Abseiling is underrated.
All the excitement of climbing and highlining with less setup.
If you're looking for a challenging day trip, I recommend this multi-pitch abseil at Boars Head in the Blue Mountains. It's a cracker!
I put together some field notes & photos from my last outing (in 2020). If you have the gear and skillset, it should help you wrap your head around some of the abseils on this face.
It was heavily inspired by the field notes by OzUltimate, but should be a little more up to date. He has some fantastic guides though - worth checking out!
It is your responsibility to be prepared for any abseil, including this one. This is an overview of the Boars Head abseil when I did it in 2020. Information below may no longer be accurate. Conditions change rapidly and it gets cold very quickly. Have a way to seek help if something goes wrong.
Alright, let's get into it.
ApproachLink to section
From Katoomba, drive and park here.
Walk down the dirt path for 130m towards "Boars Head" rock. When you get to the end of the path you'll see a standalone rock formation on the opposite side of the chasm.
Abseil 1: Warm up drop and scramble.Link to section
There will be chains bolted into the rock slope which faces the boars head rock formation.
This will be your anchor for the first abseil. It's a short drop down the gully to the bottom of the first pitch. Keep your descent trajectory lined up with the ground beneath you, the cliff drops off significantly if you miss it.
With Boar's Head on your right, hike the (mostly) obvious path that goes down. The track is somewhat sketchy as it goes back uphill a tad. Go slow.
Eventually you'll come around to a large fissure between two rock formations. Looks almost like a tunnel - a tall and narrow tunnel, there are largish ledges, but no 'floor'.
Crevasse Tunnel TraverseLink to section
There should be two ring bolts on the right side as you approach the open crevasse. We used them to set up a safety line and added a few strategic quick-draws to keep the rope hugging the ledges.
This will allow you to get to the start of the tunnel traverse.
Near the entry of the crevasse there is some more hardware along the tunnel to use as anchors for the traverse.
You're looking for:
- ring bolt at the crevasse entry
- followed by a carrot and two ring bolts further in
- another carrot on the other side of the tunnel.
Take enough carabiners and rope to secure your traverse. We used about 30m of rope for this section.
Now for the good bit, traverse the tunnel straddling the void beneath you to get to the second abseil.
Note: Depending on the time of year you head out, this section can be pretty chilly. The cliffs channel wind straight down this fissure. The wind can also make it noisy enough to muddle communications and test your rope management.
Abseil 2: Thread the NeedleLink to section
At the end of the traverse, on the left side as you walk through, you'll get to some chains and a ring.
Anchor there for a short (15m) abseil. The abseil goes through a hole which opens up onto a small ledge below.
It can be a bit tricky for newbies, but it's good fun to wriggle your way through.
Note: You're pretty committed to the rest of the abseil once you take your rope off this anchor. This is pretty much your last chance to turn back if anything was to turn south.
Abseil 3: Rock wall sandwichLink to section
Once you've threaded the needle you'll be chilling (possibly literally) on a small platform. There are more chains mounted on the adjacent rock face.
Set up on that anchor for a 25-30m drop.
This section starts off fairly narrow and gradually opens up at the bottom. You'll be heading down between two large walls with relatively smooth surfaces either side of you.
The abseil goes back under the open tunnel you previously crossed and ends in an open dirt-pit area with loose soil/rocks and not much vegetation.
Abseil 4: Simple and ScrambleLink to section
At the bottom of the gully, roughly where the dirt pit meets some thicker vegetation you'll find another set of anchors.
These chains are the starting point for a 27m abseil that takes you out of the large fissure and onto the exposed cliff faces.
This is a pretty uneventful abseil. It starts off fairly steep but then levels out as you get to the section below. Cruisey. Just watch out for loose rocks.
Once done, grab your gear and follow the narrow track which bends to the right (when facing the valley).
The path is thin and can be slippery with recent rain. Consider setting up a safety line. Most coordinated people won't need one, but newbies may feel safer with this backup.
The path ends at a flat and slightly more open rock platform.
Abseil 5: Grand FinaleLink to section
Above the path you followed, you'll find a small pointy overhang with two ringbolts. They are above your eye-level.
These will be the anchors to the last 'real' abseil.
You want to run your rope down from the anchors, across the path, then between the opening in the small wooded trees. The start of the abseil trajectory is clearly marked out from previous abseilers.
Once over the edge, this abseil starts off mostly vertical then drops away as you get past the large overhang.
There are two options from here.
Short and SweetLink to section
If you don't have a lot of rope you can abseil 35-40m down onto the sloped ledge below.
The landing can be challenging for newbies as the overhang puts you slightly out of line with the ground.
From there you follow the path that wraps around the right side of the cliff (when facing the valley).
Keep going until you find a solid tree trunk to anchor off and abseil the last 15-25m to ground level.
In the past there have been trees with dedicated slings on them, but these tend to go missing so you'll likely have to bring gear for your own anchor if you go this route.
OR...
If you're a confident climber there are also a few spots to scramble down.
The full thingLink to section
I haven't done this one... but plenty have.
With enough rope you could keep abseiling past the sloped ledge until you get to ground level.
The full thing would be about a 45-55m abseil and saves you setting up an extra pitch.
Hike HomeLink to section
Once on the ground you can follow the track back to the left (facing the valley).
Keeping the cliff to your left you can expect the walk out to take about 30-50mins as you navigate the vegetation.
You'll get to a sign (you'll only see the back of it) where the track meets the Devils Hole track, and then head directly up the gully through the Devils Hole and back to the road.
Fair warning, this is a steep track.
Turn left when you get to the road to get back to where your mission started.
Congratulations! You're done!
I hope you found this helpful.
Please, drop me a line if you did this abseil and this information is no-longer up to date.
Cheers, Loic