General

Another of the showcase sectors in the Forest, with a wealth of mid-grade test pieces to throw yourselves at.

Approach

The blocs are best approached from Choi Fai Estate at the bottom of Jat’s Incline, which has parking at the estate as well as minibus service (No. 16 from Ping Shek Estate in Choi Hung). From the bus stop, walk up Jat’s Incline until reaching the staircases just before those leading to the Sam Fung Temple (三峰廟), about 5 minutes from base of Jat’s Incline.

The sectors at Sunset Forest are best accessed via a small concrete footpath a short distance down the road from the main staircase leading to the Sam Feng Temple. This concrete path leads you quickly to a small concrete platform, from which a small dirt trail accesses the forested hillside beyond in its back left corner. Follow this trail directly up and into the forest to quickly reach the blocs themselves.

Blocs

The most common approach to the Underworld Sector is from the Raika Sector, taking a trail left and into the trees in the area immediately above the Radiance Bloc. This trail meanders through the trees for 5 minutes of so until you reach the Demon Roof. It is also possible to approach from the Sunfire Bloc, by going to the left end of this and following the various (largely undeveloped) walls up the hillside.

A final option is to approach via the Silken Cave in the Raika Sector, following the stream up the hill until you can cut across to the top of the Motherlode Bloc.

Demon Roof

An impressive 3 m high roof capped by a 4 to 6 m high slab. Sadly the roof itself is unlikely to yield many lines through it, with most lines having to start on features at, or near, the lip and then braving the slab above once this has been turned. Whilst many problems can be escaped back down adjacent trees after turning the lip, the simple rule here is #NoTopNoTick, so if you do this, you didn’t finish the problem. Good luck!

1) The Exorcist (sds) *** V7
Start matched on the flat ledge on the very far left side of Demon Roof. Move right along this feature to eventually gain a crimp at its right edge and a higher side pull up and left. Make powerful moves to the lip before turning this (harder than it looks and the crux of the line) and then continuing up the easy slab above. One of the best lines in the forest.

2) The Conjuring *** V7
Start with a good jug above the lip (the tall can reach, the short can jump). Move left along the lip using whatever you can find to eventually reach the groove on The Exorcist, from where you finish as for that line via the same committing moves through the lip and up the easy slab above.

3) Annabelle * V8
Start with a good ledge just above the lip (the tall can reach, the short need to jump). Make difficult moves to get established on the slab directly above the start and then climb this directly to the top.

4) Divine Comedy ** V8
Start matched on a side pull / pinch jug on the left side of the large block on the mid part of the roof. Make powerful moves directly up through the roof to gain a series of small crimps that lead leftwards to a big pull to a higher hold. Use this to get established on the slab proper and then trend right to join, and finish up, the upper slab of Demon Roof.

5) Demon Roof *** V3
Start matched on a side pull / pinch jug on the left side of the large block on the mid part of the roof. Make powerful moves up and right to climb through the roof before continuing directly up the slab above, crossing over the positive crack line rather than following it. The full tick requires a top out, although those lacking the moral servitude to achieve this can always turn around and climb down the tree once stood above the lip (and then walk away with their head hung in shame).

6) Valkyrie *** V1
Start matched on the juggy break just left of the tree. Make powerful moves up and left to breach the lip. Once established above the lip, step further left to gain the base of the diagonal crack, which is followed up and across the high slab above. Again, there is an option to downclimb the tree behind you once established standing above the lip, but where’s the fun in that.

7) Sleipnir ** V3
Start on a jug just right of the tree. Make powerful and tricky moves up the small ledges right of the tree (being careful not to dab the tree itself, difficult for the tall) before continuing up the slab above using small incut crimps and footholds, trending right to the ledge and an easy top out. No wussing out permitted for a tick of this one i’m afraid…

8) Inferno *** V7
A stunning lip line along the bottom face of the bloc. Starting from matched on the jug directly beneath the left end of the lip, pull up to the lip itself and follow this all the way right to several positive holds near its right end (at about 4.5 m height). Once on these, make extremely committing moves up onto the slab above and finish up this.

9) Highway to Hell (Project)
A lip line traverse starting from the jug at the beginning of Inferno and eventually finishing up The Conjuring. A mix of moderate climbing to link up the various problems described above, a bunch of hard bits on some of those problems, and an even harder bit linking up Divine Comedy and The Conjuring. One for the hard sport climbers out there as this link is looooooooong.

10) Omen *** V7
Another great problem, this time up the arete and wall to the right of Inferno. Start from a high crimp on the arete with the left and an undercut on the overlap with the right. Powerfully pull on to the steep wall before committing to a series of dynamic slaps up spaced holds to the right of the arête to eventually gain good holds in the break and an easier top out.

11) Omen (sds) *** V9
A hard sit start linking to the above line. All moves have been done but linking them has been a bit elusive to date. Given a slash grade by the FA but we don’t do those (come on ppl, man up and make a decision) so hard V9 it is until a few more repeats and consensus is reached…

The Fang

The slab immediately above Demon Roof may look easy angled, but the undercut at the bottom injects an additional amount of difficulty to most lines on it.

1) Guifang * V0
Climb the left arête of the slabby face

2) White Fang ** V2
Climb the left side of the slab, starting just left of the small stepped slab and staying on the right of the ‘v’ shaped flakes higher up. A tricky start that eases above.

3) Fenrir ** V2
Start at the stepped slab and climb directly through this and up the slightly featured slab above.

4) Targ Nar * V2
Climb the right side of the slab, starting right of the fang like triangle of rock on the lip of the low roof.

Vibration Bloc

The bloc to the left of The Fang has a couple of lines on it.

1) Tremors * V2
Climb the groove feature on the left of the face. Not as easy as you’d expect…

2) Good Vibrations * V1
Use a thin flake to pull on to positive foot ledges in the middle of the face. Reach to a thin flake above (doing your best not to further snap the edge off this) and make a committing pull fo ledges just beneath the top of the bloc. Finish above.

3) Stuttered Vibrations ** V4
Start on the right side of the face with a small crimp near the arête and the good side pull flake. Pull on using thin footholds and move diagonally left across the face via further side pulls and crimps until you can gain the ledge in the middle of the lip. The arête on the right is all off route.

Descent is via the sloping ramp on the uphill side of the face (about V0 if climbed up), using the nearby trees to navigate the lower part.

Weathered Bloc

This is the bloc directly opposite the lower part of Demon Roof, just downhill from the Vibration Bloc.

1) Weathering Heights * V1
Start matched on the right arête with right foot on the good blob, doing your best to avoid dabbing the tree. Traverse the lip of the face all the way left to top out at the left arête.

2) Optimist Prime ** V4
Start with a good three finger pocket with left and positive crimpy sidepull with your right. Pull on and then work your way directly up the face above, which may or may not require a little bit of flight time.

3) Optimist Prime Low ** V5
Start with the same crimpy right sidepull but this time use a low small crimp for the left to get started. Pull on and move into the start position of the original line, which is then followed to the top.
Really needs a proper sit start but i couldn’t get my butt off the floor…

4) Careless Whimper (sds) * V2
The left arete of the face, from a sit start matched on the positive jug.

The Motherlode

A large slab on one side that offers a number of fun lines at amenable grades, all be it with a bit of added fear factor due to the overall height, plus a steeper highball face of harder lines on the far side. All in all, a bit of something for everyone (provided they like highballs). The bloc is best accessed by scrambling up the drainage line behind The Fang, staying in the stream to reach the slab face or breaking off just beneath the bloc to get to the steeper and more interesting back face. It can also be reached from the Raika Sector via some dirt trails just up the hill from the Silken Cave.

Friction Slab

1) Smooth Operator * V2
Climb the blank looking slab on the left side of the face, between the arete and flake and avoiding use of both these features.

2) Slime Line * VB
Follow the obvious left to right trending flake feature.

3) Knobble * V1
Follow the chicken head knobbles up the face above the boulder step, eventually entering a scoop feature high up to finish

4) Sickle * V1
Start just beneath the boulder step and follow the curving sickle shaped feature on the right side of the slab, entering the scoop high up to finish.

5) Science Friction ** V2
Climb the blank portion of slab on the right side of the face. A committing line requiring a steady head.

6) Snake in the Flake ** V0
Climb the flake feature on the right side of the main slab, trending slightly right to a good jug near the top.

Mother’s Bottom

The lower one-third of the Friction Slab face and the face at the bottom of the Motherlode bloc are home to a handful of fun lines and one crazy hard looking project. These lines al finish on the ledge at 3/4 height, with the easiest descent being to down climb from the left edge of this, through the start of Snake in the Flake.

1) Solar Flare * V1
Follow a series of crimps and flakes up the wall to the right of the tree.

2) Blinded by the Sun ** V2
A tricky line starting stood in the v-shaped scoop and working up a series of small crimps and ledges above this, with the crux trying to avoid getting blinded by the sun as you look for the positive crimps higher up.

3) Rising Sun * V2
The right arête of the face has a tricky start that eases once the ‘thank god’ jug out left is attained.

4) Rising Sun (sds) * V4
The sds to the above line is definitely one that suits the small as the start is extremely compressed.

5) Eclipse *** V3
The left arête of the bottom face, climbed on its right side throughout, is a fantastic and slightly committing undertaking as the tree behind you looms large waiting in the event of a fall from high up. Can also be finished by escaping left onto the slabby face high up, but lets face it, thats a bit of a cop out…

6) Project (maybe?)
The blank main face of the bottom wall might be feasible?

Motherlode (Main Face)

The back face of The Motherlode houses one of the most impressive faces hereabouts, with a featured 4 to 5 m high wall of gently overhanging rock that yields (for the most part) at surprisingly amenable grades, provided you can keep your head together.

1) Only Fans (sds) *** V4
Sit start on the right arête of the small bloc at the left end of the face. Work your way up the arête to the lip before making a big span to the base of the hanging groove. Continue out along the lip to the right of this before rocking back into the groove to finish.

X) Only Fans Direct (Open Project)
The direct start to the above line will be extremely hard, especially if the block to the left is eliminated for feet too.

Y) Open Project
The line up the overhanging prow seems feasible but will be very very hard. Start matched on positive holds in the break and work up and right to a distant, but positive, crimp high and right (hopefully this won’t just snap off). From this another long move should just about bring the lip of the bloc.

Z) Open Project (sds)
As for the above line but with an extremely hard sit start to get to the good holds in the break.

2) Fools Gold *** V4
Start with a chest high side pull for the left and a small high crimp for the right (shorties will need to stack a pad or two to reach this). Make powerful moves to the ledge above and then commit to the wall above this, eventually gaining the obvious jug on the ledge high up. Finish with committing, but easier moves above this.

3) Broken Dreams *** V4
Start with the broken side pull for the right and a tiny high triangle crimp for the left (shorties will need to stack a pad or two to reach this). Make powerful moves to the large ledge above before making even larger moves up the various features right of the crack, plus the crack itself if you feel the need, to top out through the bulging wall/crack.

Note: Both problems #2 and #3 can be started slightly lower using the broken crimp on #3 for right and a good side pull level with this for the left (Satoshi’s Start), then moving up to the small high crimp described above before going to the ledge. This adds a hard move and cranks up the grade a bit too.

4) Dark Necessities *** V2
Start with a mediocre side pull for the right and a high positive crimp for the left (stacking again needed for shorties). Climb the face above via a series of features that culminate in a committing top out through the rounded lip above.

5) Dark Necessities (sds) *** V5
A sit start to the above line from opposing widely spaced side pulls low down on the wall, with a tricky move to get established on the original line.

6) Necessary Evil Left (sds) *** V3
Start sat at the big ledge. Lift off using this and then move left to small crimps on the wall and powerfully work your way to slopers above, finishing up the slab left of the groove.

7) Necessary Evil (sds) *** V3
Follow the previous line ton the slopers but this time stay right and finish up the bulging wall right of the groove. S similar level of difficulty to the left finish but much more committing.

8) Resident Evil * V2
Start in the high juggy flake and climb the wall immediately above this.

9) Resident Direct (sds) ** V6
Start at the ledge. Move left to the nearby crimp and then launch directly up to the juggy flake at the start of Resident Evil. Soft at the grade for anyone with an ape index of 180 or more.

10) Resident Evil (sds) ** V6
Start sat at the big ledge. Pull on and make powerful moves out right to small crimps. Lock these in tight and make the long reach to the start of the stand start version, which is then followed to the top. Similar to the above, also a bit morpho and easier for those with a longer wingspan.

11) Resident (Directest) (sds) ** V7
Don’t like the crimps on Resident Evil (sds) or Resident Direct (sds)? Simple, skip them and just dyno from the start hold to the flake!

12) Apocalypse (sds) * V7
An variant start to Resident Evil (sds), coming in to the small crimps from some start holds down and right of them and then continuing across left into the original line.

Adjacent Sectors

Raika Sector – head either back down the path(s) from the base of Demon Roof to reach the Radiance Bloc or, from the top of the Motherlode traverse the hill right a short way to the drainage line and follow this down to Silken Cave.

Hilltop Sector – from the drainage line next to Friction Slab, traverse left a short way until a vague track (look out for ribbons) heads up the hill following an even smaller drainage line. Follow this for a few minutes to reach the Lumberjack Bloc.