The
following routes are seldom in condition and therefore not often
climbed. Not
very much is known of what they are actually like. That said
they
probably give very good climbing for a few weeks every year.
Good
snowfalls would be essential. All are normally rock routes.
Cleft Peak: Frontal Route
(Godbold’s Route)
Grade:
III WI 3
F3 not confirmed.
First
ascent: B. Godbold, A.
Millard and N. Millard (née Bokenham).
July 1946.
Time:
A full day.
This route may be approached in
various ways - none of them easy. Route finding is simplest if you
follow the
crest of the ridge leading up from near Tseke
Hut.
This approach has a lot of thick bush in the lower stages and requires
bypassing rocky knolls higher up - not recommended. The easiest
approach is to
cut across the spurs starting near the stream at the sharp bend in the
contour
path between junctions C7 and C8. One can also traverse from Camel
Pass
along below the main wall. Whichever approach you
use ends up near
the base of the huge rock wall to the left (east) of the massive cleft.
Walk to
the right and scramble up a couple of short grassy/icy gullies to reach
a large
nose of rock some 100m left of a point directly below the start of the
cleft.
Climb up on broken rock and grass/snow on the right of the nose. This
involves
about 60m of exposed, unpleasant scrambling which leads to a chimney on
the
right. From the top, walk across a good ledge leading to the
right. There
is a small bivvy cave
midway along this ledge. Follow
the ledge further to the right and around into the cleft. The
cleft
itself is then climbed. This simply involves a series of icy chimneys,
separated by easy snow slopes. The final chimney is short and
overhanging
with two good cracks. It is at least F3 but may be bypassed by making a
few
moves out of the main cleft on the right wall and then around and up an
easy
gully, parallel to the main cleft, to reach the top.
Ref: MCSA Journal 1946, pg 35.
Champagne Castle South Gully
Route
Grade III
2
E
First ascent: D. Watkins, P.
Richards, J. B. Anderson and R. Denny. July 1955.
Time: About 3 hours to the top.
From Keith Bush Camp walk upstream
for about one hour to a major fork. The gully on the left leads up to
the
Monk's Cowl - Champagne
Castle nek and the gully on
the right leads straight up the north
west
face of Champagne
Castle.
Climb the
snow gully, with a couple of E grade rock pitches, to reach the top of
the
escarpment about 500m from the highest point of Champagne Castle.
Descend via
Grey's Pass.
Ref: MCSA
Journal 1955, pg 39.
Cathkin South Gully (Standard Route)
Grade: III
2 E
First ascent: G.T. Amphlett,
W.C. West, Father A.D. Kelly, T. Casement, Tobias
and Melatu. 12
September 1912.
Time: 7 hours from Keith Bush Camp.
From Keith
Bush, walk up to the nek
between Cowl and Cathkin
and descend some 150m on the Injasuti
side. Traverse into the gully just above the large wash away. Do not
try to
take a shortcut on the small higher ledge.
The first
rock band on the left of the gully is broken by a grass gully, which is
followed up and right to the next main ledge. Snow and ice
could be
encountered from top to bottom on this entire route. Where
grass or rock
is mentioned, it could in fact be covered by ice at times.
A narrow
grass ramp then leads up and left to open grass slopes, until a small
rock band
forces one into the gully itself via an exposed traverse. Continue up
avoiding
the waterfalls until a large recess is reached. Scramble up the centre,
past a
small cave on your left hand side, and then traverse 15m leftwards
above the
cave (C+) to reach a knife edge or arête. This can be very tricky in
winter.
Follow this to the base of a chimney. Climb this chimney to a small
grassy
stance (crux, E if dry). This pitch could prove very difficult in icy
conditions. Climb another short crack and traverse left across sloping
rocks
until a steep but easy face is reached. Climb to the top. Note: The
following
variation is often used when the chimney is wet or iced up. (Opened by Mervyn Gans
1977). Start at
the same level as the foot of the chimney and 10m to the right.
(1) F1 10m.
There is a short crack with a block sticking out of it about 2m above
the
ground. Climb the crack to a cubbyhole;
move left,
then up, using high handholds. Scramble up to the foot of the next
sheer face.
(2) F1 40m.
Traverse right for about 3m, moving around a delicate corner. Climb
straight up
a recessed face (open book), continue to the top.
Descend via
the same route, with the number of abseils depending on conditions. An
alternative descent is via the south east ridge.
Ref.: MCSA
Journal 1913, pg 79; 1937, pg 77; 1986, pg 51.