Llandudno Bouldering Guide - by Joe Möhle - Climb ZA

Llandudno 

Bouldering 

By Joe Möhle 

Above: Joe Möhle getting some big air on Zero Gravity 7B+. 

Photo by Jimbo Smith 

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Llandudno Bouldering � Joe Möhle

Llandudno Bouldering Guide - by Joe Möhle 

Getting there: 

18 km from the centre of Cape Town and approached by one of the most scenic 

drives, over Suikerbossie Hill from Hout Bay or in the other direction from Camps 

Bay, along Victoria Road, Llandudno lies nestled in a private and peaceful cove with 

one of the most secluded and beautiful beaches in the city. 

Click here for directions to Llandudno via Google Maps 

From the Author: 

Only the headland situated on the right hand side of the beach (facing the ocean) is 

documented here (there is also good bouldering on the left hand side of the beach). I 

have tried my best to credit the actual first ascentionists as accurately as possible. 

This has not always been an easy task since Llandudno has traditionally only been 

visited intermittently by climbers who don‟t keep track of what they send. 

For the past eight years I have been very active at Llandudno and know most of the 

bouldering achievements that have occurred in that time. Prior to this Llandudno 

predominantly saw sport climbing development. 

All the routes on the American Dream Wall have now been bouldered. Recently, some 

climbers have seen fit to take Llandudno Bouldering twenty years back by bolting some 

highballs on the Guardian Angel boulder (including the Guardian Angel Project). 

Whilst I respect their decision to do so, I disagree with this method wholeheartedly. 

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Highballing is an important part of bouldering and in other parts of the world (e.g. Bishop, 

CA) climbers are pushing the limits of the sport by climbing boulders that would dwarf the 

Guardian Angel boulder. If hitting the deck frightens you, then bring more pads or stay in the 

gym, but please don‟t stagnate the progression of our sport and scar these beautiful boulders 

with bolts. 

The area is divided into two sectors, split by an obvious clearing in the centre of the headland. 

The biggest boulder is “the egg” and serves as a good point of orientation (still unclimbed). 

Llandudno boasts over one hundred documented problems and counting. 

It is important to think out of the box at Llandudno and not get caught up in the “no more 

problems, all too easy or too hard” mindset. I have been taught this lesson time and time 

again. There are undoubtedly many more classics waiting for those with the imagination to 

express themselves through the climbing here. 

May this guide share the joy that I have found among the friendly giants of Llandudno. Any 

corrections and suggestions can be sent to my email address. 

Abbreviations: 

BS – bum start 

SS – stand start 

TO – top out 

RS – running start 

JS – jump start 

FA – first ascent 

IDP – in the distant past (refers to unknown FA‟s) 

Topo Hosted on Climb ZA 

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SECTOR 1 (cicled in red) 

Boulder A 

1 Project crack 

Boulder B 

1 Jedi 6A - SS 

FA J.Möhle (2003) 

2 Project 

3 Liquid Militia 7A – SS 

FA Joe Möhle 2004 

4 Local Knowledge 7A – SS 


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Boulder C 

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1 Conspicuous Consumption 6b – BS, climb the arête via black muffin 


2 Unnamed 4, climb the layback crack 

IDP 

3 Naatkop 5, BS, climb left 

4 Klipkop 5+, BS climb right 

5 project 

Boulder D 

1 Bipedal Challenge 3 – SS. Climb the slab without hands, then without shoes, then in 

flops and then skates 

Boulder E 

E3 E2 

1 Walking on Air 6b+ - SS, some fancy footwork gets you up the slab 

FA S.Kruger 2006 

2 Unnamed 5 – SS, to the right of Alpenrösli in the alley 

FA J.Möhle 

3Alpenrösli 5 – SS, climb the dark slab almost on the corner of the boulder 

FA M.Stutz 2010 

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Boulders X and Y 

X1 Joff‟s problem 6a – SS, climb the blunt arête with your back to Menu Eis Bitte 

FA J.Golembo 2010 

X2 Project 

X3 Stickman 7a – SS, climb the obvious crack/ groove 

FA J.Möhle 2006 

Y1 Menu Eis Bitte 7b+ - SS, climb the face with your back to Alpenrösli, tricky beta 


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Y2 Pissing into the wind 7a – SS, climb the scooped face above a flat rock 


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Y3 Project 

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Boulder Z 

1 Amazing Grace 7B- start lying on your back, do a huge sit up and continue to climb 

the roof crack 


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Boulders AA and AB 

AA1 Unnamed 7a – SS, in the narrow alley, climb the slab, one long move 


AA2 Blue Shadow 7a+ - SS, climb the arête mostly on its left side 

FA J.Möhle 2010 (toprope) 

AA3 Golden Glow 7a+ - SS, Climb the slab between Blue Shadow (left) and Pink 

Tinge (right) 

FA D.Fraser 2010 

AA4 Pink Tinge 4 – SS, climb the beautiful slab opposite Gaffie 


AB1 Gaffie Skop Mis 7a – SS on the outskirts of the alley, climb to the rugby ball 

and TO 


AB2 Druk „n drie 7a – SS right of Gaffie and climb the arête 


AB3 Arch left 5 – SS, IDP 

AB4 Arch right 5 – SS, IDP 

AB5 Muscle Beach 7a, originally a route 

FA W. Walkup 1987 

AB6 Cold Cut 7a, originally a route 

FA T. Apollis + J. Breytenbach 1990 

AB7 Sakkie‟s Nightmare 6c, originally a route. 

FA M. Seegers + D. Margetts 1990 

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Boulder/Face AC 

1 Windsak 6b, originally a route 

FA M. Seegers + D. Margetts 1990 

2 Offwidth 6a – SS, climb the offwidth 


3 American Dream 6c – SS. Was a bolted route, now has been bouldered. 

FA M. Roberts 1985 

4 Mercy Me 6c, originally a route 

FA D. Pothier 1990 

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Crown Boulders 

These boulders are situated above Amazing Grace and American Dream. 

Boulder G 

1 Castrated Crown 5 – BS, climb the boulder left of Excalibur via rounded holds, 

taking care that one of them don‟t end up in your lap. 

FA B.Westoby-Lee 

2 Excalibur 6c – BS with feet on the adjacent boulder, move right before going 

straight up. 


3 It‟s All Old School 7b – SS right of Excalibur 


Boulder H 

1 Professional Twat 6a – BS, short pull, climb the overhanging arête 

FA J.Möhle 2004. Marijus has done a deeper start at 7a. 

Boulder F 

1 Kingpin 6c – BS, traverse the entire boulder from left to right and TO as for Down 

with the Crown. 


2 Down with the Crown 6a – BS under a small roof and round the lip to TO 


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Gravity Chamber Boulders 

Boulder R 

1 Project (it would help to be tall) 

2 Fonteinblueass 7C, SS LH on crimp and RH on scoop/jug and climb straight around 

the bulge and TO going straight up. A bum start still needs to be added. 

FA Matt Bush 2011 

Boulder I 

1 Unnamed 4, SS climb the black face with your back to Amazing Grace 

Boulder K 

1 Hypergravity Project (the hardest thing around, mount that beast!) BS 

Boulder J 

1 Fire the Cannon 4 - BS, climb the layback crack opposite Hypergravity 

FA J.Doran 2008 

Boulder L 

1 Marijus‟ problem 7a – BS, climb the overhanging arête 

FA M.Smigelskis 2009 

Boulder M 

1 Zero Gravity 7B+ – JS to two good black holds and dyno to a jug then don‟t fall! 


2 Project 

3 Project 

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Boulder N 

1 Staan Vas 6a –SS, climb the rounded corner which has now been defaced by graffiti 


2 Silas‟ Traverse 6c – BS and traverse along slopers to the end and step off 


Boulder O 

1 The Badger 7b – BS on good holds, heel hook on right and move up via nonexistent 

holds 


2 Sweet Reggae Music 5 – BS, climb the layback crack 

IDP 

Boulder Q 

1 Friends in High Places 6b – SS, climb the overhanging arête (BS still needs to be 

done) 


2 Running Man 5+ - SS, climb the slab at its centre OR take a running start and do it 

without hands! 

FA J.Möhle 2004 (both versions) 

Another Slab problem exists slightly left called Shredder 7A+ FA Matt Bush 

3 Unnamed 4 – SS, climb the right side corner/slab of the boulder 

IDP 

4 Grey Beats Orange 5 – SS, climb the scooped face 

FA B.Westoby-Lee 2003 * this problem is actually on the AA side of boulder R. 

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Friendly Giant Boulders 

Boulder U 

1 Friendly Giant 5- SS, climb the broken face opposite the Offwidth 

IDP 

Boulder T 

1 Infinite Imagination 6c, climb the thin seam. 


Boulder W 

1 Lip Service 6c- BS and traverse the lip left to right, come back at 7a. 

IDP 

Boulder S 

1 Little Peter Rabbit 6b – BS/SS, climb the overhanging prow and TO on the left 


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Boulder V 

1 Crack in Reality 6a – BS, climb the overhanging crack 


2 Sun Sessions 7A – BS, Heel hook left and climb right 


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SECTOR 2 (circled in yellow) 

Skeleton Boulders 

Boulder AD 

1 Project 

Boulder AC 

1 Project 

Boulder AB 

1 Kulula 6c – SS, climb the slab just right of a block at the base to a muffin on top. 


2 Kunzima 6c – SS, just right of Kulula and finish on the same muffin 

FA L.Houlding 2010 

3 Project 

Boulder AA 

1 Project 

2 Project 

Boulder Z 

1 Child‟s Play 4 

FA J.Doran 2007 

Boulder Y 

1 ? 

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Boulders W and X 

X1 Don‟t Be a Knob 6c – BS, on the far left of the face when your back is to 

Impeachment. Climb the blunt arête via a knob. 

FA M.Cowen 2008 

X2 Project 

X3 Project 

X4 Unnamed 5 

IDP 

X5 Project 

X6 Unnamed 5 

IDP 

Boulder W 

1 Impeachment 7A 

FA C. Martinengo 

Boulder T 

1 Skeleton Tide 6c- SS and climb the face via muffins past two bolts (Birkett 

bouldered this) 

FA Dave Birkett 

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Boulder U 

1 Turn of the Tide 6c Highball/ free solo. Wait for low tide. 


Boulder V 

1 Birkett traverse 6c- BS and traverse right on slopers 

FA Dave Birkett 

SPINE BOULDERS 

Boulder S 

1 Aquatic Mathmatic 6c 


Boulder R 

1Spinal Contortion 7a SS, behind the Spine cave 


2 Unnamed 6b BS, boulder to the right if you are facing Spine cave. 


Boulder Q 

1 Spine Cave 6c BS, climb the roof crack 


Boulder P 

1 Guardian Angel Project (the most amazing hard highball, unfortunately has been 

bolted and scarred forever) 

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Boulder O 

1 Hand of Faith 6c BS and campus hold to TO 


2 Hand of Fate 7a, BS and climb leftwards TO 


Boulder N 

1 Lightweight 6b BS, campus the jugs till able to get your feet up. 

FA Brenton Westoby-Lee 

Boulder M 

1 Steel Blemish 5 SS, climb the face past a bolt in the open book 

IDP 

Boulder L 

1 Once is Enough 6c, SS and climb the slab rightwards TO 


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Boulder AE 

1 Unnamed 6b, SS climb the white face 


UNDERWORLD BOULDERS 

Boulder G 

1 Boxer 7a+, BS and climb the busted face 

FA J.Möhle 

2 Unnamed 5, BS and climb the layback crack 

IDP 

Boulder F 

1 Shut Your Mouth 7a – BS, climb the roof 


2 Emile Baggins 7b+, BS and do two or three hard moves on crimps to reach a good 

left side pull TO 

3 Bradshaw‟s variation 7c 

Boulder I 

1 and 2 are two problems that climb big huecos, really chossy. Did them ages ago and 

are hardly worth a mention. 

Boulder J 

1 On the Pipe, Off the Pipe 6C+, SS on the pipe and climb up and TO leftwards 

FA Matt Bush 

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Boulder H 

1 Project 

2 Yellow 6c, SS climb via a cool hole in the rock TO 

FA Mark Cowen 

Boulder K 

1 Project 

2 Project 

SUNSET BOULDERS 

Boulder A 

1 Lonestar Arete 5 

IDP 

2 Southern Cross 7b, BS just right of Lonestar and move RH into the vertical slot on 

Beach Babes and then straight up. 


3 Beach Babes 7a, BS LH in vertical slot and RH in two-finger pocket, climb straight 

up. 

FA M. Smigelskis 2005 

4 Don‟s Problem 7b, BS hard pulls on small crimps TO 

5 Telepathy 7A BS and climb to a rugby ball sized hold and TO 

FA M. Bush 

6 Star Gazer 5+ BS 


7 Star at Heart 5 BS 


8 Twinkle Star 5+ BS 

FA J. Möhle 2003 

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Boulder B 

1 In the Making 7c 


2 Baby Shark 6b, 


3 Baby Shark deep start-0 on a pinch 7b 

FA Don Willis 2008 

4 Starlight Arete Project 

Boulder C 

1 Rebirth Channel 6a, BS actually climbs the small boulder left of C to squeeze through a 

hole to TO 


2 Arete 6b 

IDP 

3 Slab 6c 

IDP 

4 Crack of Dawn 4 (my very first boulder problem) 

IDP 

Boulder D 

1 Knife 5, IDP 

Boulder E 

1 The Terrorist 7a, SS on the edge of a platform and climb up on a fin then rightwards to 

safety. 


2 Project, actually climbs below The Terrorist up to the platform (needs cleaning) 

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Llandudno Bouldering Guide - by Joe Möhle - Climb ZA

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