Monks Cowl

Haha, Sorry I meant "monks south gully" ?? Snow climbing gully when full of "Nieve" snow.

How tricky is cathkin to climb?

Monks in winter will be dry though, so thats my motivation for a winter climb.

We often dont realise how hectic climbing in the berg can be, a few people from overseas have found it tough.

Anyway I'm in Madagascar for the next while!

Ok - seeing as a thread already exists for this, let me pile on

I have a few questions on Monk's Cowl standard route. I have signed up for the MCSA easter climb, mainly because I am up for Cathkin as it seems doable from the RD (some comments, thoughts, pics or similar on Cathkin South Gully route would also be great ).

But I'm wondering whether its worth actually doing both climbs. I have put Mitre, Cathkin as well as possibly King Kong and the Bell as the hardest Berg routes I'm prepared to do (all E's vs F2 on Monk's). I only climb grade 14 at the gym and hope to hit 14 at Rumdoodle in Kloof on Thursday (currently my hardest is Adam's Apoplexy (12) at Monteseel - a long time ago now).

The Monk's Cowl 1st and 3rd pitches don't particularly worry me, and being a newbie climber I'm not expected to do any leading, but that second bit (on "poor handholds and friction footholds") worries me. I found a pic on Peak High (peakhigh.co.za/test/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/guided-monkscowl.jpg) and it looks pretty crazy. Any pics would help. Josh Pickering (who runs the climbing gym I go to) tells me that when he lead Monk's second pitch (in wet conditions too), it was the scariest climbing he's ever done.

I'm not sure that Monks Cowl is the best place for me to do my first Berg rock climb, I have told the group leader that I might do pitch one and abseil down off from there if I don't think I'll manage pitch 2. But I'd rather know what I'm in for in advance than waste the groups time on the day.

ghaznavid wrote:

The Monk's Cowl 1st and 3rd pitches don't particularly worry me, and being a newbie climber I'm not expected to do any leading, but that second bit (on "poor handholds and friction footholds") worries me. I found a pic on Peak High (peakhigh.co.za/test/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/guided-monkscowl.jpg) and it looks pretty crazy. Any pics would help.

Ghaz - I've been up Monk's via the standard route 3 or 4 times I can't remember which.

The first pitch is easy going. The second pitch does a traverse across a slab that is a bit like going right to left across a steep wave in the ocean that is about 12 foot high. There is friction for your feet and some hand holds. Falling off isn't very likely if it is dry. If it is wet (and in March it may well be oozing) then its harder though we did climb it in the rain once.

Doing a traverse is always a bit harder than going up which is probably what makes this seem a little harder. You don't get much benefit from having a tight rope on a traverse.

But just to give you some encouragement, I did go up this route with about 8 other people - I might have described it earlier - I haven't checked. About 6 of them had never climbed before. Ever. Two were girls still at school (don't ask). No one fell off. No one got too scared to climb. Everyone got down fine.

The photo you posted makes this route look very scary. In truth it is not that far off the deck. The first pitch is short and the neck with the cave in it is just below. After pitch two its a doddle.

Gym climbing and Berg climbing really don't have much in common. The former gives you strength and a sense of balance but the grades are more or less meaningless compared with Berg rock.

Do the Hooper route on the Bell if you're worried about the traverse. If you don't have to lead not much will go wrong on the Bell. You'll get a taste for it all before long.

Thanks.

I did read your account with the fixed rope, so you say that doesn't help much?

Just for clarity on it, naturally a climbing gym would never be the same as real rock. I obviously know Berg conditions pretty well, I have scrambled up many rock bands, steep crumbly grassy slopes etc - but how does rock climbing in the Berg compare to just standard hiking in the Berg.

The reason I'm so worried is the number of warnings I get about Berg climbing. Are people trying to psyche me out, are they being funny, are they worried about the normal Berg dangers that I already know (altitude and weather related), or is there something else I need to prepare for?

Excuse me being over-paranoid, but I want to be properly prepared. I don't want to pass up an opportunity to climb one of my favourite khulus, but I don't want to risk my own safety and the safety of the group by doing something I shouldn't do.

ghaznavid wrote: I did read your account with the fixed rope, so you say that doesn't help much?

A fixed rope will help enormously on Cowl pitch 2 because the fixed rope can be tightly held between points across the traverse. The climber is just then clipped on to the fixed rope via a couple of slings. This is unconventional climbing. We did it as a once-off on that trip on the Cowl for two reasons: a) to make it easier for those seconding b) because we only had two ropes and loads of people.

If the people you are climbing with will set up a fixed rope, then it will make things easy. But eyebrows may well be raised at the suggestion.

ghaznavid wrote:
Just for clarity on it, naturally a climbing gym would never be the same as real rock. I obviously know Berg conditions pretty well, I have scrambled up many rock bands, steep crumbly grassy slopes etc - but how does rock climbing in the Berg compare to just standard hiking in the Berg.

First - the grades on a climbing wall and the grades in the Berg are really really hard to compare. The Berg has unusual hand holds and sparse places to slot gear. The rock is loose on some routes, though it is quite good on this route of Cowl. I don't know how to answer the question about comparing Berg climbing with Berg hiking.

ghaznavid wrote:
The reason I'm so worried is the number of warnings I get about Berg climbing. Are people trying to psyche me out, are they being funny, are they worried about the normal Berg dangers that I already know (altitude and weather related), or is there something else I need to prepare for?

People do like to complain a bit about Berg climbing. There are three reasons, I think a) the rock quality is poor - particularly poor compared with Cape Rock. It is the worst rock quality I have climbed on (so comparing W.Cape, Alps, Dolomites, Mnt Kenya, various climbing spots in Spain & France, Scotland etc). But this isn't really an issue on a trade route like Cowl. b) The routes are often quite exposed, esp compared with the stuff people train on in SA c) you're a long way from home and so if things go wrong, you're in for an epic. d) gear can be sparse and hard to place. None of these things really apply on the Cowl. In essence the route consists of a few moves on pitch 2 which look more scary than they are. Once those 3m are done, you're back to scrambling and walking. Give it a go!

And another thought about Berg climbing. I think the reason a person would enjoy Berg climbing and the reason a person would enjoy climbing hard sport routes are rather different. A hard sport route is all about strength, fitness, balance and technique. The technical bit of Berg climbing is more about finding the easiest way through. Berg climbing is all about the adventure of being in a great place which is a long way from anywhere.

Ok - best comparison I have in exposure would be the access ledge on Roland's Cave (obviously unroped though). How does the traverse compare?

Looking at the gradient in the photo I was wondering whether or not you actually need proper handholds or if you couldn't just "walk" it using the rock wall for balance? Naturally it would be harder if wet. I'm wondering if it would be any harder than the spot where Hobbit fell on Hlubi Pass - that had basically no foot or handholds on wet grass and rock, almost vertical, fairly exposed. Maybe if I can do that I can do Monk's with the psychological difference of a rope.

I'm thinking maybe I should find a steep rock (almost vertical) and practice smear traversing on it to build my confidence for this.

So you say only 3m is tough, the rest is easy? If that's the case I think I can do this one. Going into it I am still very concerned about my ability vs the grade, but I think this is one of those things that you look back on 10 years later and regret not doing, so maybe I just need to push myself to do it. It would be great to khulu bag the highest rock climbing khulu.

@Ghaz

You can do it! and so it will be done

Go for it, you will be prepared enough. I have seen enough on the hikes we have done - you know how to push your limits, but still manage the risk and achieve your goals.

Break another "barrier" for team khulu bagger!

ghaznavid wrote: Ok - best comparison I have in exposure would be the access ledge on Roland's Cave (obviously unroped though). How does the traverse compare?

The exposure on Roland's is greater than the Cowl standard route traverse (Barry's route is another story and there is a traverse on there too). Here is a test for you with climbing: you know when you are climbing nicely when the exposure really doesn't matter. In fact what is above you has the potential to be more scary than what is below you. On some Berg routes, like W.Triplet, the exposure is so big that the view under your feet looks almost fictional - its like an aerial photo. The exposure on Monk's is not a big deal.

ghaznavid wrote:
Looking at the gradient in the photo I was wondering whether or not you actually need proper handholds or if you couldn't just "walk" it using the rock wall for balance? Naturally it would be harder if wet.

You sort of shuffle across using small moves sidewise to the left always facing the rock. Its easier if you are climbing 2 out of 3. If you lead or clean you have to place or remove gear. If you climb 2 out of 3 you don't have to worry about that. On this traverse it means you can just move across at the most convenient level rather than having to up climb to a rail to place gear and down climb to continue the traverse.

ghaznavid wrote: I'm thinking maybe I should find a steep rock (almost vertical) and practice smear traversing on it to build my confidence for this.

Knowing you can trust your feet smearing on a slab will help.

ghaznavid wrote: So you say only 3m is tough, the rest is easy?

It is.

Thanks for the advice, that actually does sound doable.

Its easier if you are climbing 2 out of 3

Please explain, I don't follow.