General

A recently discovered sector on the hillsides overlooking the Diamond Hill Crematorium and Graveyards, with the main focus being the cluster of blocs at The Diamond but also including a few novelty lines around the popular IG feature of Shark Rock. Currently still very much ‘under development’ so home to only a small number of very high quality lines on the most stunning of the blocs. The remainder will be explored and developed over time.

Access

Access to both sectors is gained via the footpaths on the eastern side of Diamond Hill Crematorium on Po Kong Village Road, which are accessed via a staircase leading down a slope behind the guardhouse at the crematorium entrance gate. This brings you to an access road on the eastern side of the stream below, which is followed to its end.

To reach Shark Rock, continue along the track adjacent to the main stream line for about 1 km until you reach the bloc, which is adjacent to the track.

For the Diamond, head up the short flight of steps and then take the path immediately to the right. Follow this along the side of the smaller stream all the way till its end, where a flight of steps takes you up the hill, passed a small temple, and along an increasingly overgrown dirt trail. Navigate the large fallen tree blocking the trail in the area above the temple and then take the rightmost of the dirt trails at the intersection, crossing a small drainage line and following the trail up the hill a bit to the first of the blocs. Approach time about 15 mins from the main road.

Blocs

Diamond Bloc

One of the most striking blocs you’ll find in HK, with a fine lip traverse culminating in a thin undercut sharks fin to give a memorable finish.

1) Blood Diamond *** V4
Start on the right side of the lip, at the far side of the uniform section and immediately above the point where the lip starts to dive down slightly. Pull on and slap your way across the rounded lip until it is possible to move around and under the arête to get established on the underside of the fin. Continue up this until it is possible to get your feet above the lip, at which point you can rock round onto the slab to finish.

2) The Cullinan (sds) *** V6
The sit start and longer finish to Blood Diamond provides a more satisfying outing. Start using two appallingly bad slopers low on the lip, together with pathetically bad excuses for footholds (Note: some minor stacking of pads might be useful to prevent yourself sliding down the hill beneath the start, and for shorties to reach the upper of the start holds (at full extension)). Lift off and slap up the lip to join Blood Diamond. Follow this until all the way around the arête. This time, continue all the way up the arête (staying tight to the rock to avoid dabs on the tree) to get established on the high lip of the back face of the bloc, rocking over this to top out. For those not fancying the committing top out, finishing as for Blood Diamond (i.e. Blood Diamond sds) is the same grade.

3) Shirley Bassey *** V5
A committing lip mantle starting from the two more positive holds near the left side of the undercut lip, and using the lip plus a crimp just up and left of these to get established on the slab above. The left arête is off route (and no help whatsoever anyway)…

4) Shirley Bassey (sds) *** V7
Add the sit start of The Cullinan to Shirley Bassey for a rather feisty little test piece. Might be easier than V7? Was climbed at the end of a warm day when skin and energy were fading…

There are multiple other large blocs nearby that may yield more lines. Currently nothing has really been attempted as the Blood Diamond bloc is too compelling (and tends to eat skin before you have a chance to try other stuff..)

Possible low start to the left of the tree and up the groove feature. Please leave until i’ve had a chance to reinforce the obvious small flake hold at about mid height as it’ll prob snap off if you use before then…

Shark Rock