An awkward entry leads to a long easy section which ends about t way up the face. Now trend left into a line of very steep open chimneys. Climb these keeping as close as possible to the N ridge until a short vertical ice bulge leads to a cave. Tension across the vertical ice wall and climb up for 2 very steep pitches (65-70°). Three more pitches at a slightly easier angle lead to the end of the main difficulties. A long but straightforward ice slope leads to the top of the couloir (50-55°, 9 h time).

EUROPE (SPAIN) Picos de Europa Naranjo de Bulnes, W face (see picture in AJ 86 plate 82) The classic route on the face is the Rabada-Navarro. This gives 500m of mostly excellent rock with probably more than enough pegs in place in the lower t, a bulging wall where etriers are useful though not essential. Above this most parties apparently escape to the right, but the true continuation involves a committing traverse of about lOOm, very reminiscent of Beeston Eliminate, with protection from tied-off heads. Midway it is necessary to make an exposed abseil in the very centre of the smooth grey wall. At the end of the traverse is a small bivouac ledge and above excellent crack and chimney climbing leads to the summit. As all the pegs are in place it is unlikely that any more need be carried, provided that a fair selection of nuts is taken; tie-offs are recommended for the bolts. The descent is reasonably straightforward. Four abseils down the S face followed by a short walk leads to the hut below the W face. Reaching the latter, however, from the Puente Poncebos in the Cares Canyon is an appalling 5-6 h slog on scree and it may be worthwhile to consider an approach from the Fuente cableway and crossing the Rojas col to descend to the hut. On the Spanish topo reproduced here many of the pitches tend to be overgraded-in fact there is nothing harder than V + and AI. TD + lED -. 15-18 h total (Tony Howard).

AFRICA The Hoggar Tony Howard writes: The summits of the Hoggar rise to between 1700 and 2700m, and give rock climbs ofaround 300m. Situated 1500 miles S of the Mediterranean in the heart of the Sahara the Hoggar is now accessible by a road which only deteriorates for short stretches during the final 200-300 miles to Tamanrasset. Although not remarkable for the quality of the rock the unique nature of the region in general makes a visit well worth while. Tamanrasset is the main oasis in this area of the Sahara and has its own airport. Land Rovers and camels can be hired and almost all the peaks in the most popular area-the Atakor-are within minutes walk of the track. Most of the routes follow crack lines which can be somewhat repetitive, and some deteriorate towards the summit. South face routes tend in general to be on poorer rock and almost too hot to touch by midday, even in early February. There seem to be very few truly hard climbs in the Hoggar and many of these involve a fair amount of . Caret El Djenoun has most of the modern hard routes. The classics of the area are in the TD, TD + category, with the occasional pitch of VS or a little harder. Details of many of the best lines which have been climbed can probably be found in the Italian and French Alpine Journals. Spanish climbers also seem fairly active here, but on the whole one is unlikely to meet many other people in the mountains. Probably the best group of peaks are the Tezoulag-a collection of towers rising from the roadside with a further and higher peak rising from a high col behind them.

216 This enables two routes of300m or more to be combined with a minimum of descent between-an excellent mountain day. The rock here is amongst the best in the Atakor and climbing varied. A classic combination is to climb the W face of the S Tezoulag (350m, TD) followed by the S ridge direct on the N Tezoulag (TD/TD + ), 250m which leads to the 2760m summit-an excellent viewpoint. The descent finishes with a 30m free abseil which is not without interest! In February 1979 M. Shaw and A. Howard made the first ascent of the NW Diedre on the S Tezoulag (2709m)

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77 Naranjo de Bulnes, W face (This and next photo: A. Howard) 217 78 S Tezoulag Mount Kenya Alan Kimber has supplied the following information on access to and costs in the Kenya National Park, based on a visit made over the Christmas period of 1978/79. Much of this information should till be useful, though the costs will clearly be omewhat higher.

218 Cheap public transport is easily available from Nairobi to Naro Moru at the base of the mountain. On arrrival ask for the Naro Moru Lodge Hotel where one can either , stay in chalets or in the hotel itself. Here it is possible to organize jeep transport to the meteorological station at 3000m (about £28) and also any porters that may be required. Porters carry around 15kg and 4 porters for 3. days will cost £16. Park entrance costs £1.50 each and 30p per night per person for camping in the Park. Huts are extra and are not up to Alpine standard. £1 per day is charged for each porter while he is in the Park and 20p per night for his camping (they stay in set camps). It takes about a day to reach a suitable base camp in the Teleki valley. Go +mile past the radio station to the Chouinard-Covington campsite. It seems fairly safe to leave tents and gear unattended whilst on the mountain, although there have been instances of theft. It is easy to buy food in Nairobi at the large supermarkets and it is relatively cheap, as is eating in the city hotels. Gaz is available in sports shops and paraffin at Naro Moru, where it is also possible to obtain good maps and rucksacks for the porters. To sum it up: everything is easy to organize-with money.

South African -19B1 Michael Scott reports on recent activity in the Cape. During the past 18 months relatively little development has occurred in the remoter mountain ranges. The most notable achievement has been the new route on Hutchinson's Buttress at Banhoek, Stellenbosch by Butch de Bruin, Dave Cheesmond and Chris Lomax. The same team were unsuccessful in an attempt on a direct on the Klein Winterhoek amphitheatre at Tulbagh, saying it would need at least 25 bolts on the big roof. Since Hans Graafland and Aleck McKirdy's new line of 400m of ramp climbing on the S face of Mt Superior, nothing else has been done in the mighty River range. Miles of rock still lie unexplored here, due to difficulty of access. Last season saw numerous visits to the Spitzkop in SWA. During their trip, Eckhard Haber and Clive Ward put up a new line on the E face, which used 5 bolts on a G1M5 pitch. The E face has been climbed several times before, but no route ever recorded, because no line existed through the summit Dome until now. The kloofs in the Magaliesberg range in the Transvaal still have new lines to offer to the diligent bands of enthusiasts there. Virtually every line going up is G2 and several were graded H. With more climbers setting their sights on aid eliminations it was natural that a brand new mechanical route in the Transvaal would be scorned. The opening party claimed they would eat their karabiners if it was freed. When Lomax and Cheesmond did just that the following day words at least were eaten if not aluminium. In the Cape Peninsula, 9 points of aid on Sputnik at Elsies Peak were chopped to only 1, and the one stayed due to bitterly cold weather conditions at the time of ascent. Very little was done in the Drakensberg this year, but McKirdy's party did make an ascent of Shuttleworth's route on the Column-by all accounts a superior climb to Thompson's original line. The Natal climbers seem content to concentrate on the sunnier climbs at Monteseel, where the Australian grading system is used now. instead of the normal SA system. Accidents have been unpleasantly frequent though fortunately still only a few are serious. Tom Pinfold fell off Jerry's Jitters at Krantzberg, Tv!. He had led 20m up with one sling out when he came off. His helmet was badly bashed on the way down, and ended around his neck, but undoubtedly saved his life. When he hit the deck, he broke an arm and also got concussed from the rebound on the rope stretch, which bashed his now uncovered head on the rocks. 219 The tragic accident to Dave Levitt on Africa Cracks on Table Mountain was on the same FI pitch where Tony Lodge fell to his death last year. Dave was not wearing a crash helmet, and he received serious head injuries. Investigations showed that the much publicised wire-nut failure occurred under unusual circumstances. It was a no. 4 Interalp wedge, placed badly in a parallel-sided crack. When loaded by the fall, it pulled out and dropped to jam much lower down in the crack, and was shock-loaded a second time. The wire broke at the top of the nut. Other activity by main areas in the Cape was as follows: Du Toit's Kloof mountains: John Moss, Richard Smithers and Ed Marais climbed Smalblaar Ridge and then a new F2 route to the right of the Castle, but on the same buttress of rock. They called it a superb bit of climbing. Several parties were rained off the Mamacos' NW face route on Du Toit's Pk, but Charles Edelstein and John Brown ascended Renaissance, which lies just adjacent, in II h, after previously having held off for a storm to blow over. Over on the Witteberg John Davies and Jonathan Gordon attempted Thunderbolt Direct. On the hard mechanical pitch above the jUlling-out nose they tried a near free ascent, but ran into trouble, and had to retreat with a scary free abseil. On the walk down Jonathan's knee-cap popped out while he was traversing above the waterfall. He was badly bruised in the resulting fall. Langeberg mountains: At Cogman's Kloof near the recently flood-devastated town of Montagu, Moss and Scott repeated the Smithers route, Co~wheel. It is a fun climb on weird strata. The easy looks' impossible and vice versa, They later opened 2 pleasant E pitches up a rib between the main buttress and the col with the TV tower-an ecological eyesore of the type that has polluted many of our beautiful areas in the last few years, Cedarberg: At the Wolfberg, Jonathan Gordon, Richard Hess and Michael Scott climbed the second ascent of Energy Crisis, Jonathan led the crux layback, protected by a wire-nut, w lidl Richard placed instead of the described peg. He laybacked past the rest on an eleven Hex and found that it was easier to rest unaided 2 moves higher in the crack itself. Hilton Davies led Alone in Space, followed by John Davies and George Mallory, who both had to hook across the top traverse, On the razor flake pitch, Hilton jammed up hi~h at the back, then dropped down and out on a hand jam and swung around into the recess. They tried Celestial Journey, but Hilton tired above the G3 crux moves and reversed them to rest on a nut, which promptly popped, This decided them to beat a retreat. Ed February fell from the crux of Red Revolution on the Wolfberg, Fortunately he was protected by a nearby sling, and could be lowered off. His glasses gOt dislodged just before he fell and he clutched them in his hands all the way down, The most popular climb on the Tafelberg this season has been Big Groove, which collected several ascents. Oscillation only had one serious attempt by the Davies party, who were unable [0 do the top GI pitch in a fierce wind, so had to go up the peg line of Where Eagles Dare instead. Table Mountain: Gill Graafland and Franz Nel climbed a wet Nur. ery Gambols above Kirstenbosch. Franz did the crux in socks, which he said was better than in his running shoes, or bare feet. Shades of old times' Brian Gross led Natal Fever on Postern Buttress with Hugo Vaughan, Jonathan Gordon and Michael SCOl( weighing down the rope for him, Brian made the '1nd lead of the middle G pitch the way Mike Roberts opened it, i,e, by railing low down hanging free. He called it F2, because the rail is so excellent. The lOp crux was not such a gas and saw several failures, An improvement to the first grotty G pitch was made by pushing off the loose block on the sloping mantleshelf ledge, Richard Hess and Ed February ascended Hang Ten on Barrier Buttress. The frightening flakes and loose blocks shook Richard so much he had had enough for one day, so Ed later did Persona with McKirdy, Ed freed the aid moves on the 1st pitch by using grips on the face on the left, but thought the top pitch too much of a :220 desperate stretch for a short man. On Africa Ledge during a scorching summer day's climbing, Rod and Ed February did Last Three Inches without shirts, and now have the scars on their backs to prove it' Andrew Wood and Chippy Patterson did a rare ascent of Africa Dynamite and were full of praise for this sensational aid route. Andrew did say though that the first few moves off the deck are ridiculously hard and obviously graded only because it is a 'Ledge' problem close to the ground. Gordon Bosch and Tim Hewington did Atlantic Crag, then tried Finale on Fountain Ledge. Tim ran out of strength at the crux move and took a fair-sized pendulum, but was unscratched. Finale's traverse appears to fox quite a number of people it seems! The single G move needs very strong fingers. Holt, Versfeld, Whittaker and Gordon climbed Touch and Go and the first 2 pitches of Oddshouters Outing. With John Davies, Gordon led the crux of Hacksaw free, but they did not bother with any of the other pitches. This climbing selected pitches only approach has become the usual way of climbing Magnetic Wall's beautiful crux G pitch as well. Oddshouters' first rail has had a large number of failures and it has become a bit of a test piece. Davies, Gordon and Hess whistled through Poltergeist on Fountain Ledge. Hess led the crux on one point of aid using a no. 2 Friend and because it goes so much quicker that way, said the was reduced from G2 to G I. From the Staircase ledge they top-roped the top HI pitch of Tour de Force. Davies fell off 3 times, but Gordon got up and said that maybe it was G3, because it has to be easier than the bottom HI pitch. Their party also tried a free ascent of Africa Scandal, but backed off, giving it best as the aid section is steep and smooth around the overhang and the cracks leading up to it take only small sections of the fingers. Hess and Whittaker did a free lead of Myrrh without resting on aid before pulling through the roof on Gross's variation. Dave andJohn Davies baulked at the pull through Gross's ceiling break, and Dave tried the first free lead of the only remaining mechanical section of rail on this spectacular Baillie/Mamacos route, but he eventually had to aid it. Lion's Head Granite: McKirdy and Morrison prospected from above to clear off bad rock, then opened Scratch on the right arete flanking Hide and Seek. The first steep pitch at F3 plus leads to some exfoliated flakes and a bolt stance. The second pitch traverses spectacularly to the right and pulls through an overhang on to the head wall. Later on McKirdy's new bolt-protected horror, a magnificent lead was demonstrated by Gross, using his right hand for climbing and left hand for throwing off loose grips. He was seconded by Mallory. Behind them climbed O'Connor and Manson, who confirmed Scratch as being an intimidating, technical route with the pitch up the flakes being easier than the thin top traverse. The fixed pegs on this pitch can probably be trusted while they are still new. John Davies and Hess repeated Lomax's route to the left of the cave. They thought they were doing a new line and they each took a fall attempting it and finally Hess got through after recovering from his 8m lob. Roberts made a powerful lead of Gross's and Lacey's crack on the left of the Hide and Seek chimney. At G2 plus, the biggest problem is carrying the weight of large stoppers needed for protection. General: It seems that we are only now reaching the stage on the popular crags where complete new routes are no longer to be found. The climbs being opened now are often variations or single new pitches only. The rock to climbers ratio is still generous, but not on Table Mountain's Mecca-Africa Ledge! Here anything goes eventually, such as Cool Cat, opened by Hilton Davies and Dave Kelfkins, which required a fixed rope permanently dangling down the first smooth face for a prusik runner protection. If the climber manages to gain the rail under the roof by a desperate grab, 2 or 3 moves hanging like a sloth on Swiss cheese holes in the ceiling gives a chance to get into position for a lunge around the bulge on to a rounded mantleshelf lip only inches wide. It is claimed that this H2 pitch has been led, although it is dangerous just top roping it l 221