cape town s.africa

[kevin_o'malley]

anybody climbed here?

[PDXClimber]

My wife and I climbed Table Mountain in Capetown during January two years back. Our route was about 10-12 pitches w/ two scrambling sections in between the climbing. Great exposure and gorgeous area. There is a local guide which is marginal. Probably hundreds of different routes up Table Mountain. Mostly all trad w/ horizontal cracks for pro.

 

Lots of people there climb in the Drakensberg, but we never made it there.

 

You will want to go there December - February when it is dryest and warmest.

 

Great place to visit for other activities: windsurfing and surfing is world class there.

[PDXClimber]

Just to clarify "there is a local guide which is marginal" -

 

The climbing guidebook is marginal. There is a great climbing guide named Ross in Capetown. You can contact the 'Mountain Club of S.Africa' or something similar for more info on the area...

[Cairns]

quote:

---

Originally posted by kevin o'malley:

anybody climbed here?

---

Table Mountain, Silvermine, Montagu

not Rocklands but other good boulders

also Blouberg, Waterval Boven(the Restaurant), the Magaliesberg, Hanglip, and some points between

 

but what do you want to know?

[Geek_the_Greek]

Lots of beautiful climbing in western cape province. Tafelberg (Drakensberg) is a blast - beautifully solid alpine trad quartzite. The water drip is hard to find (inside the cave, maybe? we never found it...). Beware of sandbags (local grade conversions always end up on the stiff side). This goes for Table mtn also. The sporty areas (Rocklands) might be different, though.

 

At least on the Table and Tafelberg, be ready for very trad gear belays all the way up, and pretty much no fixed pro anywhere.

 

Also beware of typos and bogus beta in the guidebook! I ended up on my first ever unplanned bivi because of this (book said go left, but really should have gone right...). Get (rent/buy) a car, because public transport is either expensive or sketchy (hitching is even sketchier). Only you will know where the fine line between "adventuresome" and "dangerous" lies for you.

 

...Just some thoughts from the top of my head. I was there in '99, so caveat emptor ... Great place, though, (SA) with enormous climbing potential.

[cj001f]

Bringing this back from the wayback machine for more feedback.

[Fromage]

Climbing? Why climb in Cape Town? There are many things worth doing there, but few so worthwhile as the numerous fashion models. The social scene in CT is pretty lively. Between The Piano Bar, the Jet Lounge, the Purple Turtle, the Victoria Waterfront, and, my personal favorite, The Fez, you can subsist entirely on alcohol, fish 'n' chips, stunningly beautiful women, and thumping club techno. Leave your Sportivas behind and take your dancing shoes.