Hi folks,

Was out at Hellfire on Saturday, what AWESOME weather! Had a great climb but need help on identifying two routes. We climbed a bolted line on the pillar of pain on the left of the pillar (pit of dispair side)...any idea on name, opener and grade? (opposite side of the pillar from anaesthesia)

Then we tradded a line through a roof hand/fist crack above the start of the climb mentioned above...not sure if anyone has climbed it before looks like an obvious line though. I could not free it on lead, but managed to do the moves on top rope after aiding the crux moves through the lip on narrow fists/cupped hands...

Went at around 22 I guess - but brutal on the hands felt like they had been beaten with a billy club. If no one has opened it I am going to call it \"Clubbing baby seals in a bathtub\" (no offence to the activists out there!)

So anyone got info?
Brent

Brent the sport route is called Blade 21. Im not sure exactly where you tradded, if it is the crack going through the right side of the recess (which Blade goes up the left side of) up to the half way ledge (If you can climb higher than that directly you are superman!) then no it hasnt been climbed. There is another trad line, however, up the outer face of the pillar. It starts outside of the recess on the arete about 4m right of Blade, wraps around right a bit up to an alcove then joins the obvious wide crack up the right hand middle of the outer face of the pillar. That route is called Painkiller 18 (Down climb belayed to the anchors on Anasthesia [west] to get off).

If it is a new line give it an aid rating and write it up! But please be aware that all of the names to date follow or parody the cetral theme of the word 'Hellfire'. Please respect this tradition when naming routes. 'Clubbing seals...' somehow doesnt seem to fit the bill (how about 'Torture Chamber', fits the whole Pit of Despair / Pillar of Pain thing better!)

Anyone opening new routes at Hellfire should please contact myself or Ross Suter to submit the details for verification and inclusion in the guide.

OK thanks to Justin the pics are now in the post above...So Grigri has that line been climbed?

I'd like to go back and see if I can do a more direct start to the right in the recess, but it looks very hard! I simply wanted to get to the roof and get try it.

I'll get a decent name once I have free climbed it....

Hey Gri, hurry up with the guide man, releasing guides surely can't take that long!!

I dont think that cracks been climbed yet. Pain killer takes the same start. then veers right up the short corner then goes up that wide crack above the ledge. Well done for doing something new at the venue!! Hope you free it sometime soon.

OK folks

Sorted the route on top rope on Saturday 5th August . not sure if that counts as a first ascent but stuff it I cannot take the pain of fist jaming through the crux again...I have lost half the skin off the back of my hands...

\"Hell hath no fury...\" 22 trad (assuming the name has not been used by another route in the extensive guide coming out soon)

Start up the right hand side of the recess (blade goes up left) climb to the roof. Move slightly right onto the arête and then up to the big roof where you can shake out. Hard move left into the hand jam crack. Get the feet up and hand jam to the lip. Pull through the lip on fist jams (really painful!), reach up right into the right hand crack for a hold. Pull up to the ledge and continue up painkiller to the chains on Anaesthesia.

FA Brent Russell and Hannes Esterhuyse