Bangalore Part One

India

Go back to India.
Go back to Ranchi To Bangalore.

North Star
Varlakonda.

We got a late start the following morning as the route was supposed to go into the shade after noon. A two-hour drive and a supposedly quick hike. The hike turned out to be a little less than quick since the approach involved crossing a ~250 meter wide belt of dense vegetation running along the base of the formation and the climbers’ trail had overgrown and was not easy to find. After some 90 minutes of back and forth, bushwhacking, and bleeding, we finally arrived at the base of the Morning Star route (5 pitch, 5.10). Fantastic climbing on some very clean granite – probably one of the highlights of the trip. A logical and well protected line (all bolts). We were back at our hotel in the city in the early evening.

Photos

North Star
Views from the highway as we near Varlakonda (Dec. 2023).
North Star
At the Varlakonda trailhead (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Punit and Shirley starting the approach (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Exploring what would turn out to be yet another dead end on our approach to the base of the wall (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Aided by a phonecall to Sohan, we finally we stumbled onto the correct approach (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Starting up the North Star route on Varlakonda. What a great fun route (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Higher on pitch one (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Views from the first pitch of North Star (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Shirley starting up the first pitch (Dec. 2023).
North Star
More views from the first belay (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Shirley making progress. Kind of unusual: steep but with fairly deep “dimples” to enable slab moves, dimple to dimple (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Arriving at the first belay (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Leading the short pitch 2 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Shirley starting pitch two (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Views from the route have a strongly agricultural bend to them (Dec. 2023).
North Star
More of Shirley on pitch 2 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Starting up pitch 3. A personal favorite (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Higher on the crimpy joy that is pitch 3 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Shirley making progress on pitch 3 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Higher on pitch 3 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Leading the crux pitch 4 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
And past the crux (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Looking back at Shirley from above the difficulties on pitch 4 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Views from the top of pitch 4 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
More of Shirley on pitch 4 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
More belay four ambiance (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Shirley arriving at the fourth belay (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Starting up the fifth and final pitch of North Star. Don’t let the photo turn you off – the whole route is very clean and the brush on this pitch is short lived (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Views from the top of North Star route (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Shirley on pitch 5 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Just below the summit ridge on Varlakonda formation (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Shirley arriving at the fifth belay (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Topmost rap with a 70 meter cord (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Varlakonda in its highly foreshortened, horizontal glory (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Shirley rapping down pitch 3 (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Varlakonda formation on the hike back (Dec. 2023).
North Star
A zoomed in view of some beehives (Dec. 2023).
North Star
And an even closer look at the hives (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Shirley and Punit with Varlakonda in the background (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Meeting one of the villagers who wanted a photo with us (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Almost at the car (Dec. 2023).
North Star
Hello.
Bangalore
In Bangalore, right outside of the place where we spent the first two nights in (Dec. 2023).

Go to Bangalore Part Two.
Go back to India.