CLIMBING

The Mountain Club of South Africa Johannesburg Section offers a vibrant climbing community catering to both traditional (trad) and sport climbing enthusiasts. With an abundance of excellent rock and good weather; climbers can enjoy year-round climbing adventures.

Trad Climbing

Traditional climbing, often called “trad climbing is a style of rock climbing that involves placing removable protection, such as nuts and camming devices, into natural rock features as you ascend. Unlike sport climbing, where permanent bolts are drilled into the rock, trad climbing relies on natural features such as cracks, ledges, and pockets for gear placement. Notable trad climbing areas  include the Magaliesberg and the expansive Blouberg, where climbers can experience routes without fixed anchors.

Sport Climbing

Sport climbing is a popular style of rock climbing that focuses on ascending routes equipped with pre-installed, fixed protection such as bolts and anchors. It emphasizes athleticism, technique, and problem-solving rather than placement of protective gear.

Popular sport climbing venues accessible from Johannesburg include:

• Strubens Valley: Located in Roodepoort, this crag features over 100 short sport routes suitable for beginners and training purposes.
• King’s Kloof: A sport climbing venue located near Krugersdorp. The routes are mostly suitable for beginners and intermediate climbers.
• Chosspile: Located above Hartbeespoort Dam; Chosspile comprises three climbing sections with grades ranging from 13 to 31; providing a variety of challenges for climbers.
• Other great sport climbing venues include Waterval Boven in Mpumalanga, Swinburne near Harrismith and Wellington’s Dome crag in Limpopo.

Bolting

Over the last couple of years sport climbing has become increasingly popular in South Africa. Sport climbing involves the use of fixed protection in the rock in the form of bolts which are either glued or expansion fitted with hangers to clip into. Putting up a sport route requires a lot of effort and expense. The Section actively assists members financially who bolt in sport climbing areas.

Training

For those new to climbing or looking to enhance their skills, the we offer introductory courses, where participants can learn the basics of rock climbing in a supportive environment. The best way to get good at climbing (after having done an introductory meet) is to go out with members who know all the tricks of the trade, and learn from them. There are some really hard core people amongst our members who have done some awesome stuff.

Route Descriptions

The Section has published a number of route descriptions for climbing areas and keeps stocks of these. It takes a lot of time to collate all the information and put out a hard copy route book. Route descriptions can be purchased from the MCSA Jhb – Contact Us for more information. We also keep stock of route descriptions published by other publishers. Route descriptions currently available:

• Upper Tonquani
• Lower Tonquani, Cedarberg & Boulder Kloof
• Mhlabatini & Fernkloof
• Grootkloof, Ysterhout & Groblerskloof
• Trident, Kranskloof & Castle Gorge
• Hamerkop & Breedtsnekkloof
• Krantzberg
• Drakensberg Climbs (2003)
• Crags of Gauteng: Strubens, Chosspile, Vrede, Radioactive, Wellington’s Dome
• Table Mountain Classics
• Blouberg (Southern Rock)
• Magaliesberg (Southern Rock)