SA Mountain 87 | Dec 2023 – February 2024
Read the editorial and check out the contents of the latest issue. With up-to-date news coverage, training articles, gear reviews, celebrity profiles, technical tips covering a wide variety of subjects, event reports, big glossy pics and enthralling articles. Read Online Editorial Who’s on the end of your rope? I try to find a reasonably comfortable …
Dragon’s Tale – A mystical creature once lost but now found
by Ollie Esplin Once upon a time in a land not so far away there was a young maiden. At birth, she was christened The Gordian Edge. She was a via ferrata, a one-of-a-kind, raised by a small group of unsung heroes in the mountain-loving community. She was a Mystical Creature, original and unique, rising …
Will Gadd on SA Ice
by Colin McCoy In July this year a small group of us had the privilege of hosting Canadian ice and mixed climber, Will Gadd, for a whirlwind 10-day climbing trip in the Drakensberg. This all came about when Tim Larsen commented on an Instagram post of Will’s, about how short the South African ice climbing …
An Instant of Joy
Legendary South African climber and mountaineer, Andy de Klerk, relates his account of his solo ascent of the Eiger’s infamous North Wall. I took a deep breath as I passed the bronze plaques bolted to the wall just above the bergschrund. Dawn had just broken a thin crack of red on the horizon, and there …
CLIMB! A Guide to High Adventure
Review by Tony Lourens Author: Jacob D NuttallIllustrations: Jacob D NuttallPages: 179 • B&W throughoutDimensions: 15 x 23cmPublisher: Naked Snail Books (self-published via KDP Amazon)Available: Paperback £11.99 and Kindle £4.99ISBN: 978-1739294304 I have read numerous ‘how to’ books on climbing, and in fact have also written one.To be honest, it is hard to be original, …
Jakob Schubert sends Deep Water Soloing’s hardest routes in Mallorca – part 2
The Climbing World Championships in Bern and the great successes Austria’s Jakob Schubert celebrated there have delayed the release of part 2 of the unique DWS premiere in Mallorca a bit, but the impressive images are more worth seeing than ever. Don’t leave the office or the computer today until you have seen this video – cooling down guaranteed!
Black Diamond – Pursuit 30 litre
by Tony Lourens I’m constantly on the lookout for the perfect sized pack, with the right design and features for long multi-pitch rock climbs and single day peak bagging missions, and I think my long search has come to a happy ending. BD’s new 30-litre Pursuit is what I have been looking for, for a …
SA Mountain 86 | Sept-Nov 2023
Read the editorial and check out the contents of the latest issue. With up-to-date news coverage, training articles, gear reviews, celebrity profiles, technical tips covering a wide variety of subjects, event reports, big glossy pics and enthralling articles. Read Online Editorial Does climbing ever leave us? This is an editorial I wrote 10 years ago. …
Honeymooning on Ama Dablam
by Julia Wakeling Bird While debating where we would like to spend our honeymoon, Garrreth excitedly suggested Ama Dablam, a majestic Himalayan mountain. Wholly disbelieving in my ability to climb such an intimidating icy peak, I was not so keen. Just looking at pictures of it terrified me.Very slowly, over time, I came around to …
The Moai – Sacred Site Southeast Tasmania
by Dave Barnes Tasmania is one hell of an Island. Before time was measured, indigenous folk roamed its abundant coast. They called it Lutruwita. More recently, white folk came seeking to build wealth by establishing foreign kingdoms. They called it Van Diemens Land. Today, a smattering of people from every corner of the world call …