longest sport route?

[deSouzaFrank]

Any one know where is the longest sports climb?

[Warren G]

you will need to qualify that a bit more: single or multi-pitch? if single then must it be its own line or can it be an extension? and most importantly are you talking about just in RSA?

[deSouzaFrank]

I guess that would help if I specify more. RSA multi pitch, extension what ever just the longest bolted climb in south africa. Sorry

[Nic Le Maitre]

Longest multipitch sport (without access issues and relatively easy grades) in the Western Cape is on Cogmans Buttress in Montague, I think, there are several routes. There is also "New Born (29)" in Yellowwood Amphitheater, in Du Toits which must be a contender at 14 pitches.

Eagle Mountain/Mount Everest in Harrismith has multipitch sport too, never climbed there so I don't know about the length.

[mokganjetsi]

routes at harrismith are about 5/6 pitches if i remember correctly and thus <150m (maybe 120m?). my best guess is newborn; with the only real contenders a couple of monster routes at the place-we-are-not-allowed-to-mention (no, not lord milner hotel) - amphithetre is around 250m high with routes going to the top.

[Warren G]

there are some mixed sport and trad routes on Spitzkoppe that are also 14 pitches. I have heard rumours of a 20 pitch 21 sport route in Madagascar.

I agree tho: the bigger the wall the more respected/protected by tradites. At a practical level there is a substantial amount of effort involved in bolting, and few people willing to place 200 bolts on one route-especially at R50 each. it would be cheaper to buy a trad rack that you would have used to bolt the route in the first place! this probably explains why longer routes tend to go trad, or mixed.

for longer routes probably the most practical solution would be removable bolts where there is no trad simply for the cost involved in opening the line

[gripit]

Well one of my dreams is to do El Capitan before i Die.

"Long, sustained and flawless, the Nose may be the best rock climb in the world; it is certainly the best known. On paper, at 5.9 C1, The Nose sounds easy. It’s not. With over 31 pitches of steep, exposed and strenuous climbing, The Nose is an immense physical and psychological drain. Extensive climbing experience on long routes is mandatory. The failure rate is high. "

[SNORT]

Lammergeyer in the Drakensberg is long too

[XMod]

Yeah I think Lammergeier is the one in RSA but considering who opened it I imagine it would be quite a serious/demanding lead. Otherwise Spizkoppe or Madagascar if you want truly long epics. And lets not forget Newborn, sorry Snort

[Tristan]

Uhm, last I checked, Lammegeier was not a sport route....

[Chris F]

And I don't think the Nose is either.

[XMod]

I must be thinking of Paradigm shift?

http://www.climb.co.za/wiki/index.php/Drakensberg
Are there any other long sport routes in the Drakensberg?

Cogmans has long routes too.

http://www.climb.co.za/wiki/index.php/Cogmans_Buttress

[Deon]

Paradigms shift on Sentinal is a realy cool climb too. six pitches I think.

The stuff at Swinburne (Long bolt to freedom 17, wolfmothers wallpaper 21, a time to climb 23 etc) is around 150m

Power pigeon 21, at Eagle mountain (harrismith) is not the longest but one of the best climbs I've ever done....

[XMod]

Mad:

http://www.alardsbigwallclimbing.com/madagascar1.htm

Nam:


What better way to spend a rainy afternoon than dreaming of sun-kissed rock?

[XMod]

Swinburne:


Beautiful photo!

[XMod]

Sorry Snort!

[ivan]

What's the longest single pitch sport route in RSA, how long is it? What's its grade? And where is it?

[SNORT]

Probably Park Life at Paarl.... 40m or so

[Chris F]

How long is P1 of Wonderland? Guess if you had a 100m rope and enough long draws you could combine P1 and 2.

[shorti]

Pitch 1 of Dream Queen at Wellington's Dome is about 50m. The whole route goes at about 140m I think.

[gripit]

The problem with a 100m rope is that rope drag becomes a issue.

[Warren G]

when you start looking at single pitches you will find multi pitch routes with super long pitches in them: some pitches on Spitzkoppe are 65m and bolted, all be it sparsely

[Turtle]

One of the best, at grade 24 I think:

Prelude to the Wastelands at Paarl, has 2 last pitches of about 50m each, with only 5 bolts each(those two pitches are at grade 19 full on friction). Friegin awesome, climbed it with my buddy Charles Hopkins a few years back.

Parklife: 45 meters, of which first 30m is vertical, and the last 15 friction. Not grade 27, but grade 30 if you take the tremendous mental aspect in consideration. I mean, if you take in account that Jeremy Samson opened it, you might be able to say grade 27 on difficulty only, but one must remember that some people don't have the ability to get scared..... unlike me, so I propose grade 30