Page 9 - 2000 AMA Summer
P. 9

 climbers. Bad kloof on the down the coast from Cape
edge of the town Is a pic­ turesque valley and contains the majority of hard sport crags. Easier sport routes can be found at the climbing areas of Legoland and The Steeple. The crags in Keurk- loof, in particular The Vision, and Cogmans Kloof offer fan­ tastic sport routes in a moun­ tain setting. For traditional climbers the Lost World crag three kilometres outside Mon­ tagu has climbs at all grades
Town takes you past the surfing Mecca of JB ( Jeffries Bay) to the quiet university town of Grahamstown and the provincial capital, Port Elizabeth. Follow the ‘pig’ signs to discover the tradition­ al climbing on dolerite cliffs of Hogs Back, try the lines on the cliffs of Mary and Martha,
sample SA's best sea cliff climbing, or cruise the many sports venues around Grahamstown itself.
and once again an Andy de
Klerk test piece in the shape
of Technicians of the Sacred’.
The other main climbing area
in the Western Cape is the
Cederberg Mountain Reserve
about four hours drive north
of Cape Town. The last 30
kilometres to Wolfberg/Tafel-
berg /Rocklands climbing
areas is on gravel road so it is
advisable to go early and Resources Reserve. For real avoid driving at night! Access adventure climbing and
is extremely sensitive and trekking there is the 2000m
climbing permits are manda­ tory with the areas regularly patrolled by park rangers. However the superb tradition­ al climbing area of Wolfberg is on private land (permits issued from the Dwarsrivier Farm) and 200 metre routes such as ‘Celestial Journey’,
Energy Crisis', ‘Alone in Space’, will give you a feel of the gripping exposure.
Tafelberg is a three-hour walk from the valley and offers a
high 900km long Drakensberg mountain range. In winter the cliffs above Giants Castle are a popular ice-climbing venue while the summer rock routes are extremely serious under­ takings.
“There’s is a rhino at the bot­ tom of the route, but hey this is Africa!” The sport crag of Har- rismith is situated in a game reserve and was developed by Eugene Beetze, Mike Behr and Glenn Harrison. A rapidly
Climber onCattle Rustlers', Rocklands Cederberg, Wetern Cape.
“There’s a rhino at the bottom of the route but hey this is Africa!"
(grade 28) is a must. For tra­ ditional climbers there is Manoutsa near the Strijdom Tunnel, first explored by E. Haber in the 70 s, which has seen a great deal of new route
true mountaineering experi­ ence with ‘Maidens Prayer’ one of the great classic very severes of the crag. Further north in the Cederberg above the small town of Clanwilliam is the sport area of Rocklands famous for its bouldering. However the large numbers of visiting climbers have caused problems in this envi­ ronmentally sensitive area, so climbing permits are mandatory and strictly enforced. The Rocklands experience is not complete without a visit to the seashore fish restaurant in Lamberts
Bay. By now the fingers are trashed so a good rest on the wine farms of the Western Cape, and you are ready to head back to Cape Town and home, or take to the road and move on up country, A trip
expanding area with a good
guidebook, it is also a great activity in 1998.
chance to see some of the
wild animals of that used to Long time activist Charles roam the South Africa veld. Edelstein describes Blouberg, The crag at Potgietersus at
Thaba Pashwa is another
growing sports climbing area
with a ‘prize’ multi-pitch sport
route. En route to Johannes-
berg or Cape Town and need
a fix of climbing then stop off
Roger Nattrass’ guide is a great way to discover the climbing at Monteseel and its satellite crags. For hard sports routes try the Wave Cave crag - Barricade (grade 32) / Paragon (grade 30) and Rasta Cave crag - Supernova
(grade 30) / Hubbly Bubbly (grade 32) in Shongweni
in Bloemfontein and delve into the ‘Delusions of Grandeur’ guidebook.
If you are on a quick trip to Jo'berg then visit Stribbins Valley. Access to the krantzs’ of the Magaliesberg is very sensitive and the climbing areas lie on land owned by the Mountain Club of South Africa.
(Climbing is restricted to Mountain Club Members).
o
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe at Waterval Boven is a strange place to find the biggest sport climbing area in South Africa but it’s there! The campsite is 10 metres from the top of the routes and you can rappel to the base of the climb. The route Snapdragon
the Blue Mountain of the Northern Province, as the true
African climbing experience. Getting to the base of this serious 400m traditional cliff is usually an epic adventure in itself. However, routes such as ’Last Moon’, ‘Scatterlings’, ‘Hey Jude’ and the world standard big wall routes of
Wall of White Light’ and the Delicate Sound of Thunder’ complete with African vultures flying past make it a very
special place.
Well that is a quick look at climbing in South Africa. So look forward to seeing you here!!
For more information visit: www.climbingsa.com
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