A Climber’s guide to KwaZulu-Natal Rock
by Duncan Souchon 26 March 2010, 23:03
The rock of KwaZulu-Natal holds a special place in my heart. Born Johannesburg, I chose to escape the big city and complete my schooling in the Midlands.
It was during this time that I first discovered the joy of leaving the ground, suspended from my fingers and toes from rock cliffs.
‘Think’ was the challenge my peers told me on my first day out on the rock. And think I did, the Monteseel classic line itched in my mind for life.
But what I didn’t grasp as a teenager in the early 1990’s in Natal, was the revolution rock climbing was going through both nationally and locally.
For that, folks like Roger Nattrass have done more than create a group of topos bound with a glossy-colour cover, but in his new publication A Climber’s guide to KwaZulu-Natal Rock, he has instilled much of the rich history of the development of KZN’s rock and the people who were a part of it.
The revolution of course was the development of sport climbing, an act which suited the steep crags and kloofs between Howick and Durban well, and took climbing in the province to a new level.
Nattrass was at the centre of the new wave (indeed he notes arriving from the US with the first battery powered drill way back in ‘89), and continues to play an important part in the development and documentation of the province’s climbing realms.
In A Climber’s guide to KwaZulu-Natal Rock climbers will find everything they need to know about the region, from areas to routes, to number of bolts and peg placements, crag directions and cliff diagrams, and all the info from who did it first to if it is a must do on your tick-list of classics.
Every major region is covered, from bolted meccas like Wave Cave and Howick, to the trad haunts like Boot Hill and Monteseel.
It’s got loads of colour pics to inspire, with some funny ones too (dig the iPod and RedBull 80’s style) and info ads at the back on who to call for what. But what really impressed me about A Climber’s guide to KwaZulu-Natal Rock are the personal touches. Each R-D reads as if Nattrass climbed it yesterday, and his words echo the wealth of knowledge he holds having been a major player in the KZN climbing scene for so long.
Quite clearly the man is passionate about the subject. This makes A Climber’s guide to KwaZulu-Natal Rock so much more than a route guide, it is a tribute to a sub-culture, and a record for those who come after, to cherish and respect.
A Climber’s guide to KwaZulu-Natal Rock is available at selected climbing haunts around the country, or email Typestone Publishing at typestone@mweb.co.za