Love Our Environment

"Only when the last tree has died and
The last river been poisoned and
The last fish been caught,
Will we realise that
We cannot eat money"

~ 19th Century Cree Proverb


Wishing my friend Iva all the best with her new blog!

Love Our Environment

Orienteering in Tokai Forrest

For those who wish to practice their map reading and compass skills, in a team - get your walking boots on and join the PenOC Team this weekend in Tokai forest for some fun.

Event: MTN Science Week Orienteering
Date:	01 Aug 2009	Planner:	Bernelle Verster
Venue:	Tokai East	Controller:	Jeremy Main

Novelty Event	Prize-giving 12.30
Registration:	8.30am
Starts:	09:00 – 11:00am
Courses Close:	12.00
Courses:	Score Event 25 points, 1 hour.
Cost:	Teams of maximum 5, at least one adult per team, R20
Directions:	Parking and registration will be at the allocated parking at Chrysalis Academy. From Blue Route, head W on Tokai Road, straight on at roundabout, straight on at fork, pass picnic area and ticket office on right. Over speed bump and bridge, turn right at the T-junction at the Tokai Manor House. Continue on straight, following the signs. Parking and registration as indicated.

Source: Peninsula Orienteering Club

Table Mountain is Official Finalist Candidate

News Release

TABLE MOUNTAIN IS AN OFFICIAL FINALIST CANDIDATE

Representing South Africa in the final phase of the global 1-billion-vote campaign to elect the Official New7Wonders of Nature

Zurich/Switzerland, July 21, 2009 — At 7 minutes past noon GMT today, at the New7Wonders headquarters in Zurich, Table Mountain was revealed as one of the 28 Official Finalist Candidates in the global election of the Official New7Wonders of Nature.

Final stage of voting starts now!
Bernard Weber said "Congratulations to the supporters of Table Mountain from around the world for their passionate, inspiring work in bringing them up from over 440 participants into this elite finalist group of just 28. This is an extraordinary achievement and the eyes of the planet will be upon Table Mountain and South Africa for the next 2 years. We look forward to an exciting and record-breaking final race, with the whole world coming together to choose the Official New7Wonders of Nature, 7 locations that will become part of Global Memory for ever."

Message from the blog editor:
Thank you to all the supporters and well done for helping us reach this fantastic achievement. More information on the final stage of voting to be announced soon right here.

India Venster via Platteklip Gorge

Hiking Trail: India Venster via Platteklip Gorge
Name of Reserve / Area: Table Mountain National Park
Nearest Town: Cape Town, Camps Bay, Hugovale, Seapoint
Province: Western Cape
Country: South Africa



Duration of hike: 3 hours 30 min at a fast pace (it took me 1hr 6 min up Platteklip and 2 hours down, which included rock scrambling and running) so this can take much longer.

Directions to get there: From Cape Town CBD, drive up Buitengracht Road towards the mountain. At the top turn left onto Tafelberg Road. Follow the scenic road for about 10km. You will pass the entrance to the Cable Way, and then your stop will be at a wooden hut on the right of the road.

Best time of year to go: on a clear day (make sure it is not windy or raining)

What costs did you incur to do this hike: nothing

How safe is it: very dangerous. Not a route for average strollers or walkers. Involves many very high rocks which you need to scramble down. Always be careful from a crime perspective and keep your mace spray at arms reach.



Fresh Water: make sure you have your own, but there are a few streams from May - Sept.

Difficulty: 4D. Hard walk up and down. The walk up is straight up - no flat sections, the walk down is straight down, and the flat sections are situated next to cliffs that drop more than 300 down.

Pets: This is not a walk and do not attempt to take your poor dog on this route. Mountain rescue have reported families trying to carry their dogs down the rock scrambling sections.


Platteklip Gorge is the gorge in the middle of Table Mountain and can not often be seen from the bottom when looking straight at the mountain. Sitting here on Devils Peak, its much easier to spot the gorge. This is the alternative route people walk up to the top of Table Mountain instead of taking the Cable Way.



Platteklip Gorge starts about 2 km past the Cable Way next to the small wooden Information Centre.



This is a straight walk up into the gorge with no mercy for the unfit.



Below you can view the top of Devils peak on the right.





Once you get to the top of Platteklip Gorge you will reach a cross road.
You will have a choice between going to Maclear's Beacon (the highest spot on Table Mountain), The Cable Way Station, India Venster, or straight back down the gorge again.

(click on images for a larger view)

After spending about 15 minutes refueling, we started heading down towards India Venster Route.









This is me and Caroline making our mark and enjoying the moment :)







The route hugs the Table Top all the way around untill almost right below the Cable Way. On this day it was slippery and extremely dangerous. Soon afterwards this was where we missed our down turn and continued along a very dangerous ledge. Luckily for us, we saw some hikers below, which led us to back track on our steps and route our way down a more safer path.



This picture was taken to show you the sheer drop down. I do not think this picture justifies the extreme danger, but it was nothing less that 300m straight way down.



The views of Campsbay and Lions head are spectacular and worth enjoying the moment of time standing still.










Due to the 5 fatalities on this route this year alone, Table Mountain National Park eventually decided to put some staples into the rocks in the more dangerous places.

I was still not comfortable with what they did, and think more can be done in relation to what the other much safer routes look like along the mountain.





Finally we reached the Cable Station below and took a taxi back to our car. We could have walked the Contour path back, but time was not on our side.

How will I rate this hike? I was on a high for about 3 days after wards. The adrenalin surely added to this, but 5 people have died on this route in the past 8 months - which is why I was so keen to investigate the real deal.

I can understand why this has happened, but Im still concerned by the attitude surrounding this dangerous route - especially from the side of the authorities.

The attitude that I do not agree with is the following:
This is a dangerous route
and people must read the signs.

I believe that is not good enough: I believe this route should be closed off for casual walkers and only members of the various mountain / hiking clubs should have 'permission' to walk this route.

By doing the above - casual walkers - especially the foreigners will find other alternative routes to enjoy a day in the mountain. This route is like a big fat advert right next to the most popular tourist attraction in South Africa, begging travelers with jet-lag to wander onto. It really is crazy that Table Mountain National Park have not taken this in a more serious light.

How many more people are going to die on this route? I got lost coming down. The part where I got lost was on top of an extremely slippery ledge that took me further and further into more danger. Thank God there were hikers walking below us, that showed me I was not on track. It really felt like they were sent to be there at exactly that moment to show me that Im going wrong. The route is very poorly marked too.

As a average 'hiker who might also like to do rock scrambling' this route is do-able. But for the other 99% of the casual day strollers out there, this route should be made for people with permits only.

How do you control this? You just cant. But this will make people think twice when they consider climbing India Venster Route - to rather take an alternative path - like the very scenic Contour Path instead.

Getting Started with Mountain Orienteering

I found this useful information about Orienteering from the Peninsula Orienteering Club. Herewith some basic guided information if you wish to learn more about orienteering. Their next event this weekend can be seen if you click here:

What is orienteering?

It is the sport of traversing unknown terrain between designated points without a marked route, using only a map and magnetic compass to navigate.

The club sets up new courses at a different location for each event. Entrants start at intervals, navigate individually and compete on the basis of time taken to complete the course. Group entries are also accepted. These are popular for training purposes and for those undertaking the sport as a family activity.

What to bring

• The only essential items are a pair of comfortable walking shoes and your entry fee.

• A magnetic compass can be helpful aid but is not crucial, particularly on courses designed for beginners.

• Since orienteering is an outdoor activity, you may benefit from bringing items such as:a hat, sunblock, water to carry with you or a jacket, as appropriate.
  

• It may be helpful to print out a copy of the directions to the event if the area is not familiar to you.

At the event

Locate the registration desk. There an organiser will:

• accept your entry fee, give you guidance on which course to choose and issue you with a control card (punch card) and a control description sheet, materials you will need to take part.

When you are ready to begin, make your way to the start location and request to be allocated a start time. There may be a queue of other participants waiting to start. At your start time you will receive a detailed map of the area with your course indicated.

On the course

1. The needle of your compass points to magnetic north. Rotate the map to correspond to the terrain around you by aligning the magnetic north direction symbol on the map with the direction your compass is pointing. If you do not have a compass, ask someone who does where north is.
2. When you start you are at the purple triangle. Visit the features circled on the map in the order in which they are numbered. You can use any route to get from one to the next and do not have to stay on the paths.
3. At each of these control points you will find a flag that looks like the one in the picture above. Its exact placement is given on the control description sheet.
   
4. Record your visit by using the attached pin punch to punch the appropriately numbered block of your control card. Each control point has its own punch symbol.
5. There may be areas of environmental sensitivity or of private property with restricted access in or around the event area. These are marked on the map are must not be entered.
6. The finish is represented by two concentric purple circles. It is often the same place as the start, in which case the start and finish symbols are overlaid.
7. Report to the finish before leaving even if you did not complete the course. If you do not do so by the time the event closes it will be assumed that you have become lost or injured and a search for you will be initiated.
   

What to do if you get lost

Since orienteering is intended to be a navigational challenge, losing one’s way from time to time is a normal part of the sport. Relocating yourself is therefore a key skill.

• As soon as you think you are lost, stop and orientate your map. Look around for features of the terrain which you can match to features shown on the map. For this purpose the mostreliable features are large, distinctive or in occur in distinctive combinations.
  
• If you have a poor view of your surroundings, it can be helpful to climb to higher ground or move into an open area. It is however usually counterproductive to walk around haphazardly.
• Try to remember where you were when you were last certain of your position, how far you have come since then and what you have seen since on the way. This can help you narrow down your location to a smaller part of the map.
  
• If you are able to, consider retracing your steps until you are back at a known position, such as the previous control point.
• Once you have a theory about your location, test it as you move off again by confirming that the terrain you observe in fact corresponds to what is shown on the map.
  

Security on the Mountain

Mountain Club South Africa - Cape Town:

Please also note that this Friday 17th, in addition to the film, there will be a talk by Kelee Arrowsmith on Advanced Conflict Training which teaches people how to develop a safety plan for themselves and their families. There will also be a demonstration of pepper sprays and an opportunity to purchase.

Cyclist robbed at knife point near Rhodes Memorial

A cyclist riding on the mountain this morning (sat 11 July) - making his way up Plum Pudding Hill from the Cape Town side - was accosted by 2 black men with knives. They wanted his cellphone and money - weren't interested in the bike. They only took his phone and in parting slashed the back tyre of his bike.

Their MO was that the one came up out of the bushes and sat on a rock next to the path. As he approached the guy stood up and showed his knife. Rider stopped and got off bike telling him he could take it. Then became aware that there was another guy behind him also with knife.

They asked for his cellphone and the guy behind opened up the riders back shirt pocket to remove the phone. They also asked for money but he didn't have any on him.

Rondebosch police are looking for two knife-weilding suspects who are very mobile in the Rhodes Mem/ Town area. They are apparently "working" this area up and down mountain.

Please caution walkers and riders - they are not a pleasant pair to encounter.

Source: Mountain Club South Africa

Its wise to never walk alone: (10 Hiking Commandments - that will save your life)
The Walking Buddy group is up and running, so do join if you want to walk with an informal group, or are willing to take people with you. See the article on this for more information.

Peninsula Orienteering Club Event

This is a very exciting form of hiking that I have come across recently.

It seems to be a fairly new way of hiking - well to me it is - and Im super keen to give it a go. If any of you wish to join me, then please let me know - it should be great fun.

This is how it works:

1. You get given a map of an area (distance varying between 3 - 7km's depending on which route you / your family / your team choose to follow).
2. Departure from the starting point takes place in intervals (so that everyone is not on top of each other)
3. You (or your team) carry an emit card to track your ETA of each location on the map.
4. The aim is to get this route covered in as fast as possible time - with only points on the map as a form of guidance.

Herewith the invite to their event taking place this coming Sunday:

The PENINSULA ORIENTEERING CLUB
presents the fourth
COLOUR CODED EVENT
of 2009 which will take place at
Geelbeksvlei, Highlands

DATE:
Sunday, 19 July 2009

VENUE:
Take the N2 over Sir Lowry’s Pass and continue on till Peregrine Farm Stall opposite the second Grabouw turn off. Turn right onto the Viljoenshoop road and continue for 5km. Turn left onto the Highlands road (which eventually becomes an untarred road) and continue for 12km up onto the mountain plateau to the start just before the small wooden church and the start of the farm land. The route will be marked with the Orienteering direction boards from the Viljoenshoop turn off.

TIMES:
Registration 10:30
Start times 10:45 – 12:30
Courses close 14:30

COURSES:
Orange: approx. 3 km, physically and technically easy, pin punching
Red: approx. 5 km, runners’ course, technically easy, pin punching
Light Green: approx. 3,6 km, technically/physically moderate, EMIT
Green: approx. 4.2 km, technically more difficult, EMIT punching
Blue: approx. 7km, technically and physically difficult, EMIT punching

MAP:
Multi-colour, scale 1:10 000. Pre-marked.

COST:
MEMBERS (NON-MEMBERS)
Individual: R40 (R60)
Juniors <21 y R20 (R30)
Group R50 (R70)
Extra map R10
Emit Hire R10 for those not owning card
EMIT card purchase - R300 per card

INQUIRIES:
The Peninsula Orienterings Club
info@penoc.org.za,
Alvin Ward 083 703 2284 (See Alvin's blog post here)
Roland Croxford 083 703 3442

PLANNING and CONTROLLING:
Alvin Ward and Roland Croxford

YOUNG ORIENTEERS CHALLENGE:
This is a YOC event, so young orienteers are particularly invited to come along and collect a stamp towards a certificate and a badge. :)

Newcomers welcome!!

GENERAL
1. No dogs allowed (MTO regulations)
2. Please park off the road as much as possible.


Sounds like a ton of fun to me! Hope to see you there :)
Juanita

Tony Heher of the Mountain Club of South Africa

Herewith a personality profile on Tony Heher from the Mountain Club of South Africa:

As you may notice from the articles this week, and the topic for Friday's social, climbing safety is something of an obsession, arising from some of my early climbing experiences. Soon after I started climbing in the 1960's, I was the unfortunate belayer who held a 10m leader fall. Thanks to the good belay and safety techniques that had been drummed into us beginners, the leader survived, but it was a close call. In addition, in the following few years, there were three fatal climbing accidents involving friends or club members. Fortunately I was not on any of these meets, but I saw the impact on their companions and it contributed to me being a cautious climber all my life. This caution served me safely through 45 years of climbing, until in 2006, to my acute embarrassment, I was airlifted off Vlakenberg - for a torn ligament - while walking! This incident, and a couple of others on meets I was on, renewed my interest and involvement in safety matters.




At the University of Natal, where I started climbing, the Drakensberg was our main playground. Sentinel, Pyramid, Column and Mponjwane were some of the climbs we did, using an old Viking hawser rope and a few pitons. In retrospect, terrifying, but that's all we had! With leads of 30-40m with a single piton as protection, climbing well within one's limits was mandatory! Learning that critical holds do grow back again was also part of the Drakensberg 'experience', as was another tip for Drakensberg climbing - if you find a good hand hold, throw it away. As most Drakensberg climbs require many abseils to get down, abseiling became a routine - including retrieving an "illegal" banner off the 10-story library at the University of Natal - which made the front page of the local press. Little did they know what a doddle this was compared to the average rather hairy Drakensberg abseil.

In the early 1970's two years at the University of California provided opportunities to explore the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. This included climbing three 10 000 ft snow capped peaks - all with a baby on my back! Having a family is no barrier to enjoyable mountain exploits. The next 25 years of climbing were mainly in the glorious kloofs of the Magaliesberg: Tonquani, Cederberg, Trident, Grootkloof and many more. We also enjoyed many extended trips to the Drakensberg to our second home - a family farm adjoining the Drakensberg wilderness.

During this period I helped run climbing clubs at both my son's and daughter's schools in Pretoria. We had a lot of fun together and the first SA inter-schools meet at Tonquani in 1986 helped change perceptions about school kids climbing. Teaching my daughter that shorts were better than skirts for climbing was also a notable achievement - to the disappointment of the boys! The only downside was that the kids were out-climbing me at a younger and younger age every year. Interestingly, and not coincidentally, one of the St Alban's pupils I climbed with was Nigel Basel, the developer of the mailing package that the Club is now using. Climbing creates many life-long connections and friendships.






Climbing in the Cape really only began in earnest in 2006. 200 meets in the last 3 years with the Club and U3A have helped me complete most walking and scrambling routes on TM and the Peninsula and now the country routes beckon. Re-doing old long forgotten routes and opening new routes has been a fun part of these explorations. The only problem is too much to do and too little time!

During the 12 years prior to retiring, much of my work was related to economic development, including the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Park and several projects in Lesotho. This influenced my views on mountain development and use and contributed to setting up the multi-media mountain wiki www.mountain-meanders.com. This has now become a major project - contributions are welcome!

My present involvement with web and IT matters stems from 30 years in the IT industry. Intriguingly, the current use of Web 2.0 technology is directly related to my PhD in Computer Science which I started in California 38 years ago! The more the world changes the more it stays the same... Sharing what I have learnt (and am learning all the time) is a key focus, including establishing a team who can run with the changes the Club is making. If you are interested, do come and join a great team. You will learn a lot about the Club and have fun.

Well done to Tony, you have an amazing story and I loved reading it!
Ed.

Another death on Matroosberg

Published Wed 8 July 2009 by The Mountain Club of South Africa

Many will have read in the press about the 38 year old Italian man who fell to his death on the slopes of Conical peak on the Matroosberg last Saturday. This incident occurred very near the spot where a man (*) fell in 2007 and who's body could only be recovered by rescue services several months after the fall due to the treacherous nature of the ice and snow conditions in winter.

(click on image for a larger view)
Photo showing the area (not sure who took it). Conical peak is on the left. The arrow marking the vehicles shows the nature of the parking area and its proximity to the edge. It also shows the massive scale and the very long fall. The annotation showing the 75ft shorthaul relates to the length of the rope hung beneath the helicopter to which the rescuers are attached.

In Saturday's incident the man had driven up the 4x4 track, along with a horde of other tourists and snow-seekers, and had, together with a friend, moved away from the vehicle, each of them carrying a camping chair, presumably to sit and enjoy the view. For those who have not been to this spot, it is worth pointing out that the road terminates on a small plateau which serves as a parking area at the head of Groothoekloof. This parking area, covered with snow and ice in winter, is bordered on the one side by a vertical drop of several hundred metres.

Both men slipped and fell, but one managed to arrest his slide. The other did not. He fell about 500 ft and came to rest on a small ledge.

His body was recovered by a member of the MCSA mountain rescue team together with another WSAR member, who were airlifted to the site attached to a rope beneath the Skymed helicopter. They packaged the remains and were airlifted out. A difficult and traumatic job.

There is much ongoing debate about the accessibility of this area to vehicles and the experience level of the people who visit this place in the comfort of a 4x4, essentially accessing a high, remote mountain with all its attendant dangers. Many of the folk who journey here do not have the requisite mountain experience, and indeed many would otherwise not find themselves in the mountains at all, let alone in dangerous snow and ice conditions. No doubt there will be much debate on this issue.

There are many ways in which this tragedy (and the previous one) could have been avoided. Proper experience in ice conditions, proper equipment (axes and crampons for instance), and being aware of the nature of the surface (soft snow in places, ice in others) and the concomitant dangers, for example. The ease of access - driving right to the edge of an extremely precipitous cliff - is a serious problem with this place.

The MCSA extends its condolences to the family of the deceased. This is not the last accident we will see here.

Brent Jennings
MCSA Mountain Rescue


* The man referred to in the fall was a very dear friend that I knew, Andrew Johns.

Andrew was playing and sliding on a cardboard box down the snow, when it suddenly turned to ice. The momentum and the speed he was traveling at caused him to be unable to stop himself and he slid over the edge in full view of his wife and son. I still miss Andrew, and wish I could have told him what an amazing person I thought he was.

His body was only recovered 3 months after his death. The message I want to send out, is that if you dont know icy conditions, please be very careful when you wish to go and show your family the snow in the mountains. The people owning the snow filled land are eager to charge for the people who enter their property, but there are no real safety measures in place.

Please be very careful when you consider hiking in snow conditions.

My sincere condolences goes to the Italian mans family for the loss of their beloved one.


ED.

Hiking Devils Peak via Newlands Ravine

Hiking Trail: Devils Peak via Newlands Ravine
Name of Reserve / Area: Table Mountain National Park
Nearest Town: Newlands, Cape Town, Rondebosch
Province: Western Cape
Country: South Africa

Duration of hike: 4 hours

Directions to get there: From Cape Town CBD, take the M3 towards Muizenberg. Take a left turn towards Rhodes memorial. Follow signs to Rhodes Memorial and park your car there.

Looking up at the mountain from the car park, you will see the steps leading up the mountain on the far left corner. Climb these steps, cross over the jeep track and continue up the steps to a T-junction. Turn right and follow some more steps until you see a turn stile in front of you. Do not go through the turn stile, rather take a sharp left onto the Contour path.








Walk along this picturesque flat route for about 20 minutes, until you reach a pic-nick area as in the picture below. This will be a good time to take a quick break and fuel up for the next up route, which is directly opposite this pic-nick area.



This is your start up Newlands Ravine. Looking back, you will soon see the Newlands Forrest and also the helicopter pad for the Mountain Rescue Club.




This route is steep and should take you about 30 to 40 minutes to reach the top.



Once you have reached the top, you need to keep walking towards your right and down into the valley known as The Saddle. Keep following the path in the direction of the stream and it will again bring you to a T-junction. Turn right onto the path and you will begin to follow this flat route around Devils Peak for about 30 minutes.

In the picture below:
Middle Traverse path with runners on it. Top right is the section called The Knife Edge, with the peak of Mowbray Ridge to the left of it.



After walking for about 30 minutes, you will reach a fork in the path, take the zig-zag route down until you reach another flat path, known as the Lower Contour Path. Turn right again onto the lower contour path, which will immediately take you past a freshly burnt grove of cork oaks.



I am glad to report that they are sprouting green leaves everywhere, and that they have survived the recent horrifying fires which took place on 18 March 2009.

In the picture below:
Here you can clearly see the severity of this fire as the flames are covering the entire left face of Devils Peak. The Saddle is the middle section between Devils Peak and Table Mountain on the right. Cape Town CBD at the bottom.



(Fire pics courtessy of Craig Kolesky)

After you have passed the burnt Oaks, you will come out at the Block House. Follow the narrow path down right next to the cannons (not the road), and once you reach the jeep track, turn right. This path will take you directly through the turn style.



The path forks at the turn style, take the left fork town and retrace your steps back to your car at the Rhodes Memorial parking lot.


Best time of year to go: Winter is always good, but know what the weather is going to do. Wind, rain and a thick low cloud can easily change your pleasant walk into something you wish you did want.

What costs did you incur to do this hike: none

How safe is it: its Table Mountain. Loads of 'bergies' live here. These people live and survive off the mountain. They often prefer to take what is yours. Keep yourself protected with mace or a stun-gun at all times.

Fresh Water: There are many streams that you cross, but they are seasonal and mostly only flow during the winter months (May - Sept)

Difficulty: Its a hard climb in the beginning, then it eases off on the contour path. Steep climbing again for about half an hour, and then when you have reached the top, its and easy stroll around the mountain and back down to your car.

Pets: Not for your fat, lazy dog. Its also a rather long walk, so take care if you do decide to take your pooch along with you on this walk.

In the picture below is the following seen from the road:
The right peak is Devils Peak, in the middle is the Newlands Ravine and in the far left you can see the table of Table Mountain.



How will I rate this hike? I enjoyed it for the fact that it was done without any book or guidance. But most of my confidence came from my experience of past walks along this way, and a bit of advice from a fellow walker on the mountain. It was hard climbing, but interesting to see a new ravine. I especially liked the part that went around the front of Devils Peak from the Saddle and Table Mountain's side. It was breathtakingly beautiful - a very unexpected beauty unfolded in front of me, when I least expected it to. I was exhausted by the time I got back to my car, especially because I joined a group of trail runners as they were running past me. At first I thought they were a fit bunch of extremists, but once I joined them, it seemed very do-able and great fun. Even those with a new state of the art 4x4 walking frame will easily manage over the flat pieces at the top.

Table Mountain is on a winning streak

JULY 1, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN FOR TABLE MOUNTAIN

See my post on how to vote the easy way

We have 6 Days to go!

You have six days left to cast your vote for Table Mountain in the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign. Currently sitting at number 7 in its category, the majestic icon needs your votes to boost its position before Tuesday July 7, when voting closes.

We are at number 7 - pls vote!

Table Mountain soared to number five, but now sits at number seven in the New 7 Wonders of Nature global rankings, rocketing 22 places from its previous position of 29 three weeks ago. It is now officially ahead of legendary mountains such as Mount Everest, K2 Mountain and Mount Kilimanjaro but is behind other popular sites including Mount Olympus in Greece and Vesuvius Volcano in Italy.

Doing it like a Celebrity

Well-loved and respected South African celebs and sports stars have shown their support for the cause. The Archbishop Desmond Tutu, comedian Marc Lottering, radio DJ Natalie Becker and the Proteas cricketers have all cast their vote for Table Mountain.

To qualify for the next round, Table Mountain needs to be ranked in the top 11 of its category - mountains and volcanoes - which has 36 fellow nominees. Table Mountain is currently ranked seventh out of 37. Other categories include seascapes, lakes, islands, ice formations, waterfalls and forests.

The New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland announced in January 2009 that Table Mountain was one of 261 magnificent natural sites from 222 countries to have made it through to the second round in this global race to name the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be determined by votes from the public.

The public can vote online at www.votefortablemountain.com or by

calling 0041 77 312 4041 and selecting

Table Mountain’s 3-digit code

which is 332.

Calls to the New 7 Wonders

Swiss mobile voting number

will cost R3.29 a minute

in peak times (7am – 7pm) and R2.92 a minute off-peak (7pm – 7am).

Voting to select the top 77 sites (11 per category) runs until July 7 this year. Thereafter a panel of experts will select the 21 finalists (3 per category) - these will be announced on July 21 when the third and final phase of voting will begin. The official New 7 Wonders of Nature will be revealed in 2011.

Contact the Cableway on 021 424 0015 for information.

ENDS

ISSUED BY SPLASH PR & MEDIA CONSULTANTS
ON BEHALF OF TABLE MOUNTAIN AERIAL CABLEWAY

FOR FURTHER INFO EMMA McADAM

021 790 9911 or 082 567 1400 emma@splashpr.co.za

FOR COMMENT COLLETTE VAN ASWEGEN

MARKETING MANAGER

021 424 0015 OR 082 334 5120 collette@tablemountain.net