The Valley
45-60min
All Day
Introduction
An extensive area in a beautiful alpine valley. A range of boulders including pinnacles, steep blobs and caves. The boulders will have shade or sun on some faces all day.
Access
Follow the creek line from the main area and you will first get to Bone Tomahawk. From here walk around the small knoll and you will be into the valley proper. Looking at Office Cowboy boulder.
Bone Tomahawk
This is the first boulder you get to as the creek flattens out. It has one amazing line up the steep overhanging face and some easier stuff on the downhill side. Down climb off the uphill side to get down.
This boulder was definitely climbed on the 2012 trip but no information was recorded. So the problems written up here are based on recent ascents with no prior knowledge.
An amazing line up the steep overhang. Unique for the area having only one option for holds. Sit start as low and left as possible matched on the conglomerate tufa. Move up this and onto the broken feature before making a big dynamic move to the awesome limestone rail. Two more big move's to crimps will get you to the top.
Start up Bone Tomahawk and when you reach the awesome jug in the middle of the wall you bust out right via some punchy moves!
Start under the highest part of the boulder and head up to the top of Bone Tomahawk.
Straight up the highest part of the face.
Just behind the Bone Tomahawk boulder there is a miniature version. Start seated and slap up both aretes, turned out to climb quite well.
Mo Bassett 27.01.2022
Office Cowboy
This boulder is one of the first in the Valley when following the creek. You will first see the overhanging arete if looking towards the Lyell summit from the creek, there is some obvious diagonal breaks. To get down either down climb the upper rising traverse or bum slide down the slabby arête.
Easy up the slab arete with a balancy high step to start.
Ben Thorp 16.12.2021
Start under the top point of the slab arete on some nice large pebbles, move up into the break and follow it to the top. Hardest move is towards the top and it feels quite high.
Ben Thorp 16.12.2021
On the right hand end of the boulder heading straight up. Some nice moves to start, with a committing mantle too slab type move up high, then finish grabbing the arete.
Mo Bassett 16.12.2021
SDS under the overhanging arete, some nice big moves and holds with an easy finish.
Mo Bassett 16.12.2021
On the Lyell summit side of the boulder there is two obvious rising traverse's. This one is done with hands in the middle break going right round the arete to top out.
Ben Thorp 16.12.2021
On the Lyell summit side of the boulder there is two obvious rising traverse's. This one is done with hands in the upper break and feet in the lower, topping out the end of the break.
Mo Bassett 16.12.2021
Dirty Harry
This boulder has a gentle slab on the Owen side and a vertical face with a fairly sharp but dirty arete on the Lyell side. It still needs a good clean to get the full value out of the problems. Best option down is to go down the slab and drop off onto a pad.
From Office Cowboy head up the hill and trending slightly towards the mine and you will come to this boulder. From the back it's a bit hard to discern but past it, up the hill it looks like a diamond standing on it's point
Straight up the face via some nice crimps and side pulls. With some cleaning this could be worth an extra star, quite nice moves.
Mo Bassett 16.12.2021
Rising traverse from right to left with both hands and a foot on the arete as needed. Looks very dirty but climbs well.
Mo Bassett 16.12.2021
Rodeo Boulder
This is a large boulder sitting on top of a small one with some obvious aretes and an overlapped face that was made to be traversed. Plenty of projects left on the main boulder.
Further up the hill behind High Noon.
Start on the boulder and step onto the face then traverse the break to join Too Old For This Rodeo.
Straight up the main arete, slapping around the bulge to start then an esay but scary top-out.
On the small boulder the main sits against. Hang start as far in the cave as you can, punch through the obvious holds and head up.
Mo Bassett 03.01.2022
Crappy Westerns
A low boulder getting higher from right to left, just behind dirty harry.
SDS right of the arete on the nice pebbles, head up then round the arete onto the left face and top out.
Liam W 03.01.2022
Same start as crappy Westerns but head straight for the top of the arete instead of going onto the face.
Richard Cardinale 03.01.2022
High Noon
This is a large, high, blocky looking boulder with a nice overhanging face on the Owen side that has a lot of problems still to do. Downclimb the obvious groove on the uphill/Lyell side.
This boulder is roughly in the middle of the flat section of The Valley. From Office Cowboy head a few hundred meters towards the Lyell summit and you will see the overhanging face.
On the left side of the boulder just downhill of the arete, start standing under the overlaps and straight up.
Mo Bassett 16.12.2021
On the left arete of the overhanging face, nice moves up the large pebbles and a side pull or two. Fairly high with a tricky move to get to the slab top out.
Mo Bassett 16.12.2021
On the left side of the boulder but to the right of the obvious crack. Start standing with a good left under cling and move up through the quartz edges.
Mo Bassett 11.01.2022
A great problem going straight up the highest part of the boulder. The crux is potentially the last move before topping out. All cleaned ready to go.
Yellowbelly
The boulder has a great easy purple slab and and a nice thin vertical yellow face.
This boulder is on the Owen side of the valley area, heading back towards the false summit of the main area. When standing at High Noon looking towards Owen you should be able to see the purple slab on the right side of the boulder. There is a smaller boulder sitting in front of the yellow face that makes the landing from it a bit sketchy.
Yellowbelly Front
Up the right side of the face past some good pebbles and then rocking over onto the slab.
Straight up the knobbly face to a scary top-out.
Mo Bassett 03.01.2022
Yellowbelly Slab
Up the edge of the slab utilising the overlap as a left undercling.
A great problem up the best bit of the slab.
Wild West Warm Up
A wide, low, easy angled boulder with some good warm ups and quality rock. Good introduction to the area. Once entering The Valley head further up on the right side of the creek for maybe 100m past the level of Office Cowboy.
On the right end.
Liam W 03.01.2022
Slightly right of center with a couple of nice holds.
Mo Bassett 03.01.2022
Up the center with a nice pocket.
Liam W 03.01.2022
On the left end past the bulge.
Mo Bassett 03.01.2022
Starting at the far right and finishing left of the bulge, without using the lip.
Mo Bassett 03.01.2022
Wild West Project
At the back left corner of the Wild West Warm up boulder there is another boulder that might have a harder project or 2. The landing is in a bit of a hole. On the other side it also has a very easy face but it's mostly purple limestone so fairly unique.
Straight up the middle.