The Den is a hidden bouldering gem deep in the national park of Sydney's North Shore, the approach is difficult and there is nothing really easy to warm up. The easiest grade was Risk Management V5, which is short, sharp and desparate so we had to add a new warm up to this amazing crag. It is called Backward Diver (V3/4) and has not yet been repeated. It should add some 'warmth' to this immense cave with lots of potential. There are only a couple of reasons why you would go there and ours was Sloper Traverse V8. This problem starts with a series of heel hooks and powerful moves out of a cave which leads onto a long sloping rail without footholes, the trick is to use your toes underneath the roof for some crafty toe hooks to try to stay on the wall with slopers for your hands. It took some time to put it all together but on our last trip Sunday 17 June the humidity was just right. You can watch the movie here The Road to V8

See you all soon ...

Roman 17June 2018