Routes in Table Mountain for selected grade

Sitstart. LH on a wide pinch/sidepull and RH on an edge grip. Move up and TO.

Sit down start on the face, which faces the city. Traverse low to the right until you can break up the slopey rail on the face orientated towards Lions Head.

Climb up below the little roof and TO over the roof

Sit start on the lowest holds and climb up and then left on slab

Sitstart and climb straight through

stand start to right of grafiti

Sitstart, climbing the left leaning arête to warmup.

climb up overhanging arete

Climb the steep section on the corner to the right of the low Seam.

Sitstart. Traverse the lip from L to R.

Sitstart. Follow the obvious seam and TO.

Sitstart on small hold just right of the sloper on the arete. bump LH to the sloper and pull up to the sloper directly above for the TO.

Start as for Zep, but move right almost immediately to traverse around to the right, staying high above the final roof to TO.

Stand start and climb up to TO.

Sit-start with short rail and climb the crack feature.

Stand-start and climb the slab on the right.

SS in the thin crack and move up to the jug to TO.

Sit start beneath two obvious flakey holds above you. Step up and into the sharp and super funky undercling, then reach way up to an odd edge with an option for a kind of thumbercling move. Top out.

Not at all sure of the grade!

Hiking Approach:

Start from the Newlands Forestry Station by walking to the south to gain the steep jeep track only-just in Kirstenbosch Gardens. Hike up the track to gain the contour path at approximately 400m ASL. Turn right (to the north) on the contour path. Continue over a short section of wooden boardwalk. A short distance beyond, turn a left corner to encounter a jumbled scree slope of big boulders. The Fernwood Gully stream is a few metres further on. Hike up the streambed, including a section where the stream disappears underground, and go up leftwards to find the streambed again. Continue until the streambed ends in a dense jungle. Use a 15m tunnel up to the right to get through the jungle. Head up leftwards up steep slopes and then conglomerate boulders to then clear the forest. Traverse the steep slopes to the left to gain the streambed in the well-formed Fernwood Gully. Head up the gully and waterfalls, sometimes using the slopes to the right, for a long way until ending at the base of the enormous wall. Begin three pitches of gully climbing in the extreme left of the gorge by climbing through trees and then into the open gully. The third pitch finishes with a section of worrying looking decaying stone that can be climbed safely. Alternatively, it can be bypassed on the right by climbing up the gully. Traverse across to the big Graveyard Ledge on the left, 20m below the Long Thin Overhang.

Abseil Approach:

Take the cable car then hike to Maclear’s Beacon and then down Smuts’ Track towards Kirstenbosch. At the first big plateau 80m lower down one is level with the top of Wormhole Buttress and Fernwood Face. A 10m tall rocky outcrop is found to the left of the path. At this point leave the Smuts Track and follow vague paths towards the summit of Fernwood Buttress about 500m to the south-east. Immediately before heading uphill to the summit turn left into a shallow valley and walk down it into the pine forest. Bear left to arrive in a beautiful campsite under an overhanging rockface about 7m tall. In front of the campsite walk 15m downslope between the pines to arrive at the precipice. A metre or two above the lowest level is a little ledge on the left with a little rock promontory to its left. Hold on the good handholds to peer 30cm around the corner to encounter the top of the abseil route that goes all the way to the bottom of the cliff.

Abseil 1 50m:

The lead abseiler must descend with the rack and not much else. Abseil to the broken ledge 12m down. Keep to the north (Protea Buttress side) of the Rocky Tower and go over the edge of the grassy slope. Place a couple of directional pieces of gear to keep the line tending northwards to gain 3m in that direction on the descent, and to stay in on the mountain. Get to the lip of a huge roof underneath where a section of steel-grey rock meets white rock in a vertical line. Progressively place three directionals (small cams) below the roof to gain the big ledge four metres lower. Traverse easily to the next abseil point which is visible six metres along the ledge to the north. The lead abseiler must provide a ‘fireman’s belay’ to the second belayer who will remove the directionals and each time will ‘ping’ out into space. The second abseiler should use a locking abseil device like a Micro Jul or make use of a prussik. The second abseiler should have the haul-bag directly attached to the belay loop via a quickdraw.

Abseil 2 50m:

The lead abseiler must descend with the rack. This abseil does not do a diagonal, but as it is over-vertical, directionals are required. Abseil to the big ledge with the beautiful Rooi Els tree. The next abseil point is one metre from the tree. Most parties will spend a night on this very attractive ledge on the south (Muizenberg) side of the tree.

Abseil 3 60m:

The lead abseiler must place one or two directionals below the big roof halfway down so as to avoid being stranded a metre or two out in space at the next abseil point.

Abseil 4 50m:

The fourth abseil gets the team to the Graveyard Ledge. After passing the Long Thin Overhang either place directionals to the south to land on the Ledge (first abseiler to belay rope), alternatively, continue into the gully and then swing/scramble across the gap to get onto the Graveyard Ledge.

Start:

The route begins on the Graveyard Ledge approximately in the mid-point of the Long Thin Overhang at a small cairn. The route begins up a natural break approximately 15m from the Gully.

1. 25m 20:

   Climb the natural break and horizontal rails most of the way to the ledge, then rail out right for a few metres and then up to the ledge. Walk right to stance near the end of the ledge at a cairn.

2. 30m 22:

   Place important cams in the roof of the Long Thin Overhang before climbing around it to the right. Climb up to the next roof and then rail out left and around the corner for another six metres to an opportunity to stand. At this point one is back above the start of the route. Climb the crack for 10m and then do a slightly runout section to a small seated stance for one.

3. 15m 21:

   Climb up diagonally to the right to the obvious little three-finger pocket in the white wall. Step right and then go up to the ledge 4m above. Climb up diagonally to the right to regain a ledge at an abseil point.

4. 35m 22:

   Climb straight up to the rail and then go right for a couple of metres. Climb up the immaculate and sustained wall for 20m towards the big roofs, passing two ancient pitons while wending your way up. Climb diagonally up towards the left to intersect the band of highly-weathered rock. Continue diagonally up across the narrow, vegetated gully and continue in this direction for a few more metres to get to a comfortable little ledge with seating for one.

5. 35m 22:

   Climb the beautiful white and streaky wall diagonally up to the right for a few metres and then continue up black streaks on white rock until forced to step right across the void into a bottomless chimney. Continue up the chimney until able to regain the steep white wall on the left for the last six metres to the Rooi Els Ledge.

6. 30m 22:

   Climb up directly from the Rooi Els and continue straight up the break until forced to go out left for a couple of metres. Head up angling to the right and then traverse out right across a steep slab and then up to the right to gain a ledge.

7. 17m 21:

   Start a metre to the left of the arete and climb the bulging wall. Head up and then diagonally left to get to the ledge called Traverse of the Eagles (named by the 1966 party that opened Fernwood Precipice Direct) and a point on the abseil route.

8. 20m D:

   Traverse left under the huge roof until beyond it. Stance just before the start of the tan brown rock at the end.

9. 35m 23:

   Reverse a few metres along the Traverse of the Eagles and then climb the overhanging crack/knobbly break immediately adjacent to the huge roof. Do a tenuous traverse to the right across the steep and exposed slab for a metre-and-a-half (just above the lip of the huge roof) to gain a vertical break. Do very thin slab climbing for 5m to a rail. This section is protected by a Rock 1 or equivalent small wire. Do a footless fingertips rail to the right until able to stand around the corner. Climb up and leftwards for 3m to the small roof then move a metre left and climb the overhanging crack/knobbly break. Continue up for 6m to a roof and pull through it going slightly leftwards. Four metres higher traverse a metre or two to the right to gain a chimney. Climb the chimney to a grassy ledge. Scramble up to stance on top of the rocky tower on the left.

10. 15m 20:

    Move a couple of metres left, climb the corner and then the wall on the left and then finish up the bottomless chimney.

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this is a chipped route and will not be rebolted

No anchors

Climb the face to the right of Unknown 2

Starts right of 'Coin de Rocher' The start of the first pitch is a tad bold. Technically more like grade 22, but fairly intimidating. The second pitch also starts off in a fiesty manner.

1. Start from a block a few meters right of 'Coin de Rocher'. Pull onto the wall at a vague seam and up to a finger rail. Step left and then up via tricky moves to the roof. Traverse 2 to 3m right until able to pull through where the roof narrows. Step left and head up the steep face to the right slanted slots. Climb through these to the platform above.

2. From the stance head directly up a line of right side pulls until the angle eases. This is a few meters right of the 'Coin de Rocher' pitch. At the next ledge continue straight up the line of least resistance to the top of the crag.

Has been bouldered @ 6C Originally climbed as a sport route. '22', 1 old bolt.

Has been bouldered @ 6C Originally climbed as a sport route. SA 22, 2 old bolts.

Originally a sport route '22', 2 old bolts.

Sit start and climb the arête.

Sit-start on the lowest rail and move straight up on jugs.

Scramble up about 30m to an obvious ledge that cuts across most of the face (or climb the first pitch of William Tell to gain the ledge). Follow the ledge out right until you see a cairn marking the start of the route. The route starts up an undercut and overhanging face with many sidepulls and good edges. A pumpy start.

1. Step up and gain the face using sidepulls. Continue straight up, passing a thin rail and up to a higher rail beneath a roof. Rail out left for about 5m until able to pull up onto the face above. Either face climb or use a crack just to your right to gain a hanging stance beneath a roof and bulging black streak.

2. From the stance, move right and climb up using a large block and juggy break to a rail beneath a roof and the bulging black streak. Follow the thin vertical seam bordering the right hand side of the black streak (crux). Easier climbing leads to the top.

The route starts from the right hand side of the long cave feature on the buttress. You have to scramble up to reach the start of the first pitch.

1. The start is undercut. Reach up for a good blocky hold, then throw to another hold up and right. Step left and up to an undercling. Move to the rail above and go hard right until able to pull onto a ledge. Traverse right into a corner. Step up to gain a rail, move right onto the face (crux of Fader's Frontal). Climb the face until able to step left into a niche. Stance.

2. Rail hard left, at one point stepping down to a lower rail. After stepping down, continue railing left until able to pull up to a long block wedged on the face. Continue moving left and pull up onto a small ledge. Stance.

3. Move up and left until you reach a corner crack. Climb the crack for a few meters before stepping off to the left. Continue moving left and up, aiming for the black roof split by a crack. Pull up into the crack (crux). Once above the roof, follow the wide rail left and past some blocks until you reach a good ledge with a layback crack in the corner. Stance.

4. Climb the layback crack to the roof. Rail right until able to pull up to another wider rail. Follow this back left and pull up into a corner. Climb the corner, moving out right under the roof and climb the face to an abseil point (tat). Either belay here or scramble up to a higher ledge and stance.

Pitches 1-3 as for Manoeuvres by Moonlight.

Composite route.

SS climb arete, keep going L to the same TO as for Hip Hip Chin Chin

SS then match on slopey jug, then climb diag R to TO as for Scissor Fight

Sit start and mantle over the rock.

Start with both hands on the rail to the left of the blunt arete and climb the blunt arete to the top.

SS and climb the crimps to TO.

Stand start with RH and LH on obvious holds and move up and R using the layaway to TO.

Stand start with good hold on the left and climb the arete into a flaky crack.

Sit with fake and move right to the seam on the slab

Start as for Work from home, climb this until left hand is on the seam, then climb diagonally to finish at the Digital Vibes top out

Sit start, up arête to jug next to tree, then top out without dabbing the tree.

Stand and climb the sloping arete to TO as for 2.

Sit-start with left hand on a good incut and right hand on an edge, right hand to a good ledge on the lip, LH to the lip and head up left. Big jug rail above the lip on the right is off.

Sit-start with right hand on a good sidepull and left hand close by on an edge, left hand to an incut edge, right hand to a small incut rail and top-out direct.

Stand start with left hand up on a square ledge and top-out direct.

Sit-start with left hand on a diagonal edge and right hand on a diagonal sidepull, left hand to the slopey arête, move up to a slopey crimp sidepull for right hand and top-out direct.

Pitch 2 is improbable and exposed.

1. Head up and right under the first small overlap, then straight up to a wide corner below the roof. Rail right and up to the ledge via a tricky move (right of the wedged block in the ceiling).

2. Pull onto the upper tier on the left side of a low overhang. Head up and right to the main roof. Pull through to a good hand rail, move left and pull up to the wall above, then easily up and right to the top.

A great line, probably the best at the crag.

Head up and right under the first small overlap. Continue diagonally right to a jam crack through a small roof. Pull past two more rails and then right to exit onto the ledge.

A steep route out of the centre of the cave.

Starts on a boulder in the middle of the cave.

Pull up and move left until able to head straight up to the roof. Traverse left and finish up Café Caprice.

The second pitch is excellent!

1. From a block, head up and left across the slab to a mantle onto the ledge.

2. Pull up and left to good holds through the roof (will feel much harder than 22 if you don’t find the sneaky beta). Head diagonally left across the expose face to the top.

A fairly direct line running through Valken Surprise. A bold crux pitch.

Start: Left of Valken Surprise blocky first pitch is a set of roofs running up diagonally left. Start midway beneath these roofs.

1. Climb the face, then break through the overhangs above and to the left of the big roof. Follow some overlaps up to the left, then climb directly up a lichen-covered face to gain a ledge to the right of the loose white block on Valken Surprise, and below the crux of Shock Absorber. Move 8m right and stance at a long crack.

2. Climb up into the corner above, move out right onto the arete (hidden nut placement around the corner before doing the move is strongly advisable), then pull up to a ledge on Valken Surprise leftward traverse.

3. Climb up directly behind the stance and pull through a series of small overhangs, passing right of a prominent white nose (Valken Surprise goes left of the nose). Continue up to a platform stance shared with Valken Surprise.

4. Starting Left of Valken Surprise, climb the wall above, crossing Valken Frontal and finish up the steep wall left of Frontal's final pitch.

Notes: Like When I'm 64, this route starts on the "D" traverse ledge, and as such there are several ways of approaching it, probably the most fitting would be veering right off the third pitch of Valkenism.

Start: From the left side of the "D" ledge, just before a bushy ramp.

1. Climb the thin groove in the smooth face.

2. Continue to the top of the buttress.

Start: This route starts on the "D" route ledge about 6m left of Valken Corner. As such the route can be approached from several ways, but the easiest would be doing the Valken D route, however Valken Corner would be a more fitting start.

1. Climb a tricky recess leading to an old peg of Valken Needle. Move slightly right through a small overhang, then up a clean crack. Continue diagonally left up the blunt rib to the top.

Start: Behind the Left Block, close to the start of Posternation.

1. Step off the block onto an arete and climb up to the ledge.

2. Climb the crack on flaky rock, then make an awkward and powerful pull through the bulge using a hidden slit far to the right to gain the Halfway Ledge.

3. Take the right of two lines of pockets on the undercut white slab above to a ledge. This section is steep and desperately thin on little finger pockets. Traverse awkwardly right past some horrible blocks before moving up to the ledge at the end of Plumbline Face traverse.

4. From the middle of the ledge, climb a tall, vertical knobbly face by reaches and pulls on good grips (may be some lichen at the top).

5. From the cave/ledge with the yellowwood tree pull up onto grey rock on the left ledge of the overhang and swing out right to the spectacularly undercut corner. above this it is steep, but straightforward to climb.

The hardest thing around.

Start: approximately 4m right of the Wafer Flake standing upright on the ledge.

1. Climb the face to a long ledge, move left to the blocks on the corner.

2. Climb the murky recessed corner, past a loose block. Move right at the first rail, then traverse out left on some rails (below the Halfway Ledge), until it is possible to move onto it. Walk right to the Staletto recess which has an old peg.

3. From the block perched out over space, traverse left on some rails and into a peapod crack, which is climbed easily to the ledge.

4. A short recess on Postern Nose route is used to gain the next big ledge.

5. Slightly right is a jam crack through a roof. Climb the roof, "hanging like a bat". The move around the lip into the recess above is thin. After that, things get harder until the ledge.

Start: down and tight of Yo Yo is a beautiful layback crack in a slim left facing corner.

1. Climb the crack and bulge to below the roof.

2. Move slightly left and break through the overhang above. Continue up on weathered rock to a ledge beneath some roofs.

3. Climb into a small bottomless dihedral, exit left and move up the wall to beneath a series of overlaps. Crank through the overlaps then traverse right to a shallow open book. Climb this to the top.

Start: the route starts on the left end of the ledge and is marked by a beacon. The route follows a line of obvious overhanging open-books on the prow separating the two sectors.

1. Climb the wall to a ledge and move left to a stance below the overhanging open book.

2. Climb the open book to the roof, then rail left to the prow on the lip

3. Climb the series of open books, tending right to reach the left side of a ledge.

4. Climb the crack and walls to the top.

Start: about 10m right of Railrunner, below a corner capped by a roof.

1. Move up in the corner, then traverse left to gain a small ledge 3m above the ground. Step down to the left to reach a good handrail and traverse left to stand under a small overhang.

2. Climb some cracks on the left to a small roof and continue past this to a rail. Rail right, then climb diagonally right to a hanging belay at a sloping ramp below the big roof.

3. Break through the overhang on the right to gain the ledge. Move left and up to a higher ledge.

4. Climb the last pitch of Railrunner.

A good route with an exciting traverse - don't fly.

Start: an overhang juts out left of a prominent drip, on this is a piton in the middle of a small face, about 4m off the ground. At the base is an A3 sized flat rock, and about 2m above and right the wall seeps slightly on the overhang.

1. Climb past the piton to a narrow ledge, climb diagonally right beneath the overhang to take an open book up for 3m, step right beneath the next overhang then diagonal left into another open book fault taken up past a semi-detached block to a large ledge. Stance comfortably on the right. Originally opened by aiding on the peg. The free grade of 22 is suggested, but may be harder.

2. Start 1m past the right end of the roof above the stance, climbing diagonal left around the arete, then traverse over the open book and beneath the gaping crack until the face on the left. Take this to a small stance a pitch directly beneath an improbable roof. One can link Pitches 2 & 3, however rope drag could be problematic if done poorly.

3. Step back down then follow a good handrail left above tine to none-existent feet on the lip of a roof, around a small corner to a good ledge. Walk left to a grassy stance, (crossing beneath Railrunner's last pitch). Excellent pitch.

4. Step up to a grassy ledge left, around the corner then left beneath a roof. Up the right tending break to a ledge. Traverse left around the corner, then diagonally right to a grassy ledge. Step up, then follow a lay-back crack in a recess to another ledge, then easy ground to the top.

We suspect this pitch starts well left of the line described above, and instead we highly recommend the last pitch of Railrunner.

Start from the ledge, left and behind the bushes on the left side of the crag, and the line heads diagonally right until the head wall, where it goes straight up to the tree.

Excellent line that gets progressively more challenging. Start off a Ladies Tee towards the right corner of the crag: beneath an undercling at the bottom of a small left facing corner. Basically the line takes the big open book all the way to the top, however we strongly recommend stepping left about 5m up over the undercut to take the face above. Then reunite with the open book to the top. The line at the top avoids the feature taken by SO.

Supposedly 22. Take the series of overlapping open books as it tackles the steep wall. At the top the route traverses right to take a prow through to an easy head wall then the top.

Start from a boulder by two vertical white stripes. Straight up to the roof. Pull through and follow the thin vertical crack. When this peters out tend slightly right up the face.

1. At the left side of the crag, step off a boulder and into and arched crack. Follow this left under a roof to a vertical finger crack. Pull up past a vertical thin-hands crack to a wide rail. Step left and crank over a bulge (crux) to a thin rail. Establish on the vague arête, and climb up to a hanging stance (shared with Honey for your Money).

2. Move diagonally up and right for about 10 to an overlap (to the left of the long vertical crack in the centre of the crag. Pull through and climb straight to the top of the crag. Stance at the level of the abseil point.

Possibly the most striking line on Bee, this line takes the open book that separates the face routes on the main face from the steeper lines of the left. Considered one of the best lines in the area.

1. Head up easily and diagonally on good orange rock to gain the base of the steep clean crack. Climb this, and continue to where it becomes a thin finger crack. Continue straight up on easier ground, through the roof above on the right, to a ledge.

2. Climb straight up and diagonally right through some small overhangs on the left of the head wall to the top.

Takes the obvious crack about 5m left of the arete, then climbs almost on the arete through the second roof. Bring a cameraman for an amazing profile Pic!

Takes the crack a metre or two left of Deep Blue and goes straight up, parallel with that route.

Start in the bottomless right facing open book, then run up the face between two cracks - don't get sucked into either of them - even when you really really want to! The line keeps pretty much straight and ends as the head wall tends left.

Start about 3m left of the CC. Head straight up the centre of the face to a mini arete projecting from the wall. Follow the left side of this to a wide rail. Pull over a shield type feature and up to a point where you can traverse left to finish up 'The Dusk Whales'.