PEAK HIGH Mountaineering

The Mountaineering and Rock Climbing in South Africa Blog

BEAUTIFUL ROCK-CLIMBING VENUES OF SOUTH AFRICA…1

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This week we take a tour of a few of South Africa’s best climbing venues. These are all places where I guide clients on some of the best rock in southern Africa.
I used the following criteria for selection:

1) It must have flawless rock.
2) Aesthetically pleasing routes.
3) Lots of easy to moderate routes.
4) Easy access and hopefully good overnight accommodation.

So to kick-off, we head for Paarl Rock, about an hours drive from Cape Town. This is a world of friction climbing on smooth, grey granite. The crag consists of 3 enormous granite domes, situated above the town, by the same name. It’s a truly wonderful area located inside a nature reserve. Most climbs are only 5 to 10 minutes walk from the car park. There are also some outlying slabs below the main area, which give easy friction climbing for 7 pitches.

If you go there it is worth visiting for at least 2 or maybe even 3 days and you just have to do certain iconic routes. Sands of Time has to be an all time favourite of  mine at this crag. It has 4 pitches of climbing between grade 16 and 18, including a hanging stance above the crux pitch. An absolutely wonderful outing. Then there is Little Dutch Boy. This is a harder route, but certainly second only to Sands…

If you are wanting something easier, there is Skywalk, located on the Cannon Fodder Wall. This is a very easy multi-pitch bolted climbing, and a good place to get a feel of friction climbing. Lastly, it is worth mentioning the seldom climbed Trad route called Weasel. At grade 14, it is a true adventure on friction and easy hand jamming. All in all the only thing this place lacks is a campsite nearby. Accommodation has to be found in Paarl town or back in Cape Town.

For guided climbing trips contact: gavin@peakhigh.co.za and ask for an information sheet.

  

  

  

 

NAVIGATING THE MOUNTAINS…Part Four

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Today we look at some more fundamental skills of navigation in the wilderness. Using the examples below we can look at three necessary skills. We will also identify some very common mistakes.

Firstly, if you are finding your way along unfamiliar terrain or in bad visibility, study the map before hiking along any given section. Then try to visualise what the terrain will actually look like before you get there. This includes trying to understand what you will actually see from ground level. So in the picture below, look at some of the features identified on the map and try to see them on the landscape.

Secondly find some “tick points”. Tick points are rather like walking down a street, trying to find, say, a certain shop that sells clothes. To get there you have to pass the Post Office on the left, then walk about 100 metres and turn right, then pass the supermarket on the right and then you get to the clothes shop. You do it the same way in the mountains. So, if hiking up the path in the example, you would say, “I’m on the path about 100 metres above the river, which is on my right. I walk about 500 metres till where the river will bend left. I cross the river, then cross it again and pass the forest on the right” and so on…

Thirdly, it is important to fold the map to the area of interest, then hike with it in your hand, referring to it as you go. A common mistake is to put the map away, hike for a long distance, then sit and try to work out where you are. This is not the way to do navigation!

By using this technique, it can be said that you never get lost, because you always know here you are.

Happy hiking and for more information on courses contact: gavin@peakhigh.co.za or check out www.peakhigh.co.za

NAVIGATION IN THE MOUNTAINS…Part Three

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Using rivers as aids to navigation is a very useful technique.

It is all about looking at the finer details and remembering that map makers tend to be very accurate when showing natural features. It takes a practiced eye to see certain very small, but useful features. Some of this is also simple logic, yet very important. These skills can be done in good visibility while high above a river, or even right at the river’s edge, when moving in mist or at night. Often tiny non-perennial streams hold the key to it all. It enables one to have absolute pin point accuracy at all times.

The maps used in these examples are 1:50000 so 2cm = 1 km or 2mm = 100m.

Look at the map of the Pholela valley in the southern Drakensberg. The white arrow shows the direction of travel; the blue shows the direction of river flow. That brings us to point number 1. Know which way the water will be flowing by looking at the contours – especially in bad visibility. This means that where the path crossed the river at “point a” the water will run left to right. Then 500m further on it will run right to left at “point b”. It’s completely logical, but worth remembering when negotiating unknown areas in zero visibility. Then after this crossing, a hiker can see the edge of the trees. They then note that it is approx 7mm or 350m from there to stream 1, followed by 5mm or 250m to stream 2 and so on. These distances can be measured on the side of a compass base-plate. Note also the S-bends in the main river. On this scale of map the radius of a curve in a river must be at least 200m, before it shows on a map. The kinks, turns and meandering shapes are a huge help to see where you are located on a map. The other 2 images show another important clue to a hiker’s position. The angles at which small side streams meet a river, actually show clearly on the ground. In these examples a person walking up-stream would pass the first stream and note it enters at 35 degrees, then a little further up, there is a stream running off left at 110 degrees and note that on the opposite side of the valley there are 2 streams which end 400m up the slope. A little further up they would note the fork in the stream about 300m up the slope.

Safe hiking and for more information on MDT certified courses, contact gavin@peakhigh.co.za