Hey Guys I'm going to be in Graaff-Reinet and Plettenberg Bay in December / January and I was just wandering if there is any sport climbing in or around these areas? I have seen some info that there may be some sport routes near th caravan park in Graaff-Reinet, does anyone know anything about this area? Directions, Route info etc?

Thanks.

Check out the travel times to Oudtshoorn. You might have to travel 1 to 2 hrs but it will be worth it. Alternatively, there is some sport climbing at the Crags (which is a settlement North of Keurbooms) [I think these routes are in Tony Lourens' western cape sport climbing guide]. I think there is also some sport climbing at a crag near Knysna - google the name "atomic aloe" and see what comes up.

Thanks for the info. Will look it up.

Many years ago we did a few routes on the crag at the Graaf Reinet campsite (in the big bend on the Sundays River). The stuff we did was all trad, but I'd be surprised if no-one has bolted the routes since then. If you're in that area, Kompassberg is worth looking at. Wide open space tradding. We also did a few lines in the Valley of Desolation but I think climbing is not encouraged there anymore!

Nearer the coast, Paddy mentioned Atomic Aloe. I think that's at Wolwe Rivier. Great little crag but access is delicate. Definitely worth a visit.

Mary is about a 2 hour drive from Graaff Reneit, near Tarkastad. Lots of single and multi pitch sport plus amazing trad in a great Karoo setting. Well worth it.

Definitely go to Mary if you are not restricted to the immediate Graaf Reinet area. Some superb routes in an awesome setting.
Access is tricky though. Contact Keith James or Derek Marshall.

Hi Guys, Thanks for the help. I've managed to find a list of about 14 climbs at Wolwe River but there is no particular route guide that I can see online. Could anyone help with info regarding how to get to Wolwe River from Knysna and how to walk in to the crag as well as in info regarding the quality of climbs, height, state of bolts / chains etc?

Thanks Again.

Hi

Access at wolwerivier can be a problem because it is on private land. There is someone from the South Cape MCSA who you can call to arrange access. I'll try and get his number. Please don't go without asking permission first.

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Happy climbing
Nic

Sent you a pm

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Happy climbing
Nic

Hey people

I'd like to know if anyone here has ever done some serious climbing in the Groot Karoo? Every now and then I visit my folks in Burgersdorp, and there's some spectacular dolerite columns some 80 - 120m high in the area (on Dreunberg) that I'd like to check out. I once did an easy 25m climb on the cliffs on the koppie on the edge of the town, and the pro is really good.

There are LOADS of these crags throughout the Groot Karoo, most (if not all) of them untouched. I think it may turn out to be a climbing wonderland.

Cheers
gollum

ola Gollum,

you're probably right - there's major potential for more crags in some of these areas, but it seems the the most areas that get developed are based close to civilisation. Northern Cape isn't anywhere near anything for most of us, and as such it will unfortunately stay unnoticed, that is, if someone doesn't go there and do some sick routes taking pictures in the process and convincing the larger climbing community that it is indeed worth it to take the drive there and have a bash at the cliffs.

My suggestion would be to get a car full of psyched climbers, go explore and report back to the climbing community in form of an article of sorts...

Got any photos of the crags to show??

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Climb ZA - Administrator

@Heinrich: True, these places are far from the climbing community. However that will also keep them unspoilt!

@Justin: Not yet, but hopefully I will have some in a short while, which I'll definitely post.

Cheers
gollum

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"I have no more friends, and my nuts are too small!"

I have pics of a big looking wall outside Graaff Reinet, will find an post. Anyone know anyone with a farm out that way?

Hi

Van Rhynsdorp is in the Northern Cape (just) and has amazing climbing on Cederberg quality rock. Have a look at the wiki.

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Happy climbing
Nic

@pierre: Yip, that's the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Some of those dolerite cliffs are really high.

@nic: Cool, but I'm referring strictly to the remote, undocumented dolerite crags in the Groot Karoo.

Has no-one ever driven the stretch of N1 between Richmond and Beaufort-West and thought "man that looks like good climbing"?

Probably not. Probably just "man when is this drive over!"

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"I have no more friends, and my nuts are too small!"

Yeah man, lots of times. According to Andrew Pedley, hardman and geologist, those cliffs on the right just before Beaufort-West are pretty crappy rock type to climb - apparently too brittle and probably loose.

Now if you take the route from Beaufort-Wes to Graaf Reinet, you'll drive past some better looking brownish huge faces. I have some pice of those, I'll post one of these days I remember to bring my memory card to work.

Well, as I noted in the thread "enough rock in south africa?" (http://www.climb.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29791&t=5944), we did open a route on said cliff. The route itself doesn't merit a drive from Joburg or CT, but if you somehow find yourself in the area (Aliwal North, Burgersdorp, Steynsburg), the potential on the crag definitely does.

We picked a line that (a) seemed doable and (b) used the maximum height of the crag as we approached, and climbed this. The result was one pitch of unroped scrambling (perhaps a bit dodgy), one pitch going through an interesting chimney, one kick-ass pitch of pleasant climbing, and then a last pitch with a very nice start but then a short walk and easy topout.

I compiled an RD - would it be worthwhile to post it along with some pics? If so, where should I dump the pics?

Cheers
gollum

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"I have no more friends, and my nuts are too small!"

To pick up on this topic... anyone done any climbing around Graaff Reinet?
Below is a picture taken near Graaf Reinet.

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Climb ZA - Administrator

FYI, the area is called Valley of Desolation. It's a South African National Park.
Non-climbing friends took the pic and asked me about it.

As someone mentioned earlier on the thread I think climbing is discouraged.

If you drive south there is a loooong band of cliffs on the right of the road as you pass Aberdeen (the SA one ) that look like they might be good (or might be terrible - hard to say from a distance).

As mentioned earlier, the potential in the area is enormous, shame it's never developed a cult following like the desert climbing in the US.

The cliffs overlooking Aberdeen have been climbed at their SW end by myself (in the 80's) and by Ross Suter and friends in 2000. In fact, that massif is even more impressive on its northen escarpment. Several of us climbed (illegally as it turned out) in the Valley of Desolation in those years, with most notable routes being put up by Alvin Wood in 1986/7.

Throughout the Eastern Karoo uplands, dolerite mesas and escarpments litter the horizons, most notably in the area adjoining Tarkastad (which could easily be the South African version of Moab) where outriders of the Sneeuberg, the Bamboesberg, the Stormberg, and the Winterberg conflate in an array of spectacular big-hill-topped crags of all aspects. The jewel of these is of course the northwest side of Mary, a world-class venue, in its genre of strenously-approached backcountry trad venues, equivalent in quality to, say, the Cedarberg. It needs to be noted that Mary is permanently closed to public access. (A few of us locals have private access arrangements, which will remain in place until the fantasy of actually owning the cliffs is realized!).

There is a sub-culture of climbing in these areas, still thriving today, but very much underground, because of incessantly fragile access issues. The fact is there are many such crags throughout the Karoo. Several lifetimes of exploration - crack-climbing interspersed with airy-areted ecstacy await any who are happy to indulge the extremities of the weather and lung-busting, leg-quivering walk-ins.

We have done some climbing around Nieu Bethesda near Graaff-Reinet (I always stop there if its on the way).. the climbing is cool enough, fantastic at some places and terrible at other. Mostly because the rock is very loose, hard, but loose! and its the Karoo, so its HOT...Allways!

But definitely worth giving it a go. Make sure to take a lot of water and sunscreen! a lot!

Glad to hear of the questing spirits!

Hi guys.

It is nice to see a post about the Karoo, and so much interest around climbing there. I am from the Great Karoo, Murraysburg, 90 km from Graaff Reinet.

I have not been climbing for that long, but have been dreaming about putting up some routes in the area, as it is untouched. There are 30m overhanging waterfalls, great crags, massive spires, big walls, etc.
The main drawback is that there is a lot of loose rock, but I am sure that can be dealt with by finding areas where there is not so much loose rock, or by cleaning the route.

The second drawback is access, as most of these places are on private land. Since I grew up there, know the locals, and am a very active Anti-Fracking lobbyist, I have access to vast areas of private land, with great climbing opportunities, in an extremely remote setting.

I am also working with San Parks to see if we cannot arrange some more climbing opportunities at Valley of Desolation, but you know how the admin/bureaucracy is.

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I will also be in the area end of Dec/beginning Jan, and hope to do some climbing, maybe we can link up, as climbing partners in the Karoo are extremely scarce.