General

A collections of scattered clusters of walls and blocs on the far southern coastline of Cheung Chau providing varied and interesting lines.

Access

The best approach to the sectors in the Southside Sector is via Cheung Chau Cemetery. From the cemetery, follow staircases up to the highest point, where a dirt train then leads along the ridge and down the far side towards the coastline. Once on the coastal side of the hill, follow the trail downhill a short way before contouring right across the hillside to reach a steep path and gully scramble down the side of Southside Wall. Access to all areas from here is by scrambling around the bouldery coastline.

If visiting the Tunnel / Reclining Rock areas it’s better to take the coastal road along the southwest side of Cheung Chau and access via Pak Tso Wan Beach, taking the trail back west for Reclining Rock or scrambling up the granite slabs above the east side of the beach and then over the saddle between the two hills for The Tunnel. The Tunnel can also be reached by scrambling around the coastline too.

Note that access to the Tunnel from the Cemetery side requires crossing the wedged block in the Zawn, which can become impassable at high tide. Under such circumstances, access should be gained from the lovely little beach at Pak Sha Wan, which requires scrambling around and over a number of large boulders.

Problems

The problems on this part of Cheung Chau can be split up into four distinct sectors, namely i) Southside; ii) Perry’s; iii) The Tunnel; and iv) Reclining Rock.

Southside Sector

Southside Wall

The large walls adjacent to the descent scramble have some potential for highball problems for those brave enough. The easy corners and cracks have all been climbed to the break to check the feasibility / ease of getting back down but currently nothing of note has been done.

Southside Bloc

1) Dab Rats (sds) ** V5
Sit start in the vertical crack splitting the lower part of the wall. Using this and gastons to its side (optional), crank up to positive crimps above before making committing reaches to the rounded lip and an easier top out.

2) Southend Sanction (sds) ** V4
Sit start at the undercut arete and make a tricky pull to holds on the edge of the small shelf. From here make committing moves up the steep left side of the arete to eventually gain more positive features and a [slightly] more relaxing romp to the top.

3) Southside Slab ** V2
Climb the narrow slab between the arete and crack, avoiding use of either to keep things a bit more interesting.

4) Don’t Back Down * V0
The crack to the right of the narrow slab is also the easiest way to get back down this boulder.

Wave Wall

1) Can’t Find It (sds) * V3
Sit start matched on the good ledges low down. Make long moves up to slopey holds on the lip and a difficult move to the jug next to this. Finish more easily up the layback crack behind.

2) Golden Rails ** V2
From the good flake and make powerful moves up in to the undercut pocket above. Utilise this and the flake to its side to reach around the lip before making a committing rock over to surmount this.

3) Golden Rails Ext (sds) ** V2
The sit start extension to the above line adds nothing in terms of difficulty, but provides a slightly more complete challenge.

4) Moon Hole ** V2
Start on good side pulls on the right side of the face and make power moves to get established on the arete. Finish up the various cracks and [slightly hollow sounding] pockets above.

5) Moon Hole Ext (sds) ** V4
The sit start to the arete adds one very hard move to get going, but quickly yields in difficulty as you get back on the original part of the climb.

6) Southside Flakes ** V1
The flakes on the short wall to the right of the small gully provide a pleasant exercise in technical lay backing.

7) The Fridge (sds) * V2
Sit start fridge hugging the narrow face on the coastal side of the block and move up to the sloping ledge above. Mount this before finishing up the short wall above.

The wall around the corner looks to have potential for a few lines but nothing has been attempted yet as the landing is rather poor and the lines aren’t super impressive to be honest.

Beginners Bloc

1) She’s The One (sds) *** V0
Start sat on the block behind the boulder and, from the positive jug low down, work your way up a series of good holds. a great introduction to bouldering.

2) The Big Nose ** V3
Start matched on the big flake. Work your way up the overhanging corner before moving over/around the rounded arete above to a committing mantle shelf finish.

The Undercling

1) Like No Other * V4
Start on the big undercling and attack the overhanging face via the crack and arete, finishing up and left of these.

The Tunnel Sector

The exceptionally large boulder on the coastline leans against a cliff to form a tunnel that, in addition to channeling all viable wind through it, is a veritable torture chamber for fingers due to the plethora of small crimps it houses.

The Beastie Bloc

This is the undercut wall located n the right, just before you drop down to the tunnel itself

1) Thin Seam (sds) * V4
Follow the diagonal seam up the blank wall to a thinned committing top out

2) Sabotage (sds) ** V5
Sit start at the small flake in the roof and the hold just right of this. Lift off and make a big span to the lip before somehow turning the lip and continuing up the left side of the arête above to a precarious finish, rocking over on to the right slab once near the top of the wall. The crack at the back of the roof and the walls to the right of this are all out of bounds for this line.

The Tunnel

The wind tunnel formed between the large bloc and the cliff provides great problems in a shaded and breezy setting.

1) Blown Away (sds) ** V3
Sit start using good pocketed jugs on the far left of the wall. Make long moves up from these to the lip of the cave, before powerful moves out right bring you to holds either side of a suspect look thread (now snapped off). A big move out right from these gain the ‘jug of justice’ (JoJ). Match on this before dropping off to finish.

2) Boybi’s Ext (sds) ** V4
Sit start outside the tunnel on the obvious blob of rock on the lip of the roof, several metres left of the tunnel entrance. Work your way right along the lip to join the above line and finish up that.

3) Blown Away Ext (sds) *** V4
Start at the lip of the near horizontal part of the roof, using a small crimp and rounded pocket (some stacking of pads may be needed to facilitate a proper sit start). From these work your way left to join the start of the original problem. Potential exists for the crazy strong to extend the start even lower down using the tiny crimps coming out through the cave below.

3a) Blown Away Extended Ext. (sds) ** V6
Sit start slightly lower down beneath the roof at small holds between the crack and the start crimps on Blown Away Ext. and make one hard extra move to join the start of that line. Finish as per Blown Away Ext.

X) One Hour ** V9
Start crouched underneath the roof, in the horizontal part. Move out to small crimps near the lip of the horizontal part before cranking out right to the crux footholds on Too Fast. Move back left to a small crimp on the wall before gaining the crux crimp on Too Fast (but with right hand this time). From here power your way up to the JoJ via a poor intermediate on the left wall.

4) Too Fast (sds) ** V7
Sit start using the positive side pull flake for your left and slightly higher positive jug for the right. Lift off using these and paste your feet on the wall before making long moves out left to a tiny crimp. Somehow latch/use this and make a stiff pull to another crimp up and right. From here, marginally easier moves lead you to the JoJ, where you match to finish.

5) Too Furious (sds) *** V9
A significantly harder extension to Too Fast, starting much lower down in the scooped out feature (low right side pull crimp and the first of the horizontal crimps above this) and following the line of tiny crimps and undercuts out to join the start of the original line, which is then followed to the finish jug.

6) Tunnel Vision (sds) *** V3
Sit start as for Too Fast using the side pull and jug. Move up the jug and crimps above this before launching out right to a good hold at the top of a flake line. Drop off from here.

7) Neolithic (sds) ** V2
The obvious rising right to left flake line gives a fun problem on good holds. Sit start using whatever you can reach in the lower part of the flake. Follow this all the way up and left to finish at the jug on the highest part of the flake.

The main cave of the Tunnel remain largely untouched at present but has potential for a long hard line out the obvious finger crack, making use of the flakes etc. either side of this.

The front (seaward) side of the block also has a few fun problems on it.

9) Dennis’ Dyno ** V3
Start matched in the good juggy pocket on the right of the roof. Paste your feet on poor holds (or heel hook the start hold) and make a huge reach out left for a positive pocket. Use this to pull up to the grey blob above, which is matched to finish before dropping off.

10) Lobster Claw V7
Starting mid-way through the roof at good slots in the flake, pull up to the lip and then continue up and left to gain the ledge above the lip. Compose yourself before continuing up the high wall above.

11) Premature Endings (sds) *** V1
Sit start matched at the big ledge low down and jug haul your way out through the left side of the cave to finish at the good jug on the lip (or for a few moves extra, at the left side of the horizontal break). A fun line that is all too sadly over too soon (although those keen on highballs can actually carry on to top out the line at about V3).

12) Botato ** V4
Start on two crimps to the left of the slot. Move up to crimps and the crack above before making a long move to the mid height break. Further long moves from this bring the ledge and an easier, but intimidating (especially as some holds are friable) finish up the groove above.

12a) Botato (sds) ** V6
The sit start to Botato, starting from the positive crimps low down.

13) CruxNCampus (sds) *** V7
Start matched in the good undercuts and make powerful moves up and right to eventually gain good holds in the break. Move up to the lip of the ledge before swinging right around the corner to join Botato for the finish.

14) Commitment Issues ** V4
A huge dyno from the break above the main ledge to a small ledge just below the lip of the wall. 99% of the climbing population will be having commitment issues with this one I suspect, especially as the landing is a pants…

15) Zima Blue *** V4
Start matched on there juggy blob beneath the break and at the edge of the roof and the left edge of the ledge. Make powerful moves up and left to get established on the wall above the cave entrance (feet on the ledge is okay), before moving up and right to gain good jugs beneath the lip of the wall. Finish precariously and very cautiously above this.

16) Escape Portal ** V2
Start matched on the jug back in the cave at the mouth of the tunnel. From here move out left to get established beneath the roof before working your way round the left side of this to lay back / jam up the corner and slab to reach the small ledge above.

Behind the far end of The Tunnel is a boulder with an obvious hand jam crack on it. This is harder than it may first appear…

1) Def Jam (sds) * V6
Sit start at the base of the obvious jamming crack / corner. Using the block behind the roof to help get lift off, fight your way up the overhanging corner crack above to a precarious finish. Crack gloves definitely recommended for this one!

Sunset Slab

The large bloc to the left Def Jam also has several lines on its slabby seaward face:

1) Dusk * V2
Start up the flake and finish up the banker slab above. Not quite as easy as appearances would suggest.

2) Twilight ** V2
Climb the blankest looking section of the slab.

3) Sunset Boulevard *** V1
Climb the diagonal flake trending up and across the left side of the high face.

4) The Strip * V3
A direct start to Sunset Boulevard, climbing the gritty slab on the left of the wall to join the flake just beneath its top.

The next line is located on the left side of the steep undercut face on the back side of the bloc:

5) Bad Mode (sds) *** V7
Sit start deep under the roof matched at the crimp rail. Make a series of tricky moves out the roof following the zig zag breaks until it is possible to gain a positive hold above the lip on the left corner of roof. Finish above this.

Pak Tso Wan Beach

Reclining Rock Sector

Not the Reclining Rock itself, which is further west, but a small wall on the coast to the west of Pak Tso Wan that houses a couple of worthwhile lines. Access is gained by taking the coastal path west from Pak Tso Wan and following this up the stairs
until close to the top of the hill, where a dirt path breaks off left and leads quickly over rocky slabs to the wall itself.

1) The Scythe ** V2
Follow the sickle shaped crack on the left side of the wall.

2) Cheat Day (sds) *** V6
Sit start matched in the crack beneath the roof. Pull through the left side of the overlap and attack the wall above using the seam and whatever else you can find near this.

3) Laid Back (sds) *** V2
Sit start beneath the roof. Follow the crack right beneath the roof and then lay back up the fine crack and corner above.

4) Stretched Out (sds) *** V4
Start as for Laid Back but rather than follow the crack, reach out right and make tricky moves around the arête to gain access to the short slab, which is followed to the top.

5) Curved Crack V1
Climb the crack on the right side of the face.

Cactus Blocs

A collection of slightly crumbly blocs further up the path beyond Reclining Rock Sector. The obvious arêtes etc. have been climbed (details to be added later)