In the summer of 1974, a couple of young, hard climbers from up north arrived in the Western Cape. Their tanks were full with drive and ambition. If opportunity would intersect with preparation and talent, they would do something special…
Continue readingA new route in Du Toit’s Kloof – Righteous Condemnation
We couldn’t believe that we were stuck in a traffic jam in Cape Town while we were headed out to Du Toit’s Kloof on a climbing mission.
Continue readingMagnetic Wall – An Evolving Story
Don set off with a clutch of pitons and hammer. He aided a thin seam up the very attractive steep white face until he could free climb up to an overlap… Jonathan Levy and Tim Hughes joined Mike and Don to follow up their route on its first ascent.
Continue readingWild at Heart
Wild at Heart: It’s proper-tough at solid 25 and the gear is thin and hard to place. But it’s the fourth pitch, the soaring arête pitch that is the raison d’etre, the jewel in the crown, the main event.
Continue readingBest Conditions at Echo Valley
Climbing at Echo Valley; rain was expected to come but never did which made the conditions amazing.
Continue readingJimbo Smith opens The King Slayer on Table Mountain
I opened a couple more trad routes on the Jeopardy wall on Table Mountain recently.
Continue readingSpace Race – a new route on Table Mountain
Guy and I had spent the afternoon on Table Mountain working on our Space Race project.
Continue readingAfrican Rapture
The beginning of the weekend, and the end of yet another gruelling week of labour and stress. For a select few, however, that statement could not have been more false.
Continue readingGuy Paterson-Jones Interview
Apparently I’m likely to fall off everything I climb if I don’t drink tea beforehand, but I’m willing to take that risk.
Continue readingTime Warp Direct
In 1977 the great climbers, my friends Dave Cheesmond and Tony Dick established the first route up Yellowwood Amphitheatre.
Continue readingJudgment Day – A Gnarly New Route on the Yellowwood Amphitheatre
My new young climbing buddy Guy Paterson-Jones and I had been climbing the superb Armageddon Time on Yellowwood Amphitheatre.
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