Cape Raoul - East Face

Jutting out of the Tasman Peninsula, Cape Raoul and its dolerite columns is one of the most unique looking climbing locations in Australia, or perhaps even the world. The long and complex approach, involving a solid hike, tricky routefinding, multiple non-trivial climbs and rappels, combined with the incredibly exposed nature of the climbing, all make the Cape a surprisingly rarely visited location. Adventurous climbers will be rewarded with spectacular climbing, especially with the most famous line of all, Pole Dancer (line 5).

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Route List

1: The Last Post, 23, G. Batten, M. Douglas, 09/1967/G. Phillips, S. Young, 01/2012
2: Pole Axed, 21, N. Hancock, A. Irvine, D. McConnell, R. Parkyn, 12/2003
3: Disaster Master, 26, S. Young, O. Davis, S. Goss, 11/2010
4: Certified Wise, 23, S. Young, G. Phillips, A. Lewis, 11/2010
5: Pole Dancer, 22, R. Parkyn, N. Hancock, D. McConnell, 02/2003
6: Bumhole Dancer, 17 R, M. Lehmann, T. May, J. Short, J. Slowinska, 01/2021
7: Jihad, 18, R. Parkyn, D. McConnell, N. Hancock, 01/2003
8: Infidel, 22, S. Mentz, S. Monks, 02/2012
9: Rain of Terror, 18, R. Parkyn, D. McConnell, N. Hancock, 01/2003
10: The Finger of Blame, 23, N. Hancock, D. McConnell, R. Parkyn, N. Selby, 12/2002
11: Ijtihad, 21, C. Elliott, 2014
12: Blackheart Sassafras, 19, D. Wade, Z. Brideau, 01/2022
13: Stockholm Syndrome, 26, D. Wade, A. Bogg, 02/2022
14: Instrument of Joy, 20, D. Wade, A. Bogg, 02/2022
15: Terrible Exit Pitch, 17

Sources

• “Climb Tasmania, 3rd edition,” Gerry Narkowicz, 2021, Climb Tasmania Inc.

• “Adventures at the Edge of the World, the Epic Story of Tasmanian Rock Climbing,” Gerry Narkowicz, Simon Bischoff, 2019, Climb Tasmania Inc.

• The Sarvo

• The Crag

• Doug McConnell

Updates

Nov 13, 2024: Initial version.

Mar 9, 2026: Minor graphic and caption update