Girraween Second Pyramid

[CBee]

Anybody knows the best (easiest) way to get on top of the Second Pyramid? I haven't done it yet. Rangers won't share info because too hard scramble they say. I could bring rope+gear to climb one of the easier cracks on the south side, but I prefer ropeless scramble because there should be one. Not sure if this falls into offtrack category, since it's on granite...

[gbagua]

I haven't climbed in granite since 1997 and it was the rock I grew up with but it's my favourite type of rock. Absolutely love it.

The Crag lists The Descent as grade 8 which is easy but slab climbing on granite is never easy as it's purely based on precision and balance. I wouldn't call it a scramble. Are you going to use rock or approach shoes?

https://www.thecrag.com/en/climbing/aus ... 3885276696

Can you believe I haven't been to Girraween yet? Shame on me!

[CBee]

I'll be bringing my comfy rockclimbing shoes as well as approach shoes. After some research somewhere else (among rockclimbers), I found 3 routes suitable for summit without a rope. The one listed on the crag apparently is not the most difficult but sketchy in one place. Apparently this Second Pyramid is a taboo topic within bushwalkers and rangers so no point saying anymore here.

[goanna]

My distant memory is that this pyramid was known as Bald Pyramid. You may have more luck searching under this name. I think that if all you are trying to do is get to the top it is an easy scramble and then squeeze up one of the cracks. Our party did it in volleys/ runners with no rope and no problems.

[CBee]

Yeah, done it. There are several ways to do it. Choose your own difficulty. Nice scramble.

[gbagua]

Which way/route did you end up doing? Did you use it as your downclimb too?

[CBee]

Similar ways. But on the way down I spotted a couple of cairns from above, that gave me the option of bypassing the cracks. I think there are more ways to come up on the north west side and less exposed, but I was on my own and showers were roaming around, so I was in a hurry to get back, no time for exploring. I think if you get caught in the rain, you have no option but wait until the rock is dry. Or die.

[gbagua]

I'll have to check it out myself now. Probably go up the first monolith first before scrambling up the second one. See how it goes..,I guess it's a bit of a "follow your own adventure" kind of climb, is it?

[CBee]

Going up the first Pyramid IMO is the easier option instead of contouring left. Then easy down a system of vegetated cracks just on the left of balancing rock. Choose your own adventure up the second. If you stay closer to the south side, is very spicy.

[gbagua]

Just reporting on the Girraween trip I did few weeks ago. I started the second pyramid following The Crag's route Second Pyramid Descent 1 (grade 8?) but I thought after going up for 6m and without any previous beta on the route better not, so I bailed, too risky. It only takes one slip and and being alone would mean trouble and probably ending up badly injured. Then I checked wikiloc, saw your log and scrambled the pyramid which starts from the western face when facing the pyramid north. All up, it was a lovely scramble. I followed at one point a short darkish spout section (4-5m long) towards the summit. Probably the hardest part of the whole climb.

Wore a pair of La Sportiva Tx2 for this one. Light, very snug fit and grippy.

[paul8]

Does anyone has a GPS trace file to the 2nd Pyramid that can be sent to me ... mntviews@gmail.com ?
Prefer the easiest route up !!!
Thank you !

[CBee]

My 2c: do not follow GPS tracks on this extremely steep terrain. It won't work. It can lead you to dangerous areas and once you commit, could be hard to retrace. Look at the route from below and be prepared to traverse left and right, to pick the best chimney. There are some small rock cairns along the way (that I noticed only on the way down). From first Pyramid, looking at the second Pyramid, descend a steep vegetated gully on the left. Once on the bottom, traverse the gully between the two Pyramids and look for an easy scramble on the SW corner of the Pyramid. Things get harder and exposed as you progress, but there are no technical section if you stay on the correct route. If is wet forget it. This is one of the easiest routes I believe.

[paul8]

Thank you CBee !
I'll give it try

[gbagua]

To add to what CBee said:

1. Walking down P1. You can also do a traverse below the summit towards the right (eastwards while facing P2) and descend a rocky gully. Moderate downclimb, good foot and handholds. You'll end up facing the climbing route "Unknown" listed on The Crag (https://www.thecrag.com/en/climbing/aus ... a/11781505). Then travel West along the bottom of tye 2P until you come across its west face.

2. Going up P2. There isn't a marked route to the top. Try to follow the path of least resistance as the whole face is a series of continuous slabs broken by several platform formations. There are a couple of sketchy sections: one is a dark spout roughly 5-6m long, the other a near vertical wall close to the summit, roughly 2m long. Make no mistakes or you'll roll down to the bottom of the cliff.

Use either approach or rock climbing shoes to play safe.

[paul8]

Thanks to everyone who messaged me on how to climb the 2nd Pyramid.

On June long weekend, our group made it to the top of 2nd Pyramid.
We climbed it from south-west side.
May be back again to try to climb the 2nd Pyramid from the north side

Photos & trip report are in this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jOwKMGJ3olS-7mc0IHSHZq0Tu9QmbRNI/view?usp=sharing

Most difficult section is a long-ish vertical crack in photos #29 to #32.
We are not sure whether that was the only way. Or is there an alternative easier way up ?

[gbagua]

Well done! But you should have done it unroped.

I didn't go up the first crack, just followed a kind of a dark coloured narrow channel as I found it more obvious? Obviously there isn't one way of scrambling up the SW face.

Is the N face this one?




The one you see from the P1's cave.

If that's the case I wouldn't advise you doing it unroped. The green line showing in the pic is the easiest of the routes on that face and it's graded 8. Well I climbed part of the first slab and it is a lot more than the assigned grade.

[paul8]

Hi gbagua
Your image of the 2nd Pyramid is the south side ... viewed from the Balancing Rock of the 1st Pyramid.
When I wrote the "north side", I mean the opposite side of your image ... the side that is facing north

[gbagua]

Hey,

I had no idea. I'm not good at finding cardinal points. Thought about going further when circumnav. the rock to get to the start as I was following a wikiloc trail but it was getting late and had to drive back to Bris. on the same day.

I'll definitively check out the N. face next time and see what it's like.

Cheers!

[paul8]

Hi gbagua
If you managed to climb from the north side of the 2nd Pyramid,
please post your trip report here.
I'll be most interested !
Thanks & Cheers,
Paul