<guide version="3">
<header access="Access from the Organ Pipes Track is about 400m south from the N Buttress track junction, up a boulder field (GPS MTW070) just past the turn off to Step Tier. The first five routes are found on the RH side of the prow, and the access track leads directly to them. For routes further R refer to access details below.<br/>Descent: Abseil descent from routes in the vicinity of the prow is from a rap station above Black Magic (47m), and then another rap station (35m) at the RH end of the step, between the starts of Black Magic and Malignant Mushroom." acknowledgement="" history="" intro="Bulging Buttress is the natural continuation of the LH side of Teardrop Gully. The buttress is divided into LH and RH sections by a distinct prow. The quality of the rock on the RH side is not so good and the routes are less popular. The prow has a pronounced step 25m off the ground that traverses L to more stable rock on the LH side of the prow. Above this is a steep, clean wall on which several quality routes reside. Further L, a sub-buttress bordering the RH side of Avalanche Couloir, rises to join the main buttress. This is SSSSI Wall." name="Bulging Buttress" rock="Dolerite walls and cracks up to 80m" sun="Not much sun" walk="20 min" id="1"/>
<text class="heading3" id="17">SSSSI Wall</text>
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<text class="text" id="19">A conspicuous clean black wall is situated above and L of the Wizard, offering some good steep routes. To gain access, climb 50m up Avalanche Couloir and scramble back R to the base of the wall. Descent from these routes is by the rap station (35m) at the top of Mildly Amused, on the southern side of the summit blocks.</text>
<climb extra="↓" grade="22" length="40m" name="SSSSI (Seriously Searching For Sanity but Suiciding Instead)" number="SS" stars="***" id="23" fa="K. Bischoff, G. Dixon, Feb 1981. FFA: S. Parsons, P. Bigg, and D. Fife freed the lower half in 1982; N. Deka and D. Stephenson freed the original aid line in Feb 1989.">A quality free route courtesy of an old aid line. The clean steep corner capped by a roof at 20m. 1. Climb the thin corner crack to the roof. Step L and up to belay on a small ledge. 2. Climb easily up to the rap station on the block above. N.B. Any old pegs on the line should be ignored and preferably removed, as they are well past their use-by date.</climb>
<climb extra="Þ ↓" grade="25" length="35m" name="Mildly Amused" number="MA" stars="***" id="22" fa="R. Parkyn, Feb 1999.">Start up the crack as for Beaten and Abused. At the horizontal break where Beaten and Abused goes R (at 6m) go slightly L and up (tricky) into the crack above until the first U can be clipped. Undercling around the flake (crux) then continue up the face and arête above. Good natural pro is available in the crack (wires and cams), then 9 fixed anchors lead to a rap station. This route tends to remain dry even when the others on this wall are seeping.</climb>
<climb extra="↓" grade="22" length="40m" name="Beaten and Abused" stars="***" id="21" fa="D. Stephenson, N. Deka, Pete Steane, Feb 1989." number="BA">The sustained and classic LH start to the upper crack of Crazed and Confused. Start just R of the arête to the R of SSSSI, at the base of the black streaks. Layback the thin flake to the horizontal break, then move R and climb the hand and finger crack past a couple of bulges to a second horizontal break. Step R and finish up the widening crack as for Crazed and Confused.</climb>
<climb extra="" grade="22" length="40m" name="Crazed and Confused" number="CC" stars="**" id="20" fa="N. Deka, D. Stephenson, Feb 1989.">The upper half of the wall is split by a prominent crack. Crazed and Confused is the RH variant. About 15m R of SSSSI, locate a large pedestal at the base of a steep black streaked wall. Climb the LH side of the pedestal. Launch off this and up a short steep wall (crux) until it is possible to step L into the prominent crack. Climb the crack and then mount the block on the L to a belay stance.</climb>
<text id="26" class="heading3">Black Magic Area</text>
<text id="27">Routes from Lignum Vitae to Malignant Mushroom start from the prominent step, L of the prow. A 15m scramble up a weakness on the LH side of the prow provides access to the step. Descent from routes in the vicinity is via bolted rap stations: 47m & 35m, down Black Magic, and to the R of Jelly Roll, respectively.</text>
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<climb extra="" grade="18" length="80m" name="The Wizard" number="" stars="**" id="16" fa="K. Bischoff, P. Robinson, Feb 1981.">A spell-binding route that is best after a dry spell. On the LH side of Bulging Buttress and obscured in the corner is a prominent line capped by a large overhang. Scramble up over blocks to the base of the line. 1. 25m. Climb up to the overhang, pass it on the L and follow the steep crack to a ledge. 2. 25m. Continue up a short, awkward corner to a large ledge then straight up to base of the black corner. 3. 30m. A demanding pitch. Up the vee-chimney, jam through the bulge and continue pleasantly to the top. Descend by walking down Avalanche Couloir or arranging a tape abseil.</climb>
<climb extra="↓" grade="21" length="30m" name="Cold Power" number="" stars="***" id="15" fa="Pete Steane, D. Fife, Mar 1996.">A scary start and a pumpy finish. This route is on the wall of the buttress R of The Wizard. It might be advisable to have your belayer stay down in the gully below to avoid the 4m horizontal fall factor 1.0 from the belay. Either way, if you fall off the bottom section your gear is unlikely to hold so take your pick: risk become a gurgling bloody mess via the 4m horizontal or painlessly take the 20m death plunge.</climb>
<climb extra="Þ ↓" grade="22" length="50m" name="Heat Pump" number="HP" stars="***" id="14" fa="R. Parkyn, N. Hancock, 2002.">Leave your trad rack at home. Best on a warm day. 1. 25m 18. Start about 10m L of the scramble up to Black Magic. Follow the line of U-bolts past the LH end of an overlap to ledge with DBB. 2. 25m 22. Classy climbing between the arête and the prominent black streak on the LH side of the steep wall.</climb>
<climb extra="Þ ↓" grade="21" length="25m" name="Warm Glow" number="WG" stars="*" id="13" fa="R. Parkyn, D. McConnell, 2003.">A line of U-bolts heads up the wall approximately 2m L of Lignum Vitae (LV). This route starts from the first belay of Heat Pump and runs parallel to its second pitch. Ascend the steep face L of the LV chimney to a ledge with rap station.</climb>
<climb extra="↓" grade="16" length="80m" name="Lignum Vitae" number="LV" stars="**" id="12" fa="P. Jackson, R. McMahon, Jan 1971.">Sharpen your trad techniques on this old school number. Follows the conspicuous black chimney in the centre of the steep and impressive wall. Scramble up and start just below top of step 10m L of Black Magic. LV does not start on the ground as the topo suggests. It starts at the same height as Warm Glow. 1. 50m. Up the groove past three ancient pitons to a ledge at 35m near the WG rap station. Bridge R and make an intimidating move into the bottomless chimney. Continue up line to a a large ledge with a bollard belay. 2. 30m. Climb the chimney at the back of the ledge then up slab to a small tea-tree at the base of double-cracks in a corner. Climb the cracks and finish via the left line up a short chimney to top. Descent: A 25m abseil from threaded slings accesses the Black Magic rap station.</climb>
<climb extra="↓" grade="18" length="53m" name="Black Magic" number="BM" stars="***" id="11" fa="K. Carrigan, I. Lewis, Jan 1975.">A Pipes classic that is usually done a single rope-stretching pitch. Takes the line R of centre on the steep south-facing wall. Up slab to a stance below over-hanging crack. Jam up this past a spike to a ledge (belay possible). An interesting move L and back R is necessary to gain the base of a shallow, wide crack. Up this, or climb the wall on the R, to reach the next ledge. Continue up a terrific hand-crack to a pea-pod. Traverse R at this point to the prow to locate rap station.</climb>
<climb extra="↓" grade="17" length="50m" name="Magic Mushroom Variants" number="" stars="" id="10" fa="Original Variant (2), G. Phillips, S. Young, Jan 2010, (1) T.McKenny, T. Meldrum, Jan 2011">Well protected (and possibly a bit easier) variants to Black Magic. Climb Black Magic to just above the bulge at about 15m, and step R onto the face, past a spike, and either 1) climb the crack on the LH side of the huge detached flake or 2) traverse R another metre and climb the off-width on the RH side of the flake. Continue directly up the face above via a fist and hand crack, trending R and finishing up the prow of Malignant Mushroom to the rap bolts.</climb>
<climb extra="↓" grade="19" length="50m" name="Malignant Mushroom" number="MM" stars="*" id="9" fa="S. Parsons, S. Brennan, Apr 1981.">A companion line to Black Magic that follows the RH end of the steep wall. Some loose rock. Belay off rap anchors on the step, 7m R of Black Magic. 1. 32m. Climb up past a dangerous looking spike and follow the corner until level with a small roof. Traverse R on thin hands and step around the prow. Move R slightly and up for 5m to belay on the prow. 2. 18m. Up the RH side of the prow easily to the rap bolts on Black Magic.</climb>
<text id="29">The following routes are on the wall below the step of the buttress, and are often done as access routes to climbs starting from the step.</text>
<climb id="28" name="Eye for a Line" length="34m" grade="16" fa="T. McKenny, I. Snape, D. Humphries, Dec 2010." number="EL">The open corner to the L of Jelly Roll has been climbed. The rock quality is as good (or bad) as it looks.... Climb either up the corner or the L wall, breaking out R round the arête where the rock quality finally deteriorates to suicidal. Finish up last few moves of Jelly Roll.</climb>
<climb extra="↓" grade="17" length="35m" name="Jelly Roll" number="JR" stars="*" id="7" fa="S. Parsons, P. Bigg, Apr 1978.">Great if you are a percussionist. For the rest of us, however, the tone emitted by tapping the flakes on this route is a tad scary. This route ascends the cracked wall below the step, on the RH side of the prow. Start near the L edge of the wall. Climb the face to a crack, which is followed to gain the step of Bulging Buttress, below the start of Black Magic. Rap off bolted rap station to the R (35m) or continue up another route.</climb>
<climb id="30" fa="I. Snape and T. McKenny, V. Keller, Dec. 2012" name="Smoke and Mirrors " length="35m" grade="15/19" stars="*" extra="↓" number="">An alternative start to Black Magic and Malignant Mushroom, or a climb in its own right. Start about 5m R of Jelly Roll, in the middle of the wall on good rock (directly under the lower abseil line from the step). Climb straight up the wall, either trending L at the final overhang and finishing up the crack (15), or climb the roof direct, and the steep wall above (19). Finish up on the step at the rap station.</climb>
<text id="25" class="heading3">Breaker Spur Area</text>
<text class="text" id="6">An early route from 1962, Breakneck (14), was recorded in the area around Jelly Roll and Lignum Vitae but has never been located.</text>
<climb extra="" grade="14" length="108m" name="Breaker Chimney" number="" stars="" id="5" fa=" T. Terry, K. Hall, Mar 1968. Direct finish: Basil Rathbone, P. Robinson, Apr 1979.">The prominent chimney high on the face L of Breaker Spur, to the R of Malignant Mushroom. Start 20m north of the nose of the buttress, as for Breaker Spur. 1. 36m. As for Breaker Spur. 2. 12m. Follow a short chimney just L of the crest, swing L and up a short nose to gain a terrace (as for Breaker Spur). 3. 30m. Traverse L to the foot of the chimney, which is followed to a broad ledge. 4. 30m. Two alternatives: (a) Original route: traverse L along the ledge and continue heading up, keeping towards the L skyline. Move R and scramble to the top; (b) Direct finish: follow the line directly above the chimney past a chockstone. Abseil via the Black Magic rap station.</climb>
<climb extra="↓" grade="15" length="101m" name="Breaker Spur" number="BS" stars="**" id="4" fa="M. Douglas, J. Fairhall, Jun 1967.">A classic alpine style route, mostly following the prominent and narrow vertical rib 20m R of the prow.<br/>1. 36m. Climb the rib mainly on the L and centre, moving R at the blank wall above the first platform. Belay at the second platform on the crest of the spur.<br/>2. 24m. Up a short chimney just L of the crest, passing an old rusty peg (still there 2012), and climb a short nose to a terrace. Continue up towards a prominent corner.<br/>3. 26m. Various alternatives, all a bit vegetated: <br/> (a) Climb straight up the corner for 8-10m, move R into the next line and follow this to a ledge with two U bolts on the wall. (Climbed and cleaned in Nov. 2012)<br/> (b) Climb straight up the crack and follow the corner to a ledge.<br/> (c) Move L up the chimney and exit through the bulge;<br/> (d) Move L and up the rib on sloping ledges;<br/> Either abseil from the U bolts (50m) to the 2nd platform (top of pitch1) followed by a 35m abseil (two U bolts) to the ground or<br/>4. 15m. Up the gully to the L over a couple of jammed blocks to a big established gum. Traverse L round the corner to a short gully above the Black Magic rap bolts. Climb down to the bolts and abseil off.</climb>
<climb extra="" grade="13" length="105m" name="Breakout" stars="" id="3" fa="G. Kowalik, P. Robinson, Mar 1979.">Scene of the departure of a very large rock. On the wall 10m R of Breaker Spur find a bottomless chimney about 30m above the ground. 1. 24m. Up a series of walls to a small ledge beneath the chimney. 2. 30m. Climb the bottomless chimney and up the line to belay on a large ledge. 3. 27m. Up the walls above, trending slightly L at the top to a jam crack. 4. 24m. Easier climbing to the top.</climb>
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