I have just finished reading a fine new book on the climbing history and other aspects of Balls Pyramid. The book is called “South Pacific Pinnacle – The Exploration of Balls Pyramid” and had been edited by Jim Smith with the aid of Keith Bell.
Balls Pyramid has been called the “worlds tallest sea stack”. It is an amazing pinnacle of rock, the last remnants of an old volcanic caldera that lies close to Lord Howe Island. Its spectacular summit is about 560 m above the sea.
The pinnacle was not climbed until 1965, by a party from Sydney that included John Davis, Bryden Allen and Jack Pettigrew. This was not long after an earlier attempt by Rick Higgins, Dave Roots and others that managed to climb about two thirds of the way up. The books describes these early expeditions and the problems they encountered. One of these problems, and perhaps the most difficult was getting on and off the pinnacle from boats moored nearby in the open sea.
Both the editors have a close association with Balls Pyramid. Jim Smith (who has authored many books relating to bushwalking in the Blue Mountains) was a member of an expedition that climbed the Pyramid in 1969, and he also summited. Keith Bell has climbed the pyramid twice – the first time by a new route, that went up a harder ridge than the first ascent, and then later, he was on the first traverse of the pyramid. A lot of original accounts of climbing the pyramid have been used as well as some later recollections and the book is well illustrated with photographs.
An interesting aspect of the Pyramid is the wildlife found inhabiting it. It is used as a nesting site by a multitude of birds. But there are also some quite strange animals that live there – giant centipedes, reported to be up to 45 cm long and some unusual phasmids. Jim Smith, who has a background in zoology reports on all these.
After reading the book, my first desire was to go and climb the pyramid. It sounds like such an amazing place. But unfortunately rock climbing on the Pyramid has been banned since the mid 1980’s.
I have had the privilege of knowing some of the early climbers on Balls Pyramid – Rick Higgins, Bryden Allen and Jack Pettigrew. I also met on a few occasions John Davis, who was a very respected climber, canyoner and photographer. John died shortly before the book was published, in a helicopter crash. The book is dedicated to his memory.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys wild places, and in particular wild steep places. Copies can be ordered at this website.
As a postscript – Balls Head, near Waverton, in Sydney Harbour is named after the same person that the Pyramid is named after.