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Elevation: 107 ft
GPS: 47.698, -52.7018
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Shared By: David Bruneau on Feb 10, 2012
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Description Suggest change

The highest concentration of established routes and boulder problems in Newfoundland. The crags are secluded, but have short (<15 min) approaches. The unique scenery, lack of bugs and high quality climbing makes flatrock the best climbing destination on the Avalon Peninsula in the summer months. In addition, it is common to see whales from the crags in Late June through July.

The rock is a high quality conglomerate sandstone which is usually vertical, with occasional roofs. The routes are usually mixed pro, however if there is no good gear available, there will typically be bolts. Trad climbing at Flatrock has some quirks. The pebbly nature of the rock creates challenging gear placements; combining this with the steep nature of the rock, it is best to be conservative with initial route choices. While the most prevalent and highest quality routes at Flatrock are in the 5.9 - 5.10 trad range, there are a number of fully bolted sport climbs, and almost-sport climbs which involve a gear placement or two. Additionally, most routes have bolted anchors which can be used to set a toprope. While Main Face has the most routes and is one of the tallest faces in Flatrock, there are other crags worthy of consideration. On all but the warmest summer days, chasing sun is a safe bet. East facing crags which get morning sun include Main Face, UV ray, Spankys and the Locker. Blood Bath faces west, which is a good afternoon destination if time is short.

Bouldering is a mix between small boulders and many shorter sea cliffs. Due to the vertical nature of the rock, there are few hard problems, but endless moderates from VB to V3. High quality problems in the harder grades include Making Love to a Kenmore (V4/5), Nosferatu (V5), the Wire (V8) and commitment to quality (V10).

Getting There Suggest change

The town of Flatrock is about 20 minutes North of St. John's. In the town there are two parking areas for the east coast trail, which are also the designated parking areas for climbers. For the International and Locker areas you can park in St. Michael's church parking lot on Wind Gap Road and for all other areas you can park at the East Coast Trail lot just past the public wharf. Parking on Wade's Lane is no longer permitted, upon request of the town of Flatrock, please used the designated parking areas. The suggested approach to Main Face has changed since the release of the 2008 climbing guide, please refer to the map for more details.

188 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Flatrock

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
V4 6B
 8
Making Love to a Kenmore
Boulder
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b WI3 M5
 26
Candy
Sport, Mixed, Ice
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 22
Spray Down
Sport
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 14
Wet Chalk
Sport, TR
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 21
Hakuna Matata
Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a PG13
 16
Yellow Fever
Trad, TR
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 5
Last Chance
Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 15
Creationism
Sport
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a
 9
Iron Hand
Trad
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a
 6
Operation Recuperation
Trad
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 10
MC Hammer
Trad
5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 12
Hysteria
Sport, TR
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 15
Easy Company
Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 12
Maggie
Trad
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a
 8
Fine Line Between Fear and Flying
Sport
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Making Love to a Kenmore Kenmore
 8
V4 6B Boulder
Candy Main Face
 26
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b WI3 M5 Sport, Mixed, Ice
Spray Down Main Face
 22
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport
Wet Chalk Main Face
 14
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport, TR
Hakuna Matata Main Face
 21
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
Yellow Fever Main Face
 16
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a PG13 Trad, TR
Last Chance Main Face
 5
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad
Creationism Main Face
 15
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
Iron Hand Main Face
 9
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a Trad
Operation Recuperation Main Face
 6
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a Trad
MC Hammer Main Face
 10
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Trad
Hysteria Main Face
 12
5.10b/c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport, TR
Easy Company Main Face
 15
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport
Maggie Main Face
 12
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Trad
Fine Line Between Fear and… Main Face
 8
5.11c 6c+ 24 VIII- 24 E4 6a Sport
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