hand end of the main part of the crag. Three bolts. Marcus Thomas |
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LP | LPLow Profile | ||||||
The right edge of the prominent red-brown buttress. Over the big blocks |
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Manipulations, 19 | 19 | ||||||
Start just left of Devo and and climb through the overhang to the ledge of |
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DEVO, 14 | 14 | ||||||
The right-facing chimney on the edge of the buttress. Either finish in a |
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AD | ADArcadian Driftwood | ||||||
The crack immediately right of Devo. Exit either left as for D (14), or right |
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Phlebotomist, 23 | 23 | ||||||
A direct line up the centre of the slab right of Arcadian Driftwood, with pro |
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Rhythm 'n' Blues, 20 | 20 | ||||||
The curving crack, finishing up the steep elbow-shaped crack.Lower-off from |
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Voodoo, 19 | 19 | ||||||
Start at the weakness on an arete. Climb the right wall following jugs up the |
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Ce | CeCascade | ||||||
Climb the right-facing corner, moving left around a small bulge. Above the |
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Left Edge, 17 | 17 | 3 | |||||
on left edge of Punktuation slab now has a third bolt of its own to cut down a run out |
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Solstice, 16 | 16 | ||||||
Start as for Cascade, but move into the incipient right crack (wires). |
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P | PPunctuation | ||||||
5 bolts and a lower-off. Stick clip the first bolt unless you have 3 arms. |
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New Wave, 16 | 16 | ||||||
A thin crack up a wall, then over blocks. Takes small wires well then 3 bolts |
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D | DDiscombobulation | ||||||
The groove, roof and crack right of New Wave. Poorly protected.Best to finish |
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EA | EAEcstacy Air | ||||||
Looks OK. Lower-off |
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Solipsism, 14 | 14 | ||||||
Up a right-facing corner left of a lichen-covered slab (crux) and over blocks |
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NJS | NJSNew Reality Jam Session | ||||||
The obvious left-leaning crack through a bulge. Start either up the wall just |
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Questioning Reality, 24 | 24 | ||||||
direct finish to NRJS, 4 bolts. Sefton Priestly '99 |
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Cw | CwClaws | ||||||
A right facing corner with a bulge at the top. Lower-off Lindsay Main '79 |
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Vulgate Revamped, 18 | 18 | ||||||
Wall and crack to the right. Steep finish on good holds. Details uncertain. |
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Anathema, 13 | 13 | ||||||
The name is a hint. A wall on good holds to a wide crack. Dirty at the |
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P | PParagon | ||||||
An easy angled route following a crack up a buttress. Start at the lowest |
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Exit Strategy, 18 | 18 | ||||||
Crack to overhanging bay. Well named. Good pro, finish up buttress of Bits |
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Bits and Bolts, 19 | 19 | ||||||
Climbs tiny corner on arete R of Paragon, bolt, then wires and small cams to |
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Negative Conditioning, 12 | 12 | ||||||
Short right-facing corner with bridging to the right. cleanish with |
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Positve Reinforcement, 15 | 15 | ||||||
Arete with 3 bolts plus anchor bolt of next climb with a long sling for last
Has an extra low bolt to protect the move off the ledge |
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Go for pro, 19 | 19 | ||||||
Start at toe of buttress, up flake crack avoiding stepping into Negative C, |
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Schmeling to the Max, 19 | 19 | ||||||
The blunt arete, starting from the fallen block on its right side, and past |
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GWH | GWHThe Great White Hope | ||||||
Climb the right-facing corner below the big roofs and out the left side on |
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Don't Look Back, 22 | 22 | ||||||
Up the left corner and out the left-leading roof crack on jams. Little for |
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The Truest Sport, 19 | 19 | ||||||
Up the right corner and through the roof to the right using the wide |
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Sidestep, 11 | 11 | ||||||
Start on the slab just right of TTS and move right up to a thin crack and |
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BB | BBBarbarous Bolters | ||||||
The wall left of Parlance. Has an extra bolt and then pro - med wires will |
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Parlance, 19 | 19 | ||||||
The left of two overhanging thin cracks. A bolt now protects the bouldery |
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M | MMaindrain | ||||||
The right crack Awkward straight crack, but eats small cams around the |
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Elbow-bender, 17 | 17 | ||||||
An irregular crack over a bulge, then left and up the wall. Gear in |
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Plantagenet, 14 | 14 | ||||||
The left of two corners. Straightforward climbing with a move to the left at |
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T | TTreasury | ||||||
The right corner. A broken start, then a short steep crack to the left facing |
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Lickin' Lichen, 16 | 16 | ||||||
Has an extra bolt so no gear needed. Lower-off |
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A Clutch of Grass, 17 | 17 | ||||||
Crack over bulge. Now much cleaner, takes good pro and has its own lower-off |
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JP | JPJiggery Pokery, 21 | 21 | |||||
now has 4 bolts
3 metres right of treasury |
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Return of the Dinosaurs, 21 | 21 | ||||||
Climb to the base of the final crack of ???? Move left on to the steep
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Once were Worriers, 18 | 18 | ||||||
Climb the obvious crack left of the large clump of ferns. Continue up the |
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Crappy Crack, 17 | 17 | ||||||
As per name but cleaned to allow a turfless finish to OWW. Start up the |
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Aged Arete, 16 | 16 | ||||||
3 bolts plus med wire near the top. Rings on FC or chains on CC |
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Fern Crack, 14 | 14 | ||||||
Pro, try to avoid clipping the bolts on the next climb . Rings |
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Kids Arete, 17 | 17 | ||||||
4 bolts contrived as very near veg and edge, but a safe lead. Lower-off rings |