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<guide>
<text class="heading1">Flange Buttress</text><text class="text"
        new="false"
        number="null.">Flange Buttress is a popular crag with a large number of quality routes. It is the compact reddish buttress that forms the southern end of the Columns. The deep chimney of Brown Madonna flags the RH end and start of Flange Buttress, while Pooch Gully marks the LH end. To access, walk L along the Organ Pipes Track from the junction of the carpark access track, for about 150m to a cut path leading up R (GPS:0519849 5250698) . There is usually a cairn to mark the spot. Most routes finish on the big ledge at the top of Brown Madonna.
Descent: There is a rap station at the very top of Bert's Fear (15m) which leads back down to a 50m abseil from the Brown Madonna Ledge. 
</text><climb
        extra="↓" grade="19" length="49m" name="Brown Madonna"
        new="false" number=""
        stars="***">Quality and quantity. Above the prominent deep chimney is a sustained crack and corner climb of gob-smacking brilliance. Climb the chimney to where it narrows before traversing out and up. Continue up the imposing crack line and blind corner to the large ledge and rap anchors. K. Carrigan, G. Child, Feb. 1978.</climb><climb
        extra="Þ ↓" grade="26" length="55m" name="Pleasant Screams"
        new="false" number=""
        stars="***">'Tasmania's To Bolt or Not To Be'. The mind-blowing face L of Brown Madonna. (1) 20m 25. The first ascent was made by starting up After Midnight, but now you can start at the bottom of the face, climbing the flaky wall, moving towards the right arête after 10 m and back left to a hanging belay. An eminently good pitch to work in its own right. The flakes are reputed to have resulted from the 1967 bushfire and provide good reason for wearing a helmet (although they aren't sufficient to detract from this great pitch). (2) 35m 26. Continue up the amazing face above past another 12 U's, at 2/3 height move R into Brown Madonna before returning to the line and up to the anchors. S. Edwards, Dec. 1996.</climb><climb
        extra="Þ ↓" grade="29 " length="50m "
        name="Pleasant Screams Direct " new="false" number=""
        stars="***">The Direct version starts up the true first pitch (grade 25) and is a single mega pitch to the top. There is a reasonable rest after the first pitch's crux on a large foot hold and some hand jams about 2 bolts below the original hanging belay anchors. From here, once you cannot stand hanging around any longer, just keep to the line of bolts. It may be possible to circumvent a hard move to reach a crimper match at bolt 13 (much harder for people less than 6 feet tall) by going out left, but on the first ascent the line was climbed direct. Between bolts 17 and 18 the line comes close to Brown Madonna, but you must stay on the face and not move further R to jugs and rests in Brown Madonna. This is the Serpentine of Tasmania and is truly amazing. No move is harder than grade 27, but there are several very technical hard sections with side pull rests between and it is sooooo looong. Certainly the hardest pitch on the Pipes and the most sustained on dolerite to date. S. Parsons, 18 March 2007</climb><climb
        extra="Þ ↓" grade="24" length="50m" name="After Midnight"
        new="false" number=""
        stars="***">A modern classic that is consistent quality all the way. Demonstrates what can be done with school holidays and a nickel-cadmium power-pack. The arête between Brown Madonna and Digitalis. Fifteen quick draws required en-route plus something to clip into the abseil anchors. S. Edwards, Jan. 1995.</climb><climb
        extra="↓" grade="18" length="62m" name="Digitalis" new="false"
        number=""
        stars="***">A distinctive line with a very unlikely traverse. Start at the first crack system around the arête L of Brown Madonna. (1) 26m. Climb the crack past small overhanging chockstone and continue past large flake to belay at base of corner. (2) 36m. Bridge and jam up to a bush and traverse boldly out L to arête. Continue up trending L, past large loose flake to belay. Descent: scramble R to the rap station at the top of Brown Madonna. J. Moore, R. Williams. FFA: D. Bowman, M. Steane, Dec. 1977.</climb>
<climb
        extra="↓" grade="20" length="40m" name="The Cuts"
        stars="**">A brilliant and intimidating line on the arête and face between Big Sticks and Beatings and Digitalis. Step L off the ledge at the start of Digitalis to head up face to arête at 15m. Continue up just R of arête through thin moves (crux), then run it out to the small ledge. Climb the corner above which merges with Digitalis (1/2-3/4 cam important) or alternatively traverse L along ledge, around arête to the bolt belay on Neon God. Face and Arête: D. Stevenson, J. Otlowski, 1996; Corner: H. &amp; M. Jackson, Mar. 1998. </climb><climb
        extra="↓" grade="21" length="40m" name="Big Sticks and Beatings"
        stars="**">A sustained excursion up the wall R of Neon God. Climb the thin crack moving R at 10m to pass the thin section. Continue up and climb the shallow corner, then traverse R to Digitalis. Abseil off or continue up Digitalis. N. Deka, S. Bunton, 1989.</climb><climb
        extra="Þ ↓" grade="25" length="50m" name="Neon God" new="false"
        number=""
        stars="**">The first pitch is popular with the masses. (1) 25m 22. Follow the straight line of U's on the wall to the R of Fiddlesticks. (2) 25m 25. Continue up the line past a thin and technical crux at about one third height. Rap anchors. S. Edwards, Jan. 1997.</climb><climb
        extra="Þ ↓" grade="23" length="25m" name=" The Holy Road"
        new="false" number=""
        stars="*">A less demanding RH alternative to the second pitch of Neon God. The crux is passing the second U-bolt. R. Parkyn, Jan. 1997.</climb><climb
        extra="↓" grade="14" length="55m" name="Fiddlesticks"
        stars="***">Sees a lot of traffic. One of the relatively few quality easier climbs on the Pipes and a classic. Its sunny aspect adds to its attraction. Start 16m uphill and north of Bert's Fear, next to Neon God. Scramble up to the base of the corner containing twin cracks. (1) 30m. Straight up the corner and belay in the notch. (2) 25m. Either climb the flakes on the wall and traverse R into the main crack line or step directly into the line from near the belay. Follow the line until you either step around the arête to climb the LH wall or continue up the vee-groove to a large ledge and Brown Madonna rap station. Very classy climbing. T. Terry, G. Wyatt, 1967.</climb><climb
        extra="↓" grade=" 21 " length="30m" name="Stick to it "
        new="false" number=""
        stars=""> Climb the first pitch of Fiddlesticks to small roof on the left wall, at half height. Traverse left, pull through roof then follow thin cracks above. FA D Gray, May 2004
</climb><climb
        extra="Þ ↓" grade="25" length="35m"
        name="Chop Sticks The Sequel" new="false" number=""
        stars="**">Start at the base of Fiddlesticks and climb the L arête. Straightforward climbing past a couple of small to mid size friends and a bolt leads to the Precarious ledge, followed by excellent arête climbing on good rock (one of the bolts is around on the RH face but stay on the arête). Take a large wire or 0.5 Camelot for higher up. DBB on final pillar. First 8m climbed by H. &amp; M. Jackson, Jan 2000, (as Chop Sticks 18). FA A. Williams, D. Gray, May 2004.</climb><climb
        extra="↓" grade="20" length="40m" name="Precarious" new="false"
        number=""
        stars="***">Persistence always pays off and this route is no exception. Start 7m R of Bert's Fear at a shallow corner. (1) 30m (Crux). Climb the corner past an awkward move to a ledge. Step R, organise your &quot;pro&quot; and climb a short face to the next ledge. (2) 10m. Climb L and up to abseil point. A. Keller, M. Tillema, 1969. FFA: I. Baker, D. Bowman, Feb. 1979.</climb><climb
        extra="Þ ↓" grade="23" length="20m" name="Alex's Thing"
        new="false" number=""
        stars="*">An alternative addition to the old classic. (1) Climb the first pitch of Precarious to the belay. (2) Climb from the R of the ledge and up the bolted arête. Either abseil off a large hakea or continue up Fiddlesticks to Brown Madonna rap station. Bolted by Alex Wilson, FA A. Williams, E Bradley, March 2004 (but climbed by Alex later - the red tag must have fallen off!)</climb><climb
        extra="↓" grade="12" length="120m" name="Bert's Fear"
        stars="**">Body chimneys are not everybody's cup of tea or are they? The distinct chimney 10m R of the lowest point of Flange Buttress makes for an interesting day out. (1) 20m. Climb the narrow slit-like chimney to a good stance. (2) 25m. Climb up the even narrower chimney on the LH side of the buttress above to access the crest of the ridge. (3) 30m. Follow the broken buttress to a tree and up the steeper wall above to the Brown Madonna ledge and rap station. (4) 45m. Follow the crest of the buttress above to the top. U. Aurelli, D. Cox, J. Fairhall, Mar. 1962.</climb><climb
        extra="" grade="20" length="30m" name="Spitters"
        stars="*">A serious undertaking. The scary wall between Bert's Fear and Just a Little Bit Longer. Climb diagonally L on dubious face holds to a flake in the middle of the wall (marginal pro.) Move up to a small roof, pull around this into a groove and then hard moves lead to a corner crack. Continue up wall to belay as for Just a Little Bit Longer. Abseil off from tree. D. Fife, S. Parsons, et al, Nov. 1982</climb><climb
        extra="" grade="19" length="30m" name="Just A Little Bit Longer"
        new="false" number=""
        stars="*">Thought provoking face climbing on loose terrain. The face route about 5m L of Bert's Fear and immediately R of the arête. Climb the thin line for 6m, trend slightly L and head for a spike on the arête (crux). Gear placements among the tenuous flakes do little to inspire confidence, although the gear improves dramatically the closer you get to the spike. Continue up on the other side of the arête for 2m then back R and follow the corner system to belay at a tree. Descend by abseil from tree. S. Parsons, K. Bischoff, Apr. 1981.</climb><climb
        extra="" grade="21" length="15m" name="Ring of Fire"
        stars="*">Balancy test piece roughly following the arête (on its L face) between Just a Little Bit Longer and Slippery Sensation. A bombproof #3 RP (in a groove on the arête) protects the crux on an otherwise run-out climb. Continue up Just a Little Bit Longer after the spike on the arête is reached. Descend by abseil from tree. M. &amp; H. Jackson, Mar. 1998.</climb><climb
        extra="↓" grade="20" length="30m" name="Slipper"
        stars="**">Start as for Slippery Sensation. Climb the RH crack for 7m and instead of traversing L into the LH crack, go straight up the wall. Near the top traverse toward the bush on the L. Descend by abseil from tree. K. &amp; P. Robinson, Jan. 1998.</climb><climb
        extra="↓" grade="21" length="25m" name="Slippery Sensation"
        new="false" number=""
        stars="**">Provides a guaranteed workout. Around the arête L of Just a Little Bit Longer is a thin crack line splitting the steep south facing wall. Climb the RH crack for 7m, move into the LH one and continue up into a scoop. Finger jam through the bulge and continue to just below a bush. Traverse L and around the arête to belay at the U-bolt rap station at the top of Nefarious (25m rap). S. Parsons, K. Bischoff, A. Wing, Apr. 1981.</climb><climb
        extra="Þ ↓" grade="22" length="25m" name=" Nefarious"
        new="false" number=""
        stars="***">A quality route for the sport-heads. The arête and face between Pooch Gully and Slippery Sensation. The crux is towards the top (some of the anchors after this are not visible from below). Rap anchors. R. Parkyn, Jan. 1996.</climb><climb
        extra="Þ ↓" grade="24" length="20m" name="Drama Queen"
        new="false" number=""
        stars="">Straight up the nose of the minor buttress 10m L of Nefarious. A crack (natural gear) leads up to the arête (3 U-bolts). Rap anchors. S. Edwards, Jan. 1997.</climb><climb
        extra="↓" grade="8" length="100m" name="Pooch Gully" stars="">A vegetated access route to the top of Flange Buttress. The line can be varied at will. Follow the gully to the rap anchors at the top of Brown Madonna. P. Sands, J. Spinks, Mar. 1962.</climb></guide>