In This Issue
Mkhulu (8A) Rocklands – The mother of all roof cracks
words by Joe Möhle photo by Gustav Janse van Rensberg The story of Mkhulu started in much the same way as many other projects that have come before it – wandering around off the beaten track, scrambling up gullies, bashing down ravines, squeezing through tight alleys, then back-tracking to the last turn-off to try another …
Jakob Schubert Repeats ‘Alasha’ and ‘Es Pontas’
words by STAFF pics © Sebastian Marko & Michael Piccolruaz Austrian power house, Jakob Shubert, fresh from Olympic medal glory and also from being crowned Lead World Champion a month later, has made the first repeat of Alasha (9a) and the third repeat of Es Pontas (9a+), making him the first to repeat both routes, …
September – November 2021
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. [su_heading]SA Mountain Editorial – Issue 78[/su_heading] Access, access, access Access! It has almost become a profanity these …
Slanghoek Amphitheatre – New routes on Cape Town’s backyard big wall
words by SAM NIGHTINGALE photo GARRRETH BIRD ‘Are we on?’ I extended a chalky hand towards Richard ‘Squeeks’ Halsey expectantly as we stood on the boulder mats of CityROCK gym. After a characteristic pause of careful consideration, he shook my hand. My excitement was tempered by Squeeks’ recognition of the potential size of the undertaking. …
Apollo Lift-off – Climbing and exploring on Apollo and Luna Peaks, Cederberg
words by ANT HALL photo by RICHARD BEHNE The Cederberg is full of special places, splashed liberally with deep orange, sky blue, the wild wind (and the occasional leopard), and it evokes a Tolkienesque type of imagination in anyone willing to explore. Recent fires and closures have prompted many of us to stray from the …
Who’s your (grand) Daddy? – The history of rock climbing
words & Photo MATTHEW HOLT Rock climbing started in June 1886, at least according to the English, who claim to have invented most sports they no longer win at. By then most major peaks in the Alps had been conquered, but – so the argument goes – any technical climbing was purely from necessity, with …
South Africa in the Olympic Games
By TONY LOURENS It doesn’t matter what one thinks of climbing being part of the Olympic Games, or the format, which lumped all three disciplines (speed climbing, bouldering and lead climbing) in one pot, or indeed the scoring system, which was confounding at the best of times. The fact is, it happened. And South Africa …
June – August 2021
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. [su_heading]SA Mountain Editorial – Issue 77[/su_heading] Trad is Rad Is it just me, or is there a …
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 …