Upper Nithi Gorge Todos Escalada clásica 1 vía en escuela

Looking east from the peaks of Mt. Kenya one can see a lake framed by the steep sides of a chisel—shaped slot. This is Lake Michaelson in the Upper Nithi Gorge and the cliffs on the northern side of the Gorge offer probably the best climbing outside the central core of Mt. Kenya.

Unlike the usual agglomerate which forms the outlying peaks of the Mountain, the northern side of the Nithi Gorge is formed by a subsidiary Trachyte plug. This is fractured vertically and so presents an exceedingly satisfying rock for climbing. The prevalence of flakes or spikes demands a supply of nuts and pegs for runners and belays.

At the narrowest part of the Gorge the cliff is approximately six hundred feet high and vertical. Many lines come into view on steep clean rock. Further east is the "prow", an extremely intimidating piece of rock. Here the cliff must be eight or nine hundred feet high; it is steep and bulges grotesquely at about two—thirds of its height. An overhanging diedre leads through these bulges and conjures up thoughts of an exciting "aid" climb. Farther east still the cliff leans back into a large slabby area. The height of these slabs probably exceeds 1,000 ft. at the highest point but unfortunately they are covered with too much vegetation for comfort.

The general appearance and feel of this half—mile—long crag is reminiscent of "Cloggy" in North Wales. Even Llyn Arddu can be exchanged for Lake Michaelson. The position of Minto's Hut is more than ideal for climbing here. Climbers taking half an hour to reach the foot of the western cliffs would, after finishing abruptly on the flat top, be only five minutes away from a hot brew in the hut.

Climbing in the Upper Nithi Gorge is definitely crag climbing and not mountaineering. Therefore climbs should be graded adjectively and probably given names.. It is a good place to visit if conditions on the main peaks are too bad for climbing there. Snow or rain offers only slight hindrance on the steep part of the crag due to the overhanging nature of the final wall.. The most obvious line, in the narrowest part of the Gorge, has been climbed, the last part in a snowstorm.. The two climbers however remained perfectly dry, being sheltered in a one—hundred—and—seventy foot overhanging chimney, until they popped out of the top. This climb, which has been named "Ricochette", was harder than it looked and gave six pitches of sustained VS climbing. Maybe more climbers will visit this attractive area for festering and actually do some climbing.