Vie in Africa del grado selezionato

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.

Season: Probably best during June to October. The season is critical as the foot of the couloir is rarely linked to the Tyndall Glacier. Standard: VI. The first ascent party felt the first two pitches warranted Scottish V. Time: 9 hours climbing time.

A bivouac was spent in bergschrund. This couloir, which might be better described as an icicle, lies to the left of The Untravelled World Route, and joins the Tyndall Glacier with the extreme left side of the Forel Glacier. The first two pitches are very steep. The ice then becomes easier angled and in five more pitches provides an exit right onto the main Forel. The bergschrund bivouac cave of The Untravelled World is then reached, and this route is followed to the summit.

On the right side, first climb the chimney into the crack and then the final slab to the top.

Nice climbing up to midway, then a walk and tricky finish.

Start: on the far right of the wall.

Climb up to where a short traverse right leads up to the ledge. Walk right a few meters and then climb diagonally back up and left to a tricky exit at the top.

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

Start on the front of the prow just left of the bolted crack route. Follow the line of least resistance into the left facing dihedral crack above.

Descent: Step to the right and abseil of the bolted lower offs above the bolted crack line.

The route starts to the left of ALRIGHT MOMMY, LET'S GO. Scramble to the smooth 5m wide face. [C – 3]

1. 18m 19 Climb the face for 3m, then traverse right onto a ridge. Ascend the ridge to under an overhang. Climb up on the right to a little ledge. Climb a corner then swing right onto a ridge. Climb to a stance 3m below the overhang.

2. 20m 17 Climb up then move delicately right onto a ridge. Climb the ridge (to the left of a recessed crack), then the face to the top.

This climb is just to right of 'Independance' nce'.

1. 30m 15 Climb the ridge using the crack between the two variations of 'Independance' to big ledge.

2. 15m 19 Ascend an open book just to the right of 'Independance' for 4m, traverse around nose to the right for about 3m into an open book breaking through the overhang. Ascend the open book using small face on right to avoid large aloe and continue 6m to ledge.

3. 25m 13 Ascend to top.

Graded 19 in the book but feels more 18

Start: Below the prominent arête is an open book.

1. 18 12m

   Climb below the open book then through it to stance on the ledge.

2. 16 20m

   Climb the face to the right of the arête to gain a crack, continue to the top.

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

Variation of WELL OILED MACHINE - replace pitches 4&5, keep 1-3 and 6-7 common

Start 10m left of Woody Wood³.

1. 35m (G1 A1) Climb the groove until the crack fizzles out. Tension left of a blade to another crack and up to stance.

2. 40m (G1 A2) Climb through the first two roofs free and then into a groove. Aid up and through (6 points) and to a ledge on the right. Continue up to a ledge to belay.

3. 40m (G2) Traverse left back into crack and up to small stance in left-hand crack.

4. 40m (G2) Move up for 5m then back into right-hand crack. Continue up this to stance below and left of a tree.

5. 30m (G2 A2) Move right and up to tree. Continue up the crack free through a horrendous crumbling roof to below the final overhang. Aid through (2 points) and belay on the right.

6. 30m (F2) Traverse right about 10m then up and back left and up a crack to scrambling ground.

Note: Hard and serious with a lot of poor rock but good runners. Recommended for suicidal maniacs. Take four pegs [in 1980, what should we take today?].

No info. Please message MCK if you have a description (https://www.mck.or.ke/contact)

Located at head of kloof, 20m upstream of PINNACLE NORTH. (There is a similar leaning pinnacle against the face). Climb and scramble 30m to base of crack on right hand side of pinnacle.

1. 30m 11 In crack to top of pinnacle.

2. 10m 19 Ascend the bulging face above the pinnacle. The crux is the first 3m. Thereafter ascend an easy sloping ramp.

Variation:

The 19 move can be bypassed by a semi-hand traverse left into a corner (13). Continue left onto ledge and ascend flake 5m further left.

The start is just to the left of 'Deception' .

1. [11] 25m

   Climb up to tree and continue upwards behind tree to a high level traverse to the left. Traverse left around corner and continue to small stance in niche below main overhang.

2. [19] 17m

   Move up to overhang and layback into groove above. Climb straight up to large niche. Climb high up the niche then step left onto overhanging face. Climb short face to good hand knobs above and then with hand jam and fancy footwork traverse out left and gain a good stance on an arete.

3. [13] 34m

   A delicate step left into recessed ramp, climb diagonally up and right for a few meters then follow main depression bearing slightly left to tree 15m up. Continue upwards bearing slightly left then back right into corner which is followed to the top.

From the top of the first pitch of 'Sepulchre' continue up the steep crack referred to under that climb. This is the crack running up the face immediately right of the 'Sepulchre' cleft. It leans to the left all the way. The crux consists of a move over a bulge into the crack near the start. Near the top of the crack traverse right onto a grey face where the difficulty reduces, and ascend to the top. Direct aid pegs were used on first ascent.

1. 30m 19 Climb up to the comfortable ledge as for SYMBOL. Continue up the recess. Instead of traversing left make a difficult move up and right onto the front of the buttress. Climb the buttress to the ledge (the last part is shared with PHALLUS).

"A Motorway for sports models only, Some excellent, hard pitches." 1978

Start: up a clean, scalloped rib rising out of the trees 30m left of Champs Elysees

1. Climb the rib on superb holds to a ledge. Move up over a wet grassy "knee-pad" into a tight leaning chimney-crack to gain another ledge.

P2. Climb a steep wall behind the stance for 5m (a groove on the left) then do an awkward move onto a little stance with two stout old pegs. Continue to the corner beneath overhangs and pull up as high as possible before traversing right to Boulevard Ledge, similar to that on CE but narrower. Climb over an exposed corner before descending diagonally right to a stance.

1. Lower yourself off the ledge before traversing right beneath some blocks to a recess. Climb this to the big ledge below the ramp on CE, and move right to below a hard looking crack.

2. Pull up to a slab and cross this from left to right to gain the bottom of a twisted crack. Take the crack to beneath the roof, then move right across a smooth orange slab to the second gap between blocks to reach the Halfway Ledge.

3. A strenuous pull up from the top of a sloping block using small grips enables one to reach large flakes in the left crack. Climb to a stance next to a yellowwood tree. This pitch belongs to Frasers Frontal.

4. Step off the tree onto the under cut sidewall of the left hand buttress into he chimney. Swing around left onto a steep wall, then up and around left to pull up to a ledge. Continue up a boulder and fight a bush to share a stance with Frasers. Scramble to the top.

Start in orange corner to right of Leaper, below obvious thin crack leading up to left.

1. 15m. Up crack to traverse left onto good holds on the arete. Up wall above to ledge, then move right to cave and belay.

2. 15m. Move left to skyline ‘nose’, up corner then swing left onto arete. Easy climbing to summit. The second pitch is very photogenic!

The intention was to free the aid on 'Right Slant', but a completely new line was found 4m to the right.

1. 20m 17 Climb onto large block then ascend corner to tree noted on Pitch 1 of 'Right Slant'. Belay just above.

2. 20m 18 Straight up into the corner capped by the overhang. Step out onto the right wall and up.

Climb easily up to the layback from the right. At the ledge traverse left to the blunt arete and climb this to the top. Rap is a few meter's away.

Start ~5m left of Stuffed Lion, just left of a corner crack. Climb straight up the white face to a ledge. Continue straight over blocky terrain to the base of a steep, brown layback crack. After a few meters, when the crack peters out, continue straight up, and easily to the top. The lower sections of this route have surely been done before.

Climb the far right of the three main cracks on the face of the Sphinx. Follow this crack line up to the base of the balancing block. Climb up the front of the block all the way to the top.

This climb starts 1m left of IN DIRE NEED.

1. 15m 18 Climb the recess. When you reach the overhang rail left for 5m onto a nose. Climb easy ground to a good ledge.

Walk upstream of 'Lifebuoy' and as the kloof takes a turn to the left a face can be seen with roots hanging down.

1. 20m 19 Climb up past the roots to an open book on the left. Move up the open book to a small ledge. Continue up steep face to a good belay ledge.

2. 15m 12 Above is a recess with a face - climb the recess to the left.

Note: Reach dependent.

On the far left of the crag, past the 'Coming of Pride' pinnacle there is an obvious in a gully crack (on the right when looking down the gully).

Strenuous and technical, but well protected and offering a variety of climbing on good rock. Deserves more ascents. Start in a corner capped by a huge roof.

Climb the right hand side of the corner and then traverse left onto a ledge. Climb up to a recess and crack which is climbed to a large rail (sustained). Traverse left for two metres and move up diagonally right to a left-slanting recess which is followed to the top.

Climb the direct line to the anchors.

Up the steep orange and black stripes to the right of the bigger recess. The route tends left, always just right of the recess. Very satisfying.

Takes the buttress immediately upstream of the prominent corner of SCARY CANARY. Start below a narrow corner on the arête, 2m right of LIP SERVICE. [B + 0]

1. 15m 19 Gain the corner from the top of the block and follow this, with hard moves at 3m, to the good hand-jams. Move slightly left, then climb in a direct line to a stance with two large blocks.

2. 22m 15 From the top of the left-hand block ascend the shattered bulging face directly above to gain a short black groove. Ascend the groove for 2m until able to pull out on to the right arête. Move 1 m right, then follow the obvious recess above to the summit.

Notes: The stance at the top of pitch 1 is shared with A LA CARTE and LIP SERVICE. The protection on pitch 2 is of dubious quality.

The route takes the obvious slab above the prominent square overhang mentioned in 'Beetle Brow'. Start at the base of the ridge, directly below the left hand side of the overhang (cairn).

1. [15] 30m

   Make a rising traverse leftwards over blocks to enter the recess/chimney system adjacent to a small tree. Climb recess over easy ground to good belay with tree.

2. 20m 13 Continue up the crack system in the right hand side of the recess to a tree belay below a large chockstone. Poor protection.

3. 35m 19 From the belay, traverse to the edge of the slab and continue right for 4m until it is possible to climb up to gain a “sentry box”. From the “sentry box” climb straight up the centre of the slab trending slightly right and back left to avoid the vegetation on the left. Continue to the top of the slab and a large block belay. An impressive pitch.

Really good single pitcher

Access the ledge (15m up) via any route of your choice.

Start: 2m right of a chimney. There is a medium size flake resting against the wall at the start. Climb the break up to a pair of wedged plates (flakes), continue up and slightly left to access a short technical bulging slab. After this access abundant rails to up to a face, once established on the face move slightly right and up to finish.

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.

30 m right of Black Panther.

The route takes the groove immediately to the left of DINKUM DIHEDRAL. Scramble up onto the ledge 20m above stream bed. Start 4m left of the start of DINKUM DIHEDRAL, behind a stamvrug tree.

1. 25m 17 Ascend diagonally right from behind the tree to gain the ledge below the dihedral taken by DINKUM DIHEDRAL. Step up and left to gain the groove and follow this to below a V-notch in a small roof. Pull through the notch and belay on nettle tree stance.

2. 8m 19 Jam up the righthand crack, with difficulty near its top, until able to gain the loose-looking block in the off-width on the left. Follow the off-width rightwards to the top.

Note:

Pitch 2 offers contrived but excellent climbing. The whole route is on clean rock.

On a subsequent occasion a more direct first pitch was opened, which, owing to dampness, was avoided by opening party.

1. [19] 22m

   About 25m upstream of swimming pool is a wet vegetated groove. Start 3m left of the wet groove and move up to a nose, then traverse left across a slab to the bottom of a short corner. Move up this awkwardly to a large ledge which is traversed right for 8m to the steep crack above the wet groove. Move up and using a flake on the right wall, make a difficult move past the overhanging block to a niche. Continue up a steep funnel to another niche and peg belay below the main overhang.

2. [19] 17m

   Move up to overhang and layback into groove above. Climb straight up to large niche. Climb high up the niche then step left onto overhanging face. Climb short face to good hand knobs above and then with hand jam and fancy footwork traverse out left and gain a good stance on an arete.

3. [13] 34m

   A delicate step left into recessed ramp, climb diagonally up and right for a few meters then follow main depression bearing slightly left to tree 15m up. Continue upwards bearing slightly left then back right into corner which is followed to the top.

When viewed from the big bathing pool, the grey ('Coffin') buttress is seen to be bounded on the left by a grassy and vegetation-filled chimney. To the right of this chimney, broken red rocks lead to a steep crack, about halfway up which grows a green tree. The upper parts of the crack appear to overhang. To the left of the cave (on 'Coffin' route) which lies directly above the slimy chimney is seen a steep slab which lies back at an easier angle just below the red break-away. To the left of the uppermost part of this slab is seen a ledge and above, the crag lies at an easier angle and is more broken.

The route follows the broken rocks at the bottom of the grey buttress to the base of the red crack (18m 9).

This is followed (11m) to a good ledge behind the upper branches of the green tree. Above this point the crack is forbidding, so a rope may be fixed to a piton.

An abseil of 9m leads to a point where one can traverse left into the crack below the cave (13) and ascend the cave.

Climb the outside wall of the cave for 8m to where a belay can be made high up on the left. The crux pitch now lies ahead.

Emerge from the cave and straddle upwards until it is possible to move left facing in onto the slab. This move may be made at either of two levels. It is possible to traverse with the feet at the level of the top of the sloping slab, using sparse holds on the steep face above for the hands. Alternatively, ascend right to the overhang and traverse mainly on the hands using grips under the roof until a descent can be made in a small recess about 2,5m to the left, to the sloping slab. The crossing of the slab is delicate, but easier.

A small stance can be made at the end of the slab climbing down slightly (piton), but it is safer to continue 12m upwards (18) and make a stance on a good ledge directly above the start of the slab. The move onto the slab would be very difficult to reverse.

Variation:

1. 18 The grassy and vegetation-filled chimney may be ascended from the bottom of the face, obviating the original first pitch and abseil traverse.

Climbs the face and cracks between C’est la Bon and Alien sex Fiend. Step down from the blocks and onto the face. Climb up the face past two pegs to a rail. Follow the cracks to the top.

• A must-do. Very varied climbing. There is a new bolt below the 2 pegs mentioned which was added when the peg it replaced was smashed out in mysterious circumstances. Start by scrambling down to the left of the C’est La Bon lunch blocks onto a ledge. You can make it a 20m climb by scrambling down to ground level and using the same start as the next climb – a very large loose block has been removed at the cost of some skin.

The route heads up the centre of the face, 120m to the left of GREAT GULLY.

1. 33m 18 Up smooth, narrow chimney/crack in a left facing corner formed by a buttress and the main face. Alternatively, start about 15m to the right, in a right facing corner on the other side of the buttress.

2. 50m 7 Ascend from top of crack to large grass ledge. Traverse right 66m and scramble up to a higher ledge at the base of a left trending ramp system.

3. 50m 7 Ascend diagonally leftwards to the highest yellowwood trees.

4. 30m 16 Walk leftwards along ledge. Either take the first crack which starts easily and ends with a difficult move, or take the second crack which has an awkward start past a small bush, but an easier exit via twin flakes. Continue diagonally leftwards to a tree belay under a steep face.

5. 20m 15 Traverse left, and then climb up 2m to the rail leading round bulge. Use the rail as an undercling and move left for a few meters until able to drop down onto a block (exposed). Move left into a gully.

6. 25m 12 Climb gully to stance at top of pinnacle.

7. 60m 15 An awkward start gains the recess leading upwards from the right hand end of the gully. Climb this, trending leftwards to top out at the start of the maze.

Variation to pitches 1 and 2: Starts in the recess just to the left of a prominent buttress about 90m to the right of the original LEFT FACE chimney. This recess is topped by a large overhang about 50m above the ground.

1. 40m 12 Climb recess for about 30m and traverse right along a small ledge to a tree.

2. 30m 13 Move up 3m from stance and traverse right about 10m around the corner. Move up behind block and then onto it and continue up the face to a large stance.

3. Scramble for about 50m to the large grass ledge and continue with the rest of the original route

This climb ascends the red faces upstream of the pinnacle routes just before the upper junction of the kloofs. Scramble up the initial rock to the base of the red faces. Move to the right of the faces and to the base of a chimney.

1. 25m 18 Move up the chimney/recess to the base of an overhang. Traverse left at the base of the overhang 2m and continue up to a hollow sounding block. Move to the top of the block then traverse right again for 3m to a 2 man stance.

2. 11m 11 From the stance move up and leftwards to a pleasant face, move diagonally leftwards to the top.

Between Sweet Fanny Adams and Scarab is a wall topped by a hanging block. There is a recess at the base of this wall which is climbed to a pigeon-hole. Step left at 3m and climb until level with a bolt on the right. Traverse right past this, to the bottom of the hanging block and easier ground. Straight up the wall above on jugs.

Start approximately 8m downstream of 'Gunsight' , in the triangular cave about 10m up.

1. 30m 18 Climb to apex of cave and exit via crack above. Climb up narrow chimney past overhang to the top.

Takes a line a few meters left of 'Any Takers?' Scramble up behind a square pillar. Start up the thin corner crack on the left. At the ledge step right onto the face up to another ledge. Pull onto the face and follow series of vertical side pulls, then easy ground to the top.