Petzl Rock and Road Mentor Day

2008 Rock and Road Mentor Session. Photo by Steve Bretherick

This is an invitation to young climbers to take part in the ‘Petzl / MCSA Rock and Road’ Mentor Day.

It will be held in the Cape Town area on Monday 13 December.

The event is open to young climbers who have some experience on rock and who would like to benefit from spending a day with one of South Africa’s leading climbers.

Climbers who are interested in taking part should send me their phone numbers and email addresses. Please give a short summary of your climbing experience (grades, routes climbed, competition experience etc.).

Full details of the event and requirements are given below.

Regards,
Charles Howell
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The Rock and Road is a more-or-less annual event, hosted by a different province each year, that brings together all fo the top climbers from around the country to climb together and spend time opening routes at wherever the latest hard routes have been going up.

It’s been in GP/MPL where they had a flash competition at Fernkloof and a finals at the God No wall, it’s been to KZN with the Durban bouldering comp, wave cave and a finals at Rogers new routes at Howick falls, and in the Eastern Cape last year where Derek and Martin and Joe pulled out a stunning crag in the Baviaanskloof.

It’s Western Cape’s turn, and we’re going to take them bouldering at topside, something big and traddy on Table Mountain, then to Montagu and finals in Oudtshoorn, hopefully with some illuminated night-climbing.

Each year, one of the rest days has been dedicated to giving something back – usually by taking school groups from the area climbing.
This has been very successful.

Josh clipping the chains at the 2008 Rock and Road Mentor Session. Photo by Steve Bretherick

We are experimenting with a slightly different format this year – what we’d like to do is make sure that the kids can make the best use of the Rock and Roader’s experience, rather than just have a belay session

- So we are going to have a one-day rock-rally style competition, and pair up each schools competitor with a Rock and Road competitor for the day (probably 10 – 5pm?)

The rock and roader will belay, put up draws / top-ropes / coach and mentor their charge. First prize is that the kids’ selection can be based on some sort of criteria or ranking in the schools league competitions. Neil up country is intending to try to facilitate that some kids from the North and KZN come down to join in.

There are 29 Rock and Roaders, so that is our max. If there are a few less that is ok, as there are usually one or two Rock and Roaders that go soft on the day.

It will almost certainly be at Silvermine. We can adjust the format of the competition to suit the ages, experience, number of kids. Probably your hardest two routes in a day, with a bonus points for flash, on-sight, leading, or visiting multiple crags.

I’m hoping to have the R15 entrance fee waived for the event – but that is to be confirmed.
The kids will need to present themselves at Silvermine in the morning, and be picked up in the afternoon.

Below are two links to the RnR webpage and the articles that Justin has been keeping going for us on the Climb.co.za webpage.

2008 Rock and Road Mentor Session. Photo by Steve Bretherick

www.rockandroad.co.za

Click here to see who has been selected to go on the Rock and Road 2010
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Charles Howell
orangefeet@gmail.com
083-256-0286