Routes in Cederberg

Abseil/ Rap station. We used doubles ropes. A single 60m might work.

Solo the arête.

Solo up from below the roof.

Solo up the left streak.

Solo up into groove.

Supplement the route with trad gear.

Mildred has long been topless. Pecking Duck completes the line with something a little spicier than its classic neighbour ‘Little Red Rooster’

1. 20 (35m) Start 4m right of the arête, on a pedestal and up a thin seam, and straight up cracks to join Mildred at half-height. Step around the corner and continue to the top as for Mildred.

2. 18 (35m) Start 3m right of Little Red Rooster, and trace Little Red Rooster pitch 2 and 3. Face-climbing leads to a right-facing open book, and a headwall ramp leads the stance.

3. 15 (15m) Little Red Rooster final pitch arcs right-to-left via gargoyles. Instead, climb directly diagonally up and left over the void, via an overlap and clean orange rock to the summit.

Start in the easy dihedral and climb out left. Big dyno to a jug in the roof and top-out

Shuffle through the side door and negotiate the wormhole before pulling up onto the face above the cave. Straight up to the top. A unique and interesting line. Walk off the back (involves a bit of a downclimb) or improvise a rapp point.

This is a spicy alternative to the first part of the second pitch of "That's what she said". It starts one meter to the right of the anchor of the first pitch. Climb a small dark red groove/face to a small roof. Pull through the roof to a recess and climb up using side pulls to a slightly bigger roof. Traverse left on a small rail passing through a small bush ( I suggest the next person climbing this to clean the small rail with a nut pick so the gear placement will be much better). Head to a good hold with no good foot holds and pull up to a sloper (high reach/crux). Climb straight up to a comfortable ledge.

Start off a large, flat boulder more-or-less in the centre of the wall and climb up easily to a break. Follow a slight right leaning groove to a finger rail (small cams). Traverse 1m right and use two short slanted rails and the golf ball to reach the next good rail. Traverse about 2m left until able to pull up to another good rail, and the ledge above. Move slightly right to a darker brown, steep prow and climb the left side till the top.

Consensus grading required, probably harder if you are short.

Start just right of Baboon Speak on the boulder 5m right of Maiden's Prayer.

Pitch 1. 20 m (19) Pull through the roof at the small corner and head up and right to the right-hand end of a ledge below a grey, knobbly feature which is directly below an arete 15m up. Pitch 2. 30 m (23) Climb the knobbly feature, then straight up an orange face and through a bulge to a hand crack 1m left of the arete. Continue up the crack, move right across the arete, and follow a short recess to a spacious platform above the arete. Pitch 3. 15 m (12) Climb straight up to a big ledge. Stance below a roof with a left-pointing prong on the lip. Can be combined with Pitch 1. Pitch 4. 25 m (22) From a large boulder, use laybacks to reach a rail. Move slightly right then reach left to the prong. Cut loose in spectacular fashion and pull up to establish on the face below several vertical laybacks. Continue straight up to the next ledge. Stance below a left-facing horn on the lip of the roof a few meters up. This is just right of another vertical crack system above the roof. Pitch 5. 30 m (22) Use the horn to pull up past a thin vertical crack until able to stand above the roof. Move left to a layback crack then party on straight up for the summit on great holds.

Start just right of a recess and then more or less straight to the top with a steep section in the middle.

On the ledge above the second, shorter abseil on the Gendarme there is a huge block up and on the climber's right. This route follows the striking arete above the end of the ledge.

Start on the right of the arete. Climb to the rail below the crux and place some solid gear. Use small crimps on the right hand face to reach a thin rail and then ease left to the big hold on the arete. Alternatively, a bit more satisfying but a grade or two harder, use a pinch on the arete itself to go straight up. Crank a couple more moves until able to get in more gear then head to the top.

Start from a nook to the right of a tree. Head diagonally left behind the tree, then straight up to a roof. Place good pro at the decent holds just over the lip. A couple of thin, strenuous moves gain you the headwall. Head up and a little right, past rails and a pocket, to the top. Beware, there may be some loose rock low down.

This route is on the face to the right of the North-West Pillar. Straight up the technical face just left of a vertical recess that runs about a third the way up the cliff, and about 3m right of the corner formed by the pillar. At the narrow ledge follow a crack and steeper climbing above.

Start 2m around to the right of the arete next to Chicane. Climb the crack

Takes the crack to the left of Lang Arm. The start is tricky and although there is good gear there is potential for a ground fall. At the top move right to use Lang Arm anchors.

Supplement the route with trad gear.

The aesthetic arete visible on the right as you walk up the gulley toward the Knobless Robot. Sketchy gear in places, possibly some loose rock.

Start in the narrow section of the path in front of a large boulder. Pull up to a rail and traverse right almost into a recess on the right side of the feature. Pull up and left on steep grey rock to reach the slabby right side of the arete. Step left and up the arete to the bulge. Step left to gain good holds, up ~2m then step back right and up to the top. Tat rap point.

Start as for Bloody Mary but climb out right with a difficult mantle. You can walk down through a small gulley / valley on the left side of the rock.

To access this route hike all the way to the South West gully following the base of the wolfberg mountain. Once at the gully, scramble up passing behind a tree. A cairn on the base of the first crack demarks the start of Crack of Icarus.

1. Climb the crack system to a ledge and belay from there. To access the second pitch, walk left of the ledge and scramble/climb a short easy section to a huge ledge. Walk around 20 meters left across the ledge, stepping on a big chockstone, passing and scramble down behind a big tree. Around the corner, scramble up to a ledge with a cairn on it at the base of a face where the second pitch starts (I recommend climbing this easy face up to the higher ledge to belay below the big long roof where the second crack starts).

2. Climb the face to a big ledge. Climb the crack to the right of a long roof to a small roof. Climb the roof to a ledge.

3. Climb the crack system passing a sequence of hand jam, laybacking, overhang with jugs until surprised by a slab. Step one meter to the left and climb the slab to a ledge. This is an amazing pitch!

4. Scramble up behind a huge block to a face. Climb the face starting 5m left of the arête, traversing slightly right to do a boulder move (crux). Head up to the top.

The descent is through the SW gully, starting with a hike and followed by a 30 meters rappel.

Start on the right of red rock at a cairn. Climb to rail, rail left 2m and move awkwardly up corner to exit left on the ledge below the roof. Rail left and up for 1m, to gain horizontal flake. Traverse right to the apex of flake and crank hard up the face to pockets continue up right to the arete and top.

1. [18] 40m

   Start in the crack right of 'Rooibosch' climb up to a ledge with a resting block, This is where 'Rooibosch' goes left, climb to the right then weave through 2 overlaps to build a hanging stance.

2. [19] 20m

   Climb upwards aiming for a overhang with a break. Continue to the ledge. Choose a top out pitch or access the rap station a few meters left.

Varied pitches and a tad committing on Pitch 1. Starts in the big corner left of Maidens Prayer.

1. 25 m (22) Climb the corner, with a wide crack at the back, to a small ledge. Pull up and left to a thin left tending crack. Just past a tiny roof, a vertical crack branches off. Follow this to a wide rail. Continue up and left aiming for the left side of the lowest section of the large roof. Head out along the side of the roof to ride the white surfboard (which gongs!). From here pull steeply up and left to where the angle eases. Continue up another 5m to a small stance.

2. 30 m (14) Head easily up to the large ledge, tending slightly right most of the way. Stance about 6m left of a vague arete on Sly and Slinky

3. 25 m (23) Pull up to a wide rail below a small roof about 3m up. Traverse left until the roof peters out. Pull up to a large oval hole (with an undercling inside). Thin, difficult moves past a small flake lead to a steep crack. Head up the crack and then traverse left at a thin rail to the break in main roof running across the wall. Head straight up to the next ledge. Walk about 10m left to below the boulder where Cosy Corner Direct starts.

4. 30 m (20) Pull up onto a little platform. A tricky move right gains a jam crack in a tube-like feature. Continue up and slightly right to the summit.

Takes the vague arête on the right of the buttress at the entrance to the gulley.

About 50m right of Coming Of Age are three parallel, rightward tending cracks like giant Velociraptor claw marks. The route climbs the middle crack.

1. Climb the crack past two overlaps to the roof. Reach out right and pull round the roof and onto a small, bulging slab. Make a semi-hanging stance here. Combining this and the next pitch could work but rope drag might be a problem.

2. Climb the steep crack to the big roof. Hanging stance in the corner.

3. Rail right and pull through the roof in the crack. Follow the crack until it runs out and then continue up on the grey face to the top. Descent: Scramble up and left into the big Panic Sloot Gully and thence to the top.

From the ledge, Start below corner, climb up and right to ledge and continue and to nice stance in the corner.

This is the arete that is visible on the skyline as you approach from Spout Cave, and is a few meters right of The Tabhomi Gun Show. Start directly below the sharp edge halfway up. Climb dead straight up the arête with much satisfaction.

Pull off the ground on good rails. Pass the blank section with a long reach off an undercling. Place a blue alien (or equivalent) in the undercling feature to prevent a ground fall. A series of stretchy moves takes you past a ledge to the top. May be harder if you are vertically challenged.

Just right is a corner/groove. Two pitches to the top of the Gendarme.

Supplement the route with trad gear.

The Red Rain wall is flanked on the far side by a column with the Jeremy's Arete running on its edge. Around the corner there is an undercut crimpy face - the route starts about 1.5m to the right of the arete.

Pull up to the good rail and place gear; a couple of hard moves gains the wall where there is a micro cam and a cunning nut placement (looks blank from the bottom); go straight up the face, tending right where the grips run out 2/3rds up and then moving left at the top to the ab point.

Start up the obvious crack to the right of the pinnacle/ flake.

Head straight up to the top with a couple of hard moves between rails until the angle eases off.

Climb the centre of the east face of the small pillar, to the right of the cave art, encountered on the path from the second car park. At the top, walk across and step across the crevice to the main buttress and find a suitable abseil point.

Approach: You can do the first couple of pitches of 'Thread the Needle' to access the ledge to the start of the route. Start: On the right of the ledge is a large roof with a chimney below, start a few meters left of this

1. [12] 18m

   Climb the corner to a ledge below a dark crack in the overhang. A very long move gets you into a chimney, climb past the chockstone in the crack and finish on a platform.

2. [12] 20m

   Climb down and right using a good finger rail to exit onto a large platform out right. Climb a bulge and then a grey recess to a ledge below an orange face. Walk right to the easy chimneys. Climb these to a ledge at the side of a large block, which looks like it is propping/ leaning up the cliff.

3. [15] 26m

   Climb the block that holds up the cliff and then left onto a small pointy platform, climb technically on the left then up to a narrow ledge. This is where u can start the easier variation on the break out left. Climb the tech slab in front/ right. Note, the move off this ledge is very hard if u are short and only protect-able halfway thru the crux, use a cheater stone if necessary. Using tricky moves tend up and right to a technical finger/ hand crack. After the crack move left and through a bulge to finish.

Start as for Iron Maiden.

1. 25m (18) Pull up to the roof and traverse right until under the roof and onto the face on the right. Make a semi hanging stance at a rectangular ledge, more or less in the middle of the face.

2. 32m (17) Step left from the stance and then head straight up the face and follow the left side of some fin-like features to a ledge. Belay at a wide vertical crack. Move ~3m right for the next pitch.

3. 10m (15) Climb straight up, passing a roof ~3m up to a wide ledge.

4. 25m (18) Climb the face directly between Iron Maiden and Maidens Dare. Pull onto the face just right of two, long narrow roofs about 1m apart. Head straight up, using the left of 3 short, vertical cracks to a ledge. Move ~20m right for the last pitch.

5. 30m (19) About 5 meters right of the Maidens Dare chimney is a break where you can pull up and move left onto an undercut, projecting feature (between the roofs each side). From here head up and slightly right to the top.

Start on the central pillar and climb up over a small lip on 'ok' gear. Continue up over a small roof and straight up to the top of the wall on good rails. Descend off the back via a sketchy scramble or ab off using tat.

About 100m right of the 3 cracks marking Velociraptor is a beautiful, long, clean arete above a bulging, pocketed roof. The route starts on the face below and left of this roof and bypasses it to reach the base of the arete from the left hand side. The first pitch wanders a little and the second is hard, a bit grotty in places, and run out. The top, arete pitch, however, is superb so an option is to rap in from the top to the ledge from which one starts this last pitch and just do that.

1. Start off a long block about 10m left of the corner below the pocketed roof at the base of a thin crack. Reach up high to a couple of small edges and pull up onto the undercut face. Head up the crack and rightwards to the top, left corner of the pocketed roof (about 15m up). Rail left underneath the small overlap and then up the corner on its left side to stance on a ledge with some blocks and capped by a roof.

2. From the right hand side of the ledge pull up delicately onto the smooth slab above the roof. Move left and a little up until able to do a difficult move left into an obvious crack. Follow the crack up as it widens, past a small roof and an unprotected, vegetated section, to a good ledge.

3. From the ledge head up and right towards the arete on the skyline. Follow this superb arete all the way to the massive ledge. Descent: Walk left along the ledge, through a bit of a dip, and up into the big Panic Sloot Gully which is followed to the top of the mountain.

Climb onto ledge. Start below black pebbles rock with 3 small vertical cracks. Climb straight up. The last band is mossy and needs a clean , climbing out right is advised.

Starts to the left of Thimble up an easy break, then follows the centre of the wall to the right of Edge of Existence.

1. 10m (15) Pull up into the easy break that is above a lower overhang with a large boulder inside it. At the ledge step meters left to below the wall between the arête and the easy ground on Thimble.

2. 40m (21) Follow a series of vertical crack up the wall to an overlap. Step right and pull up into a thin crack. At the finger-rail head left and then straight up the wall

This is on the left side of the steep section of the crag. Others may well have climbed here before, details not known.

Further along a rightwards leaning layback crack is reached. Climb up to a rappel peg.

Deadpoint from the rail in the pillar to the obvious hold. Break left and exit through notch in the roof on to the juggy face.

On the left side of the crag, follow a vague groove, then straight up on flakes (sparse protection) to a tiny right facing corner. Move left and up through a final bulge to the top.

The vague arête just right of Skeletium Skank. Tricky start followed by lovely, but slightly runout climbing.

A variety pack on increasing difficulty from arête to crack to corner topped with an airy victory lap.

Start as for Maiden’s Prayer

1. 40m (13) Do the first few moves of Maiden’s Prayer and then traverse right, under the Iron Maiden arête to an orange wall. Go up the easy break on the left to the first wide break. Traverse right to an easy grey recess facing to the left. Climb up to the ledge and right to the base of the brown arête.

2. 30m (17) Follow the arête and then straight up to the ledge, and stance below the left side of the large roof above.

3. 20m (21) Start as for Maiden’s Prayer pitch 4, by climbing over blocks into the corner. At the left facing flare above, send your tentacles right along the rail and swing out to the right to gain the lovely vertical crack in the face above the roof. Follow this until it ends and then slightly right to the ledge. Walk right over some boulders to the base of the large, white open-book capped by a roof.

4. 20 m (22) Climb straight up the strenuous crack to the roof. Without inking yourself, traverse right under the roof to a fist crack. Step further right under a groove to a hand crack that leads to a neat, airy stance. Note: Danger Shrew pitch 4 (21) does the same first move but then traverses right along the base of the right wall into a crack system that passes the roof on the right.

5. 20 m (15) Make an airy traverse left to a saddle feature over the middle of the roof. Straight up to the top.

Single pitch that climbs the centre of the face to the left of the final pitch on Staggersaurus. Abseil in from the top to the ledge about 50m down.

From the ledge head up and right towards the arete until able to pull onto the face. Traverse back left and follow a series of layback features to a narrow roof. Pull through the roof and then continue straight up the face until the top.

Start a few meters right of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Climb up the crack feature to ledge and join the forenamed route to finish.

From the first ledge above the ground, follow the large left facing brown corner, to the right of Water Karma. At the top of the corner step right and then straight to the top.

Next valley right of Fields of Joy Driving into the campsite you can see an orange/brown wall on the right of Fields of Joy.

This is on the left side of the steep section of the crag. Others may well have climbed here before, details not known.

Start around the corner from Route X.

1. Climb the knobbly wall right of a wide crack. Trend right and back let to a ledge. Move right and up to the base of a layback crack.

2. Climb the crack moving right a the top. Walk about 25m left to the end of the large ledge.

3. Climb the grey wall left of the overhang to the top of the Gendarme.

1. [13] 26m

   Start as for 'Maiden's Prayer' to the start of 'Maiden's Prayer' P2, continue to the end of the ledge.

2. [14] 30m

   Traverse right on a great foot & finger rail. When the foot rail pinches out, climb diagonally up to stance below an overlap.

3. [14] 36m

   Move slightly right to below a bottomless chimney/ flake, climb the flake on great jugs up to a wide ledge with a short off-width crack on the left. Climb left of the crack to reach the massive ledge above

4. [14] 30m

   Walk right below the amphitheatre. Pass 'Maiden Voyage' break, continue past another break with a massive 2m thick block which is cammed in at around 6m off the ground. Start just before the ledge pinches out at a small cairn with restio's below a slab/ wall with breaks. Climb a recess moving up and right, continue in this fashion to the next ledge.

5. [17] 45m

   Shift slightly right to find the left tending dassie crawl, climb up to this then move left for a few meters till able to step up to below an overhang. Climb up to the overhang and reach for a good jug out left use this to turn the overhang. Continue up to top out.