★★★ A Dog Day in Heaven 25

This route takes one of the most direct lines at Blouberg, to the left of the WALL OF WHITE LIGHT. The start is 30m to the right of ANOTHER DAY IN HELL and about 10m left from the start of THE DELICATE SOUND OF THUNDER. A small beacon marks the start. The route takes a more or less direct line transecting ANOTHER DAY IN HELL. It tops out to the left of the huge, trapezoidal roof which is easily visible from the ground, virtually at the top of the face and just to the left of the start. It is basically an independent line, but shares the bivy stance with ANOTHER DAY IN HELL. To keep the line direct it has two short sections which are common to that route.

1. 27m 20 Climb the clean line directly to the large ledge system above. Avoid the grassy corner on the right at 12m by staying on the face to the left of it.

2. 40m 22 Climb an obvious orange groove a few metres to the left of the start and climb through the overhang above. There is a peg visible at the overhang at 10m. Once through the overhang, continue up towards the right beneath a small roof to easier ground and then to a blocky stance topped by an overhang. Move right 2m and climb though the overlap to a rail (in common with ANOTHER DAY IN HELL. Continue up leftwards (crux). Move diagonally left a few metres (tricky) and then up to a point where you can traverse to a perch just left of a prominent right-facing corner beneath a large roof.

3. 50m 20 Move left 2m and up underneath a small overhang. Step right onto the ridge and continue up easier rock to a steep broken section at 40m. Pull through this on good jugs to a large ledge (bivvie common with ANOTHER DAY IN HELL).

4. 35m 21 ANOTHER DAY IN HELL takes the first diagonal break to the right starting at the end of the ledge. Continue past this for 3 - 4m and then take the obvious break heading for the scooped section of the wall 25m above. Fantastic climbing, protected by a bolt, brings you to a crux section, where an RP affords reasonable protection. Prior to this point there is a peg on the right. Move through this crux section (the good handhold on the left is now broken off), to a hanging stance off a big block. Pitches 4 and 5 can be combined.

5. 25m 24 Move right 5m to a point below two pegs 10m above. Place good pro in a rail and continue up to the pegs. A crux move past the pegs brings you to easier ground. Climb diagonally up left to a good stance.

6. 35m 23 Above is a shallow, right-curving corner with a peg visible but the route does not take this corner. Walk left about 5m to where the ledge ends, to a perch stance and climb the obvious orange corner directly above for 12m. When the corner peters out, do a delicate move right and then gingerly climb on to a large precarious-looking block. A tricky move (for short people) brings you into a leftleaning crack. Continue up this until it peters out after 5m, to a crouching position. Move up left onto lichen covered rock and then diagonally right to a good stance.

7. 35m 22 Some tricky moves up to the left bring you into a right-curving crack system (often has bird shit) topped by a roof. At the roof rail right (slippery) and then climb up to a small stance under a small roof.

8. 40m 25 Continue up the broken corner-crack to the roof above. A hard move up through the left brings you into an orange corner. Climb this to a rail underneath an overhang. Rail left to an amazing stance on the skyline. This pitch has three bolts.

9. 50m 17 A chossy start brings you onto lichen-covered rock. Continue up the obvious line more or less straight to the top. From here the scramble off is straightforward and fortunately not too bushy.

Notes:

1. The route is well-protected, apart from pitch 4, which is runout and may be protected using an RP.

2. No special gear is required, however a set of RP's will prove useful.

3. The corner of pitch 8 was originally aided.

4. Bivi sites: at the top of pitches 3 and 5 there are excellent bivvies. The opening party also bivvied uncomfortably at the top of pitch 6. The bivvi site at the top of pitch 3 has a drum and there is at least one mattress, chalk and a duvet jacket. Please leave these articles in situ for the benefit of future ascentionists.