Whats happening on the local scene??
Well just check the news section to see... problem is it's almost all international news or bad news that comes from the local press! What are the climbers in this country up to?
'Throw us a frikkin bone' and let the country know what you/your mates have been up to!
--Cape Town -- Natal -- Gauteng -- Anbody!! Anybody climbed anything??
Let SA know about it !!

Climb ZA

Anyone climb anything - know of anyone who climbed out of bed at least

Send us your climbing news info@climbing.co.za (photos welcome)

I'll bite on this thread!

Yesterday I shook off over six months' worth of climbing cobwebs, and roped up for the first time this year. Ja okay, I know I know.... but sometimes life just gets the better of passion... okay!!

Took a friend of mine up Not Just a Pretty Face, Muizenberg for her first ever trad route. At 13, it's hardly national newsworthy, but we were thrilled, and that's all that counts.

Great weather, great day, great fun had by both of us.
Had the whole crag to ourselves and another small climbing party of two. Where was everyone on such a gorgeous day??

Felt fan-f***ing-tastic to be out 'n about again!

Howsit,

We went climbing at strubens valley on saturday morning (hardcore ) and it was really quiet, I think its to cold for everyone to get out and climb (not hardcore) or maybe its the school holidays?

Anyway had some good fun, destressed, forearms got nicely pumped...

Well, I also had tons of fun climbing last week. Again, nothing noteworthy, but really enjoyable. I soloed 30 plus routes at the stellar Morgan Bay, in between lying on the deserted beach with my wonderful girlfriend amd swimming in the surprisingly warm surf. What a rough life! The hardest routes I did were some 18's, but the jams are just so good there that you cant fall out. See the Morgan Bay thread elsewhere on the site.

Also, Mark Millar and Greg Borman did their first lead on ice 2 weeks back, on what was probably a first ascent, on the way to Bokong. They reckon its about WI 2 or 3. Ask nicely and they might post some pics. They said they also had great fun, so that seems to be the lowest common denominator!

Well I’ve been up to my usual climbing in the kloofs (Magaliesberg) the last month… and traded up a few of the classics: Gnasher 19; Adrenalin 19; Saber 19; I also attempted a pitch of Suicide which goes at 19A1 which I tried to free but I kept peeling off… also did what we think was Leaders Corner 18, just down stream of Frog Gully.
I also made a trip out to Blouberg to go climb Bushpig… but made a near fatal mistake… we mistook the Moonlight open book for the Last Moon open book (it was dark ok)… and started to climb 10 meters to the left of it… DOH!!! Which put us right in the middle of the: “Wall of White Light” DOH!!! Needless to say I didn’t get far up the first pitch before realizing WHY ITS CALLED THE WALL OF WHITE LIGHT!!! Yeah that was moments before I took 9m winger onto a Wild Country ALIEN!! and a sling which had simply dropped over a small horn… which just happened to have a rather SHARP edge at the back which I thought could easily slice through the small 10mm dynema… so I opted to place a second slings over the horn… they still there if anybody wants to go and get them… I then begged and pleaded to be flown, in a light aircraft, of the mountain because there was no ways I would make the long walk back to the car on my badly hurt right foot and bashed up left knee... Thank you very much James Although going down a runway with a 200m vertical drop off at the end, not knowing if you'll make the take off was probably worse than the lead fall itself...
So after my few ordeals I decided to go and clip bolts on Wellingtons Dome… Where Myself my girlfriend and another tiny climber did a number of cool routes… one of which I think is the best pitch on the Dome, the 20 pitch on Dreaming in the sun. The three of us also made easy work of Older Slower Wiser 17. Simul climbing the four pitches in 24 minutes…

Been mostly bouldering as of late.... time being a factor and all that. So been doing some nice 6B-7A problems at the KEG, 14TH AVE, and WILDS.

Looking to go out to bronkies this saturday and try the 24 there. Firefly or something I think.

Also looking to go to boven in the next coupla weeks and give Jigaboo a try. Apparently easier move for move than pocket rocket. But still there is a height issue for me.

Clinton has been sending in Boven...

http://climb.co.za/news_detail.asp?newsid=425

We've done some more routes at Underside. There are now 16 routes from 14 to 27 and another 6 projects.

I'll send an updated topo.

Has anyone repeated American Idiot or tried Bring It On?

Well, winter is climbing season in KZn, and the boys are cranking in the 'Wave Cave' but you are going to have to come here and visit the crag to find out what routes are being going down.

Graham and Christie made an ascent of Gulley Corner at Blouberg on the weekend in epic conditions. The route is 17ish, but in the mist and rain it became a 20A1 monster. But subsequent events made up for the nasty conditions:

When the bedraggled pair arrived back at their camp near the cave, some (very good) friends had set up a romantic candle-lit 3-course dinner, complete with salmon for starters, chilled champagne, red wine, crystal champagne glasses, real crockery, and malva pudding for dessert. Before tucking in, Graham got down on one knee and produced a ring from his scruffy climbing pants. Needless to say, Christie said yes.

So, Graham and Christie, congratulations on your engagement, in probably one of the most awesome spots in the country. Good luck in your climbing and other adventures in the years to come.

And what good friends you are!!! Not only for giving up a weekend of climbing, but also for dragging up all of the above mentioned gear for me; not only in the middle of the night; but also in blackout fog along with horridly wet and windy conditions causing the hike in to 5hours or more for the surprise dinner which I planned.
I would like to make a HUGE thanks to you Hector and also to Ian Kotze, Albie and Koos.
I promise to take you guys out for a big round of drinks…
It truly was a memorable night for the both of us…

I was completely swept off my feet by the most magical proposal. I am still trying to catch my breath.

Thank you to everyone for the most memorable 5-star meal ever. I can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for us.... Whether it be wet and fog covered climbs or sunshine…. It’s going to be fantastic!!

Wow! That picture almost does you justice, Jane.

Congratulations to you and the da big red baboon! (well that's what he said). Maybe now he will climb a bit more carefully...9m wingers!

All the best... & I hope domestication wont take the edge of your climbing!

Some 13 year old girls from Reunion Island have been flashing routes like Rude Bushman (24) and other ... oops that's international - sorry!

Well, on the local front, I climbed Route of all evil (10) with my 4 year old son the other day at the Coven, breaking it up into 3 pitches for him.

We (Wits climbers) were staying at the same place as those French girls. Bit demoralising! And to top it all, instead of watching climbing videos in the evening with their snazzy projector they watched Amelie! But I guess if you're flashing 24's at 13 you don't need any extra motivation...

The Cape got rained out, so not much happening down here (we went mtb'ing)
The rest of the country

p.s. We'll have the Underside topo up real soon...

Old Fart tries to boulder:
Inspired by enthusiastic visiting Canadians I decided to head out to Rocklands for the first time in 11years (?-where have you been dude?) and do some bouldering. With my daughter arriving from overseas in two days I had one day in which to boulder before needing to head for the airport. Of course the first night we went to the pub, with an injured Justin Hawkins buying a dizzying amount of alcohol (drowning his sorrows at being injured and [I like to imagine] celebrating my final arrival at the Landz [11yrs ago there was no bouldering developed]).

Things went downhill sharply for me from there on! First the exhaust blew out on the 30km drive, weaving past potholes (or was it just weaving?), to the guest house, then the car broke down. Somehow (dont ask me how) I managed to fix it and get to bed but not before losing the hands-free kit for my new phone and having my spectacles fall apart.

The next day was bouldering day! NOT! With the wee hours spent staring down the mouth of a wide white bowl , all I could manage was one Vee minus before collapsing in a groaning heap for the rest of my one (non)climbing day. Score: 1 nil for the internationals. Justin, its all your fault !

Roclands parties rock! Hell Cape Town is boring by comparison, especially with the F-ing rain falling down. Cant wait to get out there again and do it all again - except for the icky-sicky thing that is!!! Who knows I might even climb this time

So... what you all been up to? We drove out to Ceres to see the snow (see the gallery) - our dog loves snow, driving in snow is fun and it was cold and wet in Montagu = no climbing

Well, I was in Harrismith this weekend trying to teach myself to rope-solo. Started on Power Pigeon. Took a couple of rests on the top pitch, and then took a nice big fall from just below the last bolt. So the solo system works, but I think next time I'll use a thicker rope (only had a 9mm), and can see the advantages of a Silent Partner over a gri-gri (which I used). I also got to get some stronger arms cos I suck on steep stuff!
Andrew Pedley and Niel Margetts rebolted Swiss Cheese so this classic is available for climbing again. They went across to WOPR cave in the afternoon and found it to be a pile of choss. Andrew got up one of the 25's there, the last two bolts of which were falling out!
Graham Tyrell and Bernard Spies got up Take it Easy on Eagle Crag in record time. The next day Bernard led Power Pigeon in fine style.
Steve Bretherick also cruised Power Pigeon and the general consensus is that this is a superb route.
Dirk and Marija did a fine job coordinating activities from the KransDuif hut via 2-way radio, and Andrew ushered in his '30's with some good wine, cake and company.

Morning... Had an awesome weekend, we climbed our first 22 (the guide book says its a 23 but the general perception is its a 22), we tried it the weekend before and we were to tired and pumped to hang on, this weekend we made it clean up first attempt... really cool.

Then, and yes this is a little of the topic, we went rap jumping off the old parketonian hotel... 24 stories face forward... the ground rush is wicked... you gotta tried it

I went tradding in Fernkloof last weekend with Bernard. I've never tradded there before and I was seriously impressed. We only did two routes, but they were both long, sustained and brilliant. We climbed Fernkloof pinnacle at 17, which pulls through some outrageous roofs 60m up. We then did an excellent 21 which has a 20m splitter hand crack for a top pitch. Its called The Right Stuff. What a great route.

Karen Varga seems to have been taking some time off and according to 8a.nu, she red pointed 'Point Break' (7c+;8a/29) yesterday at Montagu in the Western Cape.
Nice one Karen

Montagu also got flooded last night. The only way across the river in the town was to use the foot bridge - no cars could get across!

Then Scott Sinclair did 'Barricade' (8b/32) on the 20th of August, at the Wave Cave in Kwazulu Natal and had this to say \"Easy if you practice it a few times...\"

8a.nu reports that Andrew Pedley recently red-pointed an 8a+/30 called 'Hack and Slay' at the Superbowl.
His comment: Soft, thin, low in grade. and gave it a ** rating (out of three)
This is Andrews first 8a+ his hardest being 7c+ ('M&M' & 'The Fix')

A bit of a late post, but local news none the less. End of August, Marian and I headed off for Wellingtons. ‘Dreaming in the Sun’ was calling. We attempted the first all female assent of this awesome climb.
I ended up cheating up the crux 21 move, but this climb is one of the best on the wall. Thanks to our camera men MI 5 and MI 6 aka fanta and Steve, there is some fantastic footage

Has any one else completed this climb out there?
Any cool female assents out there?

On Friday (20th October 2006) Justin Hawkins Redpointed Streetfighter (a.k.a Two to Win) at Oudtshoorn.
See http://climb.co.za/news_detail.asp?newsid=488

- Marijus Smigelskis has made the 6th ascent of \"Ard Ay\" 8B at The Seaside area in Topside (5th since Jerry Moffat did the 1st ascent in 2002) after about 5 days of attempts spread over the past few weeks.

Andrew Pedley sent God of Small Things at The Coven on Saturday thinking the route to be 8a+/8a.

For more detials see http://climb.co.za/news_detail.asp?newsid=494

unio Joubert has been rippin up Bains Kloof with loads of first ascents 5c - 7b! Check out his 8a profile to see what he's been cranking (see the right hand side of the Climb ZA home page)


Uri Joubert on Puffing Slowboats, 7a+, Bain's

Clinton has been busy...
http://climb.co.za/news_detail.asp?newsid=526

Mine Warning:
And beware when climbing at the Mine, a car got broken into on Sunday in broad daylight.