Winter hiking in the Drakensberg

I am new to this forum but have been attempting to get a few peaks in the berg completed before winter sets in. I have done a fair amount of hiking in the southern berg and loads of trad in the SC, but I would like to get into the mountaineering side of things. My aim is to do some of the higher non technical peaks this winter.

Some questions:
Which gear is required other than the standard winter hiking apparal.(ie four season tent, snow boots, gaitors, snow jacket, gloves, snow pants, trekking poles and thermals) Would snow axes be useful, are crampons required for the passes. Is it worth trying to protect the routes.

Secondly which peaks would be the best to start with?

Thirdly if one wanted to do some alpine climbing, are there snow gullys or the like suitible for this?.

Any help is much appreciated!

Frosty

for more serious climbing and ice climbing suggest contacting the Mountain Club of South Africa:

www.mcsa.org.za

Giants Castle area I know has some good ice climbing spots.

Okay so, winter is coming and we are considering which hike we should do...

Ciretia are as follows roughly:
3 days
A pass of some sort to get above 3000m
No alpine climbing (Although some may be considered)
Decent level of fitness required
A peak would be a bonus
Something that you will remeber all of summer

If there is heavy snow fall can a "path" be followed, or d you have GPS data?

I suggest Lotheni.It has a far more 'remote' feeling than Giants.
Day1: Up Butress Pass. A doddle really!But gets you to the summit quickly.
Day2:Walk north bagging Redi Peak, 3rd highest.Continue 'north' camping near summit of eNtubeni Pass.
Day3: Down eNtubeni Pass back to Lotheni Main camp.Awesome waterfall en route.
Happy hiking!

Hi all

I am about to go hiking in the Drakensberg this July (4 nights on the mountain). I have only ever done day hikes there in summer, and this time around I would like to be prepared for the cold!

I have a few questions about the kinds of equipment that would be recommended for the winter conditions.

First up is in terms of a sleeping bag. Do you guys have any good recommendations? I would like to find the best, most affordable sleeping bag possible that would serve me well. I would also like to know if it is a good idea to go for maybe a sleeping bag with a rating that is not as good, and then using a liner to fill the gap?

I understand that it is getting to temperatures of around -20 degrees C at night!

The next query is in terms of a tent. Now currently, I have a friend with a 360 degrees Trek 3 tent, which is apparently for the "harsher South African conditions". I read around on a thread earlier discussing tents, but I only saw the Cool Mountain Extreme II and Summit 3 tent being mentioned. Would this Trek 3 be viable for my upcoming hike?

I have a 360 degrees explorer 50 backpack. Is this any good?

Then lastly, I would like to know any further important considerations for clothing. I am planning to buy a decent waterproof breathable jacket and gloves to keep me warm. Would you recommend waterproof breathable trousers? Or could normal long pants work in the winter conditions up on the mountain? And if there are any hiking shoe recommendations that would be much appreciated.

Thank you very much!

Hi Walk21

Are you sleeping on the escarpment?

I asked the same questions about sleeping bags, lower cost with a liner v higher cost without a liner. I discussed the matter with a person who is very knowledgeable on such matters and he told me that bag liners are a waste of money, a single cotton liner adds 1 or 2 degrees, but those ones that claim to add 15 degrees have never substantiated their claims to this person.

I personally use a K-Way Treklite III tent, its fairly light and high quality, due to circumstance I have never slept on the escarpment in it, but I am told it is good enough for this. You must check up on the security in the area you are sleeping in, you may need a night patrol (especially around Giant's Castle or Amphitheater).

I doubt that you will be able to fit an entire 4-days worth of winter supplies into a 50litre pack, but you will only know whether or not its big enough once you try packing it. If you need a new pack, the best value for money is the K-Way Venture 70, it costs about R900 and has a waterproof cover and all the other things you need on a pack.

For your clothing, ensure you have good thermal underwear (both a thermal vest and thermal long-johns), you need a good thermal fleece and a breathable raincoat is recommended. Once again Cape Union Mart's K-Way has usually got the best range for these items. Also consider getting some gaiters, Trappers sells them for around R80. Gaiters stop your socks from getting wet, they also prevent rocks and thorns from getting into your shoes and stop your shoe laces from untie-ing themselves. Make sure you have a good beanie or balaklava, good gloves are also important. They say the most important layers of clothing are the inner and outer most layer, try to ensure all clothing you buy is wickable (ie moisture controlled) and avoid any form of cotton (as this hold moisture which adds weight and makes you freeze)...

Hi-Tec makes awesome hiking boots, but make sure they are waterproof.

Thank you for the advice. I will be sleeping on the escarpment, I am doing a hike that goes to the top of Cathedral Peak, along with a small group.

Thanks for telling me about the cotton, I was unaware of that and that would have caught me by surprise! Do you think a sleeping bag rated to -8 degrees C would be sufficient? Or would you opt for something better.

To be honest, I would never recommend any item carrying the k-way brand. I have never been satisfied with their quality.
Rather spend the extra few bucks on the real equipment like north face or first ascent. In cold weather, you will appreciate the difference in quality.

I prefer good ol' leather boots to the usual textile hitecs. I am yet to see a hitec boot with a closed tongue (but I concede that I have never looked further than cape union mart).

I would say a -8 sleeping bag wouldnt be sufficient enough for a cold night on the top.