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Over Easter Aussie climber Lee Cossey made the first ascent of what I think is one of the last great lines on one of the world’s greatest cliffs — the immaculate glowing orange Taipan Wall in the Grampians (of course). The route takes a very cool line joining a series of pockets, scoops and edges up the proudest part of the wall — between Naja (30) and Groove Train (33) — all the way from the bottom to the top of the wall in one cleverly conceived 55 metre pitch. Lee named the route Sneaky Snake and graded it 33 (8c or 14b).

Lee first bolted the line some ten years ago but since he lives in the Blue Mountains, some 13 hours drive away, attempts were few and far between. Originally he bolted the route as a fully independant line but a few years ago Lee worked out the current route which climbs the first seven metres of Naja before traversing in. The direct start is still awaiting an ascent; if your name is Chris Sharma or Adam Ondra, then that could be for you.

Sneaky Snake’s crux comes high on the route; it’s hard and it proved to be a real heart-breaker — which also dealt out some serious air-time due to the clips that Lee was skipping on his redpoint attempts. Ben Cossey (Lee’s brother) who had made the first ascent of the neightbouring Groove Train commented that Sneaky Snake may well be the harderst route in Victoria. Lee of course is no stranger to establishing classic hard routes at the cutting edge in Australia, such as his Saturation Point which I reported last year. Personally I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Sneaky Snake in time turns out to be harder than the 33 that Lee has proposed.

I knew Lee was getting close on the route and Easter was his only chance to try it for a while, so I took the opportunity, packed the car, and blasted out the long drive to the Grampains so I could get some shots. On my third day there Lee was getting close but no cigar. On day four Lee came insanely close to sticking the crux on his first shot but split a tip. Things weren’t looking too good. Lee taped up his tip, had a long rest, then gave it a final shot. This was his do or die attempt, perhaps his last real shot for the trip. But this time he stuck the crux and pulled it off in style. A great piece of climbing and an amazing route for sure.

The following shots were taken on the actual ascent, you’ll soon be able to see some of my other shots from this shoot as they are published.

Great job Lee!

I believe the route is about grade 26 or 27 for starters but height wise it also goes way above my comfort zone for deep-water soloing. In our group only Monique and Lee Cujes (from Upskill Climbing fame) stepped up to the challenge. They both fell off from high on the route on their first attempts when holds broke, but then after a bit of ummming and arrring they both decided to give it another shot — and they both succeeded. I was stoked to have witnessed a very cool bit of climbing — from them both — and also to have captured the moment with my camera. The elements (especially the boat in the background) came together a bit better in the shots of Monique and I’m really pleased that Rock Magazine decided to use it on their cover.

Monique’s article about our fabulous Vietnam trip appears inside the magazine — alongside a bunch more of my photos from this really stunning destination. Be sure to check it out!

And here’s one of the shots that I got of Lee.