From the Cephissus scree chute traverse N below the cliffs of the South Peak. From near the foot of the Foresight descend a large gully and continue N under the cliffs of the North Peak to a scree gully. From the top of this go S along the level ridge and down to a saddle. Scramble up S to the N summit of the peak."
Can anyone varify that this is a fairly easy walking route without ropes? How does walking up this way compare with the south peak? Never heard of anyone ascending Geryon North this way...
(I am more of a bushwalker than a climber by the way, but will be visiting these peaks with a climber so can rope up if really necessary)
From Pine Valley take the Acropolis walking track north for about 700m (15min walk) keeping the river system on your right. When a long footbridge crosses the stream, turn left into the bush at a stone cairn, stepping over a fallen tree bordering the track. Follow the barely discernible footpad through the forest using yellow arrows and pink tape markers on the trees to guide you. The track is very overgrown although the bush is fairly open so walking isn’t too challenging. Navigation can be tricky however as long as the creek is always on the left and you are no more than 70m from it (sometimes very close also) you are going in the right direction. Continue winding your way up the stunning valley system passing the pantheon high on your left and eventually catching glimpses of Geryon on the right.
The campsite is a small cleared area that should appear within a few minutes of the first Geryon sightings. It is a little dark and usually damp and can be confirmed by the faint hand carved sign that reads “Geryon Campsite”. Pink markers should lead west to the creek (40m away) and continue to a scree slope. It is highly recommended to take this 5min detour to view the opposite side of the valley in order to scope the approach scramble. From the Campsite: Scramble west up the long, steep scree slope, bashing through the occasional growth until you reach steep cliffs. Take the vague footpad ascending south along the exposed bush ledges to just below the ridgeline. A good quality bivy cave can be found here that sleeps two (a tarp would be required to block out driving rain and it is recommended to bring up water as the nearby drip systems cannot be guaranteed for any longer than two days after rainfall). Do not ascend too high, instead turn north and traverse the bushy ledge system under the south spur before dropping down into the notch behind the south summit. Follow the cairns that climb gradually around the west face before ascending a steep and challenging gully to the top (the climbing is a little tricky although rock quality is generally sound, it’s recommended to pass packs up though this section). Overall time from the campsite to the south summit is roughly 1.5hrs
2 Comments
Marco D'Alessandro
North Peak Normal Route
From the Cephissus scree chute traverse N below the cliffs of the South Peak. From near the foot of the Foresight descend a large gully and continue N under the cliffs of the North Peak to a scree gully. From the top of this go S along the level ridge and down to a saddle. Scramble up S to the N summit of the peak."
Can anyone varify that this is a fairly easy walking route without ropes? How does walking up this way compare with the south peak? Never heard of anyone ascending Geryon North this way...
(I am more of a bushwalker than a climber by the way, but will be visiting these peaks with a climber so can rope up if really necessary)
Chris Wallace
Geryon South Summit Beta Feb 2020
From Pine Valley take the Acropolis walking track north for about 700m (15min walk) keeping the river system on your right. When a long footbridge crosses the stream, turn left into the bush at a stone cairn, stepping over a fallen tree bordering the track. Follow the barely discernible footpad through the forest using yellow arrows and pink tape markers on the trees to guide you. The track is very overgrown although the bush is fairly open so walking isn’t too challenging. Navigation can be tricky however as long as the creek is always on the left and you are no more than 70m from it (sometimes very close also) you are going in the right direction. Continue winding your way up the stunning valley system passing the pantheon high on your left and eventually catching glimpses of Geryon on the right.
The campsite is a small cleared area that should appear within a few minutes of the first Geryon sightings. It is a little dark and usually damp and can be confirmed by the faint hand carved sign that reads “Geryon Campsite”. Pink markers should lead west to the creek (40m away) and continue to a scree slope. It is highly recommended to take this 5min detour to view the opposite side of the valley in order to scope the approach scramble.
From the Campsite: Scramble west up the long, steep scree slope, bashing through the occasional growth until you reach steep cliffs. Take the vague footpad ascending south along the exposed bush ledges to just below the ridgeline. A good quality bivy cave can be found here that sleeps two (a tarp would be required to block out driving rain and it is recommended to bring up water as the nearby drip systems cannot be guaranteed for any longer than two days after rainfall). Do not ascend too high, instead turn north and traverse the bushy ledge system under the south spur before dropping down into the notch behind the south summit. Follow the cairns that climb gradually around the west face before ascending a steep and challenging gully to the top (the climbing is a little tricky although rock quality is generally sound, it’s recommended to pass packs up though this section).
Overall time from the campsite to the south summit is roughly 1.5hrs