Climb Point Perp Rock Climbing Guide

Review in Rock Magazine (No89 Summer 2011-2012)
Rock LogoRobert Dun has ruined climbing at Point Perp. In the good old days you could grab your guide and head out safe in the knowledge that your chances of finding a climb were pretty minimal. This would lead to a great afternoon in the pub, not too much wear on your gear and you’d be fresh for tomorrow. This guide will ruin all that. You are sure to find your climb, get pumped, get scared, have fun, and you mightn’t even get to the pub before dark.

This guide is a real labour of love; it’s almost apologetic about routes the author hasn’t personally done. There are a few new useful features. If a route has stars, the reason why it gets them is discussed. Any cautions are also similarly discussed. There is a cobweb symbol for rarely climbed routes (or it could mean “Warning, old climbers may lurk here”).

For instance:

The Tempest 17 20m.
** Excellent climbing with good protection and outrageously steep for the grade.
! There is a loose looking flake thing at half height. It is possible to climb around it if you want to avoid it.

Amazingly clear photo-topos (mostly taken from low-flying planes) and route descriptions make using the guide a breeze. Even the location of the super discreet carrot anchors are laid out in the topos (they are pretty invisible, sometimes you ‘d give up and belay on bushes then notice you were sitting on the carrot belay). The are about 470 routes all up. It’s available from all good bookshops, outdoor stores, or from www.pointperp.com for $39.95. It has 144 pages, and at least one good photo and heart attack per page.

Mike Law