> Will's Climbing Page > Crags > Blue Mountains > Lower Shipley

Lower Shipley

The Word: A smattering of classics.
Sun/shade: Sun from midday.
Wet weather options: None.
Style of Climbs: Multipitch trad and mixed.
Grades: 17-25
Best Route(s): Clockwork Orange (*** 20), St Valentine's Day Massacre (*** 23)

The Details: A less popular crag, though thats probably only because of the abseil access. The routes themselves look great, with plenty of potential for more. St Valentines Day Massacre looks good but bloody hard at the start, Nuclear Winter and Slingshot also look good. The goodlooking sportroute just right of CO does go to the top, is apparently 24/25 and the bolts are falling out!!

Access: 10min walk plus rap-in. Walk down as for Shipley Upper, and 5m before the Giles Bradbury Memorial Stretch, turn L and follow the path down into the gully. The rap anchor is 3 carrots around to the right (facing out), and its easiest to fix a single strand rap (approx 40m) and collect your rope after topping out.

*** Clockwork Orange 61m 20 (OS)
Absolutely magnificent. Its the obvious cliff splitting corner in awesome orange rock, easily found 50m right of the rap. 1) 20m 19 A committing undercut start on chalked holds just R of corner, protected by some good, though small, wires. Step L to corner, tenuous bridging and more small wires. Sidepull past offwidth slot, then easier over bulges with great gear and great rock, then step L to pull undercut slab move. Belay where corner becomes left-facing. 2) 25m 20 Imposing, and on simply magnificent orange rock. Up low angled slab 2m L of corner crack for 8m to overhang. Overhanging layback moves to bridging stance under roof and great #3 camalot in obvious roof slot. Brilliant and fairly easy undercling moves round roof, then slightly overhung laybacking for 2m to bridging stance (big wire, cams). Above lies the long crux section up steepening territory on loose fingers and laybacks. Some poor bridging rests can be obtained by scrabbling some smearing feet on either face, and it helps if you can do the splits! Steepening laybacks upwards and outwards, then latch jugs on the right arete, and to ledge. A brilliant, solid pitch. 3) 15m 17 Harder than it looks! Can be linked thru from pitch 2. Tricky off ledge, then shallow jams and odd stemming to the top. NB: From the first belay there are easy slabs 15m left, worth keeping in mind for people who can't get up CO.