Page 6 - SA Mountain Issue 62

Afew weeks back I guided two Italian climbers up the classic and incomparable Jacob’s Ladder, a relatively easy grade 16, but super spectacular route up the cliffs below the top cableway station on Table Mountain. I have probably made about 100 ascents of this famous route and have shown more than 30 different nationalities the delights of those three sensational and unforgettable pitches.
On the sensational second pitch of Jacob’s Ladder, Table Mountain, one of the most famous routes in the world. Photo WILLIE KOEN
where the next pitch goes . . . and the fact that the stance is not bolted and they must hang off some slings and cams!
As I sort the ropes out, I point out the next pitch and explain the super photos that the third climber can take of the second as they climb up the skyline of the wall above, with the Atlantic coastline winding along 1000 metres below. I start off on pitch two, leaving my two Italians to their thoughts, but not before I place a cam in the rail about 5 metres along the traverse, clip on and take some pics of them smiling broadly for the camera. At the end of the next pitch, there is a ledge, albeit small, but way better than the previous one, and I can see some of the nervousness is starting to wane when I show them the short last pitch and the top of the mountain about 20 metres above.
At the top they, like everybody else without fail, pop over the edge with huge smiles splitting their faces from ear to ear and lled with that feeling you can only get from climbing a great route on a great mountain. I watch them as they untie, the satisfaction almost palpable, and it is a good feeling to know that I have given such joy and pleasure to two climbers from across the world.
Soon we are in the restaurant on top, sometimes having beers, and other times even celebrating with a bottle of champagne. And always exchanging emails with the promises of joining up again, either back in South Africa or in their country. This is the bond of the brotherhood of climbing. And before long we all pile into the cable car and sink back down to the bustling city of Cape Town.
It is a tough job, but someone has to do it!
Be safe in the hills
I love to observe the awe, incredulity and pure joy as the climb unfolds. The hanging stance at the end of the rst pitch is where the fun really starts. I watch as my clients exit the cruxy overhanging crack and climb up to the rail where I’m waiting. For most
of them, this is their rst experience of a proper hanging stance, and this one also comes with some exciting exposure. They are smiling broadly, but I can see a de nite nervousness beneath the smiles as they gaze this way and that, trying to work out
4 SAMOUNTAIN.CO.ZA SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2017
EDITORIAL
Tony