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Bokong, Lesotho: Derek Brown reports that as of the 25^th of June, the main falls were too thin to climb on and were close to falling down. This was mainly due to the river running very strongly and melting the ice. The other gully routes were nicely formed.

Sani Pass: I climbed there on the 29^th of June and conditions were fairly nice. We climbed all the pitches of Cool Bananas and Banana Split.

French Wench has a steep, but well formed final pitch, although the lower sections are not formed well. The Wailing Wall was top-roped last weekend by Colin McCoy and party, but only extends about a 1/4 of the way down.

Giant’s Castle: I have no reports so far. Derek Brown and party will be there this week so watch this space. I would think that routes such as Makaza and the Main Loteni Coulior will be climbable.

The Rest of the Drakensberg: There has been very little snow so far, so all the snow gully routes will not be formed yet.

Other: With Sani Border post being open now from 6am to 6pm it is possible to do a day trip from Durban or Pietermaritzburg and climb most of what is there.

Please: Over the years, ice-climbers have sometimes driven their 4x4s to the top of the Sani ice climbs. Please let’s stop this, as there are tracks forming across the landscape and through some wet lands.

Gavin Raubenheimer

For more info on guided ice climbing, please visit our website: http://www.peakhigh.co.za/ice.php or contact me on: gavin@peakhigh.co.za

French Wench

The image shows French Wench top pitch on Saturday the 19th. It was steep, but very nice climbing and should become fatter as the winter goes on. The lower pitch had not yet formed properly.

Reminder: The Sani border post stays open from 6am till 6pm.

Gavin Raubenheimer

For more info on guided ice climbing, please visit our website: http://www.peakhigh.co.za/ice.php or contact me on: gavin@peakhigh.co.za

It is Friday afternoon and I am at Sani with Thomas Mann and Derek Brown.  The ice is in a reasonable condition and looking very good for this early in the season.

Gavin Raubenheimer

For more info on guided ice climbing, please visit our website: http://www.peakhigh.co.za/ice.php or contact me on: gavin@peakhigh.co.za

How can you not get blown away with World Cup Fever….?

This is E3 Gear’s main mountain tent and is intended to be used on expeditions or in places like Lesotho and the high Drakensberg. It is a two person dome tent that is fast becoming the usual tent to be seen in the wilder mountain areas of South Africa.

The design is the classic 4 pole dome with bell type vestibules at both ends. All the construction is strong and robust with double stitching and lots of guy ropes for high winds. The built in ground sheet rises up into walls on all sides, giving good waterproofness even during times when the surface water flowing on the ground. The poles are of aircraft aluminum quality and are colour coded with the inner-sheet for ease of putting the product up, even if you are unfamiliar with it.

Mweni snow and tents

There are plenty of pockets on the inside, both on the walls and on the roof. The entire unit raps up into a strong bag with a separate outside pole and tent peg pocket. This pocket is especially useful in that you can easily check that all the parts on in before heading out for a trip.

Personally I have used this tent for 3 years now. It has been my standard mountain tent from Mt. Kenya to the top of the Drakensberg. It’s most impressive moment was when it was pitched at the top of Giant’s Castle in winter, at night, in winds that were being recorded at over 117kms per hour! This went on for 2 days and nights with no visible damage. I have also used it in heavy snow and found it warm and strong, even with loads of white stuff packing on top.

Specs: 2 person

Colour: bright yellow

Weight: 4.9kgs

Gavin Raubenheimer

Happy days! On Thursday there was a wide spread snow fall from South to North along the Drakensberg.  In most places it came down to just below contour-path level. It is reported as not being very thick. But it’s good news and now the winter can start !

Bokong Mafika Lisiu bouldering 2009

Sani Pass and Giants Castle should start to develop by this time next week. The  gully routes will still need more snow before being worth while.

Gavin Raubenheimer

For more info on guided ice climbing, please visit our website: http://www.peakhigh.co.za/ice.php or contact me on: gavin@peakhigh.co.za

General responsibilities

Make sure that you have the necessary consent for members to accompany you into the mountains, especially parental consent in the case of minors.

Also make sure that:

*   you know where you will be going, that the route has been planned.

*   the party has the correct equipment.

*   all individuals have the correct equipment.

*   the necessary permission of access has been obtained.

*   there is an appropriately equipped First Aid kit in the party.

Specific and operational responsibilities of the leader

When walking in a large party along an easily defined route it is usual for the leader to walk either at the back or in the middle.  If the leader is in the middle a stronger, and more experienced member of the party should be placed at the back to stop stragglers and one in the front to set a reasonable pace. If careful navigation is needed, it is best that the leader moves to the front to find the way.

If visibility drops, such as in mist, then the party should be brought up close together with the leader in front doing the navigation.  On a well-defined path the leader can drop back to either the middle or rear.  If visibility is really bad the party should be asked to memorise who is in front and behind them and to watch they do not get separated from the party.  When the leader needs to make a decision it must be made with proper consideration he/she must then make a conclusive decision, and stick to it.

Explain to the group what the objectives are for the trip and in the mornings explain what will be happening that day: the time the walk will take, where they will be camping, what the terrain will be like, what the weather may do, etc.

When decisions on route-finding or campsite selection need to be made, it is all right to take into consideration the opinion of other members of the party, but let the final decision be yours and explain why you decide on that decision.

Never show weakness in times of problems or danger. Make clear well thought-out decisions and do not be scared to delegate tasks. Try not to become angry with any member and certainly do not lose your temper.

Lastly, during the trip the leader should try to explain and to foster an awareness of the environment to the party. Take time to explain the local macro and micro eco-systems and climates they are passing through. Encourage them to pass through an area and leave as little sign of their passing as possible.  Encourage questions about environmental matters.

Gavin Raubenheimer

Just last week I was complaining to Gavin that I never wake up with that absolutely awesome “Man, I climbed hard yesterday” feeling. What a pleasure to wake up this morning with my forearms still sore and even as I am typing, my fingers feeling like they worked hard.

It took Gavin ages to convince me to go and have a look at Pietermaritzburg’s new climbing wall – High Altitude run by Josh Pickering. I thought Gavin, Cesar and I would spend half an hour and then I’ve done my duty and could say: “Yes, I’ve been… “.

More than 2 hours later and I still could not get enough! Josh has gone to a lot of trouble to create lots of really nice and interesting routes. They are colour coded to create more routes on the same rope. It’s not all about top roping either, there are routes to lead on, you could traverse along the bottom and Josh has plans for a bouldering wall as well.

What a great vibe, there were 8 climbers in total, all various levels, but encouraging one another, swapping belays as people got tired, shouting abuse and generally just having fun!

I’ll definitely be back next week!!

Hannelie Morris

If you’re keen – give Josh a call on: 084 2505 694 or email him on: mjmpickering@yahoo.com

Gavin and I spent the afternoon working Faye’s amazing route called Look Out Below, that things gonna go. It is a sport route at Umgeni Valley graded at 25.

This was our 4th day working the route. Both being trad climbers, working a route does not come naturally to either of us. I think we both see it as training to get stronger…

After both Gavin and I sent the route on our first proper try of the day, Gavin’s words were perfect: “I’m so happy that’s done, now we can go and do some real climbing again.”

We ended the day with a game of hack..

Hannelie Morris