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

Walking Buddy Cape Town

Hi everyone,

Ive recently been added to this group called Walking Buddy Cape Town - by Tony Heher of the Mountain Club of South Africa. I think its a great concept.

• If you belong to this group, you are able to send out an email to the group to notify them of your walks that you are going on and you can invite the members of the group along.

• You are also at the same time notified of any other hikes that members of the group may be going on, should you wish to join them.

Click here to subscribe to the Walking Buddy Cape Town group.

The request will need to be authorised by Tony and his team, to avoid anonymous readers and spammers.

Here is the group's description:

Looking for someone to share a walk with? WalkingBuddyCT provides you with an opportunity to link up with other walkers. Why not join in even if you are not looking for a buddy? You may be able to help out someone else who is.

Storm Warning for Cape Town

Please be aware that on current synoptic patterns we have a massive coastal storm approaching that will coincide with a spring high tide. Wednesday morning we are likely to see gale force winds of 70km/h associated with 12-16 m swell and a spring tide carrying all the way through to Thursday. In addition, the storm moves to the south so we should see large swells impacting False Bay as well.

This storm has the potential to cause significant damage to our coast, both public and private property.

Please take note all Sport and Recreation: be aware of the possibility of damage to property and a suggestion is that Disaster Management consider issuing a press release warning the public and even suggesting that they stay away from areas such as the Sea Point promenade, and warning private homeowners living right at the beach to be prepared for possible storm surge impacts to their property.

Below is a video that I took during a storm on 31 Aug 2008 at the Sea Point Promenade, which is expected to be just as severe:

Hiking Platteklip Gorge and Contour Path

Hiking Trail: Platteklip Gorge
Name of Reserve / Area: Table Mountain National Park
Nearest Town: Cape Town CBD, Camps Bay, Kloof
Province: Western Cape
Country: South Africa


We decided to brave the weather on the weekend and head for the hills for some fresh air and a good hiking workout.





Its considered not the wisest thing to do in these misty conditions - especially when you want to climb a mountain that has sadly claimed 6 lives so far this year alone.

Our aim was to climb Platteklip Gorge. This is the massive gorge seen from the city below, almost in the middle of Table Mountain. Many hikers walk this enduring 1 hour plus route up in stead of taking the Cable Car ride up, as it is the shortest route to the top if you do not wish to take the scenic cable way. The cable way was closed due to the weather, and there were not many people on the route this day.



We started on Tafelberg Road and passed the Contour path. Half way up the gorge Alex and I decided that this was getting just too dangerous. The wind was blowing very strong and the rain was pouring down in buckets.




We then ventured back and along the Contour Path, over a few massive waterfalls which are normally very small and walked back via the Tafelberg Road.







I did not record this hike in much detail, but really enjoy sharing with you some of the awesome breathtaking scenery whilst walking along the mountain on this cold, rainy and windy Cape Town winters day.



If you would like to, pls note that I have saved some of these images for you to easily use as a Desktop Image.

Right click on the image, open in a New Tab, right click and save as background or desktop image.

Nominate Table Mountain as one of the 7 Wonders of the World

Table Mountain has been selected as the official nominee to represent South Africa in a global New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign.

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

Other iconic natural sites to come through the first round include the Grand Canyon, Loch Ness, Mount Fuji, the Amazon, the Great Barrier Reef and Niagara Falls.

The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be determined by votes from the public and South Africans can show their support for the Mother City’s majestic mountain by visiting www.new7wonders.com and casting their vote.

You have until 7 July ONLY! You can vote more than once.

Voting in the second phase to select the top 77 runs until July 7 this year, when a panel of experts will select the 21 finalists - 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.

Source: www.votefortablemountain.com


2 Options to Vote:

1. Click Here to Register and Vote Online

or

2. Call in and Vote over the Phone

How to vote by telephone in three easy steps:

1. Dial this international telephone number: +41 77 312 4041
2. At the end of the message, after the tone, insert the 3 digit code for your chosen nominee
3. When you hear the thank you message, you are all done - you have voted by telephone !
   

Now see the LIVE RANKING below:

Mountain Club of South Africa: Activities for the Week

Tuesday, June 2

Muizenberg Peak Circuit , Silvermine. Up by Farmer Pecks valley, return via Junction & Nellies Pool’s, St James Peak, Mimetes Valley & Baileys Kloof. Convenor Tim Hodson 021 788 1462 thodson@iafrica.com from 25 May. Co-convenor Tunney Kirk 021 685 3903.

Next 1st Tues: Mark Seuring and Andreas Kiefer in Kyrgyzstan, JHB climbers Mark Seuring and Andreas Kiefer went to Kyrgyzstan late last year on a mission to do a first ascent of a peak in the Llailak Gorge of the Pamir Alai Range. They opened a ‘semi’-new route on Petrogradetz. 23 pitches at Grade 20 A1, 5163m. Both Mark and Andreas are highly experienced in rock and alpine conditions. This was a truly awesome achievement for them. They will be presenting their slideshow (+ video) of their epic trip. MCSA Club hous 8pm.

Thursday, June 4

Apostles Traverse Via Boskloof (B grade): Not your usual Apostles traverse! Along the Pipe Track past Corridor and Oudekraal, continuing all the way round the base of Grootkop. An amazing long traverse ending in Boskloof Ravine, with an interesting “B” exit on a thin ledge. A few old mossy cairns, but no path (apart from a maze of tahr tracks), so an old route that has not been done for a long time. Return via Suikerbossie. Convenor: Tony Heher 021 794 5730 or tony.heher@gmail.com (email booking preferred). Co convenor: Martyn Trainor (021 786 2605).

Flagstaff Hill, Simon’s Town: From Seaforth Sound to the summit of Swartkop (678m) along a 500m+ ridge overlooking False Bay (spectacular views!) and a steep descent to Smitswinkel Bay. Cars at both ends. Convenor: Denis le Jeune (082 822 8227 – preferably by SMS) from 2 June (please note booking date). Co convenor: Ivor Jardine (021 689 9031)

Source: Mountain Club of South Africa - Cape Town

The Manoutsa Trail - A Rumble in the African Jungle

Hiking Trail: Manoutsa Hike, J.G. Strijdom Tunnel, Blyde River.
Name of Reserve / Area: Manoutsa
Nearest Towns: Hoedspruit, Gravelotte, Nelspruit, Pilgrims Rest, Kruger National Park
Province: Limpopo Province
Country: South Africa

Duration of hike: 4 hours one way

Directions to get there: From Hoedspruit, you take the R36 and drive East. Pass the Manoutsa Resort on your right as you drive up the mountain pass. Drive through the J.G. Strijdom Tunnel. About 1 km after the tunnel is another craft market on the left. This is where the route starts. Do not attempt this route on your own or without a guide. You are welcome to email me should you wish to go on this route.



Contact Information: hiking.guide001@gmail.com

Best time of year to go: All year. In summer the lakes can be swam in, in winter its bearable from the African heat.

What costs did you incur to do this hike: R30 pp for the permit, plus costs for the guides available on request.

How safe is it: Well, this is Africa. In my opinion, this is on your own risk. You walk in the deepest darkest jungle. Its beautiful. There are all sorts of wild animals in the mountain. But hiking is an adventure and I did not felt threatened at all - especially being with an experienced guide.

Fresh Water: I would not drink this water, but that's my opinion.

Difficulty: Moderate hike, steep hills, dark caves.

Pets: Not a route to take your pooch on.

How will I rate this hike? Awesome!


I was fortunate to go and visit my best friend from school days in her hometown, Hoedspruit. One of the things we asked her to share with us, is to take us on the Manoutsa Hike.

This must have been one of the most scenic river hikes I have been on so far, please read on and see the pictures. Soon I will load a video that Bernet made, of this hike too.

To view these images, either click on them, or right click and
open in a New Tab / New Window.
I have made them large enough
so that you can also save them as Desktop Images if you wish to do so.

We started off at the Manoutsa Holiday Resort, on the edge of the Olifants River, at the foot of the Drakensberg mountain.


Adele has friends who know friends that gave us a ride to the top of the mountain. I know it was cheating a little (getting a ride to the top), but beggars cant be choosers!

The drive to the top takes you back through the J.G. Strijdom Tunnel, to the craft market almost right next to start of the hike route.


We got dropped off at the Craft Market, and immediately crossed the road into - what one can genuinely call - the real African jungle.


We came upon many waterfalls and lakes all along the way down.


The walkway is not very clear and this hike must be taken with an experienced guide like Adele.




The route takes you through a few caves, torches and careful treading is par for the course.






Whilst Bernet and I were sitting here watching Adele swim, I noticed a Vine Snake (or Twig Snake) perched on the bush in front of me. Adele told us that these snakes are so poisonous, that they do not have anti-venom for them. If you get bitten by a Vine Snake, the venom thins out your blood to a point that your entire body starts bleeding until you bleed to death. Interesting to say the least. Can you expect anything less than danger in a jungle like this?


More steps and rocks to scramble. This route was not very exhausting, but its not for the faint hearted.


This is another little lake which Bernet likes to jump off the rocks. If you look careful, you will see her flying through the air in the picture above.


When one drives through the J.G. Strijdom tunnel, you will notice a small waterfall from the road. This is a part of the Blyde River, flowing towards the Olifants river. Adele took us right to the bottom of this waterfall, which turned out to be much bigger when standing under it. Each of us had a turn to get a free back massage. The locals believe to cleanse themselves under this waterfall and to gain the powers of the water. We surely did that - and oh what an amazing feeling and thing to experience.





More steps, ropes and rocks to scramble down...





Each lake that we passed by seemed more beautiful than the other.



Finally as we reached the end of our walk, at the bottom of the mountain, we continued to follow the path through the local village. There we had to give them our mountain pass which we paid for at the Manoutsa Holiday Resort.



Im really sad that we unfortunately lost all our pictures of the village and its locals, but it gives me a reason to just have to come back again. The video that I will be loading soon has some pics of the locals and the village, so keep your eyes open for when I load the video.



My best memory of the village was seeing a little baby goat (kid) lying in a corner on some hard rocky ground, in a small patch of shade - desperately trying to avoid the heat of the day. He must have been about a week old. I wiggled myself into the typical 'dilapidated goat pen' and walked over to pick him up. At first he moaned terribly when I tried to pick him up. But after a cuddle and some proper TLC, it was so sad to see how he moaned even more when I put him down to continue on our road further. He came running after me, as if to say "hey! where are you going now!? I want more of that love-stuff!"


Pictures by: Alex Aitkenhead ...shot bru! they rock as usual. Jx

Mother City bracing for 'beast' of a storm

Source: www.iol.co.za By Caryn Dolley

Cape Town is bracing for massive cold fronts that are set to hit the peninsula this weekend, bringing "absolutely huge waves" and gale-force winds.

The pending storm is expected to be so severe that disaster management workers are already on full alert and rescue organisations have warned hikers to avoid mountain paths and bathers and sailors to exercise caution when at sea.

But while sea-goers may be deterred by the predicted sea swells, big wave surfers say they will make the most of it.

Yesterday Steve Pike, a surf forecaster who tracks the weather, said "a massive storm" was expected when a double cold front hits at the weekend.

"During the first part of Saturday there'll be fresh winds and some rain. It’s nothing major but there will be strong winds.

“The swell actually starts arriving during the day and you can expect waves to reach six metres.

“By Sunday, when the second part of the storm hits, waves may reach eight metres and there’ll be even more vicious gale-force winds,” he said.

SA Weather Service forecaster Carlton Fillis said “a very windy episode” with waves reaching seven metres was expected between Table Bay and Cape Agulhas on Saturday and Sunday.

City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre
spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said if a warning was issued steps would be put in place in case the centre needed to assist any residents affected by the storm.

National Ports Authority spokesperson Coen Birkenstock said if a “serious storm” was to hit, it would issue a warning but this had not yet been necessary.

NSRI, however, yesterday warned sea-users to be extra cautious as wind speeds were expected to reach more than 50 knots and swells in the deep sea more than nine metres.