So it's been a rather dismal winter thus far. I believe conditions at Sani as well as Giants have been well below average, although there is still some Ice to swing a tool at.

Does anyone know what conditions are like at Bokong???

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Happy climbing
Nic

Has anyone actually been to Bokong this season??? We know what to expect from Giants and Sani.

The closest was some guys that did go to Oxbow / Club Maluti falls this past weekend (a side trip to the ski slope). The falls were in very poor condition. There was snow on the hills and more fell on Sat so there is lots of moisture and it depends on the day and night time temperatures.

A light sprinkling of snow on the mountains around Montagu this morning (and other parts of the country I suspect).

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Climb ZA - Administrator

Ice Report # 4 12 July 2012
Conditions remain fairly dry all over the Drakensberg. There was a few centimeters of snow at Giant's Castle on the Saturday night the 7th and a bit more snow seems to have fallen in Lesotho at Oxbow at the same time.

Oxbow - Craig de Villiers visted this area last weekend and found it to be almost non existent, but at the time they did manage to get up a very thin pirce of ice at the main Oxbow Falls.

Giant's Castle - The KZ- N Section visted this area for 4 days. Makaza is climbable yet still sparce on the main upper regions of the route. The minor routes such as If Pigs Could Fly, Walkie Talkies and Big Foot Little Step are all well formed. The Main Event is also in resonable condition. The Main Loteni Coulior is all there but was very soft and the first pitch was not properly formed. The final pitch was not deemed safe enough to lead due to water gushing behind the ice near the exit and had formed a very thin curtain. Tight Screws, Cold Hands was not formed at all.

Sani Pass- no up-to-date information, but probably very thin and badly formed.

Bokong - no information

There is a large cold front forcast for this weekend, which could change things for the good.

Ice Report number 5 on behalf of Gavin Raubenheimer below:

ICE REPORT # 5 16 July 2012

Wide spread snow fell on Saturday night 14 July. In the Drakensberg at Sani Pass and Giants Castle there was however only a light dusting. Altough light, it should help to fatten the ice out a little at these venues. Heavier snow seems to have fallen on the NE Cape mountains near Rhodes and in the north at Bokong.
Sani Pass; the routes were still thin and not well formed when climbed on the 14th.

Click here for the newest Ice Report: http://peakhigh.co.za/blog/?p=1840 on the Peak High website.

Newest Ice Report on the Peak High Blog: http://peakhigh.co.za/blog/?p=1844#more-1844

The current cold spell (a cut-off low) and closed mountain passes was exactly the same conditions that created the 'vapour trail' 3 pitch WI 4 route Lofty opened a couple of years back in Lesotho on the Mafika Lisiu Pass close to Bokhong. This might be the time to see if a second accent is possible (the upper section of the route was formed 3 weeks ago when we climbed at Bokhong).

Ek se maar net .... enjoy the long weekend

8th Snow and Ice Report for 2012: http://peakhigh.co.za/blog/?p=1857

Ice report number 9 - http://peakhigh.co.za/blog/?p=1870

Was at Bokong on the long weekend - it had more ice than last year this time. Terrible weather though with meter deep snow on the walk in and high winds dumping spindrift on the climb. But there is lots to climb there and on the faces around it!

off to oxbow this weekend. Was there last month - was still a bit thin.

this is Africa learn to climb what you got!