146m, 5 pitches.
A superb route to the summit of Seven Wall. The name refers to a distinctive seven-shaped cave just to the right of the top pitch that can be seen prominently from the other side of the gully (not so obvious from below). Start horizontally right of an obvious large boulder (the first big one) in the middle of the broad shrub-filled gully bed gained by rough scrambling up slabs and earthy grooves from sea level. The route is fully bolted after the easy introductory traverse. All stances have double bolt belays/abseil stations.
1) 10 m. Traverse easily right to a stance in a groove.
2) 35 m 6b+. Climb the groove then slabs generally trending right until until difficult moves gain a prominent left-facing flake. From a few metres up the flake move right to the arete then follow the arete and the wall just to its left, to a semi-hanging stance.
3) 32 m 6a. Continue up the wall to slabs and follow them easily to large ledges.
4) 33 m 6a+. Surmount a short wall and follow slabs leftward until below a break in the overhangs. Go through the break to a groove. Move left to a smaller groove and up to another semi-hanging stance.
5) 36 m 6c+. Climb the wall above to gain the left hand side of the wide groove system that leads past the left hand side of the figure 7 (not obvious as such from here). Follow the left edge of the groove and then its left rib to flowstone and tufa. Climb the groove on the left of the tufa until it is possible to reach across to a good sidepull on its right (crux). Continue steeply to a niche. Exit this to the right and finish up the steep wall to an belay/abseil station just below the top (32 m to here). Continue easily for another 4 m to top out at a blocky summit on the crest of the ridge.
The easiest descent is by 4 abseils down the route from the stance just below the top. This is possible with a single 70 m rope: a single 60 m rope would certainly be too short. A single bolt has been placed on the summit to facilitate protecting the short downclimb back to the top abseil station. Care is needed at 2 points on the abseil. Pitch 4 is diagonal to keep to the diagonal line but we disturbed a hornets nest below the slabs with the rope and one climber was stung. To avoid this, try to prevent the end of the rope dropping below the bottom edge of the slabs until you are nearly at the ledge stance (top of P3). The last abseil reaches the first stance with a small amount of rope to spare (assuming a 70 m rope). The descent can be completed from here by an easy traverse but it is quicker to abseil diagonally to the left end of the traverse. In this case the rope does not quite reach tbe ground but it is easy to disengage and step down. The last climber should be careful to keep hold of one end of the rope!
Alternatively there are easy slopes on the far side of the ridge for a descent on foot.
1) 10 m. Traverse easily right to a stance in a groove.
2) 35 m 6b+. Climb the groove then slabs generally trending right until until difficult moves gain a prominent left-facing flake. From a few metres up the flake move right to the arete then follow the arete and the wall just to its left, to a semi-hanging stance.
3) 32 m 6a. Continue up the wall to slabs and follow them easily to large ledges.
4) 33 m 6a+. Surmount a short wall and follow slabs leftward until below a break in the overhangs. Go through the break to a groove. Move left to a smaller groove and up to another semi-hanging stance.
5) 36 m 6c+. Climb the wall above to gain the left hand side of the wide groove system that leads past the left hand side of the figure 7 (not obvious as such from here). Follow the left edge of the groove and then its left rib to flowstone and tufa. Climb the groove on the left of the tufa until it is possible to reach across to a good sidepull on its right (crux). Continue steeply to a niche. Exit this to the right and finish up the steep wall to an belay/abseil station just below the top (32 m to here). Continue easily for another 4 m to top out at a blocky summit on the crest of the ridge.
The easiest descent is by 4 abseils down the route from the stance just below the top. This is possible with a single 70 m rope: a single 60 m rope would certainly be too short. A single bolt has been placed on the summit to facilitate protecting the short downclimb back to the top abseil station. Care is needed at 2 points on the abseil. Pitch 4 is diagonal to keep to the diagonal line but we disturbed a hornets nest below the slabs with the rope and one climber was stung. To avoid this, try to prevent the end of the rope dropping below the bottom edge of the slabs until you are nearly at the ledge stance (top of P3). The last abseil reaches the first stance with a small amount of rope to spare (assuming a 70 m rope). The descent can be completed from here by an easy traverse but it is quicker to abseil diagonally to the left end of the traverse. In this case the rope does not quite reach tbe ground but it is easy to disengage and step down. The last climber should be careful to keep hold of one end of the rope!
Alternatively there are easy slopes on the far side of the ridge for a descent on foot.
H.Walmsley, C.Struthers, R.Benton, F.Sanders 04/Oct/2010.
* This newly updated climb is waiting to be checked by the crag moderator.
Feedback
There is no feedback for this climb.
Logged Ascents
1 users have logged this
Please Login to view more details on the logged ascents
Route of Interest
Alyzeus
Grade: 6c+ ***
(Mytikas)