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<guide><text class="heading1" new="false"
number="null.">Mt Geryon & The Acropolis</text><text
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number="null.">by Matt Perchard, originally published in Craglets.</text><text
class="text">The cliffs of Mt Geryon and The Acropolis provide absolutely exceptional climbing “on the wild side”. Many of the routes have had few ascents, so obviously take appropriate precautions - the seriousness of accidents is high, with help a good days walk away.
The downside of the climbing is twosome. Firstly, expect the usual foul weather. Multiple trips before even laying chalk to rock are hardly uncommon. Secondly, packs full of camping and climbing gear are good “fun”. The best camping is probably straight up from Geryon campsite (walk to that campsite, cross the stream, and then follow the scree for about 15 minutes onto the Labyrinth, heading slightly right to the first lake). The views are magic, and it is ideally placed for the North-to-South traverse. Alternately there is a good bivvy cave between Geryon South and the Acropolis.
The crags were written up in the 1984 issue of Australian Rock and a guidebook was later published by Chris Baxter in 1999. Refer to that guide for full details of all climbs.
Described below are the classic traverses - and not to be missed! The north to south direction is the norm, but is has been done the other way, both ways in a day, even in winter. This is a classic day in the mountains, with nothing too serious to stop competent climbers.</text><text
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number="null.">Mt Geryon West Face</text><image new="false"
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width="">null</image><climb extra="" grade="9" length="91m"
name="Foresight Normal Route">An excellent outing into exciting country. Scramble up the huge gully below the West face of the South Peak and head for a chimney leading to the Foresight/North Peak notch.
1) 25m. Crux. Climb the chimney then scramble to the notch.
2) 35m. Go up the West side of the Foresight to a step on the skyline overlooking the East face.
3) 30m. Exposed but easy climbing on the East side to the top.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="4"
name="South Spur Normal Route">From the Acropolis-Geryon saddle, follow the skyline ridge moving out over the exposed East face where necessary. Mostly scrambling.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="4"
name="South Peak Normal Route">From the head of the scree chute leading down to the Geryon campsite, scramble up right to pick up a route to the bivouac cave above and north of the Acropolis-Geryon saddle. Go directly above the cave and scramble north below the west cliffs of the South Spur. Drop down a steep gully below the northwest arete of the South Spur into another gully which leads to the col between the South Peak and the South Spur. Go up to just below the col, then either traverse easily on the west side below the ridge, until you can scramble up to a large slab, or alternately, follow the skyline ridge (exposed) from the col to a slab. Climb the slab and gullies to the top.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="17" length="310m"
name="Geryon Traverse - South to North">1). Climb the South Spur Normal Route. Go to the north end of the summit.
2) 75m. Abseil 35m then climb down 40m to the col between the peaks.
3). Along the skyline to the South Peak. From its north tip climb down 12m to a ledge.
4) 35m. Abseil to the South Peak/Foresight col.
5) 15m. Go to a vertical crack under the left end of a large sloping slab. Get onto the slab and move right to overlook the east face. Fixed peg belay.
6) 15m. Step to the right across an exposed corner. Continue up more easily to a bushy ledge.
7) 10m. To the summit.
8) 65m. Reverse the last two pitches of the Foresight Normal Route to the col.
9) 20m. Go right a couple of metres. Climb an easy crack. Traverse left over slabs and go up to a large ledge.
10) 40m. Go up steeply to a ledge at 5m. Left along that ledge and then up 3m right of a corner. Move up and across left to the corner. Continue left to a chimney and climb it.
11) 35m. Easily to the summit of the North Peak.</climb><climb
extra="" grade="17" length="140m" name="Geryon Traverse - North to South">Start at the edge of the North Peak, overlooking the void. Abseil 45m to the big ledge, from the huge block, taking care to have the ropes over the edge (4m sling required) - amazing stuff! Abseil or downclimb the remaining 20m to the col.
1) 35m. Climb pitch two of the Foresight Normal Route.
2) 30m. Climb pitch three of the Foresight Normal route.
3). From the south end of the Foresight, abseil 40m to the col. At the col, still on abseil, walk down the rocks a further 5m right, to the chimney line of pitch four.
4) 25m. Climb the obvious direct line 8m right of the nose of the South Peak using four points of aid. Go up the easy chimney to below a large overhang.
5) 35m. Climb round right of the overhang. Move left and up to the ridge crest and summit. (Alternately, the previous pitch can be stretched out to 45m and an airy belay, leaving a simple 15m to finish).
6). Walk along the top of the South Peak, then reverse (descend) the South Peak Normal Route to the col. Scramble diagonally right then left over easy rock to the gully which leads to the summit of the South Spur.
7). Descend the South Spur Normal Route.
An amazing, but fairly easy, undertaking. Not to be missed!</climb></guide>
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