General

A collection of boulders on the coastline to the north of Coral Beach in northeast Cheung Chau, with just about enough quality and variety to keep most bloc huggers happy for a session or two. Sadly the rock quality is not quite as good as elsewhere on the island and a number f the blocs suffer from weathering, resulting in much more friable holds and surfaces. The blocs were first discovered and climbed on by Perry Tong circa. 2008, but then left largely untouched until recent explorations opened them again.

Approach

Turn left out of the ferry pier and follow the main road north and along the coastline until reaching the basketball courts at Pak Tai Temple Playground. Cut between the court areas to reach the ramp on the northern side before heading up this and turning left up the staircase next to Wan Ho Kan Elderly Centre. Follow the staircase up the hill to join the Cheung Chau Family Walk, turning right on to this and following it north until just after the WSD Service Reservoir complex where a right fork in the path takes you on to another trail towards Tung Wan Tsai. Stay on the footpath along the ridge of the hillside, passing the stairs leading down to the beach, and follow this all the way towards the northeast tip of Cheung Chau. eventually the trail will become more overgrown and start descending through some abandoned agricultural terraces before popping out on the coastline itself. The blocs are situated a short scramble southwards along the coast. It is also possible to scramble back to Coral Beach from the blocs, but this would be a bit tricky and hazardous whilst carrying a bouldering pad so is not advised.

Problems

Staghorn Bloc

A low boulder located near the shoreline with a number of easy lines that will likely give good warm up line (we didn’t find this bloc till the end of the day when skin and energy was already fully depleted so haven’t climbed anything and lines are shown merely for illustration of what looks feasible). Perry climbed most of these lines years ago anyway.

Acropora Blocs

The Acropora Blocs (Latistella and Grandis) are the two adjacent large blocs sitting on a slightly sloping granite shelf. The blocs (especially Latistella on the left) have a number of fun lines on mostly good quality rock that seems less friable than elsewhere on this section of coast.

Latistella Bloc

1) Latistella (sds) * V1
Start matched on the juggy blob on the left side of the overhung face. Move up from this to good holds on the arete above, continuing up this until rocking on to the left slab high up.

2) Heel Steal (sds) ** V3
An extension start to Latistella from the jugs on the right side of the overhanging face, traverse crossing this low down to join the start of the previous problem, which is then followed to the top.

3) Beans and Curry (sds) ** V7
Sit start on the jug n the right side of the overhanging face. From here, work your way up the arête above to eventually make a hard reach to a positive crimp on the right face. Work your way up the sloping arête/lip of the right face to finish.

4) Curry ** V2
The stand start to the left arête of the compact face, from the positive crimp and arête.

5) Cool Beans (sds) ** V5
Sit start in the middle of the blank face using a small crimp for left and the side pull groove feature low down for right. Make thin moves up the wall above by further small crimps to eventually gain the lip above, where a rock over through the tallest part brings you to the top of the bloc.

6) Heinz 57 (sds) ** V3
Sit start on the far right of the sloping lip and make a rising leftward traverse of this to its highest point, before rocking over on to the top of the bloc to finish.

7) Ultra Mega (sds) ** V4
Sit start on a low jug on the right side of the back face of the bloc. Make a left traverse along the lip of the bloc, first to a positive jug on the arête and then further out left to small crimps on the face left of this, before hucking on a left heel and rocking up to the break above. Low but fun.

8) Badmotorfinger (sds) * V3
Start as for Ultra Mega and follow this to the jug on the arête but instead of continuing left, rock up and onto the starting jug instead.

Grandis Bloc

1) Oedipus Arete * V1
Climb the arete on the right side of the left face of the bloc.

2) Narcissus ** V3
Start on the short steep triangular face using the arête and crimps on the right side. Make insecure moves up the arete above to eventually gain better holds and a romp up the upper part.

3) Branch Coral * V0
Climb the left arete of the bloc, this time starting up the easy angled slab rather than the steep part of the face taken by the narcissist out there.

4) Nobillis * VB
Follow the various features up the right side of the slab.

Lacerations

These are the two large blocs located slightly further along the coastline. Although looking awesome from afar, sadly the rock is rather crumbly and they don’t quite live up to expectations. Having said this, several fun highball lines have been climbed that are all worthwhile. Be warned however that there is no simple way down these blocs, with the left one requiring an intimidating slab down climb in the groove between the blocs and the right typically just being jumped off to pads from its right (uphill) side.

1) Desert Point (sds) ** V3
The wide crack has a tricky sit start but soon yields in difficulty as good holds to its left side provide respite and much needed holds for rocking on to the slab above the crack. Either top out or (preferred), climb back down to the juggy rail after rocking over and then drop from this.

2) Lacerations (sds) ** V2
The sickle shaped flake on the right side of the bloc provides a fine piece of lay backing up the positive flake, but with minimal feet.

3) Galaxea * V4
Start matched on the low jug on the right of the pock marked face. Make powerful moves up through the pocketed features and flakes to eventually get stood on the sloping shelf above the left side of these. From here, make extremely committing moves up the slab above, trending right near the top to gain more positive features and much relief as you top out this highball problem.

4) Disintegration (sds) * V?
Sit start beneath the open feature on the right side of the face. Carefully choosing holds that won’t crumble too much, lift off and then follow the various juggy features above to top out.

5) Shipwrecks ** V3
Start using the small juggy ledge and flake immediately above the overhang on the left side of the uphill face of the bloc. Make powerful moves up and right from these to big, but slightly crumbly, side pulls, before continuing directly up with trepidation to get established on the slab above.

The face to the right of Shipwrecks has several visually appealing lines up tufa’s and flutings but close inspection reveals these mostly to be in highly friable and weathered rock that stands a good chance of simply breaking off when pulled on (or rapidly destroying any skin that comes in to contact with it on the off chance it doesn’t break)