Routes in Africa for selected grade

The arête at the bottom of the access gulley. A classic!

Starts just left of the tree at the base of 'Crouching Tiger'. Halfway up the face there is a u-bolt anchor before the final crux. A must do, especially if you are old enough to walk.

The first sport route on the left. Begin up an easy slab to steeper terrain. Somewhat runout.

This route was rebolted in January 2020. The bolt placements were kept the same as the FA party. Currently (1/25/20) no anchor but it's possible to traverse right to an anchor.

Start next to a bush at the base of the wide crack in the easy angled face on the right of the path leading to the bottom of the crag. Climb the face next to the crack for about two metres and then traverse left to the corner. Climb up the blocky face to the top.

Follow the left-most line of bolts up the grooves and ledges to where you can reach the lower-offs. A slightly easier variation is found if you deviate 1-2m left after the first bolt.

Climb the prominent wide gully on the SE Face. Take the right-hand branch leading to the main ridge at a prominent sharp V-notch. The most difficult parts are just before reaching the main ridge, and from here to the summit.

Variation: Where the gully branches, the left-hand route may be taken. This gully, less clearly defined, joins the other route on the summit ridge. (Grade III, J I Moore and H C Pereira, Aug. 1949). When free of snow this gully can be climbed down without abseiling (III). The tower buttress right of the South-East Gully may also have been climbed by a Cape Town University party, in January 1965.

Climb the short, neat, wrinkly face between the 'Three Bears' and 'Hot Porridge'.

Time: Half a day. An obvious fully leads to the North-East Ridge. Then rope down to another gully which leads to the summit. A much better (if harder) variation to this route is to follow the first gully until the wall steepens. Go up and traverse left, then follow cracks up to a tat belay. Fun, maybe Severe climbing with a well-protected crux. From belay go up until te ridge, then follow right to top. Descent is back down the same route on tat anchors. Check this and add your own tat. 3 proper pitches, the initial gully can easily be scrambled or simul-climbed.

Sit-start and climb up on jugs.

5 meters to the right of the ladder.

Start right of the obvious arete in the middle of the main wall and climb the arete rock ridge to the anchors. Perma-draws as top anchors.

Easy, but interesting climbing.

Either abseil down Jack the Ripper and walk West or abseil off the blocks at the top of the cliff ~50m East of the Utopia access abseil. Both abseils are ~40m.

The route name is painted on the rock at the base of the cliff.

(1) Climb a shallow recess for a few metres before traversing left onto an easy face. Climb the face to a ledge and then walk left to some blocks, belay here.

(2) Climb the corner left of the blocks until reaching a ledge to the left with large flakes leaning against the face. Traverse the ledge until able to climb directly up to finish. Alternatively, traverse along the top of the flakes (awkward).

Starts a couple meters left of 'Milou', up generally easy slab to bolted anchor at the base of the obvious arête in the upper part of the cliff.

Start just right of 'Mel', following U-bolts up diagonally rightwards then up to anchor.

Climb up the steps

Start as Just One Second, climb up left to the top

Climb the crack.

Sit-start and climb the face.

The alpine arête between 'True Blue' and 'Wysiwyg', starting just left of and below 'Mellow Yellow' - smaller U-bolts. Go diagonally left towards the arête then up to a ledge at half height. Lower from here (8 bolts) or continue up to the 'Mellow Yellow' anchors

Start with left hand sloper and right hand crimp and climb up left.

Climb the arête.

The easiest way up or down.

On the left-hand side part of the ledge step (1-2.5m) over a gap and climb the break to the top

Start on the furthermost part of the prominent ledge. Climb the break to the top

From the chains, climb 2m back up the gully, then up the 1st route on the left to the summit block.

sit down, both hands on the lower hole. Top out through vertical crack

Start with both hands on large jug between 'cheeks'. climb directly up top out. Using a fist jam on this problem may be tempting, but consider your reputation...

Climb the many easy lines up the featured face

Sit-start and climb the face.

Climb the juggy arête feature.

Climb the slab

Starts 25 to 30m up Short Gully from 'Left Corner'.

1. [9] 23m

   Ease into narrowing vertical chimney on good handholds through overhanging tight section, then 4,5m higher and out of chimney to right and up to good belay on bush.

2. 18m 8 On vertical rock 6m to horizontal crack then traverse left to top stance of 'Left Corner'.

Climb the obvious line of jugs.

The gully/corner to the left of Escalator. 5.3

This climb is situated near the east end of the face which runs eastward from Fountain Gully. It commences at the only big tree in this vicinity, left of a big block.

1. [8] 6m

   From tree up onto block, then bearing slightly right to ledge.

2. 18m 9 Traverse left to base of recess with crack. Climb up 11m into chimney (the “Straight Jacket”) and up to big cubby hole.

3. 12m 8 Climb out left and then to top.

Climb the attractive face to the left of Cherry Face. Keep up the middle up this easy climb

Descent: Walk down the Cape Town side.

The extension of 'Garfield' to the chains near the sloping block at the very top.

Sit start and climb up juggy holds

Climb the outside corner left of Belcher.

Traverse up and right following the black mark-ed bolts (and cable!). Start up 2 bolts of 'Als', up another move as for 'Jane', then traverse behind the large tree and across the square ledge. Step up right onto the slab, similar to 'Kaj', and traverse right to the 3 U-bolt anchor at a ledge close to the arête. From here one may rappel/lower off, or bring up a 2nd then do any of the 4 right hand routes on this slabby perched face. Can easily be soloed up or down with the via ferrata but know how to use the via ferrata safely before trying this. The via ferrata becomes way more technical and exposed going around the arête into the gully.

Climb the easy wall.

BEWARE OF THE SLOPING FALL BELOW. Within the cluster of boulders in the area. This one is the first you encounter. On the smoothest face of this boulder there are plenty of pockets and bulbs to ascend on. Easy for new climbers.

The little chimney that climbs to a chock stone at the top.

Climb the easy wall.

2-3m right of 'Wall Banger'. Climb the right wall of the gully, just down from the railway. Go leftish to a choice of anchors.

Climb the juggy arête. Note: Also the downclimb

Hang-start on a big jug, traverse right along the lip and finish up the front of the prow.

Climb the stacked blocks/ rib on the left.

Crouch start and climb the juggy groove.

The climb starts about 16m upstream from the start of 'Grandstand' at a small gnarled tree 2m downstream from the boulder at the corner of the gully leading out of Trident kloof to the west.

1. [9] 18m

   Climb almost vertically for 9m to a large sloping ledge from which the route angles slightly to the right while climbing a further 5m. Scramble up the last 4m to the base of 'Grandstand' pinnacle.

2. 14m 7 Climb the face just to the left of the pinnacle, surmount overhang 3m up (some moves encroach on 'PINNACLE CHIMNEY) and continue to top of pinnacle. Alternatively the east face of the pinnacle can be climbed which maintains a grade 9 difficulty to the top.

3. 20m 8 Belay leader from the pinnacle top from where the pitch starts as a horizontal traverse to the left for 6m, at the same level as the belayer, turn the corner above an overhang, angle upwards to the left for 9m to a big chockstone which is the last obstacle before reaching the top, which is only 3m to the left of the top of 'Grandstand'.

Standstart. Climb the slab to TO.

Sit-start with the jug / crack, move up right to a good ledge and top-out direct.

At the base of the buttress immediately on the left of 'Dassie Route' is a brown face with broken blocks below it. On the left of this buttress is a recess with a grey, grass-strewn face extending to the left from it. The climb follows this recess from the bottom of the slope. Climb partly in the recess and partly on the face.

1. 30m 9 Climb recess.

2. 30m 9 The more difficult section of this pitch is at the start and a belay can be made at 18m if required.

3. 15m 8 To summit.

Climb the recess in the corner. Start on good holds and continue up straight.

Climb the slab.

Route name, grade and FA details from Gavin Peckham's "Rock Climbing at White Umfolozi River".

Starts left of TON UP PLUS in a recess with many roots at its foot. [Just above the 2nd weir.]

1. 30m 9 Climb past the roots to a shelf. Climb either of two possibilities to a tree-filled recess. Finish up any of three scrambles to the top.

Note: Starts well but fades at the top.

Sit-start and climb up diagonal crimp features.

Climb the rippled slab on the right.

Start with hands on jug block under boulder. Traverse right to face left of arete, top out.

At the left hand side of the smooth rock wall on which 'Lifebuoy', 'Shady Overhang' and 'Bat's Overhang' are situated. The route follows an obvious line immediately to the left of the smooth rock wall.

An easier start is up the deeper recess about 5m left of the smooth face.

A more difficult first pitch 13 is up the shallow recess about 1,5m left of the smooth face. From the belay practice ledge (large block here) continue on up right-angled recess.

Climb the easy right arete.

Standstart, climb slab up to the halfway ledge on the face.

Start with left hand on a slopey gaston and right hand higher on a sidepull / pinch on the arête.

This climb follows the right-hand edge of the prominent ridge immediately west of 'Juniper Face', i.e. the next ridge west from that to the left of 'Dassie Route'. The climb follows the recess to the right of the ridge to a point about 45m up where a 'porthole' through the ridge allows a traverse to the left (through the porthole) across the adjacent face to the next ridge left. The final pitch goes up the recess from this point.

Sit start in the groove, top out.

Sit-start on two edges beneath the roof and top-out direct.

Climb the downstream side of the buttress on which IMMACULATE MISCONCEPTION is situated. Start to the right of an easy-looking gully to the right of CALCULUS. [23 pipelengths up from the 1st weir]

1. 38m 9 Climb for 10m on crystallized rock until obliged to step across to the right to a small tree on a commodious ledge. Continue on the setback faces, to the top.

Note: Dodges around a lot. Watch for rope drag.

Climb the left crack.

Hang-start in the rail, left hand to a jug, right hand up to a rail and top-out direct.

Start with hands on large block under boulder to top out.

Start as for 'Solo' in a crack to the left of an upstream facing slab.

1. 15m 9 Climb up and left over dark coloured bulging rock, then up to tree.

2. 20m 9 Move right into corner then do a step over onto the front of the prominent arete.

3. 20m 9 Climb steep face moving left past tree to top, or go directly up corner (10).

Climb the easy corner.

Climbs the open book 5m to the left of SCROOGE.

1. 20m 9 Climb the easy groove past a tree to a small ledge. Move right and climb to the top of the crag.

Standstart. Climb the slab.

Sit-start with left hand in the groove and climb the broken face keeping left.

Start on the ridge to the left of 'Carabiner Crag' and at the lowest point of the buttress to the left of the dark face and prominent cracks which face onto 'Carabiner Crag'.

1. 35m 8 Climb the red face for 3m before moving left around the small ridge, then up for 20m until broken rock and grassy ledges form the last 12m of the pitch. Belay on the large grassy platform at an open book.

2. 35m 9 Climb the 3m high open book then climb right and up for 15m to a small low overhang. A grassy ledge above the overhang is reached by going round to the left then up onto a small grey wall. The next 10m is on an open face with horizontal ripples which give way to larger holds and a more broken face up to the stance on large blocks on the right hand edge of the ridge.

3. 35m 8 Start on the right side of the ridge on broken slabs for 4m, then cross to the left onto the grey face and stay on the right-hand side of this face for 20m until it gives way to broken rock for 10m to the top.

Sit-start with both hands in the right end of the jug rail, left hand to a sidepull in a seam and top-out direct.

Start in rail, long move climb diagonally right to good hold, then do battle with the bush to top out.

Start as for 'Tweedle Dee' but tend left, to reach the base of recess on the left to the 'Tweedle Dee' arête. From the recess, step up left onto a ledge and then exit straight up. It is harder than 9 if you start of slightly to the left of 'Tweedle Dee'.

Starts to the right of BLOCKBUSTER.

1. 30m 9 Fight off the heavy bush at the foot of a grey corner and climb the grey corner and chimney to a ledge at 15m. Move around the bulge to the right and into another chimney. Climb past the chockstone to the top.