Fern Kloof (sport and trad)
Access
Access is via the Bergheim Resort which offers good camping facilities etc. Get onto the R28 highway from Johannesburg or Pretoria and travel west towards Krugersdorp. When the highway gets to a 4-way stop at a Zenex garage turn right towards Tarlton. Follow the road to a T-junction at another Zenex Garage and Oak Tree shop where you turn right. Follow this road until you see a sign to "Bekker Skole", turn left (if you get to a T-junction before this turn you missed it by a few km. Pass "Bekker Skole" and turn right at the next T-junction. Follow this road towards Rustenburg until it curves and goes around a dam. A few kilometres further you take a right turn (The first right after the dam). Follow this road and after passing "The Wigwam" resort on your right look carefully for the "Bergheim" sign, also on your right. If you get to a tar road turning left you have gone a bit too far. This resort offers good camping facilities and there are a few chalets.There is secure parking for day visitors and a short flat path to the sport crags. The natural climbs requires a steep, hot walk or a tricky and damp ascent through the kloof. To access the kloof goto the bottom right corner of the campsite, climb over the fence and follow the path, always keep right until you get into the kloof.
Routes/ Gradings
There are about 82 climbs here with grades varying from 8 to 32. There are several classic sport routes which are relatively hard and steep, but good quality as well as many multi-pitch natural climbs of moderate grade.
Aspect
The kloof is shaded and cool all year round with plenty of running water. You can climb all year round just avoiding the occasional thunderstorm in summer. In the sport crags wasps like to gather in the cracks in winter, but if not provoked never seem to sting.
Notes
This kloof is steep & scenically attractive featuring many natural lines and harder sport routes of grade 24 including a few classic routes such as Faberge and Stormwatch. Access is through the Bergheim camp ground. Park in the campsite. You can walk to a gate and along a road until you get to a good path leading toward the kloof. You can see the kloof directly in front of you as you walk along the path. There is always plenty of water in the kloof. The bolted sport routes are found in the lower areas all below the large pool.
Route List
Lower Fern
Lower Area Routes from the LEFT of the crag towards the RIGHT
| # | ROUTE NAME / AREA | GRADE | # BOLTS | RATING | BOLTING/OPENED INFO | DESCRIPTION |
| 0. | <New route> | 14 | 4 Bolts | * | Climb the easy route behind the tree in a small corner to the left of TTLCTTCTKFWGSO. | |
| 1. | The Two Legged Coackroach Trying to Cross The Kitchen Floor Without Getting Stomped On | 18/6a | FA. Darryl Margetts. 2007. | Climb the recess/hand crack just to the left of TSSPMQ. | ||
| 2. | The Silver Studded Phantum Motocycle Queen | 15/5b | 4 Bolts | ** | FA. Neil Marettes. 2007. | Climb the open book around the corner. Variation (Eliminative): (17/5c) Climb the thin face on the right without using the corner on the left. |
| 3. | Crook and Crime | 24/7a | 6 Bolts | FA. S Middlemiss, J Colenso. 1988. | ||
| 4. | Vandals | 26/7b | 8 Bolts | **** | FA. K Smith. 1991. (On natural gear) | Starts in the hole by the riverbed. This is the way. |
| [Link up] Hooded Vandal | 26/7b | 8 Bolts- | Starts on Vandals, uses the first 3 bolts of Vandals then breaks right onto Hoodlum and continues on hoodlum to the top. | |||
| 5. | Hoodlum | 27/7b+ | 8 bolts | FA. Wesley Black. 2012. | Steps out over the pool. Tend leftwards to finish on Vandals chains. | |
| 6. | When the Music's Over | 27/7b+ | 3 Bolts, N | FA. K Smith. 1991. | Steps out over the pool. Follow 4B leftwards and finish up the crack. Additional gear required. | |
| 7. | Mr Toad's Wild Ride | 26/7b | Natural | FA. K Smith. 1988. | Steep natural crackline just left of Fabergé. Beware of winter wasps. | |
| [Link up] The done everything at fern link up | 26/7b | 8 Bolts | Clip faberge's 1st, hoodlums 3rd,4th and vandals second last bolt before ending on crook and crime. | Starts on Faberge's 1st bolt and heads left all the way to end on crook and crimes chains. Lead out at the start, so be careful. | ||
| 8. | Fabergé | 28/7c | 7 Bolts | ***** | FA. R Nattrass. 1990 | |
| 9. | [Link up] Storm Ova | 29/7c+ | FA. D Pinkas. | Link up between Faberge and Stormwatch.Starts on Faberge and ends on the Stormwatch chains. | ||
| 10. | Stormwatch | 31/8a+ | 8 Bolts | FA. R Nattrass. 1990. | ||
| 11. | Strong Arm of the Law | 24/7a | 7 Bolts | **** | FA. C Curson. | |
| 12. | Breaking All The Rules | 23/6c+ | Natural | FA. G Mallory. | Climbs the crack of Strong arm of the law and then ventures of right to the top. | |
| 13. | Lawyers, Guns & Money | 26/7b | 8 Bolts | FA. J Colenso & T Rogers | ||
| 14. | <Project> | BB. N Margetts. | Line links up from TSID to LGM. | |||
| 15. | True Sailing is Dead | 25/7a+ | 6 Bolts | *** | FA. K Smith. | |
| 16. | The Sultans of Swing | 24/7a, [R] | 5 Bolts | FA. S Middlemiss. | ||
| 17. | <open project> | [A] | Takes the black streak right of SOS. Single U-bolt serves as anchor. |
Mirror Mirror Area
100m upstream from the Lower Area through the small wade pool. Routes continue upstream to large pool. Mirror Mirror Area Routes from the LEFT towards the RIGHT
| # | ROUTE NAME / AREA | GRADE | # BOLTS | RATING | BOLTING/OPENED INFO | DESCRIPTION | |
| 1. | Aqualung | 32/8b | 3 Bolts | FA. Paul Brouard. 2000. | NB: No top Anchors | ||
| 2. | Betamax | 30/8a | 4 Bolts | BB. A Pedley. FA. Herman Lombard. 2013. | Left variation going to Acromax chains. | ||
| 3. | Acromax | 29/7c+ | 5 Bolts | FA. G Murray. 1991. | |||
| 4. | Lost Ruby | 23/6c+ | <unknown> | BB. N Margetts | |||
| 5. | Thunderstruck | 23/6c+ | <unknown> | FA. J Orrick, D Margetts, M Seegers. 1991. | Permission given to retrobolt. | ||
| 6. | Unknown | 22/6c | 3 Bolts | FA. I Guest. | |||
| 7. | The Favourite Game | 23/6c+ | <unknown> | FA. D Margetts, M Seegers. 1991. | Opened on natural gear. | ||
| 8. | F2 Corner | 16/5c | <unknown> | <unknown> | Permission given to retrobolt | ||
| 9. | Beautiful Losers | 20/6b | <unknown> | FA. D Margetts. 1991. | Permission given to retrobolt. | ||
| 10. | Directly Unknown | 26/7b | <unknown> | FA. J Orrock. 1991. Retrobolted by E Riemann. | Starts on boulders above lower pool. Dyno lefwards to finish around the corner. | ||
| 11. | Naked Instincts/Slight Change | 25/7a+ | 6 Bolts | FA. R Nattrass, S Bradshaw (Natural Gear). Retrobolted by A Hüfner (1998). | Opened at 24 on gear. Then holds broke. | ||
| 12. | The Energy of Slaves | 25/7a+ | <unknown> | FA. M Seegers, D Margetts. 1992. | This climb starts on the steep face above a boulder which is ascended after the pool. Permission given to retrobolt. | ||
| 13. | A Will to Cower | 30/8a | 9 Bolts | FA. Paul Brouard. 2001. | |||
| 14. | Glass Menagerie | 27/7b+ | 8 Bolts | FA. R Nattrass. 1991. | |||
| 15. | Mirror Mirror | 27/7b+ | 9 Bolts | FA. K Smith (Natural gear). 1986. | Permission given to retrobolt. | ||
| 16. | The Looking Glass | 25/7a+ | 10 Bolts | FA. P Lazarus. 1991. | Permission given to retrobolt. | ||
| 17. | Liquid Glass | 25/7a+ | <unknown> | FA. Eric Riemann. 2003. | Starts on the island below Mirror Mirror wall. Climbs the open book. | ||
| 18. | Bambi and the Broken Leg | 22/6c | <unknown> | <unknown> | |||
| 19. | Reflected Sins | 19/6a+ | <unknown> | FA. N Margetts. |
Upper Fern (trad)
Versions of the Truth 28 ***** [N]
A wild and unique line through the big double roofs, bisecting Dexter in the process. It climbs like granite, only better. You get a great view of the route from the ledge on the other side of the kloof. The aim is the left-trending rail out to the lip of the upper roof. Start beneath the obvious right-facing corner that breaks through the left side of the lower roof, directly below the old piton on Dexter. This is the next corner downstream of Jackboots and Brownshirt, and is immediately above a big drop-off.
Its best to climb on two single ropes – use one rope for the first roof, and a second rope for the rest of the climb. Drop the first rope from the slab between the roofs – see notes at the end.
Beware of wasps nesting in the big hole in the roof near the start of the roof rail, and midway up the funky crack on the headwall. Take care on the start which is tricky (22ish) with hard-to-place gear. The rest of the route is well protected.
1. 28, 30m Step across to the wall and climb the corner until able to reach up left for the rail. Rail left to the arête, and mantle onto the slab above. Make a big step right across the top of the corner, then continue traversing right on the slabby catwalk for 7m. Swap ropes at a rail near the end of the catwalk. Climb easily up past another old piton to the start of the roof rail. Voyage out left to the prow, then fling yourself up and right to a flake. Continue diagonally left up the funky bulging crack until able to exit up and right to the sloping ledge. Climb easily up to the big, mid-height ledge. Either rap off here (you’ll need to leave gear), or climb one of the other routes to the top.
Logistics: The gear through the second roof and headwall is bomber and relatively straightforward to climb ground up. That being said, if you want to set up a top rope there’s a convenient tree way at the top of the crag directly above the route. It’s a 35m rap (tie knots!) to a rail just below the mid-height ledge where you can build a good anchor. Then its 30m from here to the ground. Climbing the initial corner ground-up is scary with decking potential. To toprope this, build an anchor at the rail (green alien equivalents) 1.5m beneath the old piton on Dexter. There’s also a bomber nut up and right. To get here either climb the first 15m of Dexter, or rap in from above, clipping gear, then swing left across the catwalk.
When leading, you want to be tied into both ropes, but with the second rope stacked on the lower level of the kloof. Belay with the first rope from the upper level for the initial corner and traverse. Then clip directly into gear at the catwalk rail to allow your belayer to take you off belay on the first rope, and scramble down to put you on belay on the second rope. You can then drop the first rope.
FA: 2020 Hector Pringle.