The Mine

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The Mine


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Latitude-34.092628
Longitude18.4408
Climbing TypeSport
Crag GradientOverhanging
Walk in20 minutes uphill
Crag AspectAfternoon shade
ProvinceWestern Cape
AreaCape Town
Sector[[{{{Sector}}}]]


The Mine is one of the most popular sport crags in the Cape Peninsula. The rock is a hard sandstone with most routes involving at least one or two overhangs. The view from the crag is wonderful and there is plenty of space to roam around at the bottom of the crag. The crag generally dries out quickly after rain (in one or two days). If it is not too hot, all day climbing is not a problem here. Be sure to make a knot in the end of your rope as some of the routes are more than 25m long.

How to get there

Drive up Ou Kaapse Weg from the Cape Town side and take the first turnoff to the left (after a few hundered metres). Park at the next turnoff to the right and walk up to the badly eroded dirt road (15 minutes) and then take the path to the left which leads to the crag.

Be careful when parking as there have been break-ins. If you have a 4x4-type vehicle it might be better to drive farther up that dirt road. Alternatively park near the entrance of the naval base and endure the longer walk (about 500m). See Climb ZA Thread

Topo

Photo of The Mine crag, taken from the approach dirt road.

Route List

Routes are listed from left to right.

Far Left Sector

There are a couple of routes several hundred metres to the left of the main crag:


# ROUTE NAME / AREA GRADE # BOLTS RATING BOLTING/OPENED INFO DESCRIPTION
1 Curt 28 Jimbo Smith 2012 Branch left at third bolt on Frank. Climb past two more bolts to a ledge. Down-climb to clean. (Bolted by Jimbo Smith and Jeremy Samson.)
2 Frank 31 David Pothier 1994, 2008 ARF glue-ins
3 The Highwayman 22 Kirsti Donald 1994

Left Sector

# ROUTE NAME / AREA GRADE # BOLTS RATING BOLTING/OPENED INFO DESCRIPTION
1 Whispering Winds 21 Jason Temple Forbes 1997 Alternative start to Trade Winds.
2 Trade Winds 20 John Alexander 1992, 2008 ARF glue-ins
3 30 Something 25 John Alexander 1992
4 King Freddie 24 Guy Holwill 1992
5 Locomotion 24 Guy Holwill 1992
6 Shut Up and Climb 26 Jeremy Colenso 1992, 2008 ARF glue-ins
7 Shut Up and Fantasize 24 Guy Holwill 1994
8 Fantasia 24 Guy Holwill 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins
9 Fantafrica 24 Guy Holwill 1994
10 Diabolo 26 Pete Becker 1993 An alternate start to 'Lambada'
11 Lambada 24 Guy Holwill 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins
12 Touché Pussycat 23 Pete Becker 1993 An alternate start to Quillerimo
13 Quillerimo 22 Douglas Ward 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins
14 Bolero 27 Guy Holwill 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins
15 Puffadder 22 Douglas Ward 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins
16 Your Mother's Cat 25 Guy Holwill 1993 Continues through the roof above Puffadder
14 Grand Illusion 18 Arno Purves 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins

Middle Sector

# ROUTE NAME / AREA GRADE # BOLTS RATING BOLTING/OPENED INFO DESCRIPTION
1 Pink Harmonica 19 ** Scott Miller and Naureen Goheer 2003 Climb the first half of A Song Named Desire to the chains at the base of the Red Guitar Wall.
2 A Song Named Desire 24 *** Keith Forbes 2004 An extension to Pink Harmonica that goes to the top of the Red Guitar Wall. Stay off the slab to the left. Hangers removed. Can be toproped.
3 Red Guitar on Fire 25 ***** Guy Holwill 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins A classic!
4 The Scenic Route 28 Jeremy Colenso 1993 An add-on to Happy Hooker. Head left after Happy Hooker.
5 The Happy Hooker 27 *** Paul Schlodtfeldt 1992, 2008 ARF glue-ins
6 69ing Your Saucy Secretary 28 Andrew Davies 1992 Another add-on to Happy Hooker. Head right after Happy Hooker.
7 Jimmy and the Big Boys 24 *** Graham and Tim Shillington 1994, 2008 ARF glue-ins
8 Name from a Married with Children line.
9 Sickle Moon 22 **** Malcom Gowans 1994, 2008 ARF glue-ins
10 Chocolate Mousse 30 Sean Maasch 1995
11 All Mine 22 *** Scott Miller and Naureen Goheer 2003
12 Airbag 21 *** Scott Miller Dec 2004
13 Kool Sans the Gang 23 *** Guy Holwill 1997 Kool and the Gang was an artificial route with two plastic holds bolted into the roof. Public outcry led to the holds being removed. Brown spraypaint can still be seen in the roof where the plastic holds were. Kool Sans the Gang ends at the base of this roof.
14 Yebo! 15 ** Scott Miller and Naureen Goheer 2003
15 Paff Udder 25 Prof Steve Bradshaw 2004 Extension to Yebo. Goes right of Kool Sans the Gang but uses the same anchors.
16 Saddam's Bad Hair Day 21 *** Scott Miller and Naureen Goheer 2003
17 Revenge of the Paas Haasie 20 *** Scott Miller and Naureen Goheer 2003
18 Hin Ba 23 *** Scott Miller Dec 2004

Right Sector

# ROUTE NAME / AREA GRADE # BOLTS RATING BOLTING/OPENED INFO DESCRIPTION
1 Too Pumped to Come 26 Sean Maasch 1994, 2024 ARF glue-ins
2 All that Glitters is Gold 27 **** Guy Holwill 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins Start up Swan Lake then keep going straight up to the top of the wall.
3 Swan Lake 25 **** Jeremy Colenso 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins Finishes at the Gift of Wings chains.
4 One Like 27 **** Jeremy Samson, 2021 Linkup. Use the first 5 bolts of Swan Lake, then head rightwards along the huge airy rail. Clip the draw at the Gift of Wings crux, and head further rightwards clipping the final 2 bolts and the chains of Mono. Candidate for the best route at the Mine
5 Like2Peas 28 **** Mike Woodward, Aug 2024 Linkup. Head up One Like to the 2nd last bolt and then go thru the big hole in the roof to join the Green Peas crack. Finish up Green Peas.
6 A Gift of Wings 28 ***** Guy Holwill 1991, 2008 ARF glue-ins A classic!
7 Mono 28 **** Adrian Kohler 1993 Start up Gift of Wings then go rightwards through the big cavity in the roof.
8 One Pea 30 **** Mike Woodward, Oct 2024 Linkup. Head up Mono to the 2nd last bolt and then go thru the big hole in the roof to join the Green Peas crack. Finish up Green Peas. (i.e. a harder start for Like2Peas). Candidate for the route with the most awesome-looking moves at the Mine
9 Green Peas 31 Jeremy Colenso 1994 Opened at 30. Crux was a manufactured mono. FA post break/removal of glued hold: Alex Honnold, 2013-10-11.
10 Felching is Fun 24 Guy Holwill 1993
11 Cunning Linguistics 24 Guy Holwill 1993
12 Pigeon 28 Jeremy Samson 1997

Lower Tier

Routes on the short, steep lower tier starting beneath Swan Lake:

# ROUTE NAME / AREA GRADE # BOLTS RATING BOLTING/OPENED INFO DESCRIPTION
1 Daring Winter 24 Prof Steve Bradshaw 1991
2 Bang Bang Paris 25 Prof Steve Bradshaw 1991
3 Symphony in Three Movements 24 Guy Holwill 1991
4 Diesel Dieter Does It 24 Dieter Wiemar 1998
5 The Flying Dutchman 30 Sean Maasch 1998
6 Separate Reality 23 Arno Purves 1991
7 Bohemian Summer 27 Prof Steve Bradshaw 1991
8 Bubble 31 Sean Maasch 1997
9 Stubble 25 Prof Steve Bradshaw 1992
10 Bearded Clam 19 Grant Sakinofsky 1994
11 Iron Helps Us Play 23 Gordon Forbes 1994

There are a couple of longer routes further to the right:

# ROUTE NAME / AREA GRADE # BOLTS RATING BOLTING/OPENED INFO DESCRIPTION
1 Route 44 22 David Davies 2004
2 Uriah 19 Simon Larsen 1994