Back to the Road Crew

Once again we made the trek to the Road Crew today.  On the list for today was Ulan Batar (7b) as well as a revisit to Cedar Spine in order for me to do it from the sit. 

For the last few days my right hand had been bothering me but today I had no pain.  The warm-ups seemed to fall easily including an onsight of A Gouche, De La Lune, a solid 7a in French 6b+ clothing (those of you who have been to Font will understand). 

We had run into a group of young climbers up from Cape Town for the weekend who had set up camp under Manuereheim Roof (6c), a hueco covered dihedral tipped back to nearly horizontal. They were kind enough to let us use their pads so we jumped in line.

 Sean seemed to be dragging a bit but nothing out of the ordinary.  There is this particular way that he climbs when he is not interested in the problem he is on.  Maybe we all do it.  Sort of give underpowered attempts on things we don’t really feel like trying.  At any rate this was how Sean was climbing today.  After half assing his way up Manuereheim Roof on the second or third attempt it was clear that today was not going to be Sean’s day.

 

After putting down Manuereheim Roof my self our attention turned to Ulan Batar.  Being less than optimistic about my ability to hold the key left hand sloper I had approached this problem with a bit of trepidation.

It was a pleasant surprise when on my first attempt when I stuck the hold with little problem and was able to move off it confidently.  On the second attempt the sloper felt even better than on the first and I was able to snag the next crimp and the next until I found my self on the finish jug.

About the time I had finished the down climb a fellow American, Christian, had showed up.  Christian was also looking for another attempt at Cedar Spine.  He had worked the spine three years ago but had been unable to close the deal.  This trip was going well for Christian.  We had run into him at the Roadside a few days prior just after he had sent Pendragon.  Today he had already been at Roadside and done Des Bacs Pour Nini (7c) and was headed up to the spine when he ran into us. 

Though he had done the climb on his previous trip Christian decided to jump in on Ulan Batar and quickly remembered his beta sending on his second burn.

Soon after we headed over to the blank slab/arête known as Tomorrow I’ll Be Gone (7c).  I was feeling good after my send and as I pulled onto the starting holds of Tomorrow I’ll Be Gone I felt strong.  The tiny crimps felt solid under my fingers despite the rising temperature.   Unfortunately this problem would prove to be just out of reach for all of us as the clouds broke and the sun beat down turning the crux into a greasy impasse. 

After flogging ourselves on the greasy slab repeatedly for about a half an hour we began seeing diminishing returns.  At this point it was time to bail and have a crack at Cedar Spine. 

With Sean shooting photos Christian and I stepped up to the arête one after the other.  My first attempt saw my right foot blow off just after I had pulled the sit start section sending me to the pads quickly.  I was climbing like crap, very sloppy and inefficient.  I could feel that I was tired. 

Christian’s first attempt looked rehearsed and smooth as he pulled out of the beta intensive bottom section.  Pulling his way to the top he snagged the crimp on the left face and stopped.  After checking his feet and looking at the next hold for what seemed like an hour he dropped off.  Turns out he had grabbed the crimp in between two good edges on the worst possible place.  Not wanting to make the mistake again he went up top to check out the holds and brush the edge. 

My second attempt felt solid and I pulled through my crux at the bottom with little work.  I felt like I finally had the beta down.  As I reached for the ear on the right face however I came up just short and fell to the ground.  I was tired and making stupid mistakes. 

Christian looked confidant as he brushed the bottom holds and chalked up.  Upon reaching the left crimp, this time grabbing it in the proper place, Christian looked solid. After a moment of hesitation he fired for the wide flat edge and stuck it.

Though I had sent Ulan Batar on my second attempt it turned out it wasn’t my day either.  Again today I walked away from Cedar Spine without the full ascent.  One more day Till we go to Kruger.  I'm running out of time.

Almost a Rain Day

It seems like every day here there is a 30% chance of rain.  Today it was raining again so I guess it’s turned to 100%.  It also rained all day yesterday.  Thankfully today after a quick trip into town the weather slacked off and the sun, combined with a decent breeze, dried the rock quickly.  The car was packed and ready to go so we headed up to the Fields of Joy here at Depakhuys.  With about an hour and a half of sun light left we headed straight to Maniac (7b).  This was one of the first problems I had placed on my tick list during our first days here.  

 Starting on the ground in a decent crack system the problem leads to a series of rounded sloping shelves on glass smooth rock. From the last shelf you reach out right to a small pinch that is back over your head. From the small pinch and the smooth shelf with ambiguous feet you have to jump to a small jug that is impossible to see from your position. The name maniac comes from this last hard move.  Of course all it comes down to is making yourself go once you are in place.  At the end of the day the move is not that difficult but it makes this good problem a great one. 

Just after the sun dipped behind the horizon and the rain rolled back in the problem was dispatched and we packed up to head back to the house. 

Tomorrow should be a clear day in the afternoon so we are going to try and head up to Road Crew area again.

Back to the Roadside

A few days ago on a scouting trip to the Roadside area one problem in particular caught my eye.  This problem looks to be one of the best 7a’s in the area unfortunately it has missed being included in any of the guides we have been able to find (though there is some speculation that it is called Schwupp, it’s no 7b).  From the main Roadside area this problem is down the hill to the east just past Kudu.  Standing at over 25 feet and overhung at more than 20 degrees this boulder is an impressive sight from any angle.  Not wanting to sketch off due to being cold Sean and I decided to warm up on an easier problem around the corner before jumping on this behemoth.

 Our warmup was also nameless in the guides and also gets the 7a rating but is decidedly shorter and is probably a bit soft for the grade.  Of course being soft does not mean it’s no fun.  Once again Rocklands dishes up amazing problems at all grades providing plenty of stellar climbing for any one willing to get on a plane.  After pulling out of the sit start the climbing runs through a series of slopey dishes over a bulging face.  The real trick is identifying what is a slopey dish and what is a badly sloping dish.  Of course the standard chicken head topout applies here as with most problems at Rocklands. Following our one problem warm up we were ready to jump on the high ball.  

 At about shoulder high on some smallish holds and decent feet Sean quickly found him self at a slopey ledge with a hidden shallow edge on the left side.  With Sean over ten feet off the ground and moving into the crux section, (which is mostly mental) I pulled the pads back and prepared for what I thought was going to be a low percentage move to another flat ledge.  After repositioning his feet Sean grabbed a small crimp with his right hand and dead pointed to the next hold.  After one additional move to a large left facing flake Sean was well over my head so I adjusted the pads one last time and backed out of the fall zone to watch the top out. 

 It seemed that our single warm up was working well and I was feeling reasonably confidant that I could send on my first attempt despite standing in the cold wind while Sean was busy climbing.  Though my beta was slightly different I pulled over the top in short order without much of a thought about the ground.  This problem is a great one for running laps on to get your head together for harder tall problems.

Now that we were reasonably warm it seemed like a good time to cruse over to Pendragon and see how it felt. 

At six foot three I am taller than most people that I climb with by several inches.  To most height is seen as an advantage (especially by those who are below the five foot ten mark).  On some problems being tall may be an advantage on others it doesn’t matter.  On Pendragon it is defiantly a mixed bag. After watching Sean pull the first and second moves relatively easily I decided to start on the second move and save my strength for working out the crux at the end.  After making it through the middle sequence in one solid burn and putting together an exit sequence that worked for me I sat down to try the start.  With my knees at my chin and my hands neer my ankles, I found it next to impossible to do more than hover more than a millimeter off the ground. 

I hate it when the crux is the first move. 

Spurred on by my apparent ability to do the rest of the problem and the knowledge that Cooper Roberts, an equally tall individual, had sent I tried in vain for close to a half an hour to lift complete the first move. 

Frustrated and angry Sean dragged me to another problem that was more suited to anger, a 7b dyno problem on the west side of the Roadside.  This problem and the left variation was just what I needed to blow off some steam.  A few easy moves to a large throw.  The onsight coupled with the height of the top out put me back in a decent mood after sitting still under Pendragon for so long. 

At this point it was dark so we packed up and headed home.  Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain so looks like a rest day.

Easy Day at the Plateau

Following a much needed rest day we decided to take a walk over to the Plateau Boulders and give Minki a try.  This is an area classic that everyone in the Cape Town crew has been raving about since we got off the plane.  There are several nice things about Minki not the least of which is the flat approach.  This combined with the flat landing the steep roof and the amazing features made this an obvious choice for an easy day problem. 

Though it’s rated 7b, Minki looks like a problem anyone could flash.  It has huge holds and what looks to be obvious beta with a finish jug that’s like grabbing the top of a door. As with all great problems however, there is a catch.  The holds are all facing just the wrong direction, the texture is just a bit slicker that you want and the holds are just a bit to far apart to make things as easy as one would like.  Of course we discovered this after deciding to warm up on it.

After trying the crux moves a few times apiece I decided we were barking up the wrong tree and began trying a bit of foot work rather than just trying to crush the problem into submission.  This train of thought led me immediately to a toe hook that proved to be the key sequence for both Sean and I, though we finish out the problem differently. 

As it turns out Minki is one of those problems that after you send you’ll be able to warm up on every time you go to that area.  It is defiantly a gem. 

Once we were sufficiently warmed up we wandered around to the other side of the boulder and did two very fun 6b’s that we probably should have gotten on first.  These are great problems that will push intermediate climbers and should not be missed. 

Tomorrow, if the rain holds off we will be heading up to the Roadside area again for another highball session and possibly to check out Pendragon.  Should be interesting.

Another Opening Day

It’s always more fun developing new problems than climbing established ones.  That is of course if you actually open.  This morning Sean and I met Michael and Evan above Depakhuis campground at the Road Kill Café area.  Half way up the hill sits a cluster of problems on a plateau that catches a lot of sun. Today was no exception as the temps were in the mid 80’s.  We had planed to try Road Kill Café but the rock felt so greasy there was little hope doing anything but getting frustrated.  The backside of the Road Kill boulder was in the shade however so Evan and Michael started working on a project that looked quite interesting.  By the time Sean and I had finished our exploring Michael had worn a hole in his knee on the knee bar in this massive hueco.  He graciously bowed out and left us to it.

As it would turn out today was my day in the dirt and Sean’s day to send.  After working the awkward end section that climbs through a large hueco Sean had managed to find every crimp on a problem that at first glance is all sloper.  After three frustrating send attempts Ellipsis was opened.

So the problem with this problem once again is the grade.  What to call the damn thing…

Since no one else has sent the official grade will have to wait.  To me It felt like 7c and not less than 7b, however Sean feels that it may go with easier beta and get the big down grade to 6c!  I am at a loss for what this easier beta would be.  The knee bar that Michael was using in super low percentage and he has never managed to reach the jug using it.  My beta was completely useless and got me stuck in a position that I could not unwind from.  The only other option would be to jump but that looks hard as well.  In the end after a long debate Sean gave it the tentative 7a.  Sometimes I feel like people who don’t grade problems are being a bit lazy, other times I feel like it’s pointless to rate anything.  I guess I’ll just have to bag the second and see how hard it is in the end.

Joe

Yet another area

SASSIES

Today a few of Sean’s climbing friends from Cape Town came up to join us for the weekend.  Michael and Evan have been climbing her for many years and have put together many of the guide books for multiple areas including the area we went to today.  The Sassies are a cluster of boulders to the east of De Pakhuis where we are staying.  It is also on private property and requires both a day fee and a 4x4 to get in unless you want to walk the 3k dirt road in. 

Today was supposed to be a light day but after an enthusiastic tour of the area I felt like doing two problems, Pinotage (7b) and Le Petite Hueco (7b).  I found this area to be appealing due to the short approach from the jeep and the high concentration of boulders with great problems on them.  This area is relatively new and the surrounding cliff bands hold the potential for dozens of new problems.

Following two easy warm-ups I wandered over to Pinotage.  This problem runs up the face of yet another 20 foot boulder with long moves between horizontal edges.  Originally opened at 7c this problem was recently down graded by Lisa Rands to 7b.  I would have to say after doing it in two tries it’s defiantly not 7c.  The problem is great and requires some crimp power fore sure.  So far, I would have to say Pinotage and Cedar Spine are my two favorite climbs of the trip. 

After my quick send Evan and Sean began working the moves and both sent in a hand full of attempts. 

While taking a bit of a break Michael showed us some projects that he was working on.  The first was a short bulge more typical of Horse Pens or Font than Rocklands.  Standing at 8ft tall and climbing up several slappy moves to the top I opened it at maybe 6c.  It’s hard to grade things like this, there are several hardish moves but I feel like someone shorter would have an easier time of it.  If it were in Font it would be 6a.  At Horse pens, maybe V5.  Who knows.  This sort of stuff is so arbitrary.  

Michael bagged the second ascent on his next burn and thought 6c or 7a- was good.  “Undecided (6c)” That’s probably as good a name as any. 

Around the corner from Undecided (6c) was another project Michael had spotted on his previous trip.  It starts on a big block and climbs up good holds that are all pointing the wrong way to a slopey near horizontal shelf about 3 inches wide.  The buisnes is at the top where you have to make a long move off a slopey crimp to the top of the problem.  There is a shallow crescent half way through that long reach but I found it was of no use to me. While this problem is probably 6c as well everyone else backed off due to the long committing reach at the end.  Maybe I should call it 7b to get some glory J.  I am dubbing this one Waxing and Waning (6c).

There is also a variation that I want to work on when we go back that traverses up from the right on a series of crimps and heel hooks that will probably bump the grade to 7a or 7a+.  It adds some hard moves and should be interesting.  Those top moves should be fun after you are nice and tired.

By now Sean and Evan had moved over to Le Petite Hueco (7b) and were brushing the holds.  While Sean says he is not a roof climber he seems to do just fine on them.  Must be all the steep training at the Touchstone gyms.  After the cleaning process they began working the steep crimpy sections between the jug rests.  This problem climbs like a route having 14 + moves and covering 25+ feet all on super steep rock.  It reminds me of climbing at the Concave.   Once the moves were sused the send burns started.  Again and again Evan and Sean came off at the top where the climbing turns from steep pulling to rounded solpey top out.  The undertow here is enormous and your arms feel like lead after the endurance run up the bottom.  After shooting video for about an hour I decided to give it try and passed the camera to Evan. 

My first burn was an exercise in stupidity as move after move I managed to grab every hold in the wrong spot or with the wrong hand.  I was amazed I made it as far as I did.  This being day three on I decided to wait for a return visit to give it another burn. 

At this point I went to watch Michael try this horrendous looking ass dragger problem on these polished glass slopers.  Sick!  Not appealing to me at the time.  But in retrospect it might be worth a try on a cold day.

As I headed back up to collect my things from under Le Petite Hueco I decided to give it a second try.  I felt tired but felt like if I could get to the rest I would be able to get enough back to do the last 5 moves. 

On the ridge above us a troop of Baboons had begun milling around, barking and hooting and rolling rocks down the hill to try and run us off.  It was getting dark and they were coming down into the valley to the river until they spotted us.  The alpha was particularly vocal but they all kept their distance. 

Thanks to all the route climbing I have been doing lately I was right about the rest.  At the end of the day, tired and beaten down I topped out with a grunt that made the baboons hanging out on the cliffs above us start barking again.  As the sun went fully behind the horizon it was clearly time to go.

We will definitely head out here again. 

Joe

A Day in the Cave

Today we decided to forgo a long hike and climb at Fields of Joy.  This area is part of the De Pakhuis bouldering that overlooks the farm we are staying on.  The goal for today; to finish Dirty Lies (7b) a problem that climbs it’s way out of a steep cave on huge open-hand slopers to a large hueco.  Sean and I had tried this problem on Tuesday when it was raining and each had fairly good showing but no send. 

To prep for the slopey madness of Dirty Lies we went over to the Maniac boulder  and warmed up on Sneak (6c).  This problem is lots of fun with its Font/HP40 style bulges on a slightly overhung wall.  To the right of this is Maniac (7b).  Maniac is one of those problems that sucks you in with moves that don’t feel bad individually but end up being harder than the sum of its parts.  This problem will have to wait for another day however as we had unfinished business to attend to.

At about 1600 Sean and I arrived at Dirty Lies and began brushing.  It was starting to get humid again thanks to the approaching storm clouds.  After a quick beta check we were set to climb.  The last moves in the roof are the crux of the problem.  In order to exit the roof you have to make a long move to a good hold at the lip from a greasy sloper.  This was the move that had eluded us on our previous attempts.  If your right foot doesn’t stick your whole body ends up swinging out hard enough to pull you off the holds.  This piece of beta eluded us again on our first attempts but was quickly sorted out.  Sean and I both sent on our next burns. 

As the rain rolled in we packed up the gear and headed down to see if Michael and Evan had arrived.  Tomorrow promises to be a long day.

Joe

Cedar Spine

Road Crew

Today we made the trek back out to the far edge of the Road Crew and set up under Cedar Spine.  This 20 foot tall block towering above you is an impressive sight, regardless of the number of times you stand under it.  Standing on top makes things no better.  While imposing might not be the best word to describe the Spine, it’s close. 

After trying out some of the easy problems nearby and feeling reasonably warm we wandered back to what brought us on this 2k hike in the first place.  Once we had buckled the pads together (so they could be drug as one unit) and brushed all the holds we could reach I felt optimistic about my chances for a strong send first go.  My optimism would fade however as I quickly screwed up my beta and reached a move down low that sent me onto the pads.  It is amazing how two people of deferent heights given the exact same holds will climb the same problem in a completely unique manner.  In retrospect I had substituted Sean’s beta for my own.  Unfortunately this would not be apparent until many more failed attempts for me.

Pads in place, holds re-brushed, and shoes clean, Sean stepped up to the Spine feeling less relaxed than I had.  He was noticeably more fired up about the send than I had been. 

From the first move onward every hold looked like a jug as he slapped his way up the arête finally reaching the top crux (which he campused) placing him at the first real jug on the route and then at the top. Although he had done the problem from the sit five years ago this was a major accomplishment.   His first burn of the day Sean had dispatched one large goal of the trip. 

For me the next hour or so was spent at the bottom of the problem susing out the beta that had worked so well for me on my first attempt two days prior.  After working the opening moves into submission I opted out of the 7c sit start and decided to do the 7b stand for now. 

After two more tries I toped out in slightly less style than Sean had but I toped out nonetheless.  Feeling vindicated it was time to head back down the trail to go check out the Road Side area.  The full ascent for me will have to wait for another day. 

ROAD SIDE

The walk to Road side was more of a recon mission than anything.  Just to familiarize me with the main area.  We had not been there yet and I was glad, as it is a place that could suck you in.  The approach is all on a dirt road and there are problems everywhere.  The area is dense and packed with amazing problems on almost every block.  It’s easy to see why this was one of the first areas to be developed. 

As one twenty-foot highball seemed insufficient in a day we decided to give Creaking Heights a try.  This 25 foot tall monolith holds a single problem up a faint dead vertical water groove that runs up the center of the face.  The tiny lie back crimps and slopey feet leave you feeling less than secure as you move upward towards the jugs at the top.  This is especially true if your spotter is shooting photos and you have decided to place your pads in an entirely useless spot.  Needless to say I did not want to fall so I bagged the onsight of this classic 6c. 

Once again, the walk out was adder free.

Joe

After driving two hours north from Cape Town we have finally arrived at Rocklands.  Unfortunately it's dark so I will have to wait until tomorrow to see the rock.  If the weather holds we will be doing some exploring and then head out to Cedar Spine (7c).  All of the rock here is sand stone and it's like grabbing a sheet of 60 grit sandpaper over and over.  Great for friction, bad for skin. 

Tomorrow will be a test run on the first of the trip projects.  This 20 ft block looks like a giant die dropped into the sand at an angle.  The climb goes straight up the corner.  While Sean has done the stand start version of the problem we will both be working on the sit start version.   

Pictures should be on the way soon.

Joe

Less than eight hours in Cape Town and we made it to rock.  Following a 30 min up-hill hike all the while looking for puff adders we arrived at Topside, an exposed out crop of weathered sand stone overlooking both the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic.  From Topside you can see Seal Island, home of the jumping great white sharks.  I think I'll skip the surfing.

I LOVE COACH!

I LOVE COACH!  Twenty-four hours is one hell of a long time to spend sitting on an airplane.  Of course there is nothing like fine airplane cuisine to balance that all out.  It seems like a week ago that I finally met Shawn at baggage claim at DIA. 

Upon finally arriving in Cape Town and retrieving our bags Avis decided to stick us with a micro car until Sunday. 

At least all the pads and gear fit. 

Last night we stayed with Guy Holowill in Cape Town.  Guy is one of the local developers.  If the weather holds it looks like a half day at Top Side boulders before we head off to Rocklands.  The thunder sounds a bit ominous though…

Epic?

It's usually about the time I'm cramming my 6'3" frame into a cramped coach seat that I wish I had paid for an upgrade.  O' well, The good news is we are on the road, or tarmac. Whatever.   

Airports are interesting places.  Each one is different but they all feel the same.  Hard seats bolted together, down graded fast food, the smell of pent up, tense people dreading the impending walk down the jet-way to there tiny little seat on a great big beer can with wings. in case you are wondering, Cincinnati is no different.

I wonder how Sean is faring.  While my day started at 0400 this morning he had a red eye from San Francisco last night at 2300.  Ouch.  We'll see if I find him asleep at the gate or in a bar.  It's hard to believe we wont land in Cape Town until 2040 tomorrow.  Besides the return flight I hope this is the only epic part of our trip.  

Count down...

T-minus three days and counting.  

I haven't started packing.  I didn't buy new shoes.  I don't have an outlet adapter.  I can't find my hat.  I haven't trained enough.

Hmm... 

At least I'm injury free.

I suppose I should give you a bit of back ground.  This blog is about a rock scalin' trip in South Africa.  It starts in three days as the count down above said.  

This will be my first trip to South Africa and I am psyched.  My climbing partner, S

ean, is from up north

 in Johannesburg, the largest city in ZA (abbreviation for South Africa).   The area we will be climbing in primarily is in the south, just above Cape Town in an area called Rocklands in the Cedarberg Wilderness.

Check back.