Nodes in Wall Of White Light

This route takes one of the most direct lines at Blouberg, to the left of the WALL OF WHITE LIGHT. The start is 30m to the right of ANOTHER DAY IN HELL and about 10m left from the start of THE DELICATE SOUND OF THUNDER. A small beacon marks the start. The route takes a more or less direct line transecting ANOTHER DAY IN HELL. It tops out to the left of the huge, trapezoidal roof which is easily visible from the ground, virtually at the top of the face and just to the left of the start. It is basically an independent line, but shares the bivy stance with ANOTHER DAY IN HELL. To keep the line direct it has two short sections which are common to that route.

1. 27m 20 Climb the clean line directly to the large ledge system above. Avoid the grassy corner on the right at 12m by staying on the face to the left of it.

2. 40m 22 Climb an obvious orange groove a few metres to the left of the start and climb through the overhang above. There is a peg visible at the overhang at 10m. Once through the overhang, continue up towards the right beneath a small roof to easier ground and then to a blocky stance topped by an overhang. Move right 2m and climb though the overlap to a rail (in common with ANOTHER DAY IN HELL. Continue up leftwards (crux). Move diagonally left a few metres (tricky) and then up to a point where you can traverse to a perch just left of a prominent right-facing corner beneath a large roof.

3. 50m 20 Move left 2m and up underneath a small overhang. Step right onto the ridge and continue up easier rock to a steep broken section at 40m. Pull through this on good jugs to a large ledge (bivvie common with ANOTHER DAY IN HELL).

4. 35m 21 ANOTHER DAY IN HELL takes the first diagonal break to the right starting at the end of the ledge. Continue past this for 3 - 4m and then take the obvious break heading for the scooped section of the wall 25m above. Fantastic climbing, protected by a bolt, brings you to a crux section, where an RP affords reasonable protection. Prior to this point there is a peg on the right. Move through this crux section (the good handhold on the left is now broken off), to a hanging stance off a big block. Pitches 4 and 5 can be combined.

5. 25m 24 Move right 5m to a point below two pegs 10m above. Place good pro in a rail and continue up to the pegs. A crux move past the pegs brings you to easier ground. Climb diagonally up left to a good stance.

6. 35m 23 Above is a shallow, right-curving corner with a peg visible but the route does not take this corner. Walk left about 5m to where the ledge ends, to a perch stance and climb the obvious orange corner directly above for 12m. When the corner peters out, do a delicate move right and then gingerly climb on to a large precarious-looking block. A tricky move (for short people) brings you into a leftleaning crack. Continue up this until it peters out after 5m, to a crouching position. Move up left onto lichen covered rock and then diagonally right to a good stance.

7. 35m 22 Some tricky moves up to the left bring you into a right-curving crack system (often has bird shit) topped by a roof. At the roof rail right (slippery) and then climb up to a small stance under a small roof.

8. 40m 25 Continue up the broken corner-crack to the roof above. A hard move up through the left brings you into an orange corner. Climb this to a rail underneath an overhang. Rail left to an amazing stance on the skyline. This pitch has three bolts.

9. 50m 17 A chossy start brings you onto lichen-covered rock. Continue up the obvious line more or less straight to the top. From here the scramble off is straightforward and fortunately not too bushy.

Notes:

1. The route is well-protected, apart from pitch 4, which is runout and may be protected using an RP.

2. No special gear is required, however a set of RP's will prove useful.

3. The corner of pitch 8 was originally aided.

4. Bivi sites: at the top of pitches 3 and 5 there are excellent bivvies. The opening party also bivvied uncomfortably at the top of pitch 6. The bivvi site at the top of pitch 3 has a drum and there is at least one mattress, chalk and a duvet jacket. Please leave these articles in situ for the benefit of future ascentionists.

The route as described above is a free version of the original route. It is believed that the original route followed the right slanting diagonal break from somewhere on pitch 3 or 4 to rejoin on pitch 7.

A direct, sustained and wild route with good gear and continually engaging climbing. It was established with repeats in mind and has occasional bolts. A must-do. Gear: Double rack of cams from black alien to #2 camalot with triples of blue to grey alien equivalents. Singles of cams #3 and #4. Single set of nuts from DMM #1 to #9 plus a set of offset nuts to #7 DMM equivalent. Micro nuts not necessary. Supplementary Wild Country superlight rocks (the single-stem ones) are useful but not essential.

Start about 15m right of the massive pillar of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, beneath a short, wide crack formed by a fin 10m up. This is just left of a cluster of large boulders. The eventual aim (on pitch 6) is the impressive, overhanging arête which dominates the top half of the wall.

1. 24 45m. Jikkels. An intricate and sustained journey. Take all the gear, except cams #0.75, #1, #2 and #4. Follow the vague break, place the #3 cam on the right, then run it out rightwards past the fin to jugs. Traverse 2m left into the main break then up to a small ledge where the crack ends. Traverse left across a smooth wall to a narrow dihedral. Problem-solve gear in a bizarre hole, then climb left and down to jugs just left of the arête. Climb straight up (tricky) to the overlap in white rock above. Keep going to the big hollow flake (crux), move slightly left then up to a jug, then rail right and up to a bolt. Step right and climb the vague corner. Traverse right just above the small roof to a thin crack then straight up to a good ledge (bolted anchor).

2. 25 45m. Stikkels. Take all the gear, except cams #1 to #3. The aim is to break through the obvious notch in the roofs about 15m right of the stance. Climb up on the right to a rail. Step left and jettison the #4 cam about 5m directly above the stance. Traverse 3m right then up and left to a flake. Up this to hollow blocks then up to another large good flake. Don’t go up or left to the choss. Instead, traverse right about 4m then a big crank straight up to a ledge with a small grotty tree/bush. Traverse right then up to a hidden bolt on the right beneath the roof. It’s about 21 to here. Make a long reach to get hands above the roof, then keep cranking until feet are above the lip. Step left to a perch. Continue easily up and left about 8m to a small ledge – small cams.

3. 23 45m. Frikkels. Classic like Boven. Take double small cams to #0.5, single cams above this to #1 and all the wires. Climb the easy but runout ramp on the right then step left onto a big ledge (good bivi for 2, uncomfortable for 3). PSYCHO REPTILE climbs up and left and then back right into the steep, left-facing, narrow dihedral. Instead, climb up and diagonally right past a bolt to a vertical crack. Up this then step right at a second bolt. Up to a third bolt, then back left to a jug. Straight up to a small perch (PSYCHO REPTILE re-joins here). Do a runout traverse right to easier ground, then up to a ledge (PR goes right from here). Traverse left and climb up to a bolted stance on a large block.

4. 21 45m. Bring route-finding skills. Take double small cams to #0.5, single cams above this to #4 and all the wires. Save cams #2 to #4 for the stance (especially if hauling). Up to a bolt, then climb diagonally up and left. Follow the path of least resistance by trending up and left, always on good clean rock, until a bolt is visible about 6m above. Climb up and right, then traverse left to the bolt which protects a few moves on a hollow flake. Climb up then left onto a leftwards-diagonal ramp. Finish up an easy short, right-facing corner to an amazing ledge (good bivi for 4). Stance off cams in the top rail.

5. 25 45m. The Business. Simply amazing. Take all the gear, except blue and black aliens. Keep a few small cams for the stance. From the left end of the ledge climb over ledges to the obvious crack. Follow this over a (solid) bulging block then step left to a foot perch just below the big roof (shared with YOLT to here, which then goes right). Climb the crack above and follow it leftwards into the dihedral to eventually make heart-breaking crux moves to exit onto a good ledge.

6. 21R 30m. Beware of loose rock. Take all the gear to cam #0.5, singles of #0.75 to #3 and all the wires. Cam #4 not necessary. Climb the chossy corner above the left end of the ledge until just before it slabs out. Place good kit and traverse right on hollow yellow lichen rock, then up to the right edge of a ledge system that goes into the alcove up and left. Avoid the alcove – instead traverse right then trend up and right to a good rail in welcome solid rock. Traverse right then up to a small ledge with a large cammed flake. Continue up right to belay on Giggle Ledge - an outrageous sloping perch on the arête. YOLT comes into this ledge from right of the big arête.

7. 21 20m. Grey Groove. Take all the gear to cam #1, singles of #2 and #3 and all the wires. Save one each of cams #1 to #3 for the stance. Exit the ledge up and right (shared with YOLT). Instead of moving right on that route to bird shit ledges, climb the grey groove on the left wall. When this dies, step left to the arête and make wildly exposed moves up to a ridiculously awesome perch.

8. 22 50m. The Emotional Pitch. It’s better than therapy. Take all the gear. Move about 5m left then up to an obvious dihedral capped by small roofs. Up the dihedral, then rail right at the roofs and mantle onto a small ledge. Climb the blunt arête just above the left edge of the ledge. Up and left then up the smooth wall past a bolt and crucial flake to a big rail. Rail right then up to a rest with an obvious crack above. Swim up the jams and funkiness just left of the detached (but solid) pillar. At a big jug traverse right over the top of the pillar, then climb the crack above. Exit this leftwards to obviously easier ground. Swing onto a crazy horn, then slightly left and up to hero jugs. Let it all out, and be sure to look straight down to the start of the route. Rail right on the narrow ledge to the arête, then scramble up 5m to the next ledge. Traverse back left to belay above the hero jugs.

9. 19 15m. Climb a few meters up the bushy break on the left. Move left onto a rounded prow and climb this to the massive top-out ledge. Coil the ropes and put on approach shoes. Walk off about 40m leftwards through the bush to a big, open terrace. Keep traversing left until able to scramble easily up to the summit.

Variations: P3 can be dodged (grade 20) by climbing PSYCHO REPTILE’s’s pitch just to the left. P5 can be dodged (grade 21) by continuing rightwards up YOLT, then breaking left into the greenish hanging corner to Giggle Ledge. A less aesthetic version of P7 (similar grade) is to continue up YOLT’s corner to a rail which then goes hard left to the awesome perch.