General

The Central Slabs are the two sets of large easy angled slabs located at the mouth of Sea Gully. These slabs offer a wealth of long multi-pitch slab routes on both traditional protection as well as a number of more recently bolted sport climbs.

Details can be found in the Tung Lung PDF here

Routes

The climbs are access by scrambling down through the base of Sea Gully until it is possible to skirt the base of the lower walls to reach a good belay platform beneath the slabs themselves. Note: This may not be possible at high tide or if a big swell is running as the final traverse and belay ledge can get washed out.

A few bolted routes and several traditional routes up two vast, easy angled, sweeps of rock.

1) Central Slab Corner Direct – HVS 5a, 5a
This could give a good corner climb all the way to the top of the crag for someone dedicated enough to clean all the vegetation out of the crack.

2) Central Slab Corner – VS 5a, 4c
Pitch 1: Bridge up the wet and vegetated corner between the slab and the steep wall to the right until a good crack breaks out diagonally to the left. Follow this, with increasing difficulty, across the slab and continue up and left to a good stance by some large bushes.
Pitch 2: Climb the left hand side of the slab to its top.
F.A. J. Ward and J.F. Bunnell (1958)

3) Dragon Power ** F6a
Pitch 1: Start just left of the corner crack and follow a faint finger crack up the slab. After approximately 5m make some thin moves up and right to join a horizontal crack. Traverse right along this a short way until another crack leads back up. Follow a relatively direct line up the slab to belay on small ledges.
Pitch 2: Climb the slab above to the lower off. Descent is by two 30m abseils
F.A. Jacky Tang (2001)

4) Science Friction ** F6b
Climb the lower slab via flakey edges before crossing the diagonal cracks and launching up the blank slab above.
FA. Stuart Millis (2006)

5) Central Slab * HS/VS 4c
Pitch 1: Start in the centre of the slab and climb the crack line above, thin to start with but becoming easier as height is gained. Continue up the crack until it joins a larger crack and follow this diagonally up and left towards the arete.
Pitch 2: Move right from the belay and continue up the slab until a belay can be taken at the blocks near the top of the crag.
F.A. J. Ward and J.F. Bunnell (1958)

6) Learning to Fly  – F6b+
Featuring an unusual combination of climbing styles, pitch 1 brings delicate slab climbing and pitch 2, a dyno! Start just left of Great Slab; a single bolt belay exists at ground level for the belayer if required.
Pitch 1: F6b – Nicely positioned climbing that follows the leftward rising line of bolts. The bolt belay is located midway along the large ledge.
Pitch 2: F6b+ – The difficulty of the crux dyno is very much subject to your height! Clip the first bolt and via a small undercut for your right hand, reach for small crimps on the leaning wall above, steady yourself then jump for jugs! Immediately clip a second and third (sling) bolt runner to a rest at the fourth bolt. Traverse right below the bolt and so pull round onto the slab, which is followed to meet the crack system of Central Slab. Step right out of the crack system to follow bolts across the blank slab and to a bolt belay.
Pitch 3: F5 – With the difficulties over, casually saunter up the easy slab to the bolt belay atop the second pitch of Dragon Power.
FA: Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (2012)

7) Above the Sea, Below the Sky – F6c
Superb climbing above the water. Start as for Learning to Fly.
Pitch 1: F3 – Clip the first bolt on Learning to Fly then move left to the large groove leading to a sloping terrace. Walk along the terrace and down climb to a bolt belay just above a flat ledge.
Pitch 2: F6c – Step down left off the belay ledge and using goods holds around the arête, charge up the prow above. A good hold concludes the major difficulties and welcome ledge above. A technical groove and traverse leftwards gains a bolt belay below a hanging groove.
Pitch 3: F6c – Climb straight above the belay with a few technical moves to gain a ledge at the third bolt. Mount the foot ledge, clip a bolt and shuffle leftwards to gain a large undercut hold. From here technical moves gain improving holds and a step left into the large corner (shared with From This Moment On). Follow the corner to the top and a short ramp that leads back onto Central Slab. Bolt belay on the slab.
Pitch 4: F4 – Traverse right to the belay of Learning to Fly.
Pitch 5: F5 – Follow the final pitch of Learning to Fly.
FA: Francis Haden, Mario Wild (alternate leads) (2012).

7a) Attic East – F6a
An eight pitch extravaganza up, down and across the slabs before finishing up the edge of Big Wall. See topo below for outline. Should be easy to distinguish from Francis’ surrounding routes as it used expansion bolts rather than glue-in’s
F.A. Lau Koon Hing (2018)

8) From this Moment On – F6c
The overhanging groove on the wall between Central Slab and Great Slab, finishing at the end of Pitch 1 of Central Slab. Approach by abseil from the top of Central Slab.
FA. Danny Ng & Jacky Tang (1999)

9) Great Slab * HS 4c
Pitch 1: Start at the base of an easy angled wall and move up onto a small ledge. Make an airy traverse leftwards along this until it is possible to climb up a large loose flake.
Pitch 2: Move right from the belay and climb the crack leading towards the left edge of the slab. Continue precariously up the slab with little in the way oof protection to a series of vegetated broken ledges. Continue up the left side of the slab to the boulders at the top of the cliff.
F.A. J. Ward and J.F. Bunnell (1958)

10) White Sail – F7a
Approach from the bottom of Great Slab via a leftwards traverse just above the high tide line to a hanging belay at the base of a crack. Climb the technical crack above.
F.A. Unknown