Routes in Western Cape for selected grade

Start on the ramp below the left hand ar6te of the Main Wall. Climb the arête, exiting on the left higher up to finish on great jugs.

Very nice route. Crack line and right facing corner up the pinnacle. Tat and maillon at top.

Follows the most prominent crack lines on the Paarl Rock dome. Start below a narrow crack that becomes off-width, 13m right of Turmoil of the Skin.

1. Climb the crack.

2. Continue up and stance below a layaway crack.

3. Climb the layaway and then through the bulge.

4. Exit right and scramble to the top.

Short but engaging start to finish-technical

, one of the best in the 'Valhella Area'

Start: the next column right of 'Valkyrie' Climb the obvious crack to 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.

Climb (solo) the slab / face about 30m to the left of Carlito's Route.

Old bolts!

The first not so nice looking crack system. Chains at the top.

Climb the short face (far left of crag), then easily up to base of overhanging block with vertical crack. Gain the crack with some effort and continue to ledge.

1. [18] ??m

   ???

2. [19] ??m

   ???

Specialist gear required.

Head straight up the red face to the left of the cleft between the columns. There is enough gear but be careful. After a series of rails, continue up to the right-hand side of the column (slightly run out). Finish up the steep, blunt arête and pull over the top where the columns kiss each other.

Nice climbing, but first gear pretty high.

Climb the corner, then bust through the steep section to small ledge. Then find your way up the least loose section to the higher large ledge

1. [19] ??m

   ???

2. [17] ??m

   ???

Take the Tube left of Flint Hard and follow the left side of the higher feature and step back right to the chains of Flint Hard at the top.

Follow a series of layback holds between horizontal breaks to gain a dark brown triangular recess. Move up this and exit up and right onto the face. Head straight up and slightly left to the top.

"A dirty, sharp, loose and grovelly crack" - Andy de Klerk

Start on the right side of the gray/white pillar. Climb up onto a block, carry on up and left to access two cracks on very orange rock, climb this slab, headed for the roof/ corner above. Exit the coner to the right, then up a pocketed face. Above and right is a bolted stance, which is a good place to belay from as your seconds might fall at the roof crux and this ensures less work for yourself.

Follow pitch 1 of Knobless Robot until you reach the traverse out right (which would have taken you to the original stance). Instead of moving out right, follow the crack directly up to the small ledge. Can be done as 2 pitches (stance on the small ledge before the traverse out left).

"Strange route but worth it for the amazing headwall crack above!" Climb the tree to a bolt, get on the wall and climb up to a crack, then diagonally left using edges to a bolt. Aid (A0) through the overhanging crack using 2 bolts and continue climbing the crack when you can place the first piece of gear.

Gear: Slings, small to medium cams, rack of nuts and extra mid-range nuts. Double ropes help reduce rope drag.

1. [17] 35m

2. [19] 40m

The route climbs the wall 10-20m right of the T-rex. Start from blocks and grass between enormous blocks.

1. Climb up to a ledge.

2. Climb a rounded layback flake and go diagonally right towards a wide gully/groove. Traverse left and up grooves to a large ledge.

3. Start midway between T-Rex's crack on the left and the gully on right. Climb the steep face to a small ledge.

4. Go diagonally left and up to a steepening. Rail right and follow grooves to a ledge. Traverse left to a dassie ledge.

5. Take the first break along the ledge and climb the groove to the top.

Walk below the crag till to just before the path steps down/ Just before the trees. The route starts in an alcove with a fairly large cairn.

1. 19 15m

   Start on the left of the alcove till able to stem across, pull up to the right of the bulge to gain a pedestal. Step right to gain the finger crack. climbs this to exit left and up to the top. Once at the ledge walk 4-6m left.

2. 19 25m

   Climb the recess to just a few meters below the roof, when possible traverse left. Continue diagonally left on good rails.

On the far left side of Faith. Scramble up to nice looking wall. Climb the corner crack.

Climb the slab / crack.

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.

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.

Climb the crack.

Start: From a shady shelter behind some trees, about 20m higher up from the grey face used by Valken Edge. A Brown wall looms above, split by a brake leading to a stance.

1. Climb the face to the roof, then move left to gain the base of a prominent scoop. Climb the Scoop, then swing right around the corner on sharp edges and move up into a stance.

2. Wedge up a wide, overhanging crack on the left, then hand traverse left at the first rail over an alarming drop until energetic pulling up can be made.

3. From a higher ledge (shared with Valken Edge) climb a short groove on the right to a platform.

4. Traverse left and up into a huge recess, which is hidden from sight around the corner. Climb up, avoiding the 'Damocles Blocks' and exit strenuously at the top onto a ledge full of blocks.

5. Step up to a crouching traverse line and move left around the corner, stretch down to a lower rail and power jam across a rough rounded rail to the corner.

6. Climb the face behind the stance and finish on the right-hand skyline.

Start almost in the middle of the amphitheatre. There is a large beacon under a small roof.

1. Climb the recess/jam crack

2. Up, and then right out to the nose. Up this to broken rock. Scramble up to the base of a ramp with a split block at the top.

3. Climb the ramp and into the crack.

4. Up right and diagonally up to a large ledge.

5. Starting near the middle of the face, climb up on jugs.

6. Traverse left into the corner, then up to a ledge.

7. Continue up for about 20m, then crawl right for 45m.

8. Climb the face, then further on, to belay below overhangs.

9. Traverse right around the corner, through a whole and to a ledge.

10. Traverse further and up a yellow face to easy ground

Scramble up ledges and two rock bands to the middle of the face and the highest easy grass ledge. Start in the middle where the ledge starts to fade.

1. Climb up the easiest line (avoid some loose flakes) to a large ledge below the roof.

2. Traverse right below the roof on a good rail to a small stance where the roof ends and the rock becomes white.

3. Climb through the roof at a jam crack. Continue up to a nose, and climb up steeply on the left of this easier rock. Continue over easy rock to a large ledge.

4. Continue up the dihedral just left of the roof above. Climb through the second roof and belay.

5. Traverse left on the obvious line on blocks, dropping down at one or two places. From the ledge climb to the apex of the blocks on the left.

6. Climb the face above on holes in the rock, up left into a steep break and thus to a rail. Traverse right and up to a stance.

7. Continue directly above on steep rock and then easier rock to a rotten ledge below the main overhangs on the face.

8. Move off the right-hand end and then up a hidden recess to a ledge on the left.

9. Move up and traverse left. Continue up and left to a steep section leading to a belay ledge.

10. Traverse left up the nose until the rope runs out (small stance).

11. Continue up scruffy rock to a good stance.

12. Climb up tending diagonally.

The third pitch on the book says it is a 15 but I had climbed a 17 and 18 pitch before it and those all felt easier than the third pitch, that's why I am suggesting a grade 19 for it. The second pitch is an amazing 18 pitch, really fun.

On the middle tier below Out on a Limb. Climb the obvious corner crack, break left at the top roof to stand on a ledge. Climb up a crimpy face off the ledge, into a diagonal upwards plates section and then top out below the top tier routes. The birdshit was mostly cleaned off

Same line as the Original Route with a traverse to onto the main face headwell.

1. 25m (17) as per Original Route. You'll need to climb through the step over move off the ledge to setup a stance at the beginning of the traverse.

2. 20m (19/20) After the step over move break right to traverse right the way around onto the main face to find yourself in an airy position. It's important to get the right line here and your belayer will not be able to see you railing out.

At the end of the traverse do a strenuous move up a dodgy looking flake, which has been tested and bears weight but move gingerly on this feature, up to a roof. Traverse right under the roof and up another flake, easy mantle and then easy terrain to the top.

Start above and right of 'Melting Pot' Climb the left hand crack

The main feature on this route is the big left-leaning grey groove to the left of the overhanging bands on the south-west face. Start from the ledges directly below the groove.

1. [17] 10m

   Climb a shallow corner to the right, then traverse left to a narrow ledge at the base of the groove.

2. [19] 40m

   Superb climbing leads up the back of the groove and out to the left around and overhang. Climb up the short corners above to a massive ledge on the right.

3. [15] 25m

   Go horizontally to the left on a narrow rail to a niche and then climb directly up on jugs to a belay ledge.

4. [15] 50m

   An easy chimney gives access to an escape ledge whence scrambling on gargoyles leads to the summit.

Tricky start guards easy climbing and sublime positions on the headwall. FFA up for grabs -- get on it, people!

This climb follows the crack system to the left of Symphony of Pistons.

1. Climb the shallow corner pulling through to a rail. Traverse left and climb up into a scoop below a small roof.

2. Using the crack, traverse left and then up to a small, off-balance ledge. Climb the corner crack to below a small roof. Traverse to the right and move around a corner. From here climb a sloping slab with a good crack on the right-hand side, till a good stance is reached. Step to the right across an exposed gap using a good handrail, to reach a good ledge. (This pitch may be broken into two to reduce rope drag).

3. Climb the corner, making some awkward moves, to reach the top.

The top pitch is really good!

The first pitch described hereunder starts about three meters to the right of the crack pitch of 'Quiver Crag'.

1. [F A2] 27m Climb a slight crack in a white face using four pegs. Continue up free to an overhang above. Move to the right and up to a stance.

2. [F A2] 20m A chimney-like crack on the left is climbed to an overhang. Follow a crack to the left and upwards around the block then reach for the top of the block.

3. [E] 10m Walk clockwise around a big block and ascend a chimney to a stance on the right.

4. [19] 37m Climb up 2m and traverse to the right to a corner. Continue to the right for about 2m. The pitch goes virtually straight up from this point. A resting point will be found 8m above, slightly on the left, followed by a crack to another resting point a further 10m above. Climb the face above using layback holds to a ledge. Ascend from the right of this ledge.

The opposite side of the flake starting from a ledge up to bolted chains.

Climb the crack to a stance at the top. To descend, scramble up and left to where decent becomes easy.

This route starts at the first left-facing corner on North Buttress.

Climb the undercut section towards the roof, lay out to the right and reach for a jug high up in the corner (crux). Climb the excellent corner above. Move out to the right underneath a huge overhang. Walk off to the right.

1. [19] 8m

2. [12] 12m

3. [14] 22m

4. [14] 6m

5. [16] 11m

6. [16] 20m

7. [14] 21m

Follow a left tending line up the face, and near the top move left and up a hand crack.

Start: on the left side of a prominent blocky fin of rock that sits near the base of the buttress.

1. Climb the face heading for the open-book formed by the left side of the jutting rock fin. Climb the open book to exit onto a small stance on top of the rock pillar/fin.

2. Follow a blind crack up and slightly leftwards to a small ledge. Continue straight up blocky ground on excellent rock, aiming up and left to a prominent, clean, open-book corner some 20m high. Continue up the open book and then out to a small stance about 5m above the open-book.

3. Above is a very prominent "Shark's Fin" under an overhang. Climb straight up to the obvious open-book formed by the recessed wall meeting the shark's fin on the left. Climb the open-book (#4.5 Camalot very useful here) and bypass the roof above by pulling up onto the shark's fin. Continue up, heading for a very prominent splitter-crack running through the headwall. Stance at the base of the crack.

4. Layback up the ramp at the start of the splitter till it steepens. Using aid, climb through the bulge following the crack. Continue (free) up the easier angled open-book corner and stance on a big ledge. Scramble across the ledge and straight up the prow ahead until able to move across a sloping slab to the right and up to a higher ledge. The next pitch starts up a flaky looking break on the right corner of the next prow.

5. Follow the flaky crack up the corner and slightly to the right. Continue up to just below a small roof. Stretch across and swing to the left onto easier ground. Above is another small overhang with a break on the right. Climb up under the overhang. Continue up the break and on up to a prominent chimney crack. Climb the chimney for a few metres and then break out left following a crack on the left wall to the top of the prow (this pitch is shared with Hold On Woman).

You are now on the final ridge. Scramble up the ridge for two rope lengths (+/-120m). At this point slopes on the right are easily accessed.

Descent: cross the slope for approximately 60m to a rappel point with tat.

1. 60m rapp. Scramble down to the next terrace. The next rappel point is on a leaning boulder.

2. 40m rapp to a grassy slope. Move left, facing Piccolo, until in the gully. Follow the gully, making short rapps where necessary. At the bottom of the gully, scramble up a subsidiary gully directly opposite.

3. 60m rapp from a rocky point at the top of the grassy gully (look out for tat). This rappel takes you down a steep and bushy gully, behind a large chockstone, and lands you very near the start of the route.