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<guide version="3">
  <header access="Approach via the Step Tier Track, which is signposted on the Organ Pipes Track.&lt;br/&gt;Descent: The Step Tier rap station is found at the top of Ophthalmia, (2 x 40m; 40m to sloping ledge between Lone Stranger and Ophthalmia, 40m to ground). Another set of rap anchors (U-bolts) exists at the top of Lone Stranger, 5m below and right of the Step Tier rap station. From here it is possible to access the main terrace between Opthalmia and Peacepipe (1 x 52m)." acknowledgement="" history="" intro="Step Tier offers several fine climbs, all virtually next door to each other. The tier is narrow with a conspicuous platform (the Step), a third of the way up the left prow. The base of Step Tier supports a large tilted slab, and the gully to the left is known as Teardrop Gully. " rock="Clean dolerite cracks up to 80m" sun="Morning sun" walk="15 min" camping="" autonumber="true" name="Step Tier" id="1"/>
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    <legend>
      <climb>10</climb>
      <climb>9</climb>
      <climb>7</climb>
      <climb>6</climb>
      <climb>5</climb>
      <climb>4</climb>
      <climb>3</climb>
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  <text class="text" id="19">The first two routes start from the top ot the step in the prow of the tier.</text>
  <climb name="Left Out" id="13" stars="***" extra="↓" length="50m" grade="21" fa="D. Fife, Pete Steane, Jan 1991." number="1.">A sustained pitch with a big reputation. Climbs the face, left of Moonraker's second pitch. Take some small cams. Starts from the step at the top of the first pitch of Moonraker. Traverse left on the horizontal break and down 5m below the step to the intermittent crack line. Up this and the face above for 20m to another horizontal break. Move left to the arête and climb up it to the shallow corner. Up this to The Colour of Magic DBB. Abseil from here down the wet gully or better still rap from Step Tier anchors above Ophthalmia.</climb>
  <climb name=" Sucked In" id="12" stars="**" extra="" length="45m" grade="23" fa="K. Robinson, C. Godfrey, Jan 2001." number="2.">A direct finish to Left Out. Instead of going left onto the arête at the higher horizontal break, continue straight up.</climb>
  <text class="text" id="17">Clutching at Straws starts on the wall of the left hand side of the prow, to the left of Mothers on Adrenalin. The start is best accessed from the right hand side of lower Teardrop Gully.</text>
  <climb name="Clutching at Straws         " id="18" stars="" extra="" length="28m" grade="17" fa="P. Robinson, C. (Basil) Rathbone, 5 Feb 2015." number="3.">Takes a crack line that leads to the step, broken by a ledge at 5m. Start on a grassy ledge at the base at a thin crack left of a short wall. Climb crack to a good hold and continue by using the V groove and/or by pinching the rib. Scramble up 3m past a bush and continue up the corner/V groove above. Easy climbing above to reach the step. Rap off from slings (28m) or continue up Moonraker.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</climb>
  <climb name="Mothers on Adrenaline" id="11" stars="" extra="" length="25m" grade="20" fa="D. Fife, 1996." number="4.">Follows cracks on the prow of the buttress left of Moonraker. Start as for Moonraker but instead of traversing, continue straight up and follow the prow to the Step at the foot of Moonraker Pitch 2. Finish up Moonraker or Left Out or abseil on slings (30m) back to the access ledge.</climb>
  <climb name="Moonraker" id="10" stars="***" extra="↓" length="77m" grade="16" fa="M. Douglas, R. Williams, Nov 1966. (1b1a): D. Hain, M. Dunstan, B. Kennedy, Jan 1975. (2b) H. Jackson, S. Joseph, 2011." number="5.">A seriousterrific day outclimb, this popular route followsclimbs the steepleft wall leftside of the wall prow.to Startthe onstep topand ofthen the pilesteep wall just left of the stackedprow. blocksStart at the far left -hand end of tier. &lt;br/&gt;1a. 30m 17. Alternative start. Climb the crack for 10m and then hand traverse right on the horizontal break to reach a cave and rejoin the original start. the main access terrace, at a pile of stacked blocks (The original route climbed the easy angled slab below the blocks (Grade 8) to join the terrace, but access is now very vegetated, and it is rarely climbed).&lt;br/&gt;1b1a. 30m 1617. OriginalAlternative start. Climb the finger crack on the left for 2m before travering10m and then hand traverse right acrosson the facehorizontal on break to rejoin the original start at the cave, or…&lt;br/&gt;1b.30m 15. Climb the crack for 2m before traversing right and up across the face on dubious rock to the next crack line. Up the crack to the cave then continue up the crack directly above to reach the 'step' of the tier. &lt;br/&gt;2a. 42m 16. Original variant. Follow the crack line up the steep wall left of the arête past an old pin. Keepingpiton (present in 2019). At a small ledge, either keep left of the prow all the way, followthrough the linebulge upand the walltight chimney intoto a chimney through large ledge or, better, step right onto a bulge, then continue up and through another bulge to exit onto a ledge onsmall ledge on the arête and climb the crack and short corner till a step back left over the corner joins the line left of the arête. &lt;br/&gt;2b. 42m 17. Face and ModernArête VariantVariation. Follow the original variant initially, before stepping right onto a From the belay head up and right to the arête and climb up boldly for 20m, mostly on the right side, to the small ledge just below the chimney. Climb the steep crack right of the prow, continuing up the steep terrain above until the line merges back into the original line. Exit onto the ledge on the arête. of Pitch 2a. Continue straight up, or step right onto a small ledge on the arête and climb the crack and short corner till a step back left over the corner joins the line left of the arête. &lt;br/&gt;3. 5m7m 14. Chimney up behind the pillar to finish at the Step Tier rap station at the back of the ledge, the top of Ophthalmia (2 x 40m).&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</climb>
  <climb name="One Way to the Moon" id="9" stars="" extra="↓" length="40m" grade="19" fa="A. Wilson, J. Otlowski, Dec 2001." number="6.">You'll need to escape earth's gravity first. The start is midway between Moonraker and Xenophanes. Climb the crack to the right side of the Moonraker 'hole', continue straight up the face and climb the black water-streaked wall with the thin cracks above. The gear is adequate but well spaced. Belay on the step as for Moonraker. Rap off using slings (30m).</climb>
  <climb name="Xenophanes" id="7" stars="**" extra="↓" length="80m" grade="17" fa="I. Lewis, D. Hain, Jan 1974." number="7.">A clean and consistent line that is genuinely thrilling. The second line right of the start of Moonraker. Take a #4 and #5 camelot if you have them.&lt;br/&gt;1. 24m 16. Climb the crack to a small sloping ledge. &lt;br/&gt;2. 30m 17. Up a short corner and face above to a ledge below a wide crack. Take a deep breath, climb the crack and establish yourself in the corner above (crux). Continue to a belay ledge. &lt;br/&gt;3. 26m 16. Follow the sensuous hand crack to a ledge, then up a short chimney behind a pillar to reach the rap chains.</climb>
  <climb name="Lone Stranger" id="6" stars="***" extra="↓" length="78m" grade="19" fa="K. Carrigan, I. Lewis, Jan 1974." number="8.">Test out your finger strength! The brilliant corner that takes the left hand of the two cracks in the middle of the Tier right of Xenophenese. &lt;br/&gt;1. 26m 16. Up a short groove, negotiate the suspect wall, then up twin cracks to left hand end of terrace. Climb the groove, then over a bulge to an alcove below the overhung corner. &lt;br/&gt;2. 26m 19. Bridge, hip smear and finger jam the steep corner to a large ledge (crux). &lt;br/&gt;3. 26m 18. Switch right to the natural continuation of the Ophthalmia line. Follow the crack round two roofs to the top. Traverse left 3m to Step Tier rap chains.</climb>
  <climb name="Ophthalmia" id="5" stars="**" extra="↓" length="81m" grade="18" fa="J. Moore, R. Williams, Mar 1967. Direct start: Phil Steane, Pete Steane, Oct 1982." number="9.">So named after the large quantities of loose dirt which once remained after the devastating 1967 bush fires. The route follows the right hand of two crack lines in the middle of the Tier that are 4m apart. The second pitch is steep and sustained and harder now the dead tree has departed. &lt;br/&gt;1. 24m 15. Climb the first pitch of Lone Stranger as far as the terrace. Traverse right 4m and belay at the foot of the prominent crack. A direct start climbs the blocky orange face directly below pitch two. &lt;br/&gt;2. 36m 18. Follow the line up into a chimney and a small bush (50-50 friend &amp; foe). Navigate past the bush and up the delightful crack above to large belay ledge. &lt;br/&gt;3. 21m 16. Switch to the left hand crack, which has two awkward moves past trees.</climb>
  <climb id="20" stars="" extra="" number="10." name="Conjunctivitis" length="58m" grade="22" fa="D. Rollins, L. Besnard, Mar 2013">Links Ophthalmia into the upper half of the wall to the right for a long pitch. Climb most of pitch 2 of Ophthalmia until just below the final bushes. From here, traverse right to the arête and then head up this and the face on the right to the major overlap. Bouldery moves through a finger crack in the bulge lead to a widening hand crack and a stance on the arête (#4 Camalot). A reachy move right gains the airy face which is climbed to the top.&lt;br/&gt;</climb>
  <climb name="Peacepipe" id="4" stars="*" extra="↓" length="80m" grade="16" fa="J. Friend, D. Bowman, Jan 1977." number="11.">Excellent, sustained climbing on the fourth major vertical line on the Tier, at the right hand end. Either start as for Lone Stranger or abseil in via the rap anchors at the top of Lone Stranger to the main terrace (1x 52m) and climb pitches two and three.&lt;br/&gt;1. 28m 15. Climb first pitch of Lone Stranger as far as the terrace and traverse right for 8m to the base of the crack system (the original line from the bottom to the terrace went up the loose and scrub filled corner on the far right).&lt;br/&gt;2. 24m 16. Up the open crack past an overhang (crux) formed by a large flake: the left hand variant via the small tree is about the same grade but a tad loose. Belay on the wide ledge (worth saving a medium sized cam or two for the belay).&lt;br/&gt;3. 28m 16. Continue up the interesting and sustained steep crack and chimney, moving right at the top over the chockstone. Belay at the trees. Traverse 8m horizontally left from here to the Step Tier rap anchor.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;</climb>
  <climb name="Sunday Morning Fever" id="3" stars="*" extra="" length="25m" grade="17" fa="A. Wilson, J. Otlowski, et al, Dec 2001." number="12.">The face to the right of the scrubby corner. Start to the left and then climb the cracks and flakes, staying on the middle of the face: it's a bit run out at the bottom. Belay to the left on the step at the tree. Rap from here also (tape).</climb>
  <climb name="Explorer" id="14" stars="" extra="" length="135m" grade="12" fa="J. Whelan, R. Williams, Oct 1966." number="13.">Take a GPS. A old wandering route of consistent standard. Starts as for the lower alternative start to Moonraker, at the very base of the crag, and climbs diagonally from left to right across the Tier. &lt;br/&gt;1. 18m. Up the slab. &lt;br/&gt;2. 20m. Up Moonraker 2m on good holds, then traverse diagonally right for 10m to the vertical groove. Up this for 6m. &lt;br/&gt;3. 10m. Move right onto the scrubby Terrace and traverse across into a deep vee-groove (Peacepipe Pitch 2). &lt;br/&gt;4. 25m. Chimney up the vee-groove as for Peacepipe, then move right up the nasty steep grassy slope and belay above the vegetation. &lt;br/&gt;5. 10m. Up the corner crack on the left to belay on a large shelf at foot of the irregular chimney. &lt;br/&gt;6. 30m. Follow the chimney over a bulge and into a deep recess. Continue up the wider chimney above and belay on a scrubby flat on top of the main buttress. &lt;br/&gt;7. 22m. Up a line of weakness to finish on a ridge leading to the top.</climb>
</guide>