Routes in Blouberg for selected grade

Scramble up to the start of BAPM. On the orange face up and to the left of the candleflame is a bolt. Start 5m to the left of BAPM, below the obvious corner.

1. 35m 22R: Climb the corner to a small ledge. Traverse the orange face past the difficult-to-clip bolt (tricky), to the right arête. Climb straight up past another bolt to an overhang. Pull strenuously through the overhang on the right and diagonally up the ramp to the right in the groove above. Climb easily to a tree belay. Scramble to the base of BAPM's second pitch.

2. 22m 21 Climb the crack just to the left of BAPM until it peters out. Continue to the right and up past a bolt. Take care over the huge blocks and lichen and finish as for BAPM.

Notes:

1. There are rap bolts at the top. Need replacement leaver biners or maillons. One 60m rap puts you back on the ledge at the start of the route from where its straightforward to scramble down.

Climbs the obvious stepped corner system on the east face of the south Donjon. The route starts up a corner left of a 6m high pillar next to the rock face.

1. 43m 19 Climb the corner exiting left and up to the ledge on top of some flakes.

2. 38m 17 up the front of the pillar for a few metres then into corner on the right and up to traverse line. Traverse right and up to ledge beneath roofs.

3. 41m 22 Climb up corner/peapod/groove/chimney above to a stance below large roof (Originally climbed as 2 pitches (20A1 and 19A1) with a hanging belay).

4. 40m 20 Traverse right under roof and climb corner/chimney above to ledge on arête. (Originally 2 pitches, 19A1 and 19).

5. 40m 18 Climb the corner past a tree to a bushy ledge. Climb diagonally left up lichen-covered face to belay in gully.

Scramble rightwards up the gully then walk right along the ledge to another gully which is followed to the top.

Start 90m left of SKIN THE CAT. A long roof can be seen 70m up. Start directly below the notch in the roof. Scramble 12m up LHS of pillar to a ledge.

1. 50m 19 Up flake on right for 8m. Move left on to face, up tree roots to tree. Up groove (becomes a flake) then up wall. Traverse right to ledge, up, back left into corner and up the ledge.

2. 35m 19 Up to next ledge, then up right to pull through right hand V-notch. Up to grass ledge. Walk 30m right and up to under steep cave and scramble up. (25m left of SKIN THE CAT).

3. 35m 21 Move up about 5m left of corner and move through roofs at their smallest. Diagonally up rightwards to crack, up this, then left to ledge.

4. 25m 20 Up to cubby hole under roof. Pull through and up right to ledge.

5. 35m 20 Up and diagonally left across slab to below steep gnarly rock. Pull through and up to stance at base of chimney.

6. 40m 22 Delicate Slab Pitch: Up chimney and out onto wall above. Up crack system straight up to ledge. Traverse 12m right to base of corner behind tree.

7. 50m 18 Up corner/crack, move left onto arête at top, follow nose straight to top. Scramble to the top.

Start location as for HALFMOON.

1. 40m 21 Climb up the steep red face immediately left of HALFMOON’s corner/crack, and move out right above the 2nd roof onto a ledge. Climb diagonally left to a stance (stance common with HALFMOON).

2. 40m 18 Climb up to the roof, then traverse left until able to climb straight up steep rock to a ledge on top of a pillar (stance common with HALFMOON).

3. 40m 14 Traverse 5m right then climb straight up to a large ledge. Belay in the cave 5m left of the corner.

4. 40m 19 Pull through on the left-hand side of the cave, and climb up to a ledge. Move left and climb the thin corner, moving out left under roofs to a good ledge.

5. 40m 20 Move up 3m to a rail and traverse left to move up to a small ledge at the left extremity of the roofs above. Move right on the lip for 2m and up a small corner to a large horizontal break. Traverse 20m left to a ledge with a block.

6. 50m 22 Up to a short corner, up this (5m) then traverse 5m left to a thin crack. Up the crack to a long rail. Move left 4m and up the face for 6m to a horizontal break. Up the steep face/crack system to a corner, up to the top of this, moving out right and up to a tree.

7. 45m 16 Past the tree following the obvious line to the top of the pillar.

8. 40m 14 Up the face on the right, then diagonally left to a chimney. Up the chimney to a ledge.

9. 60m Roped scrambling to the top.

Between HALFMOON and HEY JUDE, there is a 50m long roof at 70m height. In the middle of the roof are two large flake lines. Below the right-hand one, on a ledge about 10m off the normal ground level, is a pillar with a chimney-sized gap behind it. Start at the base of the right hand side of the pillar.

1. 45m 20. Climb right hand side of pillar. Continue up flake line until first roof is reached. Move left to a break, and continue up to narrow ledge, directly above pillar, and about 8m below main roof.

2. 30m A2. Great Roof Pitch. Thrash through hanging gardens up and left from stance (the swath of clear-cut from FA is likely to have re-grown). Move left at roof, then out along flake. At piton, move left for two moves onto drilled bat hook hole Move up through overlap to reach rail, then right onto ledge with poor peg belay.

3. 40m 16. Move right into corner, then up and left to a grassy ledge, belaying off a tree. Awesome bivy to right of tree on cleared ledge below some low roofs (blackened corner). Next pitch starts from left end of these roofs, as for PROJECT THREE. The Grassy Ledge can be reached by walking right.

4. 30m 20. (As for PROJECT THREE) Pull through initial overhang at chest height, move right, then follow corner to next roof. Move left, then up to stance on small ledge 10m left of peg on HEY JUDE.

5. 35m 20 (As for PROJECT THREE) Clamber up blocks forming right hand side of stance. Follow intermittent crack above, stepping left when holds run out, then right again 2m higher. Continue up to stance on right end of Jungle Ledge.

6. 50m 22A2+. Move up and right from stance, with very technical climbing leading to left-facing corner 15m right of HALFMOON’s chimney. When free climbing becomes untenable, start aiding. Beyond the roof, technically easy but exciting aid leads up and left of overhang, then up again on slabs until a stance can be made just below the right-leaning cracks.

7. 40m 22 (19A1) Step left from the stance to gain the long right-leaning crack. Follow this until the crack splits. The right-hand line becomes a frightening offwidth through a huge roof. Follow the left-hand line around the roof with two points of aid, then right into a gully (as for SCATTERLINGS).

8. 15m 15. Continue up through trees until the Disco Ledge Bivi is reached (a flattopped pillar about the area of a small car, with a small cave/fissure behind).

9. 5m 15. Leave the Disco Ledge via the crack that the gully has narrowed to.

10. 100m. Contribute to deforestation on your way to the top.

Notes:

1. Special equipment. Two hooks suitable for small edges, two standard hooks, one hook for 5mm wide, 8mm deep holes. Aiders (etriers) are useful. A handbolting kit is recommended to beef-up the second stance with two bolts. A double or triple rack of small wires is useful for pitch 6.

2. Free notes. Pitch 2 can probably be mostly freed at grades that someone you know can climb. Pitch 6 would be bold, but most moves should be doable free.

3. Pitch 7 sounds suspiciously like the crux of SCATTERLINGS (22)?

A 50m long roof is situated about 70m up, between HALF MOON and HEY JUDE. SCATTERLNGS climbs up about 10m to the right of the right hand end of the roof. Directly below this point, scramble up 2m to the base of a short square recess. This point is about 15m left of HEY JUDE’s start.

1. 40m 18 Straight up a blocky rock, past wide ledge and small tree to base of crack system running up scooped face. Climb crack and corner then traverse 4m left to ledge on arête. 10m up to the right is obvious small nose-like roof.

2. 35m 21 Climb right and up to a rail which extends rightwards 4m below nose. Rail right, about 3m past the nose, then climb up until level with roof. Traverse left onto the nose then move up to a rail which is followed left until able to climb up leftwards to a small ledge. Climb up a few metres further to a large ledge on the right. One is now directly above the start of the climb.

3. 55m 18 35m up to the left is a small tree. Climb diagonally leftwards up railed face. At about 20m move right past end of long narrow roof. From small tree follow leftleading corner to ledge on top of pillar. Continue up to left end of Grassy Ledge. The chains of the Rap Route are just below the ledge.

4. 40m 13 Climb up obvious gully/corner on left side of pillar (HEY JUDE climbs right side of pillar). Before the top of gully traverse left a few metres until able to climb up and left to ledge directly above previous stance. (HEY JUDE stances further left, where there are chains hidden by grassy tuft).

5. 45m 21 Move past a small cammed block to righthand end of ledge. Climb up rightward to gain vague crack system leading up wall. Climb crack to its end, then move left to base of narrow left facing dihedral. Climb this to small roof then move slightly left to gain a crack (about 2m right of HEY JUDE). Climb up to rail and traverse 3m right. Climb straight up past a prong to ledge, move 2m left, then continue up to long narrow ledge. Walk left for half a rope length, to a point 10m right of the tallest tree (Jungle Ledge). HALFMOON heads up big recess on the left.

6. 20m 18 turn the small roof a few metres up, then zig-zag up face above to reach ledge and block. Above and slightly left are two steep.

7. 20m 21 Climb up and left to base of right-hand chimney (HALF MOON). Undercling left to gain left hand chimney/recess which is followed to ledge.

8. 20 m 18 It makes sense to link pitches 8 and 9 to avoid the cubbeyhole stance. Climb diagonally right to gain right leaning crack. Gain the top of large block/flake left of crack. Continue up crack to cubbyhole (uncomfortable).

9. 20m 22 Climb the continuation crack (amazing!) until an easier angled slab on the right is reached. Stance at apex of slab.

10. 45m 17 Move round right into recess. 10m up this climb out diagonally rightwards and continue up to easy ground and ledges.

Scramble about 75m to the top.

Notes:

1. Gear is bomber on all the hard Pitches