General
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A small crag offering single pitch sport routes at an easily accessible location on Hong Kong Island.
Note: The rock here seems to weaken considerably when wet, please avoid the crag after prolonged spells of wet weather such that the existing features remain as intact as possible.
Approach
The easiest approach is to take No. 25 Green MiniBus from Causeway Bay (Fashion Walk area) until the end of the line at the top of Braemar Hill Road. Alternatively, take the MTR to Tin Hau and use a short taxi ride to reach the end of Braemar Hill Road. Follow the steps down the hill, from near the end of the right side of the road, to a stream. Cross this, enter a small clearing and follow the dirt trail that leaves the right side of the clearing up the hill. After few meters an overgrown path leads right in to the vegetation, follow this path to the bottom of the crag.
The easiest approach is to take either the No. 23B or No. 25 Bus to the bus stop at the top of Braemar Hill Road. Alternatively, take the MTR to Tin Hau and use a short taxi ride to reach the end of Braemar Hill Road. Follow the steps down the hill, from near the end of the right side of the road, to a stream. Cross this, enter a small clearing and follow the dirt trail that leaves the right side of the clearing up the hill. A short way up this a small dirt track breaks off right and leads to the bottom of the crag.
Routes
Entrance Crag
(1) Via Spericolata – F5
Start near the tree on the trail on the very left side. Traverse right on balancing moves and round hand holds. Reach the vertical crack and follow it till the end.
F.A. Alberto Cipriani and Gianfranco Bigazzi (2015)
(2) Jujube’s Memory ** F6a+
Climb the obvious crack to the small ledge. Keep climbing the upper groove till the anchor.
F.A. Alberto Cipriani and Gianfranco Bigazzi (2015)
(3) No! No! No! – F5
Step on the flat ledge and look for a nice balance to reach the upper ledge. Follow the big crack above moving slightly right to get the lower off point.
F.A. Mari Kobayashi (2015)
(4) Redneck’s Hunter – F6a
Follow the obvious vertical crack on the right of “No! No! No!” then mantel on the wide ledge and keep the left. Climb up the ridge till the lower off.
F.A. Alberto Cipriani and Gianfranco Bigazzi (2015)
(5) Braemar Hill ’85 – F6a
Start either wedging your hands inside the crack or make use of the boulder on the right side. Above the ledge aim straight up to the lower off point.
F.A. Alberto Cipriani and Gianfranco Bigazzi (2015)
(6) The Wedding Gift ** F6c
Start on top of the boulder with pre-clipped rope to make the first hard move safer. Traverse on round hand holds and smearing your feet up to the chimney. Step on the right side for an exit move (crux), the route ends at the same anchor of “Impavidi Destini”.
F.A. Victor Moquin and Gianfranco Bigazzi (2015)
(7) Impavidi Destini *** F6b
A very interesting sequence of crimps, pinches and rounded holds.
F.A. Alberto Cipriani and Gianfranco Bigazzi (2015)
Note: On the far right side of this route, above a small terrace, you can see a shaky pile of stones reinforced with cement. Surely man made, probably some sort of memorial. Please respect!
(8) Monkeys Thumb – VS 4c
Scramble up a short crack to reach a wide ledge. Move to the right side of this and climb the short groove above to a bolt lower off.
Main Wall
(1) Umbrella Movement *** V8
F.A. Jon Butters (2015)
Astonishing solo/highball line. Start under the roof, use the arete and crimps in the roof to gain a small holds over the lip of the roof. Hard moves lead to easier, if more precarious climbing on the wall above. The line finishes at the ledge and walks off the back.
Note: Do not place bolts! Either top rope it or pluck up the balls to solo it as the first ascensionist did.
(2) King Kong * F7b+
Start at the right end of the wall. Pull off the floor on a so so crimp and follow a line of good holds left. At the end of the traverse make hard moves left to get established in the flake. Follow this to the small roof before moving left onto the ledge. Step back right above the roof and make a long reach for a positive curving crack. Climb this to a small overlap before deciding whether to move left, direct or right to reach the good break and ledge above. Easier moves above bring the lower off. A direct bouldery start is also possible at a similar grade.
F.A. Stuart Millis and Kevin Wotherspoon (2005)
Olivia Hsu on King Kong (F7b+). Photo: Stuart Millis
(3) Gorilla Warfare ** F7b
Start on the small ledge at the base of the corner. Step left and climb the flake to a small pocket. Difficult moves up the wall above this may or may not bring you to a large pocket (crux). A further section of thin moves on painful crimps leads to the curving flake, which is followed to the good jugs at the top of the wall.
F.A. Stuart Millis and Kevin Wotherspoon (2005)
(4) Monkey Magic ** F7b
Climb Guerrilla Warfare to the large pocket at half height. From here, shuffle out left along a horizontal break via a series of slopers and crimps until it is possible to power your way up the rounded arete to a large pocket via a series of positive crimps. From the pocket, stay on the arete to gain the slopey ledge above, from which the anchors can be reached.
F.A. Francis Haden (2016)
(5) Cheeky Monkey ** F6a
In the corner of the main wall and the outcropping is an obvious crack with a dead tree growing our of it half way up. Follow this to the top, avoiding using the tree. Quite easy layback and stemming until one awkward move to a small ledge on the right wall. Hangers have been placed at the top of this route.
F.A. Steve Kos and T Thorman
(originally climbed on gear at HVS 5a but retrobolted at a later date)
(6) PG Tips * F7b
Climb the wall right of the corner (Cheeky Monkey) until a difficult hand traverse left on pockets of suspect origin joins Cheeky Monkey at the ledge just below the top.
F.A. Francis Haden (2016)
(7) Back to School *** F6c
Scramble up to the small ledge at the base of the crag. Make thin moves up the wall to gain the base of a hanging flake. Move left from this to a second flake (slightly hollow so be gentle). From the top of the flake use a good pocket and very thin flake (be very gentle with this one) to make a big move right to a series of horizontal pockets with a line of bolts (of unknown origin) beneath them. Finish up the groove above these. Definitely a climb that’s much harder for the short.
F.A. Kevin Wotherspoon and Stuart Millis (2005)
Colin Spark on the crux of Back to School (F6c). Photo: Stuart Millis
(8) Monkey Business ** F7c
Follow the hanging flake through the small roof and reach up and left to a good pocket. Climb up and rightwards following a line of very thin flakes until it is possible to reach a big pocket on the blunt arete. Move up and back left from this pocket, using some exceptionally small crimps, until you gain the right most of the series of horizontal pockets. Layback this and reach up and right (run out) to regain the blunt rib, which is followed to the top. Contrary to recent guidebook descriptions, no essential holds have come off this route, the climbing is just hard and solid for the grade – originally graded F7b+ as it got sent first try but bumped up due to the amount of whining i keep hearing 🙂
F.A. Stuart Millis and Kevin Wotherspoon (2005)
(9) The Rocky Horror Show ** F7b+
A challenging line through the obvious roof on the right side of the wall. Start at the flake and move right to get established beneath the roof. Use cunning (i.e. a knee bar) to get established on two crimps above this before launching for a distant pocket. Continue up the wall above to the scoop, which is exited with difficulty before more amenable moves lead to the top of the wall.
F.A. Rocky Lok (?)
Kelvin Leung sticking the crux dyno on The Rocky Horrow Show (F7b+) Photo: Stuart Millis
(10) Hell ** E2 5c
At the right side of the main face of the crag is an obvious crack. Begin by scaling the small horn-like boulder at the bottom to a gutsy move into the wide crack above. Continue up the strenuous crack until the top. This is a large crack and requires large gear (#4,5 cams, etc.) for it’s duration. There is nowhere for anything smaller, although the bolts on Hellish now offer some security for those not possessing an exhaustive rack of large cams.
F.A. Martin Lancaster and Steve Kos
(11) Hellish * F6b+
The bolted variant to Hell that starts up the slabby righthand wall of the crack, not the crack itself (the first bolt can be clipped from the block beneath the crack before starting off). Layback precariously up the wall to reach more positive holds at the overlap. From here follow the crack to the top as for Hell, either by means of hand jams or more delicate moves using the edge of the crack and other available holds.
F.A. Stuart Millis (2012)
(12) Evolution *** F7c+
Follow a series of pockets and flakes up the wall to reach small holds beneath the overlap. Undercut the flake and reach up to gain good side pulls on the wall above. Use these, and a couple of sharp pockets, to gain a large pocket and sloping shelf. Make powerful moves up the thin groove (Note: the pocket and bolt on Mere Mortals are both off route!) before an intricate series of moves up the wall left of the groove brings the crack above. Follow this to the lower off.
F.A. Stuart Millis (2006)
Thomas Erce on Evolution (F7c+). Photo: Karen Chan
A slightly easier variation finish is also possible: Devolution: Having powered your way up the groove, make a blind slap around the arete for a sloping pocket before finishing more easily to the lower off directly above the groove – however, this kind off avoids the main challenge…
(13) Mere Mortals * F7b+
Follow Evolution to the large pocket and sloping shelf. From here move up and right to climb the blunt rib above, using sidepulls in the groove and pockets out on the right wall. Would be three stars if not for the fact its a cop out on Evolution…
F.A. Kevin Wotherspoon (2006)
(14) Pet Teacher ** F7a+
Start right of Evolution at the left side of the narrow concrete ledge. Use this to get established on the wall above, before following a rightward trending line of pockets and crimps to the arete. From here, move around the corner and climb the wall using the arete and crack to reach the anchors at the top of Teachers Pet.
F.A. Francis Haden and Donna Kwok (2014)
(15) Teachers Pet ** F7a+
Start to the right of the arete, stood on a small boulder. Make balancy moves up and left to get established on the wall before swinging around the arete, on a good pocket, to gain the narrow face proper. Trend to the left of the face and follow the arete until it is possible to move back right to good hanging flake. Follow this to the lower off.
F.A. Stuart Millis and Kevin Wotherspoon (2005)
(16) The 5 Monkeys Experiment ** F7b
Start beneath the obvious crack. Make your way up to this via long crimpy moves before following the crack to the top. Those who know how to jam will find this a lot easier than those who don’t…
F.A. Alberto Cipriani (2018)
Note: Highly suggested to pre-clip the first bolt to avoid rolling down the crevasse and bringing your belayer along with you.
(17) Caesar F6a
Mantle up the big boulder with some technical moves and finish the route on the left face.
F.A. Alberto Cipriani (2018)
The School Yard
A collection of short moderately graded slab routes on a small buttress located just beyond the main area at Monkey Buttress. Access can be gained either by continuing along a trail just beneath Teachers Pet or by continuing along the stream in the valley below the crags until a large cluster of boulders is reached. A trail leads directly up the hill to the crag from here.
Climbs are described left to right:
(1) Pedantic Pedagogies – F4
FA: Francis Haden, Koh Ting Yi (2017)
(2) Bunking off School F4
FA: Francis Haden, Koh Ting Yi (2017)
(3) 7 Years – F4
FA: Francis Haden, Koh Ting Yi (2017)
(4) Contract Driller – F5
FA: Francis Haden, Koh Ting Yi (2017)
(5) Behind the Bike Shed – F5
Climb left of the bolts to start then pull right onto the slab at the 4th bolt.
FA: Francis Haden, Koh Ting Yi (2017)
(6) School Rule One – F4
FA: Francis Haden, Koh Ting Yi (2017)
(7) School Monkey – F4
FA: Francis Haden, Koh Ting Yi (2017)
(8) Education – F4
FA: Francis Haden, Koh Ting Yi (2017)
The Jungle (Little Monkey Crag)
The collection of walls and buttresses a few minutes along the path beyond the school yard has a handful of routes ate present. These are described left to right, starting on the wall facing back towards Monkey Buttress, at the top of the sloping base:
1) Premonition – F6a+
A short climb on crumbly holds to an overhanging block finish.
FA Brian Smeets and Andy Halkyard (2017)
2) Short and Sweet Blooded – F6c+
Pumpy and thin, with a big move at the end.
FA Brian Smeets and Gianfranco Bigazzi. (2019)
3) Twelve Monkeys * F7a
A rising rightwards line up the thin line of pockets up the main part of the wall. Getting past the second bolt is the crux, the rest is much more reasonable. Potentially a bit harder than the grade given by the FA.
F.A. Terry Chan (2020)
4) The Green Light ** F8a
The right hand start to P.O.R, starting at the obvious jug and ledge on the arête before making desperate moves back left to join the upper section of Twelve Monkeys.
F.A. Kwok Chak Ming (2020)
Dennis Kwok getting The Green Light F8a). Photo: Dennis Kwok Collection
(5) Leap of Faith – F5
Start in the back of the chimney and traverse high, remove lower clips as you go to reduce rope drag. Gain the block and jump across onto the roof.
FA Brian Smeets and Alice Ng (2017)
(6) Leap of Faith (Direct Start) – F5
Head straight up from the mouth of the chimney, same finish as leap of faith.
FA Brian Smeets and Alice Ng (2017)
(7) Set Lunch – F5
Climb between the blocks to get on the right wall.
FA Brian Smeets and Nigel Firth (2017)
(8) Closed Project
Top rope the face to the right of the arete if you like (or if you can, its insanely thin so i don’t fancy your chances…). It’s closed project, so don’t bolt it.
(9) Pass the Jam Old Boy – F6b
Nice clean crack corner. Ring locks lead to a leftward traverse to gain the roof. Undercling flake is solid. If the crack is clean avoid the tree.
FA Brian Smeets. (2017)
(10) Mai Dan – F6b+
The original line follows the crack on the face leftward, though people climb the aerie as well. Start needs a bit of cleaning after a large block was removed. Tricky traverse to the anchor of Pass the Jam Old Boy.
FA Brian Smeets. (2017)