Yellowwood and Chess Pieces. A climber's Guide

Yellowwood and Chess Pieces. A climber's Guide to one of the best trad, multi-pitch, country venues in South Africa.
Edelstein, Charles; Lourens, Tony
20009
978-1-990927-83-6
sofort lieferbar
neu
29,95 € *

Title: Yellowwood and Chess Pieces
Subtitle: A climber's Guide
Author: Charles Edelstein; Tony Lourens
Publisher: Blue Mountain Design & Publishing
Cape Town, South Africa 2019
ISBN 9781990927836 / ISBN 978-1-990927-83-6
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 152 pages, throughout colour photos

About: Yellowwood and Chess Pieces. A climber's Guide

Towering high and proud above the Du Toit's Kloof valley is the steep and imposing Yellowwood Amphitheatre. It commands a special place near the left side of the De Le Bat ridges and is home to some of the hardest and boldest trad routes in South Africa, which form a veritable cicatrisation over the huge and impressive expanse of grey and yellow rock. The main amphitheatre stands some 270 metres at its highest point, and almost all the routes through this wall are challenging, physically demanding and often intimidating. Here you will find the uber classics of Prime Time (23), Armageddon Time (23+), Show Time (25), and the excellent sport route, Newborn (29). Most are devoid of fixed gear and the odd piton or bolt are so old and worn as to be somewhat untrustworthy.

And any of the routes ground up, on-sight in a day is very rarely achieved. The main amphitheatre is guarded on the right by the knife edge, Smalblaar ridge (16), a Mamacos masterpiece and one of the classic climbs in South Africa. Further west and around the corner of Smalblaar Ridge stands a row of bullet grey towers known as the Chess pieces. Here the routes are not quite as long as the ones in the Main Amphitheatre, and are of excellent quality on hard quartzitic sandstone. Classics like No More Bells (19), takes a striking line up the first tower, and although there are some hard routes here, there are also some easier classics further to the right.

To the left of the Main Amphitheatre are a series of buttresses that all deliver excellent routes, which are mostly more forgiving than the routes on the main wall. Routes like Divine Time (19), Lunch Time (18) and Play Time (20) spring to mind, and also the excellent Lekker Time, a great introduction to the area, which at grade 17 is a must do. But whatever your intentions or aspirations, climbing at Yellowwood - one of the best trad, multi-pitch, country venues in South Africa - is a wild and out there adventure, an unforgettable experience. But it demands total respect. So make sure you have your trad head screwed on tight when you approach that beautiful shield of rock in the grey light of dawn.

Content: Yellowwood and Chess Pieces. A climber's Guide

Introduction
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Climbing history
Using this guide

Legend
The rock and the climbing
Access
Grading

Grade comparison table
Gear
Conservation and Ethics
Retreat and Rescue
Aspect and weather
Personal Safety
Water
Fauna
Flora
Where to stay
Camping
The Snotter Camp
Getting there

Map
Approach
Topo
Descents
Timerity Abseil
Down Time Abseil
Newborn Abseil
Chess Pieces Gully
Castle Turret Abseil
Tales
Not for Sissies
Fear and Loathing with my Mistress
Fantastic Time
Section 1 - Lower Yellowwood Buttresses
High Time Wall
Sublime Time Buttress
Section 2 - Timerity Buttress
Section 3 - Divine Time Buttress and Tea Time Buttress

Divine Time Buttress
Tea Time Buttress
Section 4 - Extra Time Buttress and Fun Time Buttress
Extra Time Buttress
Fun Time Buttress
Section 5 - Main Amphitheatre
Section 6 - Smalblaar Ridge Sector
Section 7 - Chess Pieces

The Castle-Left Turret
The Castle-Right Turret
The Pawn
The Knight
Section 8 - Small Time Crag