31st July 2009

"Day Nine of the PETZL Rock and Road EC 2009 was pretty much frikking radical. The finals were held in the chilly shades of Water Kloof, the exceptional crag that has now been opened up to the SA climbing world. Trust me, once you’ve read this you will be ear marking the Eastern Cape as a true climbing destination. 

The night was a freezing one, with clear skies and stars bright enough to blind. The trade off of no rain meant frosted tents, and it was with much amusement that people picked ice off their belongings, while Andrew Pedley’s towel was frozen into a contorted animal that was not going to do him any favours in the bathroom! 

Before I talk about the climbing, I would really like to describe the area we’re in, as today was the first day that I stepped into Water Kloof. Imagine walking through the Nevada desert, side-stepping thorn trees and goat poo, ambling round a corner to stare up at rising orange bands of rock, disappearing beneath a canopy of trees, following a dry river bed filled with white rock, and then popping out in Jurassic Park. 

Yep. It’s like that. One heads straight into a narrow Kloof sided by massive solid walls with a clean stream running down the centre, green ferns and moss punctuating the darkness. This is Water Kloof and it is home to some damn fine rock climbing."  

Read more about this event held at the farm Bokloof in the Baviaanskloof in an article by Kath Fourie on www.rockandroad.co.za.