Dukes Nose – chossclimbers

Dukes Nose

India

Go back to India.
Go back to Bangalore To Lonavala.

Dukes Nose — Dukes Nose.

In the morning, we were joined by Punit’s climbing friend Kumar and his student Sahil who’d take us to the base of the Normal Route (5 pitch, 6b+) on the Dukes Nose formation. A quick, 30 minute hike brought us to the overlook and the rack-up point. Wow – a truly impressive looking prow of black rock. The climbing was fun and the steepness was quite a change of pace from the slabbiness of stuff we did in West Bengal and Karnataka. The steep 6b+ crux on pitch 5 got aided by us. Punit and the crew were waiting for us on the summit. After lunch, we drove 2 hours to Mumbai.

Photos

Dukes Nose — At the trailhead for Dukes Nose (Dec. 2023).

Kumar and Shirley on the morning approach to Dukes Nose (Dec. 2023). — Dukes Nose approach (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley on the (easy) approach (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — And there it is (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Rack-up spot (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Dukes Nose in most of its glory. The Normal Route covers this terrain but there’s another half (?) below the obvious horizontal break that can also be climbed (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Racking-up (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Starting the final (exposed) section of the approach. Photo by Punit (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — At the starting line of the Normal Route on Dukes Nose. Photo by Kumar (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Looking back towards Shirley and Kumar from the traverse to the start of the Normal Route (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley traversing to the start of the Normal Route. Photo by Kumar (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — New highway, including a tunnel and a bridge, being built (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley approaching the start of the Normal Route (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — At the start. Photo by Kumar (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Starting up the first pitch of the Normal Route on Dukes Nose (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Still pitch 1. After mostly slab climbing in West Bengal and Bangalore, the steep pitch 1 was a wake up call (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Higher on pitch 1 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley starting the first pitch of the Normal Route on Dukes Nose (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Looking back towards the view point where we started. Our friends are still there (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Pitch 1 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — The shadow of The Nose (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — And some more of pitch 1 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley at the first belay of the Normal Route on Dukes Nose (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Starting up pitch 2 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Higher on pitch 2 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley on pitch 2 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley higher on pitch 2 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Kind of steep (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley at the second belay on Dukes Nose (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Pitch 3. The crux of pitch 4 is visible above me and on the left. Click photo for a not so quick video (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Looking back at Shirley from the start of pitch 3 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — More views downward from the lead of the third pitch (Dec. 2023).

Shirley starting the third pitch (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Views from the third belay (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley nearing the third belay (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley topping out on pitch 3 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Starting up the crux pitch 4. The crux bulge is right above; more bulgy than it looks here. Got aided by us (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Aiding the crux pitch 4 of the Normal Route. Photo by Punit (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Looking back at Shirley from the lead (aid) of the fourth pitch of (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley (almost) out of the difficulties of pitch 4 (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley arriving at the fourth belay station (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Leading the fifth and final pitch (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley at the fourth belay station (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Wide angle view from the top of the Normal Route (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — A closer look at some hikers at the overlook (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley nearing the fifth belay (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Belaying Shirley on the finishing moves of Dukes Nose. Photo by Punit (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — A view of some slackliners taken from the summit (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Posers at the final belay. Photo by Punit (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — A small temple on the summit (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — A chameleon on the summit (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Lunchtime on the summit (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — The summit area started to get crowded and so we hiked down (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — The crew on the descent (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — On the hike down (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Shirley with the top of Dukes Nose in the background (Dec. 2023).

Dukes Nose — Back at the trailhead (Dec. 2023).

Lonavala — Waiting for our ride to Mumbai the following morning (Dec. 2023).

Lonavala — A friendly resident of the Lakeview Resort (Dec. 2023).

Lonavala — A highway-side overlook of Dukes Nose (Dec. 2023).

Lonavala — Punit at the overlook (Dec. 2023).

Lonavala — An early morning view of Dukes Nose from an overlook (Dec. 2023).

Go to Mumbai.
Go back to India.