Forever Young – A climber’s passion and the first South African ascent of the Central Pillar of Freney
words by CHRIS LOMAX pic by GREG LACEY It all started in 1973 when I reached high school at age 13. The school of my dreams. What better than attending a school that is just a stone’s throw away from the forests and rock of Table Mountain? The South African College School (SACS) had an …
Germinator – climbing with children
words by GOSIA LIPINSKA pic by GARRRETH BIRD I wake up to yelling. It’s my almost one-and-a-half-year-old daughter. It’s time for her 5 am feed, except it’s 2 am. We’re trying to get out of the pattern of early-middle-of-the-night feeds (can you imagine classifying different parts of the middle of the night?!). I go to …
Crack of Idiots – the story behind the route
words by BILL TUCKER pic by ANDY WOOD You know it’s gonna be exciting when going back to repeat a route you opened 17 years ago. With butterflies in our stomachs, Lizanne and I organised an overnight for our 10-year-old, sorted the gear and packs after a romantic dinner for two, and set our alarms …
Pirate of the Caribbean
by MATTHEW HOLT Great mountaineers have great projects: think Nims Purja and all 14 Himalayan giants in seven months; Ueli Steck and the 82 major peaks in the Alps in one summer; Matt Holt and the three highest mountains in the Caribbean. The Caribbean? I hear you ask. Well, although this sprawling sickle of over …
Core Merino – Men’s Leggings
I must say, it gives me a certain pleasure when these Euros come to Africa in winter packing nothing but shorts and T-shirts, thinking that it surely can’t be anything but hot here. After all, it’s Africa! Only to find out that it is anything but hot, particularly if you venture into the hills. And …
Petzl – Corax Harness
I have always been a protagonist of the minimalist harness. Basically only one waist buckle, no leg loop adjustments, and a slim but comfortable fit. For me that is the ideal situation for fair weather climbing. Straight on and straight off, no fiddling with unnecessary bits and bobs. And indeed, that is just the ticket …
BD Headlamps – Icon 700 & Onsight 375
A little while ago I got handed two of Black Diamond’s new offerings to the headlamp family to review for SA Mountain. And two headlamps more different from each other would be hard to find. The Icon is burly, very bright, with lots of bells and whistles, while the Onsight is a slimmer, lighter model …
Niccolò Ceria in Zillertal
Photo: Niky Ceria on ‘Traumshiff’, Zillertal. Photo Matteo Arnodo From Niky: ‘Zillertal is a picturesque and marvelous valley in the Tyrolese mountains, Austria. It has been largely developed by Gerhard Horhager and Markus Schwaiger. This valley has got a worldwide reputation during the years, both for bouldering and sport climbing. Despite being a classic destination …
Cape Leopard Trust Citizen Science Competition
Submit records to the CLT Western Cape leopard database during April and May and stand a chance of winning a Big Cat Bumper Hamper! The Big Five and other large animals like hyenas and hippopotami once roamed the valleys and plains of the Cape region. Only the leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) has managed to persist, …
Why Climb? A Psychological Conundrum
words by Dylan de Castro illustration by Andrew Sutherland Featured in issue 40 (March–May 2012) of SA Mountain. I’m thirty metres up, clinging to yet another crimper with sweat cascading from every pore of my body and what feels like neat vodka coursing through my veins. My next clip is just out of reach and …