Approach
Until 2020, access to Majestic Slab was a vegetated mystery that required wilful determination and sheer bloody mindedness to achieve. Fortunately, these were traits that Brian Boyd embraced enthusiastically when he set about pulling the crag back to life and establishing a host of new ‘modern’ routes to accompany the existing trad lines up there. Prelim details of Brian’s exploits can be found on the Mountain Project page he maintains here and more details will be added as and when they become available. In the meantime, get up there and explore before nature takes over and reclaims the approach trails for herself.
The best access to the crag is from the upper entrance to Good Hope School. From here continue up the road until opposite a right turn, where a trail leads left and up the slope. Follow this trail up to and passed an electricity pylon. Continue along the trail until it eventually reaches a second pylon, from which it breaks up the slope roughly following a vague ridge line leading north. After passing the second hillside grave (see clearing areas on map below), continue up the hill a short distance further to a cairn before contouring left around the head of a drainage valley and then descending slightly to the right side of the crag itself.
Routes
Recent Sport Routes
The Two Towers
1) Ta-Runda Runda Runda Rum ** F6c+
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
2) Wizard’s Walk ** F6b
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
3) My Other Ride is a Nazgul * F6a
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
4) You Shall Not Pass * F6c+
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
5) Cirith Ungol * F5
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
6) The Forest of Fanghorn F4
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
X) The Far Side F5+/6a (34m)
Starting from the TRex pitch one belay anchors follow a fixed line easily to the left to the belay anchors for The Far Side. Trend up and left over a series of overlaps and a groove. Proper body positioning eases the difficulty of the moves to the intermediate abseil rings (crux). Continue over a short, easy slab section to satisfying layback moves on a vertical block finish. Enjoy great views of Lion Rock in profile. With a 70-meter rope one can abseil directly to the bottom of the climb; if using a shorter rope it is necessary to use the intermediate abseil rings and do 2 abseils to return to the base of The Far Side.
F.A. Gianfranco Bigazzi, Alice Ng and Keith Noyes (2021)
7) T-Rex is my Spirit Animal *** F6c, F6a+
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
8) Gigolos on Lockdown *** F6c (18m)
Start from the shared belay anchor at the base of pitch one of T-Rex. Head right following the wedge bolts. Technical body positioning gives access to a thin, horizontal seam (crux). Trend up right on gradually easier ground before a final precarious friction move to a welcome hand hold and the shared anchor with pitch one of the Gunslinger. Do not cheat right onto Gunslinger for the final move. Not an easy on sight.
F.A. Keith Noyes & Tony Wood (2020)
9) The Gunslinger *** F7a, F7a
F.A. Andre Chiang & Brian Boyd (2020)
10) Fellowship of the Slab *** F6b, F6b+
F.A. Brian Boyd, Andre Chiang & Birgitta Bjornsson (2020)
A) Social Distancing ** F5 , F6b
P1 * F5 (34m): Begin up the slab to the left of Shaolin trending up left on wedge bolts toward the vegetation. Cross an old trad route and climb more steeply on a series of interlinked outcroppings between two lines of vegetation to a comfortable anchor on top of a protruding rock.
P2 *** F6b (33m): From the anchor step right onto the elongated ramp-shaped rock feature. Climb on increasingly steep rock to a headwall (first crux) with a layback crack. Continue over a slightly easier second layback headwall (second crux) and easier ground to reach the highest anchors on Majestic Slabs. If climbing on a 60-meter rope, abseil down into the Lair on climber’s right rather than back down the climb.
F.A. Keith Noyes, Aya Noyes, Kaya Noyes, Luka Noyes & Tony Wood (2020)
The Underworld
11) Hungry Ghost *** F4, F6c
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
12) Shaolin Versus Vampire *** F4, F6b+
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
13) Hercules in the Underworld F5, F6b, F6b
F.A. Brian Boyd, Andre Chiang & Birgitta Bjornsson (2020)
14) Coins for the Ferryman ** F6b+
F.A. Brian Boyd, Andre Chiang, Birgitta Bjornsson, Linda Cheung & Kebab Gurung (2020)
15) Three Headed Dog * F6b
F.A. Brian Boyd, Andre Chiang, Birgitta Bjornsson, Linda Cheung & Kebab Gurung (2020)
16) Indonesian Zombie Princess ** F6c
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
The Lair
17) Battle Without Honour or Humanity ** F6b
F.A. Brian Boyd, Andre Chiang & Birgitta Bjornsson (2020)
18) Release the Flying Monkeys * F6c
F.A. Brian Boyd, Andre Chiang & Birgitta Bjornsson (2020)
B) Patriotic Psychobabble *** F6b (20m)
Start in the Lair to the right of Flying Monkey. A series of balance adjustment moves leads to a rounded crack (crux) to get over the bulge (don’t cheat onto the easier climb on the right) and vertical runnels in the rock leading up toward the shared anchor with Leave Us Kids Alone. Harder than it looks.
F.A. Keith Noyes, Aya Noyes, Kaya Noyes & Luka Noyes (2020)
C) Leave Us Kids Alone ** F5 (20m)
Start to the right of Psychobabble up an obvious groove. Steep climbing is made easier by the plethora of natural features in the rock. Finish this fun climb on an easy slab. Use a long runner on the last bolt to avoid any chance of the rope getting pinched in one of the vertical runnels. Shares an anchor with Psychobabble.
F.A. Keith Noyes, Aya Noyes, Kaya Noyes & Luka Noyes (2020)
Pandemic Wall
19) Splendid Isolation ** F6a
F.A. Brian Boyd, Linda Cheung & Andre Chiang (2020)
20) Captain Trips *** F6b+
F.A. Brian Boyd, Linda Cheung & Andre Chiang (2020)
21) The Black Death ** F6a, F6a
F.A. Brian Boyd (2020)
22) I’m Not Dead Yet * F5, F6b
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
23) Bring Out Yer Dead * F6b
F.A. Brian Boyd & Andre Chiang (2020)
24) Decameron F4
F.A. Brian Boyd (2020)
25) Twelve Monkeys F4
F.A. Brian Boyd (2020)
26) Waiter There’s a Bat in My Soup
F.A. Brian Boyd (2020)
Original Trad Climbs (from DC Reeve Guidebook)
Please respect the FA’s of these lines and do not retro bolt the original trad lines on the crag.
1) Dilly Dally – Severe
This climb starts on the bottom right of the slabs at a vegetated crack.
Pitch 1: Climb the crack running diagonally right and belay at a tree.
Pitch 2: Continue up the crack to the right of the steep wall. Stay in the crack when it steepens and layback to reach a sturdy tree. Climb beyond this to belay to the right.
Pitch 3: Climb the easy wall above.
2) Wanderer – Severe
This climb starts just left of Dilly Dally.
Pitch 1: Climb the rightwards trending corner. At the end of the corner, move left and climb up to a tree before moving back right to a slab. Climb this to reach a tree belay at the top left of the slab.
Pitch 2: Climb the right corner above the belay, following small cracks above the corner to reach the top of the crag.
3) Quintessentially Quenten – F6a (Top Rope)
A protectionless line up the steep slab to the right of Vegetation
4) Vegetation – VDiff
The climb starts left of Wanderer above a line pine tree and follows the vegetated indentation.
Pitch 1: Climb the vegetated indentation, moving left at about 30m to a tree belay.
Pitch 2: From the tree, move right along the ledge and climb the crack above. Follow this over easier ground to belay on the rocks above.
5) C.A.S. – VDiff
This climb follows the crack situated between the line of Vegetation and the large gully to the left.
Pitch 1: Climb in or slightly right of the crack, beneath a large protruding tree. Follow this to a small tree before moving right to a more study tree.
Pitch 2: Follow the crack in the left of the corner above.
6) Forestry Grooves – HVD
This climb begins down in the base of the right gully, some 7 m left of C.A.S.
Pitch 1: Climb over the vegetation in the crack to reach the corner, which is then followed to a mass of tree roots and a belay.
Pitch 2: Move out of the corner and in to the right crack, which is followed.
Pitch 3: Climb the rib and wall above.
Pitch 4: Scramble up the broken crag above and climb the centre of this. From the bottom of a long rooted tree, climb the corner and go over the overhang. Follow the slabs up to the corner and belay here.
Pitch 5: Move to the left of the crag and climb the obvious corner. Move right up the vegetated gully and climb the wall to finish in the corner.