Monks Cowl

ghaznavid wrote: 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.

If there are three or more of you climbing on a traverse, then climber nr 1 (the lead) places gear, climber nr 2 moves through but leaves the gear in place on the remaining rope so that climber nr 3 still has her/his rope clipped into gear. The last climber removes the gear. So climber nr 2 doesn't have to worry about getting the gear out. In the case of the Cowl traverse on the standard route, as climber nr 2, you don't then have to change the level at which you climb as much. You just traverse on the easier line. If you are leading, you need to climb up to a rail to place gear and then downclimb 1.5 moves back to the easiest level for the traverse. Same for the last climber. There used to be a bit of gear (a nut) stuck in the rail on Cowl.

Ok - the 2nd of 3 climbers. I follow what you mean.

I assume that a combined event of the Jo'burg and KZN MCSA clubs over a 4 day long weekend climbing 2 Berg legends should have a fairly substantial group - but I guess you never know.

Anthony (who is leading the event) told me the following:

we will need to carry 2 ropes and a rack for the first 3 climbers, then another rope for each additional climber

So to me that sounds like climber 1 taking a double rope, climber 2 and 3 cleaning up gear on each line and everyone thereafter top roping off a line taken up by the climber who went before them. Either that or I am very much lost on the semantics of large groups climbing! Maybe this is also partially to allow the faster climbers to begin on pitch 2 while slower climbers are still busy with pitch 1. I guess there isn't any other way of doing a traverse anyway.

ghaznavid wrote: Ok - the 2nd of 3 climbers. I follow what you mean.

I assume that a combined event of the Jo'burg and KZN MCSA clubs over a 4 day long weekend climbing 2 Berg legends should have a fairly substantial group - but I guess you never know.

Anthony (who is leading the event) told me the following:

we will need to carry 2 ropes and a rack for the first 3 climbers, then another rope for each additional climber

So to me that sounds like climber 1 taking a double rope, climber 2 and 3 cleaning up gear on each line and everyone thereafter top roping off a line taken up by the climber who went before them. Either that or I am very much lost on the semantics of large groups climbing! Maybe this is also partially to allow the faster climbers to begin on pitch 2 while slower climbers are still busy with pitch 1. I guess there isn't any other way of doing a traverse anyway.

When there are lots of climbers and limited time, then there are many different tricks you can use to make the climb happen (e.g. our unconventional fixed rope tactic). Best to make a request to climb in the middle somewhere.....

Anthony tells me that there are 3 Jo'burg guys and 2-3 PMB guys (depending on whether or not I go).

He says if its wet (as the weather forecast is predicting), it will become a 4 day loop at Monk's Cowl, doing Vaalribbokkop cave, Zulu Cave and Hospitalspruit Cave.

It was pouring at Monk's Cowl when we were at Didima on Saturday, I see Cathedral Peak weathercam shows heavy mist over the Cathedral Peak area currently and the weather forecast is for rain over the next few days. So it doesn't look like it'll happen.

Maybe not a bad thing, I am still not convinced that I am either currently or in the future will be at a level to climb Monk's Cowl.