Chockstone Gully via Els Buttress (4K) | Table Mountain's Toughest Scrambles

Описание: Route 15 on my mission to find Table Mountain's toughest ascent!

Chockstone Gully, an obscure D-grade scramble between Ledges and Saddle Face, was unique amongst my Table Mountain routes in the sparsity of information we had going into the route. No-one I could track down had heard of it, let alone attempted it, I couldn't find even one photo online, and our only resource was the short entry in Tony Laurens' guide. Nonetheless, this description quickly caught our attention, and Drake and I decided to attempt it as my last route before leaving Cape Town for a while.

After approaching via Els Buttress, a moderate scramble up some occasionally loose rock between Newlands and Els Ravines, we arrived at the baptism of fire that is the route's first pitch, an almost vertical 20m technical climb. After negotiating the ending of this pitch, a horrific mantle with little to hold onto above a massive fall, our confidence was up, and the introductory D-grade pitch was a rewarding challenge. The chockstone pitch itself is my favourite anywhere on the mountain - a slightly overhung climb with sharp holds, leading you through a small opening directly overhead. After this was a short but very awkward climb which took us to the relief of the top of the mountain.

We decided to descend via Saddle Face, Ledges and Dark Gorge, stunning sections in and of themselves, and arrived back at UCT having had one of my favourite ever days on the mountain!

Enjoyment Rating: 5/5
Difficulty Rating: 9.5/10
Challenges: Els Buttress is straightforward enough, and comparable to something like Woody Buttress, but does have some loose bits, and so requires a cautious approach. Chockstone Gully is a technical route, and one which we wouldn't have attempted had the exposure been higher. The first pitch is, for me, the most intimidating of the route, despite its lower grading. The mantle required to get to the top of the pitch is a bit terrifying, and the drop is the biggest anywhere on the route. From this point on, the climbing becomes even more technical, and a strong upper body is essential, but the grips are good, the rock is strong, and with a bit of rock climbing experience, it has some of the most enjoyable and unique pitches I've found anywhere.

Introduction: 00:00
Els Buttress: 00:36
Chockstone Gully: 01:24
Saddle Face/Ledges: 07:36
Dark Gorge: 09:10
Outro: 10:40

Music: Aleksandir - Yamaha

Contact me: @daniel_johnson_pmbpk (instagram)
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