Central Berg · Out and back
Cathedral Peak
Very hard
The route
A very long day with a real summit at the end of it. Sixteen hundred metres of ascent from the hotel, a traverse under the Bell, and a final chimney scramble onto a summit block the size of a small room. The classic Berg day hike and one that turns people around every weekend.
Day by day
- Day 1
Hotel → summit → hotel
Leave in the dark. Steady climb past Mushroom Rock to the shoulder, traverse under the Bell, cross Orange Peel Gap, grind up Bugger Gully and scramble the final chimney. Ten to twelve hours car to car for a fit party. Turn around by 12:00 whether or not you have summited.
What to expect
Terrain
Path the whole way to Orange Peel Gap, then scree and rock. The summit chimney is an easy scramble with big holds but you are exposed and unroped.
Fitness
1550 m in one push at altitude. If a 1000 m day still hurts, do something else first — the descent off Bugger Gully with tired legs is where people get hurt.
Weather
Cloud on the peak means no summit — the chimney is not worth doing wet. Check the forecast the night before and be honest.
Water
Streams for the first two hours, then nothing. Carry 3 L in summer.
Navigation
Path is clear to the gap. Above it, cairns and worn lines fan out — this is where people end up in the wrong gully.
Hazards
- Unroped scrambling on the summit block
- Rockfall in Bugger Gully, especially with parties above
- Very long descent — most injuries happen on the way down
- Afternoon storms with no shelter above the shoulder