Africa Edge 21 The Ledge Table Mountain South Africa

Of late, my perspective of the “Ledge” on Table Mountain has drastically changed. I have been climbing here for about 30 years and have always thought that the best lines have been done. Well I can admit for once that it is most gratifying to be wrong. For some months now Margaret, my wife, and I have been regularly walking up India Venster and even our 10 year old son has recently joined us. We then race up Arrow Final and the Margaret takes the Cable Car down while I join my mates for another route or two. It was on one of these sojourns with her early in January that I noticed the arête that parallels Quake on the left and around which Quiver Crag winds. It is a classic ledge arête. Tony Dick and I, on our first outing this year and having rested (sic) for the last 4 weeks decided to look at it. Tony was intrigued that I suggested it as Jeremy Colenso had mentioned the possibility of a route on this arête just 2 weeks previously.

Glancing up one gets the impression that the arête will yield a few meters of tricky climbing and then the angle eases. In fact this is not the case. The first pitch is tricky and quite bold. It took several starts to work it out including placing pro around a dicky bollard on the right of the arête. On the arête at about 4m one can spy a good hold. A thin lie back move gets one to the hold where a less than optimal RP or other micro-nut and half-in cam was be placed on the first ascent. On a repeat ascent a pretty good Rock 7 (or an 8 will also work) was found to fit in a cunning constriction rendering the pitch much safer.

From here there follows a tricky step up to a rail. One then has some respite on the left of the arête but as it gets chossy you avoid the lichen by swinging back right around the arête to get to a rail and ledge. Again there is an easy option up left but sticking to the arête yields excellent airy climbing and the pro is good.

The second pitch starts on the face 3m right on good crimps to a rail that is thin to the right but much better to the left of the arête. Another little trick gets one to easier moves and another decent ledge. One can continue straight up on the left but this really amounts to climbing Quiver Crag and does no justice to this route.

The third pitch again starts around to the right of Quiver Crag with a powerful crank to a good rail. One is still in the shade if it still morning. A high nut/RP is placed and then a lie back move is made on the edge on the right which is rather reachy and balancy for us vertically challenged dudes. But a good rail with excellent pro is arrived at. One then steps around to the right and does awkward and balancy moves to get back left and into the obvious crack or a straight through lie back crank allows you to attain the crack. From there it is a doddle but still aesthetic climbing all the way to the abseil station.

It is best to do this section of the route in 3 pitches both for the leader and the follower as there are large ledges at the start of each pitch. With rope stretch a second can deck if one combines pitches. The route is not trivial to do on-sight.

Anyway I did not rest there and considered adding pitches on the lower two buttresses and this was successfully achieved. With Robert Breyer another aesthetic pitch was added on an arête situated just off the trail where Africa Ledge ends on the corner of Fountain. It is a nice easy warm-up on good clean rock.

I then again returned on the 29 January to inspect the final buttress and again it yielded to my efforts and an interesting pitch evolved at around grade 20. As none of my mates wanted to play with me I did the first ascent solo using a TRE as a self belay device and tying it off every now and then. It was objectively fairly safe but subjectively quite scary.

The route was opened on-sight without pre-inspection or any cleaning except the second pitch that had a lot of lichen and loose flakes in places. The upper pitches had enough lichen and scary, brittle little holds to be very exciting at times. This has now been improved to render another stoncking good addition to the Ledge repertoire and a definite test piece for anyone who is maxing at grade 21 or even 22. Repeat ascents, as is so often the case, can belittle one’s appreciation of the “head” factor required to on-sight a route such as this. I certainly found it more mentally and physically challenging than the Good Doctor 22a route we have both done a few times. So time will tell.

Start: Just before the India Venster trail turns the corner from Africa to Fountain ledge there is a left facing corner. The first peg ascends the right edge on the clean arête.

Pitch 1 12m 16

Climb the arête to the top of the buttress.

Pitch 2 15m 20

Ahead is the next buttress. Start on the right on blocks under the huge overhang. Climb up into the corner and rail right onto the arête and round it to easier ground. Continue easily to the top.

Pitch 3 20m 21:

Step up on blocks to the rail on the right side of the arête and then to thin moves up to a good hold on the edge at about 4m. Place some pro including a half-in cam and an RP and a reasonably good rock 7 and then do a lie back into and under cling to reach the next rail. Continue up the arête with good gear on the left. Avoid the lichen and choss by staying on the arête higher up – the holds unfold as you climb. Belay on the large ledge.

Pitch 4 15m 20

Step up onto the face on the right around the corner to a thin rail. Continue up the arête to another large ledge.

Pitch 5 20m 22

Climb up to the obvious rail just right around from the main edge of the arête (see photo). Lay back up the right edge after placing a high micro-nut or RP and the step around to the right. Continue up a move and then back left into the crack and continue more easily to the bolted abseil point.

First ascent: Pitches 3 to 5 Charles Edelstein and Tony Dick January 21 2009.

Pitch 1 Robert Breyer and Charles Edelstein

Pitch 2 Charles Edelstein

Rock rally and meet Du Toit's and Hellfire 21 to 28 April 2008.

Introduction:



The Cape Town section of the Mountain Club of South Africa confirms that a meet and rock rally will be convened in Du Toit’s Kloof region from 21 to 28 April 2009. The meet is open to everyone and not limited to club members. The MCSA Du Toits kloof hut will be used as a base for most of the activities.

Du Toit’s Kloof sports some of the finest classic country trad routes, some wickedly good crag trad routes and some very challenging sport routes.

At the end of the valley near Rawsonville there is a completely un-developed boulder field second to none.

And finally, there are several easier sport and trad routes to cater for all needs.

The Du Toit’s Kloof range also has some of the most adventurous hikes and rock pools for those less inclined to the vertical.

The format of the meet and rally will be somewhat different to the past. The rally will be held over 36 hours and there will be several categories. The score attributed to an ascent of a route will depend on a variety of factors including whether it is on-sighted, or top roped or red-pointed. And also it’s accessibility and difficulty. A variety of super prizes have been pledged for each category.

The provisional programme is a follows:

Tuesday 21 April 2009

Meet and Greet at the MCSA clubhouse in Hatfield street, Gardens from 18h00 onwards. Bring and Braai and a cash pub i.e. bottle store prices (but as things are developing we are sure to get a round or two thrown in by our sponsors).

Anybody who participates in the meet or the rally will qualify for a free entry at CityROCK, Indoor Climbing Gym (www.CityROCK.co.za) anytime on Tuesday for climbing and bouldering prior to the social. The gym is well attended on Tuesdays by many of our local rock jocks who train there. Overnight accommodation will be provided at CityROCK for those in need.

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Convene at CityROCK 41 Anson Street, Cnr Collingwood, Observatory, at 09h30 for registration and head for Paarl Rock and then on to Du Toit’s Kloof. Accommodation will be provided at the MCSA hut.

Thursday 23 April 2009

Guess what? more climbing….An ascent of a major country route will count towards your score in the competition. Climbers with local knowledge will assist with the beta.

Friday 24 April 2009

More climbing or a rest day fishing trout at the Du Toit’s Kloof lodge

Evening social at the MCSA hut: Free Pasta meal; Movie, talk, slide show….Music, you name it… Again, our sponsors are making some good noises and there no doubt will be free beer too…. Aaaahhhh…. We have a generator! Noisy but nice! But Lights out at 22h30…. I mean the generator.


Saturday 25 April 2009

5am! Rock Rally starts.

(Late) Registration for the Rock Rally at the MCSA hut from 07h00 to 09h00.

19h00 Social, talk or movie and (spit) braai by at the Du Toit’s Kloof lodge (or at the MCSA hut depending on availability). Die-hards sleep on a ledge somewhere. But there will be a few bonus points awarded for attending the social and a few more for anyone on a proper bivvy!

Sunday 26 April 2009

Rock Rally continues and finishes sharply at 5pm at the MCSA hut. Although if you proved you epic-ed you will probably score some bonus points but you must have a functioning cell phone!

And while we hang out getting the geeks to work out who won or who should have won, we are surely going to have another feast and as already mooted, this is likely to be sponsored. There will also be a slack line competition.

This must happen at the MCSA hut for the simple reason that no-one will be allowed to drive, (through fatigue of course!)


Monday 27 April 2009 (Freedom Day)

Free day to do whatever. Climb on Paarl rock, chill, hiking, kloofing. Again our local talent will be there to sandbag you…

Tuesday 28 April 2009

Back to Cape Town and farewell…

Backup plan if the weather is bad.

Montague is but an hour from Du Toit’s and we shall divert to there if necessary. Check out www.Debos.co.za for camping and accommodation.

The rally and the social events will be arranged at Montague if the Du Toit’s Kloof weather is poor!

Costs:

There is a nominal cost of R50 per person to cover (some) of the costs of the event including permits, designer T-shirt’s and other bits and pieces. The entire event is being organized by volunteers and any profit will go into buying beer or be allocated to next year’s event.

All accommodation at the Du Toit’s kloof MCSA hut will be gratis but one must be self catering depending on our sponsors. Watch this blog and the relevant websites for updates or subscribe to caperocknews@yahoogroups.com. To do so, send a blank email to caperocknews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Transport to and from Cape Town will be provided by us local dudes gratis. But we must have numbers ASAP.

It helps to have a Wild Card so please let us have your number.

Should we divert to Montague then camping costs R30 per person but transport will be provided.

What to bring:

Ideally bring a climbing partner and climbing gear; sport and trad if you wish to do both.

You need camping gear as there are limited bunks in the MCSA hut.

Please try to plan and print route descriptions in advance. Info about many of the trad routes is available on the climb.co.za wiki. Greg Hart and Ross Suter have committed to publishing the “Hellfire route guide” well in advance.

Food and booze supplies can be obtained at the Spar in Obs, walking distance from CityROCK prior to departing on the 22nd. Once at the hut arrangements will be made to replenish supplies at Paarl which is 20 minutes drive from the hut.

Finally, this is your sport, this your passion. Arrive! and the bleeding heart organizers will make it happen year after year. Without your support, the sponsors will stick to pumping time, money and effort into the “bling” activities like cycling where you don’t have to be a winner to look like one.
Let’s give our sport some horns…..Capice!

TATWOC first ascent on Table Mountain 25eish

TATWOC: (Tired and Totally Wanked out Old Climbers!) 25eish.

About a year ago I noticed a break through overhang 2 metres or so to the right of the start of “Touch and Go” and sent Tony up there on the sharp end. He fiddled and flailed and grumbled that the rock was crumbly and pro was sketchy. I followed on a top rope and could not quite agree with him despite his disparaging remarks.

About the same time about 20m below this break we noticed a tricky looking step up to an under-cling and a move to a jug and then up some thin looking bouldery moves. Tony tried this too and bailed. It seemed too bold and hard for us lesser mortals.

Some weeks ago, in separate incidents Tony and Tini sent the 1^st pitch and I inspected the 2^nd pitch and sent that too after pre-placing a nut. A route was morphing into shape.

I added a 3^rd pitch which is a busy grade 21 pitch that happens to use the crux of Touch and Go but instead of moving across the face, it ascends straight up once pulling round the roof.

The last pitch proved much more challenging and my first attempt on the sharp end was very scary. So I succumbed to my fear and inspected it on a top rope. This resulted in a nut being stuck in a hole and expanded to prevent it falling out by a sharp smack with a hammer on a blade peg. The nut, a rock 3, does not inspire confidence on direct inspection and I find it hard to clip as I have to use a very thin crimp to reach it. So it is still committing! Once clipped, one can reverse to the ledge and test it.

The top part of this pitch is extremely difficult to “read” and this resulted in me placing another fixed nut at the last rail purely as a marker. Without it, one would have no idea where to pull up onto the final “head wall” and the phrase “sand bag” comes to mind. The top pitch is already much trickier than the first 3 pitches and ideally one wants a route that is do-able for us mediocre climbers even if we are a little better than the average. Unfortunately there are very few, and probably only one local climbers that can, with abandon, jump onto committing trad routes on TM and even he, Clinton, is nursing a dicky shoulder injury at the moment and showed no enthusiasm of late to do so.

So TATWOC is born. Ably supported by Adam Roff, I did a clean ascent last Saturday, 20 December, at the ripe young age of 50 years and 7 days. This with knobbly finger tips, an arthritic PIP joint of my index finger, swollen and stiff hands, a chronically sore neck and severe sciatica. Besides this, I had a major crisis as I was in a sub-prime deficit with house points and this resulted in me feeling a little pressurized for time but it probably resulted in me getting the red-point of the last pitch as I had no time to dither.

I also had to pay dearly for being late as I got banished from the house by 08h00 Sunday morning with all three kids including Lucy who is still very Ma – verskrik and warned not to return for at least 36 hours.

I consider TATWOC a fine route and a great addition to the test piece repertoire on TM. It has 4 pitches that are challenging, each, in their own way. Even the 21 pitch is no push over. It is as straight a line as one can expect on TM sandstone and has all the attributes of an excellent TM trad route. It is by and large safe but scary. The last pitch can probably be straightened by pulling directly through the overhang above the nut fixed in the hole but this will make it much harder and beyond us “better than average” mediocre climbers and possibly even beyond some “really good climbers” but I do intend pursuing this.

There are no other routes on TM that exhibits 4 pitches of excellent quality on clean rock and certainly none at this grade. I just hope that other climbers at least attempt it and enjoy climbing it as much as I and my mates, who participated in the making of it, did.

The overall grade for the onsite is 25 or harder as it has so many tricky pitches! With beta or a red-point one can knock off at least a grade or even two. I felt it was about 24 having worked it before. There is also some lichen on the top pitch that can be removed to improve the route.

Climbers involved in TATWOC include Tony Dick, Tini Versveld, Bruce Daniel, Adam Roff, Dave Vallet, Robert Breyer and Willem Le Roux.

TATWOC Grade 25eish!

Start: The route is situated on Fountain Ledge and starts 20m below the start of Touch and Go. Scramble up from the path to the first proper rock face 20m below the steep overhanging break of Touch and Go. Walk right along the ledge for 10m to below a scooped undercut face just. If you look up at 3m there is a thin under-cling slot that takes small Alien cams for pro. Taller dudes can place these cams by standing on blocks. Up left of the scooped face and left of a blunt arette at about 3.5m one can see a pillar box slot that is an invites gear placement and a hand hold.

Pitch 1: 23

Step up onto the scooped face and tenuously – if you are short reach round to the pillar box slot. Place good small cams in the horizontal slot just to the left. Move up on thin holds to easier ground. Climb straight up to a ledge below the overhang. Lean back and see the fixed nut up and to the left.

Pitch 2: 23

Move up to the higher, second rail above, and the traverse left 2m to below the fixed nut. Move up past the nut and then to easier ground that is a little run-out and scary but quite safe. Continue to the ledge

Pitch 3 : 21

Climb the grey face to a mantel onto a ledge. Climb straight up the left leaning crack to another ledge. Step right and up onto the undercut face and climb diagonally to the Touch and Go stance under the large overhang. Avoid drag with slings and climb through the Touch and Go roof to the right and step onto the face. Climb up slightly left for 3m and then stance on the Touch and Go stance.

Pitch: 4 25ish or eish.

Clip the fixed nut and test it if you dare. Climb to the rail. Move left 4m to where the overhang peters out and climb up on brittle feeling flakes to the next rail. Rail back right to the fixed nut directly over the start of the pitch. Pull onto the face above and continue straight up to the jumbo ledge.

Descent: The abseil chains are 5m or so to the left and down 2m on the edge.

---

Oh my oh my oh my……… Tsk Tsk Tsk Tut tut

I despair:

I have verifiable evidence that some of the COCK and Bull members are straying from the path, losing their way and being unrighteous. We need to recalibrate them before they further stray.

The culprits went to Montague and Hellfire this last week and have been pushing numbers and clipping bolts!

Oh woe is them!

So dear stalwart members. Please berate them and release them from their blasphemy before they tear their finger tendons, rip up their rotator cuffs, get stiff necks from doing overhanging climbing and succumb to further doing de-bottling bolted routes….. This stuff can really mess with your head.

What’s more there is evidence that they were on-sighting routes they have not on-sighted previously.

Oh woe is them indeed!

Just a km or so down the road, yesterday on Yellowwood there was a TATWOCian flailing and failing on the third pitch of what, is for now, the direct start of Prime Time. The pitch entails some very heady, scary and airy but safe tricks that exit round a roof onto very thin holds and thin gear. (He used 3 shallow placed small Aliens including an offset black.blue a blue alien and a black alien i.e. a 0/1 a 00 and a 01.) He then placed a small RP that is excellent when placed well but very hard to do so. Read on…

The TATWOCian was then, having placed the RP, too pumped to do the very tenuous stemming move to reach the finger jug.

So the RP was tested and as it was weighted it slipped and popped……

down the tiny crack it was in and seated itself better. Gulp! Phew. No air time!

Dave Vallet was belaying and he also tested the gear and thought that a discretionary bolt would allow for a more user-friendly ascent but I am pretty sure there are several hundred if not thousands of hard core Brits, Austrians and even Americans who would hike this pitch.

My feeling is a fixed RP and/or a fixed nut in the lower rail (that can be replaced from time to time) is a better option. That way you don’t have a deteriorating fixed piece in situ that would ruin the commitment that makes the pitch very, very exciting and memorable.

The pitch then continues up a left facing corner to an overhang. The moves required include some funky stemming, lie backs, and even a knee-bar and there is excellent pro. At the overhang there is a rail that takes you onto a very exposed arête and then some more airy-scary but safe moves take you up to a rail and then right and up to the stance below the 22 pitch of Prime Time.

The problem with this busy marvelous pitch, which is technically 23 or so and definitely 24 to lead on-sight, is that TATWOCians would universally feel like the route should end there but unfortunately one is but a mere 60m off the deck……… Hoh hum……

Well back to business: Wednesday 3 Dec is TATWOC day. See you all at the ledge.

And Ged Desforges response: He did Prime Time with me earlier in 2008

Big numbers? Bolts? Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Here's my tuppence worth.

Let's face it, sport climbing in South Africa is shit. Waterval Boven world class? Please, I've done better climbing on my chin up bar (except for Monster, that's good). If you want to see what good sport climbing is, go to Spain. End of story. As for Montague, don't even consider trying to tell me that's good. I've seen better multi-gyms than that.

However, the trad you boys have got is certainly something to be considered carefully. My screensaver at work, and picture on my fridge is of my foot, below which can be seen a notorious Cape Town orthopaedic surgeon abseiling down, with much of the yellowwood amphitheatre beneath him. In between me and him are several bits of gear, put in place to keep him in contact with the rock. I doubt there'd be much bouncing if the anchor ripped. Above me is a solitary rock 6. This was one of the most memorable moments of my year/life. Luckily I managed to take a snap to etch it in my mind. In the distance the sun was setting, and half an hour later we'd be abbing down the lower half of the wall in pitch black. This was the end of one of the most memorable days climbing I've ever had.

The pitch with the crucial offset blue alien was fun, and the steep finger crack was great until i got cramp in my arms and nearly peeled off. But the crux pitch! Now I'm not one for foul language, but fuck me. That was something. I just couldnt make myself make the moves onto the detached, booming pillar. I hung on the belay, trying to force myself to do it, knowing how much Snort wanted to get up this route. He'd done that pitch, and once I'd committed he coaxed me up to the roof, warning me to save the green alien for higher up. Fuck that, the first decent break and I stuffed in every cam I could find to put some emotional distance between me and that pillar. The pinchy, pumpy, crumbly stuff above that was the stuff dreams are made of, especially when you're staring a perfect green alien slot in the eyes, wishing you'd saved it. That belay was a nice one. Stumbling down to the road at midnight, after 14 hours on the go, a long way from Cape Town, and an even longer way from Sheffield, tired, hungry, thirsty, bleeding; I couldnt have been happier.

Point is you lot have got some of the finest adventure climbing imaginable. Don't waste it. I'll be back soon, so keep your filthy mits off that crack line we abbed down.

Cheers

Ged

http://www.scribd.com/doc/7572894/Invitation-to-Charles-50th?secret_password=mh3bwr1ef9vy8q8j9j0

Down Time; A New Descent on Yellowwood Amphitheatre

Down Time:

A new descent off Yellowwood Amphitheatre:

Om Wednesday, 23 April 2008, two old guys, average age 47 or so, hauled, amongst other things, a large battery pack, 6 litres of water, drill, bolts, rack, two ropes AND ten monster size 10mm maillons up to the top of Yellowwood amphitheatre via Smallblaar Ridge. They established a 4 station rappel route to the right of Prime Time and Newborn and left of Armageddon Time and Smalblaar ridge. The first station starts on a ledge 3 m down from the very top. There is a large cairn built on the ledge which is easily visible when looking down. And there is a smaller cairn on top. It is easy to find if one susses the line out from the base where a bolt and hanger is visible about 5m up at the bivvy site. The rappel line is to the right of the middle of the amphitheatre and (obviously) to the right of the huge overhangs that cap Newborn and Prime Time.

At the top it is about 30m or so left of the gully that one passes if walking from the top of Armageddon Time.
Critical Beta!

We used two Blue Water ice-floss 8.1mm ropes that may be longer than 60m. The first rappel is slightly overhanging and requires placement of directional gear to keep the ropes to the face. About halfway down there is a bomb-proof rock 6 nut. Be sure to clip it on the way down and leave it there for the next party. Consider making a station there if you are not sure that your ropes will reach the ledge below. It can easily be backed up with another larger nut or cam! Continue placing gear to pull the ropes to the face below this piece. Otherwise you may have a long prussic.

The second rappel is slightly less than 60m.

The 3rd rappel is again at the limit of these ropes to a small standing ledge but should be fine if your ropes were long enough for the first rappel.

The 4th rappel does not reach the ground and one can either scramble down the last 5m or use the single bolt and maillon for a last 5m rappel.

If your ropes are not long enough for the first rappel, then rather walk-dassie crawl left about 70m along the halfway ledge to the rappel chains on Newborn. It will be safer that way. (We hope to improve on this situation during another visit).

Finally! Be sure to untwist your ropes before pull-down. You could be in for a long night!

Thank you Leonard Rust for permission to use the photo of the wall and routes. Your topo is slightly incorrect for the 3rd pitch of Blood is Sweeter than Honey. It takes the left version.

The First Ascent of the Nostril of El Cap

So there we were Friday 19 September 2008. Clint and I climbed the Nostril of El Cap aka the first 9 pitches. As usual we were maxing out our time, energy and logistics. Yesterday Clint was amongst other things, the day before on Thursday:

Disempowered
shut down;
humbled;
spectacularly unsuccessful,
broken,
brutalized,
and beaten
chewed up and
spat out

of Tales of Power.

I was to leave the valley the next day, Saturday, latest at 4pm to get the red eye flight to JFK and then home. We got to bed at 23h00 and awoke at 03h00. Drove to the base of El Cap and then started climbing. We got in ahead of a Norwegian party but a young dude was ahead of us soloing but he was very efficient.

We were going fairly quickly and passed an American party at the stove legs but then a Swiss party kept us waiting above the immaculate 8th pitch. I then led the 9th pitch determined to use the full force of my personality to get past the Swiss dude belaying at the stance. He was friendly and we chatted about Fred (Nicole) and Rocklands and all. Meanwhile I pulled in the ropes and put Clint on belay. The temperature was sunny but perfect: partly cloudy and a nice breeze. Dolt tower was but a pitch and a scramble above us and we were cruising and I was going to speed past the Swiss. I knew we would win because they had puff adder ropes and a Beeeeeg haul bag.

Clint was a little tardy starting to climb. He was in a deep and serious discussion with the American party that we had just passed. He seemed to be having trouble putting on his one shoe. I know he was grumbling about sore toes but come on!

Climb when ready I said again……

And again…..

The I saw the American dude feeling him up and I am wondering what the f**k???

Turns out the dude was trying to find his shoe that had got lost. Now, lemme tell you, you can’t climb those cracks with only one shoe. But there was only one. Indeed!

Maybe the American dude was pissed off and had snatched it and hidden it.

Maybe the grumpy Swiss dude had chucked it off.

But , there was only 1 shoe!
So it came to pass that we only climbed the Nostril and instead of being exhausted somewhere below or above the great roof 17h39 the time I am writing this up drinking beer, tea, whisky and wine and recounting the great escape from the Nostril….

Oh and by the way, we found the shoe quietly nestling on a rock at the base of the rap route of the Nostril – some 300m below our high point.

So the beta of the story is that El Capitan can sneeze and easily blow you off. Or maybe we were just shooed off.

So Saturday it’s back to thrashing up Tales of Power and Separate Reality and then, relatively un-exhausted I shall cruise to San Jose, JFK, JNB and CPT.