Phlip and I had been spending quite a bit of time at Hellfire, mostly because it is a great place to escape the weekend rain season lashing the peninsula from Fridays to Sundays ever so often.
It began with Dragon Rider last year when we looked to the left and spied a potential new line, hoping for it to go on gear. Sort of a younger brother of Dragon Rider, one that proved to be a real pain in the ass…
It seemed improbable at first the make a line from the bottom of the pit to the top so we opted for the ‘stand start’ a bit higher up.
Phlip’s enthusiasm eventually led to curiosity that turned into full-blown rope shenanigans. Building anchors, swinging around, brushing, a gentle nudge with a crowbar here and there to make it safe and eventually it was good to go.
Two sections caught our attention, the awkward middle recess and the top crux. The line goes straight through the most impressive overhangs with good gear a bit below your feet. A fall on the crux could result in writing off your shins and forehead on the lip of the bottom roof.
Quite a bit of time passed before we eventually returned and decided to give it a good weekend of work to see if we could finish it.
The rope shenanigans continued, a few mandatory top rope burns to iron out all the moves and gear and it was time to go for the lead. Except we hadn’t tested the fall yet nor did we want to.
I drew the short straw and jumped off resulting in a minor toenail injury. Next was Phlip and it was decided to give even more slack for the climber. It is a weird feeling giving your climber two BIG handfuls of slack for the crux sequence. Phlip jumped, uttered a mid-air noise and floated to safety below.
We returned the next day to finish it off. Our friend Willem Basson joined us for the day and helped out with cameras and general psyche.
Once again I drew the short straw and got the first attempt.
By the time I reached the top section my mouth felt like a sand dune and I had an unpleasant Nintendo game song on repeat in my head. Not ideal, but it was overridden with encouragement from below.
The crux sequence is about 9 moves and some of the coolest climbing around. A nervous moment or two and it was done.
Phlip was next and completed in perfect, solid style.
We both chatted and agreed it was more a hard 26 sport grade, but adding the nature of the route we decided on a ‘spicy but mild 27′.
Perhaps giving Hellfire its hardest trad route? A proud little brother of Dragon Rider indeed.
A brilliant day in the mountains.
Enter the Dragon, 27 (N). FA Phlip Olivier & Danie Moolman Nov 2015
Start as for ‘Down in the Doldrums’ about 5 meters to the left of the Dragon Rider bulge on the lip of The Pit of Despair.
Establish on good holds from the lip of the pit on the far left. Climb up and right to a small tree, climb straight up, below the roof traverse a move or two left to pull straight up on good holds. Continue straight up the awkward recess, traverse right to a good rest below an undercling. From here climb up and diagonally left to the V-crack topout.
Best sh!t on the internet
Bloody awesome, dudes!
Right on! The psyche is strong in these two.
Like the villain in a horrible B grade horror movie, just when think its dead, the chronicles appear again.
Nice one! Keeping it SWak
Julle ouens is RAD! Goeie werk!
Baie kewl, julle rots.