Brown Boobie Birds and their fuzzy white chicks. T...
Description
The point is truly one of the wildest, most beautiful, and most exciting places I have ever had the opportunity to climb at. The heavy seas we experienced pounded the cliffs below with thunderous explosions, throwing sea spray from the undercut rock. At one point a giant rolling wave drenched my feet, creating a mildly unsettling situation. The guidebooks note that some are lucky enough to see giant tortoises and other large sea life below you as you climb; we were not that lucky. Though we did see nesting Brown Boobie Birds and their fuzzy white chicks, as well as soaring Frigatebirds, also known as Men ’O War. Please be considerate of these creatures, as the Brown Boobie is a protected and rare species.
The Northeast Point contains the highest concentration of routes on the Island, with grades ranging from 5.9 to 5.12. The routes get shade all day in February, while the top of the routes get sun by mid March.
As this is not your typical crag environment, extra precautions and logistics must be considered when climbing here to avoid any serious situations. Rescue on the island is non-existent unless there are other climbers around. There are specific procedures for climbing at the point recommended by John Byrnes, which worked quite well for us. As this information is freely available, I will not repeat it but refer you to his guide. We found a gri-gri to work very well for the single rope rappels. In the few situations where we found the intended belay stance was wet due to the raging seas, we set the belay above, using two bolts on the climb. The static rope you rappel to the climbs on can be helpful in setting up a belay in this manor.
Getting There
From Asthton Reid (aka Crossover Road), head east on the Major Donald Drive (aka Lighthouse Road). Follow this road about 6 miles (10 km) until it ends at the lighthouse. Follow the nature trail that heads toward the water and to the left for about 100m to where there is a cairn on the right side of the trail. From this cairn you can look straight out to the edge and see some bushes and palm trees, to the right of which is the route “The Devil Wears Flippers”.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for The Northeast Point:
A worthy route! Sustained, steep, and technical through its entirety with unique and diverse movement required. You climb through crazy formations and peer into caves on the way up. The top out is exciting! ...[more]Browse More Classics in International
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