Climbing at Bardens Lookout

More climbing in the Blue Mountains!

It had rained overnight so we weren't in a rush to get to the cliffs, we had a relaxed breakfast while we waited for the rock to dry. Just before midday we set out for Bardens Lookout in Mount Victoria.

The car park was full when we arrived, we scrambled down to the base of the cliff to see quite a few climbers spaced out along the rock. We found a free corner and roped up.

I climbed 'Solvin Puzzle' (17) as a warm up before climbing 'Lady Stardust' (21) immediately after. The latter climb had a fantastic and committing start, a slip here would mean an almost certain ground fall until well after the second bolt. But I powered through the moves and finished the climb ending with a gorgeous view of the surrounding valley. I belayed while the others climbed and took photos.

We trekked a little further to the 'Historic Wells' section of wall to find some free climbs. I climbed 'Statistical Scare Tactics' (20) and 'Tree Beard' (21) to see out the day. The latter climb was fantastic from the get go, and a perfect way to end the weekend.

I had feared the weather would have been ill suited for climbing but it turned out to be a spectacular day. A relentless frigid wind whipped around the base of the cliffs, the occasional sand storm aside, the beautiful weather was capped with an incredible sunset, the late afternoon golden rock turning to a fiery orange-red as the darkness crept it.

A magical time of the day and another great session in the mountains.  More photos here, the good ones were most likely taken by Cherry.