Currently there are two established dry tooling crags in Queenstown. Both of these are located at the Kelvin Heights end of the Kelvin Heights – Jacks Point Trail. When walking from Kelvin Heights the first crag you come across is the Den of Iniquity. It is on the right hand side of the trail as you walk towards Jacks Point overlooking the lake. The top of this crag can be seen when your standing at the second of the green bench seats. As seen below. It takes arounds ten minutes to reach the Den. Look for the climbers trail on the right hand side of the crag. Follow this down over a short rock step to the base of the crag. GPS co ordinates S 45deg 03.145 , E 168 deg 41.950
The routes from left to right are. 1) Chuck it in bro M4+ 4 bolts 2) The inseminator M5 5 bolts, 3) Man boy love M6 7 bolts 4) Awesome Foursome M8+ 7 bolts 5) A gentleman of disrepute M8 4 bolts. All routes have perma draws and clip through anchors. You need one quick draw for the first bolt on Chuck it in bro. There is still come loose rock here so bring a helmet and position your belayer accordingly. Please do not chip or drill any additional holds at this crag. Most of the routes are mainly natural holds with the odd rock climbing move thrown in. The first three climbs have also been rock climbed the grades being 19, 21, 23.
The Pink Palace
The Pink Palace was the original dry tooling crag in Queenstown. It is located approx 20minutes along the Kelvin Heights / Jacks Point trail. It is on the left hand side of the trail and hidden behind a group of trees. Look out for the pink dot on the rock that marks the entrance to the palace. Head up towards the pink dot and then move right. The rock at the pink palace is loose, bring a helmet. All routes have perma draws and lower off anchors. The Pink Palace is quite steep and stays dry in most weather.
Routes described from left to right. 1) Sink the Pink M7 5 bolts 2) The G man loves my pink bits M7 5 bolts 3) Rub it till it’s pink M6 5 bolts 4) Pink Panther M3 2 bolts 5) Pleasure palace M5 3 bolts 6) Little pink holes M5 3 bolts
There is also a great ground level traverse “Circumnavigating the pink” climbing from either direction it is somewhere around M7is 25m long. A spotter and bouldering pad are handy for this. Linking the traverse into any of the routes is a good way to get a better work out.
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