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The Hole

  • Grade context: SA
  • Photos: 6
  • Ascents: 231
  • Aka: Main Wall
32

Seasonality

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Description

The main sector/cliff. Great setting and steep pumpy & powerful sport climbing.

Access issues inherited from The Hole

Crag open year round, no permits required. Routes severely affected by the SE (i.e. don't climb here if the SE is blowing hard).

Approach

From Cape Town CBD head on the M3 towards Muizenberg. On the way to Muizenberg, find Boyes Drive and follow this for a few kilometers. After the Old Boyes Drive turnoff on your left, you will reach the crest of a hill and dip down the other side. There is a fixed speed camera painted yellow at the bottom of the hill. Park after this, on the uphill under a row of trees on the left hand side of the road. On your right is a stone retaining wall with a doorway (no door). This is the start of the Pecks Valley hiking trail.

Enter the doorway and follow some concrete steps for the first few meters. Continue up the trail steeply for about 5 minutes until you get to a T-junction, by some old ruins. Turn right and follow the contour path, which starts to curve up into the valley. You will see the Hole high up on the hill on your right hand side. Continue following the main path for another 5 minutes or so, UNTIL YOU SEE A CAIRN on a rock. This marks the turnoff to the Hole (don't veer off the main path until you see the cairn!!) Follow the ever steepening path for 10 to 15 mins to reach the crag. The path takes you directly to the Sideline crag first, but it is only a few steps away from the Hole, the main crag.

Approximately 20 to 30 minutes of hiking from where you park your car.

Ethic inherited from The Hole

No camping at the crag

Tags

Routes

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Grade Route

Warning Fixed Gear: Very old bolts.

Why would anyone bolt this? It has never been re-bolted, so good luck on testing them out. Dust off the holds and claim the second ascent.

FA: N. Matthews, 1997

Climb scrappy rock and pull through a roof. Continue up through another roof and the overhanging wall to a ledge. A few more moves leads to the chains. Not worth it unless you want to tick off all the 27s at the crag.

FA: N. Matthews, 1997

Starts just left of Fleur. Pull through a small roof and climb up to a hanging piece of rock dubbed "the anchor". Perch here for a rest before climbing up and right to join Fleur for the last few moves to the chains.

FA: N. Matthews, 1997

Probably one of the most climbed routes at the crag. From the pedestal, a bouldery undercut start leads to a cubby hole rest. From here, prepare for the pumpfest on good holds up the overhanging wall to the chains.

Alta

FA: J. Fisher, 1991

The only five star route at the crag. Start up Fleur before breaking right at the fifth bolt. The line cuts through a number of routes along the headwall, including Route 66, eventually finishing at the chains of La Nauge Neuf.

FA: J. Temple-Forbes, 2003

Climb Fleur, breaking right at the sixth bolt. Layback up a crack to a roof. Pull through on the extreme left (keeping feet below the roof) and move right until able to join the last few moves of Poisson Flambé.

FA: Unknown

Climb Fleur before breaking right at the sixth bolt. Where Fleur d'Afrique continues right, this route pulls through the overlap onto the blank wall above to finish at the chains of Megalodon.

FA: S. Maasch, 1997

12mm hangers. Climb what looks like solidified mud to the large "shark-tooth" under the roof. From here, a bouldery move gains the headwall. Continue up for a fantastic finish right of Fleurs chains.

FA: A. Davies, 2011

Starts just right of Megalodon on slightly better rock. Climb straight up to the roof. A cool move gains the lip. Pull up onto the face above. Rail right once at the overlap and layback to gain a rail. Continue straight up to finish at Poisson's chains (shared last few moves).

FA: S. Maasch, 1993

This is a composite route. Start on Route 66, breaking right to climb Poisson's pocketed roof. From the ledge, move right and pull through the roof just right of Mystique. Continue diagonally right up the headwall to finish at the chains of Jaws.

FA: D. Steyn & J. Temple-Forbes, 2009

Fried fish. Pull up onto a ledge just off the deck and climb up to a pocketed roof. Pull through this to a ledge with a large detached block. From here, move around the block until able to pull onto the headwall, continue to the chains. Solid 25

FA: J. Fisher, 1991

Cloud Nine. This is an independent line. Once you have gained the ledge just off the deck, pull through the small roof above (LEFT of Mystique). Continue up and pull through the break, staying right of the pockets, to gain the ledge with the detached block. Pull up (RIGHT of Poisson) and climb the headwall to the chains above.

FA: D. Hugo, 1999

From the ledge just off the deck, move to the extreme right to clip the first bolt. Continue up to a roof. Pull through at the crack and then rail left to clip the next bolt. Once through the roof section, you will gain an open book on the face above. Continue straight up to the chains.

FA: J. Alexander, 1991

An independent line starting just right of Mystique. Follow the plum line of expansion bolts to a set of chains left of Jaws' anchor.

FA: J. Smith, 2011

Cool moves lead up to the first roof. Pull through this, rail left to clip the next bolt. Unlock the sequence to turn the roof and gain the ledge above. Climb the headwall to Jaws' anchor. Hard for the grade.

FA: G. Holwill, 1994

Fun climbing leads up to the big roof. Pull through this, remembering to power-scream as you cut-loose. Continue to climb more or less straight up to the final roof guarding the chains. Figure out the moves and try not to pump-out before you clip the anchor.

FA: A. Davies, 2009

Start as for Jaws. Veer right immeadiately after pulling the big roof to finish at the chains of Guns & Buckets

FA: S. Maasch, 1993

After an interesting start, head up to the twin cracks that break through the big roof. Pull straight through this and onto the headwall above. Easy climbing leads to a small roof and a boulder problem that guards the chains.

FA: J. Gordon, 1993

Start as for Guns & Buckets. Immediately after the big roof with the twin cracks, veer slightly right and pull through on mega jugs until established on the headwall. Continue easily up to the anchor.

FA: S. Maasch, 2003

Enhance your life by climbing this route on trad gear:

Joe

Or just do it the normal way, and clip the bolts. Climb up to the big roof, find your way through this and into the crux of Germanator.

FA: J. Möhle, 2010

Start as for Sweet Prow, breaking left once entering the big roof sequence. Soft for the grade.

Set: S. Maasch, 2010

FA: N. Methner, 2016

A bouldery start gains the wall above. Continue up through the roof section to gain the sweet prow. Move right and around the final roof and climb up to the chains.

FA: J. Temple-Forbes, 2011

Warning Fixed Gear: Old homemade hangers

The first few bolts have been replaced, thereafter it follows old home-made aluminium hangers fixed with allen screws. Head up towards the sweet prow, climbing on its right hand side. Aim for the obvious break in the final roof, pulling through on a jammed block in the crack.

FA: M. Roberts, 1991

Twat Vier, Broken, and Stolen Secrets all share the same start. At the big roof, where Stolen Secrets veers right, continue straight, pull through the lip and up to the chains.

FA: M. Smigelskis, 2003

After a bouldery start, head up and right. Once in the big roof, you will climb the Cape Fear flake (on its left hand side) to pull through at the obvious break at the lip. A few more moves leads to the anchor. A very fine route.

FA: S. Maasch

Probably the most climbed line on this side of the crag. Surprisingly easy, considering the terrain. After a burly start, climb up and right towards the big flake in the roof. Follow this until able to reach the lip. Pull through on heroic jugs and onto the headwall. Slap the chains and victory whip. Let someone else suffer cleaning the route afterwards.

FA: S. Maasch, 1992

A short and powerful line. Often overlooked, but worth climbing. Many ways to pull the crux. Always seems desperate.

FA: J. Temple-Forbes, 2019

Composite route. Climb Sheer Boredom into Cape Fear.

FA: Scurvy, 30 Mar 2021

Be crowned the cutloose king, or find a way to finesse the roof sequence and keep your feet on the rock. A fun line with a surprising amount of jugs through the mega-roof. Classic.

FA: J. Fisher, 1992

Composite route. Climb Virus up to the big pocket in the middle of the big roof. Move left onto Cape Fear, and further left doing the big move to the lip on Stolen Secrets. Stay under the lip and cross over Broken to a new bolt at the left end of the roof. Pull onto the headwall and climb to the chains of Sweet Prow of Mine.

FA: M. Kastner, Dec 2020

Start as for Virus. After the 2nd bolt clip brown set of bolts slightly to the right. Basically follows the same line as virus to the roof. Cruxy getting into the roof, followed by ergonomic flowing movement and grips to the lip of the roof with jugs to the top. Loads of options

FA: Ebert Nel, 20 Jan

Local legend Ningo opened this in 2007, the route only seeing its second ascent in 2022. A bullet hard line pulling through on pockets in the roof.

FA: C. Martinengo, 2007

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