Posts Tagged ‘abseiling’

This is Cut Across Shorty a VS 4c climb, courtesy of The Jersey Rock Climbing Club:

I was going to tackle the British Isles as a group, but Jersey has so much to offer – great climbing, surfing and scuba diving to name just a few of the recommended activities, that I am going to go no further than this jewel of an island where a weekend full of action is waiting for anyone looking for a variety of extreme sports in one small area.

Climbing is a great way to get a body workout, while at the same time challenging your mind, and Jersey has a wide selection for you. The island has some of the best climbing areas in Europe and the variety of rock and unspoilt scenery make it a spectacular experience for beginners and experienced climbers alike.

It’s an ideal place to visit: perfect days, un-crowded cliffs and great climbing, regular dips in the sea to cool off and great pubs to retire to at the end of the day.

From the impressive 50m tower of The Pinnacle to the extensive and confusing buttresses of Grosnes, through the delightful ‘mini-cliffs’ at Corbiere and out to the north coast, there really is plenty here to keep you busy.  Homesick Angle on The Pinnacle is one the the best HVS (hard very severe) routes you could possibly hope for.

All the routes on the island (there are 1100 listed in the book) are trad and most of them are on high quality granite. The island has long been a bolt-free zone – the local climbing club originally had just two rules for the members – abide by the Country Code, and no fixed protection!

If you want to arm yourself in advance with some useful information, ‘Jersey Climbs’ is the first guidebook to be produced for Jersey in twelve years. It has 188 pages with lists, grades, advice and details of the 1100 routes  to be found there.

And then there’s the surfing…

Jersey’s shores are bombarded by waves and not only are they some of the best waves in the British Isles but they are also some of the warmest… always worth bearing in mind.

And there are great scuba diving opportunities here too, whether you want to investigate an old wreck or float amongst black faced pennies, corals and luminous jewel anemones in pinks, blues, greens and oranges. The summer months are even more interesting when the warm waters bring in  exotic marine wildlife  such as sea horses, dolphins and basking sharks. Jersey’s coastal seawater is of award-winning cleanliness and this is reflected in the abundance of sea life to be found there.

Other things you can do in Jersey besides rock climbing, abseiling and surfing are BloKarting on the beach, Sea Kayaking, Caving, Coasteering, Clay Pigeon Shooting, Cycling, Golf, Powerboat Trips, Fishing Excursions, Horse Riding and Zorbing. I’ve probably missed some out.

Not just a banking paradise then…

59 teams coming from 26 countries including New Zealand, South Africa, France, Russia, Brazil and the United States are competing in the Adventure Racing World Championships in Portugal.

The XPD Portugal race began on the 8th November and will finish on the 13th. Prize giving will be the morning of Saturday, 14th November.

The total estimated distance for this extreme race is 910 kms and each team have approximately 127 hours to complete the race which consists of 5 stages and 21 sections.

Another year (2007), but the same race, this video from ScorpionArt will give you an understanding of the ultimate challenge that these athletes have given themselves.

It is compulsory that each team has at least one female member in their total of 4 or all-women teams are allowed too. Entrants have their own support teams, but those who don’t (and there are 12 teams that don’t) will have support provided by the organisers. The winning team will be ‘the Adventure Race World Champions 2009′.

There are 5 mountain bike shortcuts in this race which will allow any team in difficulty to easily reach the finish line. These shortcuts can cut off a total of 136 km and will, on many occasions, allow the slower teams to recover the pace and come forward.

Organized by APCA – the Portuguese Association of Adventure Racing – and supervised by the Portuguese Orienteering Federation, this competition will visit some of the most beautiful and little known ecological reserves in Portugal including the magnificent Schist Villages giving the competitors a vision of a bygone era. Many of these schist villages are uninhabited and in ruins, but some have been renovated and repopulated.

The first stage, which started in showery weather, sett off from the Escoril and finished in Cascais. It was a total of 60.3 kms  with a total elevation of 1,689 m and included trekking, roller (or the use of trikke’s if you preferred) and mountain biking through a region known as the western tip of Europe wit its stunning views – if you had the time to appreciate them!

By the end of the first day the teams had realised that they were in for a gruelling race. Already teams were making strategic decisions to cut out the first stage in the hopes of leapfrogging time.

Stage 2 was a total length of 171.8 kms, total ascent of 10,821 m, total descent of 9,604 m beginning at Castelo da Lousa and finishing at Hotel Serra da Estrela. This section had the competitors trekking, mountain biking, canyoning and abseiling through lost villages, forests and up and over big hills.

There had been a few misunderstandings at the end of the first stage, with people beginning the second stage a bit unsure of how the point system worked. It was also becoming apparent that the trick now would be to work out how much of the route not to do. Both the canyoning and abseiling were avoidable, for example, although bonus CP’s were available on the abseiling section. It is a risky tactic to miss a CP as it is the number of CP’s which decide the winners, with the bonuses and time only coming into play if teams are tied on CP’s.

After the canyoning it was a short trek to the next transition to prepare for the long mountain bike section through the night. Some teams were worried about the weather conditions for this as there had been a strong wind blowing all day and the biking route was along ridge tops for much of the way, but as it turned out fog and low cloud were as much of a problem as the wind. By the time teams were up on the ridge-line the visibility was only a few metres.

The teams were headed for Assistance Point two at Penhas da Saude where the leaders arrived around dawn yesterday, and from there on they resumed trekking across Portugal’s highest peaks, which already have a thin covering of fresh snow!

Nike/Beaver Creek and Orion Health, are leading the pack at the moment and have so far attempted the whole course.

The weather conditions in the early part of Monday night were harsh, with the dense fog lingering over the hills and the wind increasing in strength to gale force. The wind chill temperatures were around freezing and there was little shelter.

This is turning out to be one helluva race…

At 45km the full trekking stage across the mountains was longer than originally stated, and it was taking even the fastest teams more time to complete than they anticipated.

In any normal adventure race Nike/Beaver Creek and Team Orionhealth.com would be favourites and their battle so far in this race is no different. But it’s this race which is a bit different…

While they decided on their route Mike Kloser of Nike was heard to say, “I’m worried about the cut offs.” A strange thing to say, you might think, by an experienced adventure racer. However, it’s not strange at all and he’s right to be concerned as this race requires the fastest teams to make choices they are not used to or comfortable with, i.e. to miss checkpoints. Last year all the fastest teams at the start of the race tried to get all the CP’s … and they all missed a cut-off and were out of the running.

There is still a long time to the first cut off late tomorrow night, but for now all that can be said is that Nike and OrionHealth are the teams with most CP’s and moving the fastest … but nobody will know for some time yet if they are winning!

Stage 3, today, is 214.6 km long with a 3,441 m ascent and a 4,633 m descent through a deserted but beautiful and challenging landscape on mountain bikes, kayaks and rollers….

Good luck to all…

NEWS ALERT (7.30 p.m. Wednesday, 11th November):

The harshness of the mountains at the end of the 3rd day of the competition   have caused the first casualties in the Estoril Portugal XPD Race: 7 teams have reluctantly withdrawn – out of the 59 that started.

The title holders – New Zealand’s “Orion Health” – are still well placed in front, closely followed by the North-American “Nike/Beaver Creek”.

Some time ago, we did an article on the Borneo Eco-Challenge adventure race. This was in the early days when we were just discovering adventure racing as an extreme sport. The Borneo eco-challenge was obviously a popular event as we have subsequently received many requests for further information.

This event has not had a recent re-run. However,  ESPN STAR Sport Event Management and associates have come up with a new event:  the Perak Amanjaya Eco Race 2009.

This is rather a last minute alert, but the whole race is a little bit last-minute anyway, which is why this year it is invitation only. However, the organisers intend this to be an annual event so bookmark it now for next year…

The race is due to begin on the 2nd December, completing by the 6th December, 2009 and promises to be an adventure race classic. It will include such disciplines as Trail Running, Kayaking, Mountain Biking, In-line Skating, Abseiling, Canyoning, Rapelling and Swimming… and the state government of Parak, Malaysia, will be hosting the event.

Location, location, location. Don’t we hear that so often? Well, this event is definitely in a beautiful location. It begins in the Royal Belum State Park (rainforest) which is the largest continuous forest complex in Peninsular Malaysia and which crosses into Southern Thailand. It is estimated to be as old as 130 million years, making it older than the jungle of the Amazon or Congo – sorry, I can never resist a little history! Needless to say, some areas of this magnificent forest are being plundered by loggers… when will we ever learn?

This region receives about 2,200 cm of rain per annum – so expect it to be wet! It also has its fair share of big cats, venomous snakes, elephant, Sumatran rhino’s plus a whole host of other bird and wildlife.

Banding Island as seen from Tower House

The race starts at Banding Bridge which is the gateway to Royal Belum Rainforest. A quick run across the bridge and then an abseil down to the lake sets the event off to an exciting start. You then swim to a pontoon, get a kayak and paddle across to the lake shore where you will have to carry your kayak along a jungle trail to the next stretch of water where you will kayak back to the island, leave the kayak and run back to the bridge. An in-line skate across the bridge will bring the first day to a close.

Day 2 starts at the foot hill of Taiping Hill where there will be a trail run to a waterfall. After canyoning down the waterfall competitors will run to Taiping Lake Garden (the first public garden established during the British rule in Malaysia), and in-line skate under the Golden Raintrees. From here there will be a mountain bike ride to the Kampung river mouth for another kayak to Kuala Sepetang and final run on the boardwalk to finish at the jetty of Kuala Sepetang.

Day 3 will be a rest day but also a transfer from Taiping to Pasir Salak where the race will continue.

Pasir Salak is the place where modern Malaysia took shape. It is where the independence movement against the British began and where the first British  resident of Perak, James W.W. Birch, was murdered on 2nd November, 1875. The rebellion of 1875 in Pasir Salak sowed the seeds of nationalism, which manifested itself in the form of opposition to colonialism, and to the formation of a Malayan Union, which ignited the flame of independence.

Today Pasir Salak is an historical site whose purpose is to remind the younger generation of the events there and the fight against colonialism in Perak, and also to remember the struggle and the sacrifice of the warriors to uphold the dignity of the race and country.

So, after yet another history lesson from me, I shall continue with the matter at hand – the eco-challenge adventure race:

Day 4 kicks off with a mountain bike ride up to the beautiful Ulu Geruntum, which is the raft starting point. From here you white water raft down to Kampung Jahang…

run to the cave entrance to start the caving section…

and finish with a run to the finish line at Kampung Tengah.

Day 5, the final day, starts at Pasir Salak with a mountain bike ride to Teluk Batik, kayak to Teluk Segadas at Pangkor Island, rapel down the rock, run to Teluk Dalam beach, swim in the sea in front of Teluk Dalam and finally finish at the beach of Teluk Dalam.

For 2009 this event is open to teams of 2 persons only – male, female or co-ed; only 20 teams are invited and again, for this year, it is an ‘invitation only’ event. Teams are coming from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Finland.

For those of you who would like to enter but wonder what on earth your better half (!) is going to do whilst you’re battling your way through the jungle (if your better half isn’t battling through it with you) … remember that glancing reference I made above to the type of fauna to be found in the Royal Belum National Park?  Well, I then came across this little list – and please bear in mind it is not a final list, of what sort of flora and fauna can be seen and enjoyed in the Royal Belum Rainforest:

247 species of birds
100 species of mammals
170 species of butterflies
251 species of moths
51 species of land snails
36 species of aquatic and semi aquatic bugs
25 species of cicadas
24 species of amphibians
21 species of lizards
23 species of snakes
23 speices of freshwater fish
7 species of freshwater and land turtles
62 species of moss
64 species of ferns
46 species of palms
30 species of gingers
3000 species of flower plants
3 species of freshwater decapod
44 species of wild fruit trees

Apart from that there is the Taiping Lake Garden which, at 222 acres, is the biggest urban parkland in Malaysia, designed and built about 130 years ago in the remains of an old tin mine. It has beautifully laid out ponds, lakes, and reputably, the best zoological gardens in the whole region. And then there’s the spectacular beach of Teluk Dalam and the beautiful island of Pangkor. Just a few of things one might see and do out there. No-one could possibly be bored…

Several months ago I did a couple of articles on abseiling, and imparted the little known fact (to me at the time) that most climbing accidents occur when abseiling.

Having shinned up a few faces myself, it’s the abseiling bit that I’ve always loved and probably treated rather cavalierly as a result. Fortunately for me, I have always climbed with people who know what they’re doing, and it’s probably entirely due to them that I am still here happily tapping keys, and not crumbled up in a heap at the bottom of some face!

I love that feeling of almost floating down the face, bouncing off the wall with your feet and descending in whoops and swings. Actually, I can’t sufficiently describe it – better get back out there for another go and come back and describe it accurately! I can imagine that lovely sensation – but can’t put it in words…

There, you see, I take abseiling too lightly. Having begun this Blog, and learnt so many things I didn’t know before, I thought it would be an idea to highlight some of the mistakes you can avoid when abseiling.

A certain amount of abseil paranoia is healthy as it leads to a methodical and thorough checking process, which leaves nothing to chance. This is what keeps you alive in dangerous situations.

• And the obvious one is to make sure your rope is long enough! Sounds utterly stupid that doesn’t it, but it is such an elementary error that has been known to happen again and again and again…
• Avoid distractions when you are setting up the abseil. Check, check and check again: anchor, rope through anchor, knot, rope in device, device attached to harness, krab screwgate done up, harness done up…
• Rapping off the end of your rope. Tie stopper knots in each end. Check they make the ground or next anchors if possible. This avoidable mistake still manages to take the lives of even experienced climbers.
• Rapping off a single piece, only to have it pull. Never, never rap off a single piece, unless it’s a huge tree or bollard, and even then think carefully. Don’t be cheap with bail gear.
• Taking a ground fall because the rope you abseiled off was not fixed directly to the anchors, but had slack caught around a hidden feature, which subsequently released when the line was weighted. Don’t rush! Make sure there is no slack between you and the anchors.
• Getting hair or loose clothing caught in your abseil device. Tie hair back and tuck clothing in.
• With in-situ abseils, check the anchors (look, feel, push-pull, twist etc). Check all parts of the system that link the anchors.
• Don’t assume that just because everyone else uses the in-situ abseil or someone used it recently that it’s still OK. Make your own judgement on the reliability of the set-up each and every time you use it.
• Back-up the anchors you’re going to abseil from by placing a separate bomber piece that’s linked to the abseil rope. This back-up should not be taking any of the load, when your weight comes on the ab rope, so you can check the in situ anchor is reliable. If you’re not returning to the same spot the last person down can remove the back-up if all looks good with the original anchors.

Don’t cut corners and don’t rush your decision-making.

And this is worth watching to clarify a few grey areas, with thanks to mikebarter387 for the video:

Please bear in mind that this is by no means a definitive list. Know what you’re doing before you do it and climb with others who know more than you. You can never be too careful. Remember, this is an extreme sport and has the inherent dangers that go with it.

This race is all about which team manages the sleep strategy best. Of course that is only a small part of the total, but it puts Adventure Racing at the forefront of extreme sports competitions. Some sleep hours (8 of them only in a race that can take the leaders up to 70 hours to complete!) are mandatory – but you can choose when to take them (not where) and in the 2008 World Championships in Brazil, teams had the opportunity to collect a bonus checkpoint and take 4hrs off their mandatory sleep requirement if they wished…

Orionhealth.com

The race began at 15.00 on Sunday, on the coast of the province of Maranhao in the ‘Parc National dos Lencois Maranhenses’ and ended for the winning teams on Thursday. However, teams still continued to cross the finish line until Saturday. 24 teams completed the race.

“The important thing is to have the knowledge from many other races, and to carry enough water for hydration,” said Marcel Hagener, from one of the French teams, Wilsa Helly Hansen. He added that the key to the race would be consistent speed so as not to become exhausted in the heat, and that previous race experience would help too.

The teams had a blistering hot 45 minute wait at the start line until it was finally time to go. The line of teams moved off across the sands heading towards the first staging point, a large red flag set on the top of the nearby dunes, which was clearly visible from the start line. This first 28km run/trek stayed on the coast among the dunes and, with the delayed start, all the teams ran through the dusk and into the night to get back to Tutoia. The Brazilian team QuasarLontra gave the home country the best of starts by leading the way to the next stage..

The kayaking section got off to a rocky start as none of the teams were very happy with the heavy plastic boats they were given and some of the boats didn’t have any webbing on them, which made it difficult to stow packs and maps. Nike, the hot favourites as they won last year’s world championships, were first off at this stage but had to return 10 minutes later to collect a vital piece of paperwork!

It was at this stage of the trip that teams had to make the decision of whether to go for the ‘CP’ – the bonus point that allowed them to reduce the mandatory 8 hours of sleep over the competition. To gain this bonus point they had to paddle an extra 15kms to reach Raimundo Aires Bar on Morro do Meio and the reward … now they only had to take 4 hours sleep!

Some reward!!! but it can mean everything in an extreme endurance race like this.

The sleep issue is a very important one and each team will have their own opinion on it. If you are one of the fastest finishers you would be expected to complete this endurance race in under 70 hours. So the decision is – how much sleep do you need in 70 hours? 8 … or less? Orionhealth went for the bonus CP, Nike did not, for example. When asked if this had perhaps been an important factor to their win, Orionhealth captain, Wayne Oxenham said: “It was for us. We felt we had to go for it and could race with only the 4 hours sleep. When we passed Nike taking the last of their sleep it put the pressure on them and they made some mistakes trying to catch us.”

After the kayaking, and a mandatory 1 hour minimum stop, there was a short trekking stage, followed by paddling on the river, to arrive in the town of Parnaiba and, once the contestants had eaten, changed, and checked their bikes it was time to set off on the ride across the hot plains towards the mountain trekking stage. The leaders who crossed the area known as ‘the boiler’ at night, had planned it right as the temperature was very high, though in truth the temperature does not drop too much. Antonio de la Rosa of Castilla y Leon es Vida was one of the affected racers, forced to retire. “I was feeling a little sick on the first trek at the start,” he said, “and the ride was just TOO hot. Our support crew recorded 49C on the car temperature gauge!”

Once the ride was completed they would trek in two mountain ranges the following morning, with another 28km ride between them and rope stages on the second one.

At this stage the race was being run at an extraordinary pace, and it was expected that the heat would take its toll – it seemed unlikely that the leaders could keep up the pace.

Soon after dark, race leaders were heading towards the Jumar ascent. The heat, night navigation on the mountain treks, and growing fatigue had slowed down the pace of the race but the leaders still looked focused and efficient as they approach the ropes stages soon after 14.00h. The first task was a 70m waterfall abseil, although it was only a trickle of water which did nothing to cool them down and only served to made the rocks very slippery.

The teams then had to descend the hillside via a canyon, climb their way back up through dense bush, moving along a ridge, then take a winding path below a cliff edge. The trail here was indistinct ( a complaint heard from many a team) and wet in places, with run-off from the overhanging rocks causing some patches of deep mud. This brought them, eventually, to the foot of the Jumar stage. The Jumar itself was very impressive, making use of a prow of rock, jutting out from the escarpment just on the edge of town. Four ropes were set up around it and the view from the top was magnificent.

Once there, some teams chose to take some of their mandatory sleep. As this day had been the toughest so far, the sleep was welcomed although the place chosen by the organisers was not … it was a narrow, rocky, damp gulley with almost no room to stretch out, but by this time some people were so tired that anything would do.

However, it was here that Nike lost their lead to Orionhealth. As a result of paddling to the bonus CP on Day One, Orionhealth were not required to sleep having already taken their allotted 4 hours. So they pushed on and arrived at 19.53h and made a very fast transition to leave again at 20.05h, setting off on the 23km bike ride which began with a fast downhill to get out of the mountains.

There was still 215km of the race to go and Nike were now 1hr40mins behind Orion – but they had the benefit of double Orion’s sleep hours.

The next stage was the 68km bike ride, crossing sand roads, rough tarmac and two plantations. It was another ride where progress was slow and the sand and heat were again overpowering.

Following the bike ride came another 60km river paddle. Having been told there was little water and knowing already how heavy the boats were, no team was looking forward to this section of the race. 40% of the river was too shallow to paddle and so the boats had to be portered over these sections. Orion completed this section in 14 hours and arrived at the next transition – the final bike ride, still in the lead. However, Nike were gaining again and the lead was down to just 51 minutes.

At this stage Team SOLE, a Brazilian team, used that essential AR skill – initiative. They had heard the reports on how bad the river was and decided to do the paddling stage on dry land. They towed the heavy plastic boats across country for all but the last 3km of the route! Ian Edmond and Paul Romero had a bamboo pole across their chests and hauled like galley slaves, while Karen Lundgren and Nora Audra used harnesses and ropes. “We nearly died so many times today,” said Romero, “it was so hot. We recorded around 42C and stopped at every farm house and bar, took water baths and drank and drank as much as we could. One family even made us omlettes and gave Karen a new pair of socks as hers had worn out. It was so hot all our food melted and we just kept hauling away.” Incredibly they were by far the quickest on the ‘paddling’ stage, gaining on the leading two teams, and not giving up on catching them.

At this stage, race director, Said Aich Neto, said he was pleased with the progress of the race. “So far we have only 4 teams withdrawn,” he said, “and we were expecting many more than that at this stage.” It was 5 by the end of the day.

The final bike ride had one little twist to it. All the windows and doors of a small chapel had to be noted and the information had to be handed in at the next transition. (There is an amusing little story on this one but I shall tell that to you in the next article!). They then continued 9.5kms to the coast, though an area of large sand dunes to reach the ferry across to the town of Camocim.

Orion had made good progress and were checked in at 18.38, then headed off to their hotel to get a full night’s sleep at last, before the sailing in the morning.

The final stage, the sailing, could only begin when the winds changed – sometime after 4am, though the exact time would be determined by the boatman (a local) who would take each team the 32km along the coast.

Then after the sail to Guriu there was a final 10km run along the sand dunes to finish back at the famous windsurfing town, Jericoacoara – Orionhealth’s final two steps in the race were up onto the podium where they celebrated being World Champions, fulfilling their ambition of the past few years. Nike came second and much to the delight of all Brazil, an international team which included 2 Brazilians, SOLE, came third.

And this is what it’s all about:

!!!!!!!!!!!

Too much levity there. This is an extroadinary race with extroadinary contestants determined to complete an extroadinary feat. Congratulations to them all.

Are you a fan of abseiling or do you prefer rock climbing? Are you going on holiday any time soon? Fed up with climbing with the masses? Planning a climbing trip in the southern hemisphere perhaps?

You can’t really do an article on just abseiling because nine times out of ten there is good rock climbing in the same region (stands to reason doesn’t it), so here goes for a few interesting places in the southern hemisphere to do both…

South Africa

You are spoilt for choice in South Africa. There are a huge amount of majestic mountain regions ideal for climbing adventures. How do they grade the climbs in South Africa? They use a simple numerical system:

• 7-12: Beginners climbs that anybody in decent shape shold be able to get up. Expect easy-angled rock with big, friendly handholds.
• 12 – 16: Smaller handholds and/or steeper rock, but still suitable for beginner to intermediate climbers.
• 16 – 18: Intermediate routes requiring more fitness and experience.
• 18 upwards: Intermediate to advanced. Strong arms and good technique a must…

The best climbing areas in South Africa are Rocklands for bouldering; Oudtshoorn, Montagu and Milner for sport routes and Table Mountain and Cederberg for trad routes. Of course there are loads of others and I have covered just a handful here…

The Restaurant (at the End of the Universe) can be found in the Waterval Boven cliffs in the Mpumalanga Highlands Drakensberg Mountain region – about 3 hours from Johannesburg and Pretoria. This region is one of the top rock climbing destination in South Africa and is rated highly by many of the best climbers in the world. Most of the good climbing can be done around the difficulty rating of 17-27, with options to climb up to grade 33! Some pretty serious climbing then…

Photo: Roc ‘n Rope Adventures)

The Oribi Gorge in KwaZulu Natal was created over millions of years as the Umzimkulwana river carved its way over flat rock, finding faults in the stone and eroding enormously deep and narrow gorges. At the base of the cliffs there are rocks that are 1000 million years old while the cliffs themselves are formed from sandstone deposited about 365 million years ago. Here you can abseil down a 110m mountain or climb one of the many challenging routes on offer. Another interesting abseil is alongside the Howick Falls also in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

view from near Baboon’s Castle

Blouberg Massif is a stone’s throw from both Botswana and Zimbabwe. It is a 1,200ft quartzite mesa which sits in the sun for most of the day and is considered South Africa’s most difficult Big Wall. There are 11 classic routes here, starting at a grade of 19. And there are some terrific names too. A few examples are: Wall of White Light (a big scary wall), Psycho Reptile, White Light, Future Shock, Crack of Adventure, Road to Nowhere, Hey Jude, Bushpig, Tequila Sunrise, Moonshadow, Teddy Bear’s Picnic and Wow Fuck to name but a few…

Milner Amphitheatre in the Western Cape is a double tiered orange rock face in the Hex River Mountains. It sits beside beside a 2,000ft waterfall. This is an area with excellent multi-pitch sport and pitch climbing which makes it some of the best climbing in South Africa. There is sensitive access to this area so it is best to get in touch with a local club of the MCSA to check out the rules and regs.

And of course there is Table Mountain. How can you talk about climbing in South Africa without bringing the famous and iconic Table Mountain into the discussion. Rock climbing on Table Mountain is a very popular pastime. There are well-documented climbing routes of varying degrees of difficulty up the many faces of the mountain. As the mountain is part of the Cape Floral Region which is a World Heritage Site, no bolting can be done here and only traditional climbing is allowed. Commercial groups also offer abseiling from the upper cable station. The cable car also offers a quick descent!

The Giant’s Castle Massif in the Natal Drakensberg offers some pretty technical ice climbing as a variation to rock climbing. These are southern Africa’s highest and most spectacular mountain range. It also holds the regions only consistently forming ice and snow routes. Most documented routes are either pure water-ice or pure névé snow, but there are a few routes which require mixed climbing. Giant’s Castle itself is located on the south side of the massif. Ice forms from late May right through to late August. The best time is usually mid to late July. Several major climbs have been done on this peak and numerous others still await first ascents. Most of the unclimbed falls are steep, multi-pitch routes that will require serious skill and determination to conquer.

And before we leave South Africa I just had to include this scary photograph that I have just come across – it gives a good idea of some of the challenging climbs the region has to offer!

And finally for the southern African region, as a keen abseiler you may well have heard of Maletsunyane Waterfall in Lesotho. It is a precipitous 204m drop down the side of the falls into the gorge, although Wikipedia has its height at 192m. As you can imagine, the view from the top is magnificent. It has the Guinness World Record for the highest commercially run abseil in the world and attracts many an international daredevil. It is abseiling at its best and most exciting.

Australia

The Grampians in Melbourne is internationally renowned for its rock climbing and abseiling experiences and has become a popular destination for adventure seekers. It is home to hundreds of exciting climbs, especially on the rugged cliff faces of Mount Stapylton, at the park’s northern end. Local adventure companies offer a variety of climbing and abseiling courses including introductory lessons for the novice and programs covering advanced skills for the experienced.

Climbers from across Australia and around the world test their skills on the sheer rock faces of Mt Arapiles, a stunning peak just west of Horsham that boasts some of the most dramatic and demanding rock formations in Australia. Mt. Arapiles has some equally amusing names: Bard Buttress, ‘Pilot Error’, High Dive, Deliciously Deranged, Life in the Fast Lane, Use No Chooks, Anxiety Direct, Slinkin’ Leopard…

The Organ Pipes at Mt. Arapiles

A combination of reliable weather and an extraordinary array of cliffs, pinnacles and bluffs have made Mt Arapiles the most popular climbing and abseiling destination in Australia. The mountain boasts more than 2,000 designated climbs, ranging from easy ascents for beginners to level 30 climbs, the most extreme ascents. With so many climbs it is hard to give a short list of the absolute best. However some routes do stand out above the rest, Sunny Gully, Bullet Buttress, Tiptoe Ridge, Introductory Route, Exodus, Diapason, Marshmallow Sea, Conifer Crack and Eskimo Nell to name ten.

And as with the South African section above I came across some stunning photographs and include one here just as a teaser:

New Zealand

Golden Bay is considered the best limestone climbing in the Pacific, near Abel Tasman National Park. Highlights include rock climbing at Payne’s Ford. It is one of the best concentrations of single pitch sport climbing in NZ (there are also a few natural routes). It has the added bonus of an incredibly beautiful landscape.

Like many other crags in New Zealand, Paynes Ford has been well and truly discovered. The crag offers steep, solid limestone, and includes some of the hardest climbs in the country. Simon Middlemass and The Climber magazine editor Mark Watson have brought out a laid back but definitive guide book for the region. Almost it’s opening passage is “For those of you who haven’t been here before we had better warn you now that this is a very dangerous place; a place where time stands still and hippies abound, nude swimming is still accepted and people don’t take life to seriously.” Seems as good a place as any to go climbing, does it not?!

The ‘laid back’ pun on the following photograph was not intentional I promise!

Since writing this please note that there have been some changes at Paynes Ford:

• All climbs at the North End have been removed. This is now CLOSED
• Gobble Gobble Yum Yum at the Rhinoceros wall has been removed.