Vias em Table Mountain para uma graduação selecionada

Route up and down.

Climb up the steps

Climb as for Wishing Well, but sit-start (sitting on the rock) higher on the layaway.

Sit-start with the jug / crack, move up right to a good ledge and top-out direct.

Start with left hand on a slopey gaston and right hand higher on a sidepull / pinch on the arête.

Sit-start with left hand in the groove and climb the broken face keeping left.

A pleasant if somewhat disjointed route up the north side of Barrier. Start at a large triangular block about 6m left of Barrier Pinnacle

1. Climb the crack on the left side of the block to a stance on top. hand traverse left for a few meters below a chimney/crack.

2. Climb the vertical chimney from the right-hand corner of the stance, traversing out left at the top. Scramble 30m in the direction of 11 o'clock to a pitch about 40m to the left of a prominent pinnacle.

3. From the level of the top of the pinnacle, traverse right for about 7m along a narrow ledge, then up 6m to a platform. move right into a crack which leads to a stance at the top of a prominent nose.

4. Climb the face behind the nose, moving diagonally right. turn a corner to gain a narrow ledge above

5. Traverse 7m along the ledge to a vertical fault in the final wall (facing Porcupine Buttress). Climb on the right side of the fault to the top.

Notes: there is a direct variation for the the first 3 pitches: pull up into a brown face and climb to a good hand-rail which enables you to do a strenuous and exposed hand swing (13) left to the base of a vertical, open chimney.

Hiking Approach:

The routes start up a small corner that faces Cape Town and is next (by a few meters) to the Fountain Ledge path, a short distance before the path swings sharply left to the scramble which leads to the upper ledge.

1. [10] 10m:

   Step off a block and climb up the knobbly corner to a ledge.

2. [10] 10m:

   Climb the next small face and traverse (Dassie crawl) left into a chamber under a large overhang. Note, the Dassie crawl starts just after passing the 'Holy Mackerel' layback crack which is capped by a triangular roof.

3. [10] 14m:

   Climb up the sloping block and squirm about 2m under the roof keeping left until you come out the other side. Sling a small protruding horn to prevent the rope getting stuck. Stand up awkwardly on the small ledge and climb the easy crack to the broad ledge above. Communication is difficult at this stage due to the followers being inside the cave below.

4. [11] 15m:

   Move left to twin cracks. Climb the left-hand one for about 5-6m and then move our right for 3m and continue up to a ledge at the base of the "Gendarme" (pinnacle).

5. [10] 10m:

   Climb to the top of the "Gendarme".

6. [12] 15m:

   Step across onto the face and traverse right, around the corner. Move up to the bottom of an exposed crack which is followed to a fair ledge.

7. Scramble to the summit.

Although it wanders about and is scruffy in places this route is still very popular and is one of the classic climbs on Table Mountain. Although most parties commence at the level of Africa Ledge, which drops the standard of the route to "E3", the climb starts at the top of Africa Ravine. A left variation was opened in 1947 but these pitches are now used by Africa Sideburn.

These top sections commence near the extreme left-hand end of Africa Ledge. The pitch is up a face about 10m to the left of the recess used by Africa Nose which is on the left-hand side of the large overhangs.

1. 12m "E1": Climb the face to the ledge above to the left of a rock pillar.

2. Traverse left and scramble through two short rock-bands to a ledge that ends under an overhang.

3. 12m "E2": Climb up to the overhang, traverse right and then continue up to the ledge above. As this pitch is rather bushy it is now usual to do a variation to the right. Climb up a short recess of red rock to below an overhand. Swing left and up to step onto a sloping ledge and continue to a good stance.

4. Walk approximately 2 rope lengths to the left and to the base of a very large chimney.

5. 25m "E3": Bridge up the initial metre or two and then either move into the chimney and continue up the crack on the left-hand wall OR continue bridging up the very edge of the chimney and then traverse into the chimney on the left-hand wall to the stance.

6. 25m "D": Climb up the back of the chimney, over a chockstone, and move out left towards a good rock platform. Note (i) It is interesting to watch the facial expressions of a second when he discovers the chockstone is loose. (ii) The Nose Variation starts from this level. If the face is very wet it is probably wise to do this variation.

7. 40m "E1": From the stance move around left on the ledge level with the platform on the face. The exposure now becomes interesting. Continue traversing for about 6m and then move up, using a bollard, and over a smooth sloping section to the top of a second bollard. Continue up for a short distance and then traverse diagonally right towards the chimney. Continue straight up on large holds for the final 10m, on the left-hand edge of the chimney, to a stance under the overhangs. It is possible to break this pitch in two at a small one-man stance below the final vertical section.

8. 40/50m "D": Traverse left until the end of the overhang, then move up and continue along to the extreme left-hand end of the ledge.

9. 15m "E2: Move up and out left from below the small overhang and continue up the crack to a ledge. Walk left to the base of an easy crack.

10. 18m "D": Follow the crack to the summit.

1. [10] 10m

2. [11] 30m

3. [10] 45m

4. [9] 6m