Higgovale Quarry update

[Charles Howell]

On Sunday I replaced some of the dangerous bolts and hangers at Higgovale. I will do some more on Friday. One must remember that the original bolts were placed 10 years ago and are due for a service. Personally, I enjoy some of the routes at the quarry, but I agree that some of the gradings are way out. Charles Howell SACS Junior School Climbing Club

[Rastaman]

Is it safe to climb there? From a crime point of view.

[dude]

Yo . you guys are wasting your time and money on that cr*p, crime infested, chipped,artificial,loose ,chossey and poo crag. Get real.why don't you bolt that overgrown , sandy cliff gulley on lions head ,on the camp's bay side the kloof neck , that looks like a little more fun. Slightly looser and chossier.
Could work ,eh?

[Capricorn]

In response to \"Dude\", the quarry has some great easy grade climbing.. Charles spent a lot of time and money bolting. Instead of bitching why don't you make a contribution to climbing by doing the same?

[Russell Warren]

Can anybody help with the names and approx gradings of the routes starting left to right please.

whats the point of climbing at higgo when you've got climbing heaven EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!

It's a crap, chossy place where bolts work themselves loose, plus there is crime at higgo.

[Karl3]

Well ,if u live to within 10 roads down from the quarry, then it's definately your favourite sports-climbing place.
Higgovale Quarry is now being visited nearly DAILY by at least 5 climbers if it's good weather. Many locals and many foreigners climb here.
The Belay-Bunkie group shows up many times at the Higgovale quarry.
After the big fire we had (which started all the way in Camps Bay), the Quarry somehow smells a lot better. (But that's probably cause I like the smell of fire).
Thanks to all neighbours and helpers who helped stop the raging fire.
It's got the following grades from the far left (west): 14, 16, 18, 24, diagonally across:21/22***, then there is another 8 routes to climb which range from grade 14 to 18 I should guess, but they are the shorter ones.
Many clubs do their training here, esp rescue training, abseling etc, sometimes even stunt-movies get shot here.
It is excellent for beginners and if you have forgotten your climbing shoes, you can still easily set up a top rope and climb!

You can email me to find out how to join the Belay-Bunkie mailing group (organised by my brother): cyberkarl@gmx.net
We do things like rapp-jumping down the Civic Centre, Abseiling and other hectic events.

[Karl5]

Higgovale Quarry> extremely accessible for everyone to climb.

There is a 'security' guy there at the end of Glencoe Street )30 metres from the Quarry's entrance) who has been there now for more than a
year who watches after the cars. I have seen him many times there.
Crime over here is the same as all other places in the world.
If you don't watch your stuff, it will dissappear. Keep your things close to you as you try out the different routes at all times.

i have heard stories where things have dissapeared (e.g. someone's bag with climbing equipment worth R3000) or car burglary attempts, but nothing more serious than that (I am every week at the quarry).
For Abseilers doing their training make sure you keep an eagle's eye on your equipment. And never leaves thing visible inside your parked car.


Cool pictures and links in www.climb.net.ms

karl,what you are saying is that you are too lazy to walk 10 minutes more for the real thing. So if someone built a fake wavepool you'd go their instead of to the beach. this is so sad. I went past city rock the one sunny day to pick up some chalk and the place was packed with obviously you and your mates! This is what I think of 'The Higgo':
1]It is a smelly old quarry.
2]the granite is smashed, thus not a true representation of what granite is like.
3]it is unstable from blasting
4]it should be restored to nature (pref. filled in)
5]many bolts are loose from bad rock.
6]the climbs are really lame, especially the harder ones
7]TM is 5 mins away
8]It's a great place to find louts and criminals
9]it smells
and 10] did I mention it stinks there?

You should not be promoting this dump of a 'crag', goto silvermine, the mine,tm, any of the boulders.

The Belay-Bunkie group sounds like the famous 5, or noddy, and I feel sorry for you all.

Here, here...

[steveb]

This is addresses to the multiple Karl's (btw is your brother's name Karl as well?)

I think its great that Charles has rebolted the routes because they were most definately unsafe and the crag is used by many beginners because of the easy access from town, easy routes and easy topropes

However - I would advise all those going to the quarry to go boulder at deer park/ CBD or if time is not an issue hike up to TM or go to the other crags mentioned.

I once visited the quarry to find a pointed shard the size of a refridgerator had come loose from 3/4 of the way up the 16

Not a pleasant thought for any beginners using the crag (i hope)
I can also vouch for all 10 points that guest has raised. Too true...

It disturbs me that foreigners are going there - don't they know where to find a decent guidebook??

[Russell Warren]

Is Deer Park not a crime hot spot (refer to the numerous incidents there in recent times) just as Higgovale is said to be. I was climbing at Legoland recently when a climber next to me climbing Eddy of Bovidence pulled off one of the key grips and nearly hit his belayer so I am not quite sure what your point is Steve. Does that mean we should avoid Legoland and any other crag where there is a chance that a piece of loose rock may exist?

no russel, blasted rock compared to naturally eroded is a very different thing. There is crime everywhere, on TM, at Peers, wherever you go. The point was that higgo is a sh*thole not even worth climbing and if you are a beginner go to City rock to learn etc. BTW - to set up a toprope at silvermine is JUST AS EASY, as is Peers cave, so your little point is rubbish.
Damb you Russel, now I'll have to change my dog's name. tsssk.

[Russell Warren]

Lucky for us opinion of what constitutes a good route varies. I thought Nefarious Crack was quite a nice route (this could be due to my lack of exposure to the great climbing areas like Silvermine etc. I don't get out much). Maybe I should consider trying a differrent crag to Higgovale. Maybe one day when I am older. I think most people that do go to Higgo goes there because of the easy access rather than the nature of the climbing. I do think it is a bit of a shit hole myself, but not as bad as you guys say. P.S. Hope your dog can cope with the name change. Maybe you should call him Dingo.

[Hairy Bill]

Higgovale has routes opened & thus is a valid climbing area to some folks. Some one is keen enough to even rebolt some of the routes. How bad could it be? Note that nobody has bothered to rebolt any of the routes at The Mine or The Hole.

You guys dissing Higgovale must be really hardcore.

[steveb]

Actually routes have been rebolted at the mine and the hole, most notably Happy Hooker at the mine and Cape Fear at the hole

Russel you are quite right. Stop going to legoland. Rather go to the steeple, forrest, bosch, vision, heaven, berlin wall, uriah, palace, etc. Many more enjoyable mountain experiences to be had

[Derek Marshall]

Mountain experiance...in Montagu? At a bunch of sport crags? They are awesome crags, but not mountain experiance.

[Stu]

Wow, it seems all your egos are way out of control. Remember the first time you set foot on the rock, not climbing more than 14 I'm sure. There's something out there for everyone and Higgovale provides a fun day out for some even if it is one of our poorer crags.

[Hector]

Higgovale sounds like the CT version of Strubens. Why not live and let live. In JHB there are those that climb exclusively at Strubens and are perfectly content to do that. I'd rather the crowds, gapers and yuppie climbers went there than into the kloofs. If they wanna bolt Higgovale, let them be. At least they're not desecrating some sacred trad area.

[Greg Hart]

Hector hold on there, Strubens although a piece of rubbish tiny urban crag, is actually quite good compared to Higgovale quarry! Legoland is also a piece of crap. Come on ppl! Expand your horizons a bit! Eddy should never have been bolted it was falling apart when we first toproped it and will probably continue to do so, but at least its better than the route to the right which features a first clip off a ridiculously loose and very large flake right above the belayers head, heavily chalked up of course! I thought we had decided quarries were crap after vredehoek quarry? There is so much brilliant rock everywhere, why oh why do people bother with crap? Theres no accounting for taste!

Accounting for taste, huh? Greg are you not the one who claims Kalk Bay is your favorite crag? I've been there and it's by far not a classic, a very small Peer's Cave without the crime...

[Bert]

Is any where in CT classic? with all the traffic to get anywhere & crime issues. Where is the pleasure? Climbing in CT is real effort. Big city effort. By no means saying that the rock is bad, most is good. A fair amount is quite overrated. Take a good look. Yea, any future trips will stop in Paarl. There are just way beter places to get some climbing done in South Africa.

In a general poll of other climbers, quite a lot were in basic agreement.

[Rastaman]

Why, as climbers, do we all have to dis each others climbing venues and styles of climbing?
Trad is better then sport, Joberg is better then CT, Paarl is better then Kalk Bay blaa blaa blaa.
Its all climbing, if you enjoy a venue or style of climbing, thats all that matters. I may like to toprope 12's and you enjoy desperate 28's on trad. Big deal, its all climbing and as long as you enjoy it and push yourself and improve nown again its great.
Maybe if we all as climbers started acting like a community we would get somewhere.

[Greg Hart]

Hey guest put your name up so I know who Im addressing! Nothing wrong with Kbay in my books, Rock is solid and way steep (cool!), its in a stunningly beautiful setting, plus the climbing is better than Peers cave; more power and less crimpy stuff. Im glad few others feel the same way about the crag as it keeps the crowds at bay. So far there is little crime there (keeping fingers crossed!). And entrance is free.

Note all the attributes I like about the place are conspicuously lacking from the Quarry, apart from not having to pay (except for the broken window in ur car, the stolen gear, the hospital bills from falling rock, and the shrinks bill for helping you 'adjust' after being mugged.) You guys can keep the quarry, I do not envy you!

[Russell Warren]

The old anchors on Nefarious crack were a none redundant system i.e. if either one of the bolts failed in any way the entire system would fail. It is for that reason that we have added two new stainless ring anchors. That said we have left the old anchors in place as the general quality of the top band of rock is fairly poor and the bolts of the old anchors seem fairly secure. I would recommend using all three points if top roping on that route. If anybody has a good reason to chop the old anchor let me know and I will do so.

[guest]

Bert, you are wrong. Cape sandstone is a very unique experience. The 'climbers' you've hung with are perhaps all insipid like you. In any case, you are wrong as the Cape is filled with very amazing, classic rock. The traffic issue is not even worth noting...the crime is small, just like other coastal towns on Earth. You should come to my planet. Once you switch on your gravity reversal suit, it's a real pain to have to take it off when the flying dwarf saber toothed walruss' come sniffing around your bags. Twice I have had my lunch stolen this way.

[MIKESCOTT]

I will send Justin a picture of it, but for those who don't know already, the Pine tree roots at the top of the easy right corner route on the main face, forced off the top layer of rock which crashed down the arete. The chunk of rock containing the mangled top anchors is now lying on the grass.

[JonoJ]

Damn, would love to have seen that in action!

Anyone managed to complete the low traverse across the entire face (in either direction)? Itsacrimpybyatch that one!

If the original quarriers had a little foresight (and were climbers), they could have positioned those chunks of granite perfectly for a man-made boulder park..... anyone got a crane, and the necessary equipment to build a perspex roof over the place?

[Justin]

Thanks Mike for sending the the pic through

Click on the link below to see the pic: http://climb.co.za/news_detail.asp?newsid=505

[Grigri]

Ha ha! Briliant Mike! Point proven, climb real rock made by Ma nature ppl, not stuff thats been blasted by dynamite, note that includes road cuttings like Leogoland.

Going back to Dereks comment re Montagu: There are several multiptch routes on Cogmans buttress (including trad) that get you fairly high off the deck and give a pretty good approximation of a 'real mountain experience'.