Routes in Western Cape for selected grade

Sit start with BH on left facing diagonal edge, TO.

Sitstart with BH on undercling. Move up to grips on the lip, LH up to Anesthesia's slopey edge and TO.

Unlikely looking sitstart leads straight up slopers and edges to TO.

Sitstart and climb straight through using the undercling to the white bulge with pinch and TO.

Sitstart with LH on good side-pull, RH on good crimp. LH to vertical crack, RH to crimp out right. TO.

Sit start with both hands low and feet on the low ramp. Top out over the edge

Sit/crouch start with both hands on the good edge. Climb up to the poor undercling and along the crack to top out.

Video

Sit start low under corner, off the rocks. RH on good edge right of the arete, left hand at same level left of the erete. Wrap left hand on edge low and to left of the arete, climb the corner using edges on both sides of the arete to finish out right of arete and top out.

Sitstart below the final moves of Done. TO on Done.

Sitstart on RH arête and climb through the big pocket. Tend left before the finishing straight up with a RF mantle.

Sit start using right hand sidepull crack and edge or sidepull on the left. Throw left hand high for the 3 options then right hand to jug and top out.

From the seam use the RH then LH incut edge or pocket and TO

📹 Video beta

Start as for Tree Traverse. Stay low until under the roof with LH on the crimp. Pull through the roof and then straight up to TO.

Sit start with BH on diagonal edge. Move LH to sidepull, bumping to sloper. RH up to good sloper. Follow crimps in the slab/groove above to TO.

Climb the technical slab left of the black streak.

Sit-start on a big ledge and climb straight up using a big ledge on the right.

Sit-start with left hand on an undercling / sidepull and right hand on a good edge, move up to the lip and top-out left via slopers.

Incredibly steep, exposed and satisfying. The route is located at the northern end of the grassy ledge running across the west face about 20m above the base of the buttress (with the long caves). Where this ledge narrows, the route starts on the right side of an overhang over a rocky platform (that makes a great lunch spot and has super views).

From a block, pull up near a thin, left arching crack. Move up to a finger rail, then left to a narrow shelf. Continue up and left, passing some good holds to a handrail. Pull through to the next rail and traverse left to about 1m past a projecting prong. Climb the short, steep face to the ledge using excellent pockets. Consensus grading needed.

Start on the south side of the fat boulder.

Climb the slab near an orange streak.

Sit-start with feet on the other boulder, head right before climbing straight up.

Start at the tree, climb down and around the corner and climb up on the crimps on the left. Probably easier for the short.

Sit start as for Memories, LH up to the big layaway, RH up to pinch/crimp on the arête, then throw to top (slightly L).

Sit-start on a slopey shelf, traverse left along the face to the rail of Tuckshop Bully and top-out left of Tuckshop Bully.

Hang start on lip of low, mantle to TO.

Stand start, start between the good rail on the left and the good rail on the right. Using these climb to the top using the gaston up left.

Start as pandemic. Right hand to sloper on the arete and left to gaston. Top out via jug.

Sit-start with both hands squeezed in a small pocket and move up. The low ramp at the base on the right is off for feet.

Sit-start below the arête on gastons and top-out direct.

Start in rail then climb up the side pull to a harder top out. Up left from temple on the same boulder

FA by Jarryd New

From a boulder, pull up to a thin, vertical layback. Move up and left a few meters, then follow great holds on orange rock to below a grey bulge. Long, hard moves through the bulge lead to a rail and jug. Step left and up the face just to the left of the black and orange streaks. Crank up and left through next two narrow roofs to easier ground. Consensus on grading needed.

Takes the steep arete at the right end of the wall to the right of CC.

Take a crack below the arete, and follow this directly into the arete via some powerful moves. Key cams under a small, square overlap protect the crux top section of the arete. Move left to under the roof, and pull through where the crack in the roof meets the short face above. Continue easily up and right to a ledge. Stance here or continue up to the tat anchor ~7m higher. Consensus grading needed. Would be very hard onsight.

A rad line through horizontal ground. Start under the right end of an obvious step-thru overhang. Negotiate this, then head slightly left to an obvious cream block at the base of the imposing roof. Gain the Lourie silhouette before hatching out to the lip of the cave, then (after preening) follow the buttress above until it terminates maybe 7m short of the top of the crag. Don't be tempted by the open book to your right as there are things in there best left alone!

Same start as underhill but exit straight up dynamically to a jug.

Acronym: Tired And Totally Wanked Out Climbers

1. [23] 20m

2. [23] 20m

3. [21] 25m

4. [26] 20m

A direct line, with some steep and exposed sections. The crux requires wide stemming, faith in rubber, finger tendons and a modicum of commitment. The long 23 pitch is excellent and could form a link-up with the overhanging crack on Arms Race for a straight, consistent voyage up the wall.

Start as for Arms Race.

1. [18] 15m At the right end of the ledge, head up the bulging base of the crack, but then move right for ~2m and easily up to a short, wide crack (just right of the usual approach pitch for Arms Race). Stance below and right of a smooth, bottomless corner (which just below and left of the Arms Race overhanging crack.

2. [26+?] 15m Looks improbable and is pretty desperate. Climb up into the short, undercut corner capped by a roof. A very thin rail (which takes narrow micro cams and small offset wires) heads out left under the roof. Traverse left under the roof (crux) until able to pull onto the face. Continue straight up on layaways edges (there is one slot for a bomber small wire) followed by lovely, but slightly run out, face climbing to the ledge. Move up and slightly right to stance at the small platform at the base of the Farewell to Arms recess. Consensus grading needed - might be a grade or two harder. Would be an impressive onsight.

3. [23] 30m Start up the recess and after a few meters move onto the right wall at good series of finger rails. About 1m before the rails head around onto the nose (as for Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, is a steep layback crack. Follow this via some powerful moves and then slightly left up the steep, exposed prow to a wide break. Continue up and slightly right to the narrow roof at a point below the seam above (this seam eventually joins the top section of Touch and Go final pitch). Pull through the roof (good gear at the lip) and take the seam up to a cubby hole at the base of the knobbly groove.

4. [17] 15m Step left onto the face and climb in the centre of it until a finger about halfway up (where the holds above become very smooth and rounded). Traverse slightly left until left hand can use the side of the narrow chimney to the left. Head up, step back right onto the face and up to a small ledge. Then straight to the top between some boulders to stance under the left end of the overhang above.

Note: For the crux pitch you only need micro/small cams and small wires. You will not need anything bigger than a red alien/#4 Wallnut even for the stance.

A short, fiery crux leads to easier climbing in an exposed position.

Start on the platform below the nose that forms Arms Race pitch 2. Approach from the Dream Ledge via the first pitch of Cableway Crag or Farewell to Arms.

1. [25/26?] 15m Scramble up onto the large block at the base of the large wide corner, the left side of which is the opposite side of the nose that Arms Race pitch 2 uses. From standing on the block, there are a series of underclings, the highest ones take micro cams. Pull onto the face and move up and slightly left via a series of technical and tenuous moves to gain good holds ~1m below the roof. Traverse ~1.5m left to a little platform past the left end of the roof above. Follow the featured face above for ~5m then tend right to a little stance is above the starting block, and ~5m directly below the break in the roof above (followed by Arms Race pitch 3). Consensus grading is needed.

2. [20?] 35m Climb up the large features and slightly right to the wide crack through the roof. Follow this as for Arms Race and at the first rail, traverse ~2.5m left and head up to the white face to an alcove below the knobbly, vegetated groove (stance on Lluvia Rosada). Step right and follow the face just to the right of the groove, and through a steep blocky section to finish on the wide ledge below the overhang.

Approach: The route starts at the top of Africa Ravine. There are several good ways to get to it. The nicest is to get to the Right Face – Arrow Face Traverse tunnel and then do a 50m abseil off the big cherry tree using the lowest link in the big chain.

Start: The route starts at the far left of the amphitheatre on the clean white rock below the big overhangs 60m above. A few metres right from the tree in the very corner find a cairn below a clean vertical crack.

1. 42m 20: Climb the crack for 10m to a ledge. Step right and climb the big, thin flake for a few metres. Start up leftwards on the pocketed brown wall then angle to the right. Step around into a corner and head up for a few metres. Climb the 10m face on the right up to a good ledge. Walk out right and stance at the end;

2. 27m 16: Go up for a few metres then angle up rightwards for 10m then go straight up a big corner to stance on the bushy Right Face – Arrow Face Traverse. Walk left (east) for 15m to just beyond a big tree. Stance at the big detached block beneath an overhang;

3. 27m 20: Stand on the block to place gear at full stretch in the thin horizontal rail. Rail to the right for a couple of metres then crank hard to get onto the ledge. Climb up on the left for a few metres to a ledge. Climb the slab close to the right end up to a small ledge. Climb the next slab in the middle up to a big ledge;

4. 27m 22: Start up the appealing corner on the left and get up into a big groove. Continue straight up and right up laybacks for 10m to a small roof. Climb around the roof on the left. Climb 10m up cracks and a pod to reach a big ledge. Walk a few metres left to stance at the huge block;

5. 15m 20: Start in the chamber behind the huge block, and scramble up left to the base of a crack system. Follow this for a few meters and pull up and left to a little platform. Pull onto the face on edges and up left to the top of the crack taken by Kape Moss pitch 3. Traverse right on the sloping ledge to a stance below a very thin crack in the face over the roof;

6. 25m 26: Crank over the first roof by the thin crack to a shelf below the second bigger roof. Rail right to below the steep bottomless corner at the right side of the roof above. Get a few micro/small wire placements in the horizontal seam at the base of the corner before launching into the crux sequence. Hard moves past a narrow, vertical finger slot lead to a good rail at the next overlap. Traverse left until the end of the rail, below a bulging section. Pull through and step left on the face above. Continue straight up to a final rail, step 1m left and then up onto the slab that is followed to the bivvy ledge. Walk a few meters left to a split block below a break in the low overhang. (Maybe 27+ for onsight);

7. 20m 19: Pull through the low overhang onto the white face and head straight up to the left side of a small roof in the middle of the face. Pull through and step right to above the roof and tend right for two or three metres. Continue up through at a break and then left to stance below a large corner (taken by Africa Amphitheatre);

8. 30m 20: Climb over some blocks to the white face that forms the left side of the huge corner. Head straight up the middle of the face. Crank off the 4 or 5 horizontal ripples then run it out until the rail. The holds are positive but don’t fall off - that landing would be bad. At the roof move left to the break through the roof on the left side, then up the ramp to the left and easy face to the ledge;

9. 20m 15: Climb the juggy wall on the left to the top.

Descent: Cable car or India Venster walk.

Notes: Double rack of cams, full set of wires including micros and 50m ropes are recommended. The crux pitch could be done with a single point of aid at about 23 A1. A free link-up at grade 22 would be to skip the crux pitch by moving from Pitch 5 into the top part of Kape Moss pitch 3 until the Bivvy Ledge.

1. [19 A1] 30m

2. [14] 28m

3. [19] 25m Can be done as an excellent stand-alone pitch.

4. [26] 15m

Varied climbing, with a short, fierce section on the crux pitch.

1. 10m (18) Climb the Bust Up crack to the small ledge on the left.

2. 15m (22) Start by an old peg and climb up ~3m to a thin rail. Traverse left to the next old peg and follow the crack system up and very slightly right to reach the stance shared with Daddy Long Legs (peg under a small overlap)

3. 15m (25/26) Follow the crack on the right side of the stance to the left end of a narrow roof. Pull up to some underclings and traverse ~3m right and then up to a thin rail (micro cams useful). A hard move up to the next rail and then a long pull to a pocket above the narrow overlap. Head diagonally left to the wide rail below the main roof at the height of the Bust Up flake. Abseil point (hex and cam) in situ.

The pegs on pitch 2 were from a potential alternate start to Bust Up attempted by Greg Mosely and Andy Killick in 1971!

1. [21] 15m

2. [26] 20m

3. [26R] 20m

A harder, more direct first pitch to Black Widow.

Start as for Black Widow. After the dark grey face, instead of moving left all the way to the right side of the vague arête, head straight up (via a long throw out left to a large flat hold) and then up to gain an intermittent finger crack. This is about 1.5m right of where Black Widow goes. Climb the tricky crack and straight up to the ledge. Move left to stance. Consensus grading required.

1. [23] 20m

2. [24] 20m

3. [26] 15m

Runout.

Sit-start with left hand on a jug sidepull in the rail and right hand up on a slopey edge with a pebble, move up to slopers above the lip, finishing slightly right. Desert Dreams' grips are off.

Climb Sinbad's Sin until the slot jug, but top out right via pockets, crimp, and slopey lip.

Hang-start with left hand on a rounded grip in a crack, traverse left along the slopey lip to a pinch in the rail, continue left to the arête and top-out.

Sit-start with the rail, traverse right a little then drop down to another rail and continue around the corner to top-out.

Start as for Sneak Attack, then traverse left and climb Pale Male.

1. [22] ??m

   ???

2. [26] ??m

   ???

Specialist gear required.

Originally an aid route (Divebomb).

The face of face the storm. Stand start.

SS L of 5, move to pockets into undercut under overhang. LH to sloper and over overhang to TO L.

Good climbing with many rests between harder sections

SS in the cave and TO from the rail using a big move.

Start as for Lion, move diagonally L to jug and move vertically on sharp pinch to TO.

Sitstart as for Combat Wombat, but with RH on the good hold. Move up to good holds on the vertical face, RH up to pinch LH up to sloper above pinch, TO.

Sitstart with BH in low rail, climb straight up on input edges to TO

Sitstart on jug rail at lip of roof, climb straight up to the obvious round two finger pocket, TO.

Sitstart as for Untitled & Unloved, move up to underclings, then move right to crimps, TO trending R, then up.

Sitstart on small crimps, climb straight up the blunt arête to TO.

Sitstart on block, BH on jugs, big move up to a jug, TO straight up (beware loose rock). Obviously the slab to the R of the break is off.

SS as for Soaring Bandicoot, climb the roof staying L, TO via the prow

SS in slot, climb straight up, TO. Jugs on L are off.

Start as 5, at the flake/crimp/sidepull before lip do a big move L to a crimp on the lip, climb straight up the face to the top

SS below the arête on good holds, RH up R to sidepull/undercling, then climb straight up arête on the R, TO.

SS on good holds at the base of the overhang, climb through the roof via the rail to the prow, climb up the prow to TO.

Stand start with LH on small undercling and RH in small undercling/pocket, climb straight up, TO.

SS on good sidepulls/underclings, climb straight up the L side of the face on sidepulls and pockets, TO. The good loose holds on the R are off.