Routes in Cape Town for selected grade

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.

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.

Linkup: Cast Your Vote into Stompie Direct

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.

Start as for Naatkop, this time following a crack branching up right.

Has been bouldered @ 7A Originally climbed as a sport route. '24', 1 old bolt.

Has been bouldered @ 7A Originally climbed as a sport route. '24', 2 old bolts.

3 Bolts (old bolts).

3 Bolts (old bolts).

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.

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

Start as for Accidentally Overlooked and top out as for Compression Session. Don't use any of the holds to the right of the arete - only the good sloper to the left of the big jug is in).

Sit start and mantle over the rock.

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 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.

Do buccaneer but at the rightward traverse blast strait up through big roof on jugs

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.

Big brother to Café Caprice, wingspan will help for the final wild moves.

Head up and right under the first small overlap. Pull up and hand traverse right, then up and further right to a wide, bottomless corner. Pull up into this and hand rail right to a final long pull through the roof and up to 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.

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.

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.

Best Line at the crag: interesting moves with a pumpy disposition. Start in the north-facing, undercut open book on the left side of the wall, and basically follows this line to the top. Head up and right to an undercut nose, then up the vague open book and through easier ground to a rest below a clean face broken by a single, vertical crack.

This is the longest line at the crag: an enormous left diagonal line sharing the same start as POD and exiting at the tree above An Uncertain Piece. It was opened ground up on-sight.

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.

Takes the central line up the centre of the steepest part of the buttress. The first pitch goes free at grade 24 to the hands free rest in the roof. This pitch will go free at about grade 28 if you can do the boulder move. (There was an ancient bail wire in the steep crack just below the roof, so someone has played here before).

1. Start from the ‘sheep’ in front of a boulder. Pull steeply onto the face and up to a small ledge. A hard move up and left leads to a traverse left to the step vertical crack. Follow the crack to a hands free rest in the roof. Aid through the roof boulder problem using a marginal fixed wire. Move left to a tiny square stance.

2. Follow the vertical crack system to the top of the crag.

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.

1. Make a hard pull up into a narrow bottomless corner. Continue up to a ledge with blocks, Some hard moves up and right gain the steep, wide crack. Follow this and then exit right to stance on the white face to the right. Solid at the grade.

2.From the Anvil, head left to the stepped arête and climb just right of the arête until the overhang at the top Affirmative Action. Step left and continue straight up.

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.

Left of the Ironborn corner, Kingklip Buffet follows the short arête to the steep crack system in the centre of the overhanging face.

From the large boulder, pull up into the crack in the centre of the face and move right to the short, undercut arête. Continue up to the first roof and follow the vertical cracks through overlaps to a bottomless corner. Hard moves out right lead to the backrest of the ‘Throne’. Continue straight up to a wide horizontal rail and then up to a fin on the right. Pull back left to exit onto a ledge left of the bushes, continue up to next ledge where there is a rap point.

Start: On the furthest right boulder at the left end of the Lourie Cave.

Pull up into the corner and move left onto a grey nose. Pull up right to some pockets and then left to follow a hairline crack to the right-facing, hanging corner above. Pull around left and up to the roof. Crank through and over on great holds to the face above. Head up and slightly left to join the last moves of Blue Devil. Abseil from touch point.

An easier version could take a line starting about about 2.5m right and running parallel up to the roof, traverse left and finish the same.

Start at the left end of the Lourie Cave.

From some large square boulders, pull on the short face perpendicular to main wall. Traverse left under roof and pull on wall above. Step right and up to the next blocky roof. Head up and left to an exposed and undercut recess. Pull into this (crux) and up the good rail above. Continue up and tend right across the face above, moving right under some grass and up to a ledge. Find a good stance with a rap point.

Stand start topout of Himura.

1. [21] 18m

2. [19] 30m

3. [23] 30m

A sustained route with a bit of spice. The second pitch is great with a wild finish!

Start by the tree at the right end of the little ledge as for the direct start to 'Touch and Go'.

1. [23/24] 20m Start up the crack system until the large projecting disc-shaped flake ~5m up. Traverse right ~3m to a good flat jug below a large undercling feature. Pull through the steep bulge here, and up the face above to a vague rail (tricky, but essential gear). Continue up and right (sparse pro) on edges to better holds. Carry on up to a narrow ledge. Walk ~3m right and up to a stance on a neat ledge, directly below the thin crack line (of Farewell to Arms) higher up on the wall above.

2. [22/23] 25m Scramble up to the face, which is climbed directly (one good small wire) to the base of the thin Farewell to Arms crack. Follow the crack, but where Farewell to Arms traverses right under the roof, pull through to the wide, jagged crack above. Follow this to the higher roof and traverse ~1m left. Blast straight through the last roof where there is an intermittent finger rail (below and right of Touch and Go). Crank through to the face above, step right and then up to the right side of the Touch and Go stance.

3. [24?] 20m Head up and right to the break on the right side of the first narrow roof above the stance (shared with Farewell to Arms). Pull through and climb up. At the next narrow roof to the left take a step down and left to gain the rail under the roof. Traverse left ~4m to where the rail widens, and there is a large rock wedged flush with the back of the rail. At this point, the rock above the roof is mottled grey, and a bit left of the smoother, yellow/brown rock on the right. Pull through the roof here to a thin rail with key slots for micro cams. Make a hard move up and left to establish on the face which is followed up and slightly left (sparse pro) to reach good holds. Continue straight up the blocky bulges above to the wide ledge.

Note: Other than the sections shared with Farewell to Arms, some sections of these pitches may well have been done before, but all the crux sections are new to the best of our knowledge. The result is a bit of a hybrid route that offers a fairly demanding line up the wall. Consensus grading is needed. Pitch 3 may be harder for shorter folks.

1. [23] 15m

2. [21] 25m

3. [21] 25m

1. [23] 25m

2. [21] 25m

3. [22] 30m

Start:

The route is in The Dream sector on Fountain Ledge, Table Mountain. Space Race is very direct and goes through one of the biggest flat roofs on the mountain. The first pitch starts between Farewell to Arms and Last Tango.

1. [23 A3] 30m On The Dream Ledge between 'Farewell to Arms' and Last Tango is a steep white wall capped by a huge roof. Start up the wall left of centre, a few metres from the thin crack of Farewell to Arms. Head directly up to the huge rail then traverse right to get to the thin seam that intermittently heads out to the lip of the roof. Using tiny cams, RPs and knife blades climb the 10m roof and turn the lip. Freestyle a couple of metres to a good stance under overhangs. A nice free variation involves railing rightwards under the huge roof and then coming back left above the roof to the stance.

2. [22] 30m Head up on the left and turn the overhangs. Head straight up the centre of the clean white wall between Last Tango on the left and The Cruise which heads up the leaning break on the right. Arrive at a big ledge and do a tricky mantelshelf.

3. [21 R] 12m After a bit of easy ground, there is a blank slab above. A ripple runs up the slab leaning to the left. Climb this ripple without protection. At the rail, head left and up the overhanging pillar, the slab is quite a serious lead.

4. [21] 20m Above is a wide roof with one obvious break some metres to the left. Don’t go there. Go slightly right and in the roof find a small pocket that allows you to lean out to the lip. Crank up onto the face and go to the arête on the right. Head straight up.

1. [23] 20m

2. [21] 20m

3. [21] 25m

Start: The prominent feature of the Cobblestones Gendarme is the huge overhang and chamber beneath it. The left end of the huge overhang drops a plumbline to Fountain Ledge where La Vida (and Sweet Dreams) starts up the clean arete.

1. [19] 12m Use small vertical cracks slightly left of the arete to get established, then move onto the arete and head straight up to a ledge. Cobblestone Chamber is up on the right

2. [21] 17m Climb the short face above to a ledge and continue up the arete-which is under-protected - to a recess. (A grey Alien or equivalent Metolius master cam is critical placed in a slot on the right). The arete start can be avoided by walking left 3m and climbing the under-clings up and right to reach the recess. Continue up to the jumbo ledge above at the base of "The Dream" and "Last Tango". Walk left 7m.

3. [21] 10m Start as for Last Tango and do the crux. Continue up the easier ground diagonally left heading for the right-facing corner. Traverse right at the base of the corner to do a layback move into the deep recess at the end of "The Dream" first pitch. Move right by railing on the outside or dassie crawl to the stance at the start of the second pitch of "The Dream".

4. [22+] 30m Climb straight through the roof on REM and higher up pull through the overlap 2m left of the crux of the dream.

5. [14] 20m or [22X] Move Left 3m and climb the easy arete (or climb directly up the unprotected face for 5m) to scrambling ground and stance on a ledge system that takes you to the abseil chains or to the top out pitch.

6. [18] 20m Move 15m left on the ledge system under the overhang to an obvious break in the roof. Climb this starting with a strenuous cranking to easier ground and continue to the top, or traverse 60m left to the Magnetic Wall abseil station.

1. [23] 30m

2. [21] 30m

Take the first 4 pitches of 'Roulette' until the roof. Pull onto the face and traverse right on the lip of the roof until the overhang below your feet ends, and then straight up the wall above (to the left of the top pitch of 'Myrrh').

1. [16] 35m

   ???

2. [23] 12m

   ???

3. [20] 25m

   ???

4. [11] 20m

   ???

1. [23] 12m

   ???

2. [15] 30m

   ???

3. [22] 35m

   ???

1. [24] 17m ???

A lonely, exposed pitch consisting of a horizontal roof and steep crack that is visible from Tafelberg road, near the top pitch of Africa Amphitheatre. It could now be done as an alternative, hard last pitch to 'Africa Safari'.

Access: To be done as a single pitch: From the upper cable station, walk towards Platteklip, passing two viewing areas with railings. The next lookout has a stone wall. From here, in the direction of Devil's Peak, one can see a huge, egg-shaped boulder on the edge. About 20m left, as viewed from here, is the top of the pitch. Abseil from good sling points above the left wall of the corner to a platform. Scramble down over a boulder to another ledge below the route.

Route: 30m (24?) Gain the roof and crank through the obvious flake and crack (about 4m long) to the lip, and then follow the steep crack system, taking the right split at the top of the steep section. The top third is still a bit lichenous, but at this stage, the business is over. Consensus grading needed