Monthly Archives: August 2011

Table Mountain

Table Mountain, one of Cape Towns top tourist attractions and one of the most photographed icons in the city. There are many flats to rent at the base of this majestic beauty, otherwise if you desire to wake up to a view of Table Mountain, the ideal Cape Town beach accommodation is along the West Coast of Cape Town. Much quality rental accommodation Cape Town exists along the areas of Milnerton, Sunset Beach, Bloubergstrand and Melkbos.

Table Mountain measures 1085 meters high and is recognised for its distinctive flat top, from which it gets its name. When Table Mountain is covered with cloud, it is referred to as the table cloth.

The top of Table Mountain is a very achievable climb and there are many routes to the top. There are 11 viewpoints from which to take in views of the city, the coastline, the ocean, Robben Island and the Peninsula.

There are also opportunities to abseil down the mountain, one of the longest commercial abseils in the world. Another unforgettable means of seeing the views from Table Mountain from the top is by the cable car, which rotates, guaranteeing a 360 degree view of Cape Town. 

Table Mountain is home to a rich flora and fauna population, over 1400 plant species occur, including some of the fynbos species, indigenous to South Africa and the Ghost frog only occurs on the mountain and nowhere else in the world.

There are many walking and hiking trails and rock-climbing routes on Table Mountain. There is also the Hoerikwaggo trail, which takes five days and six nights to complete the 97km. This hike takes you from Table Mountain to Cape Point and through Table Mountain National Park. Hikers can book three-day, two-day or one-day hikes along sections of the trail. Hoerikwaggo is the original Khoi’san (the indigenous people of South Africa) name for Table Mountain.

Climbing water ice and alpine ice are two chief forms of ice climbing

The term expedition is used for this outdoor activity in the gigantic Himalayan region, such as climbing on Mount Everest. This sport since its inception is very challenging and daunting in nature as the climbers seek to reach the pinnacle point with their climbing skills. As the time goes by, there are more and more concrete forms of climbing, and the specializations are become more and more popular all over the word. The rock-craft, snow-craft and skiing are the primary forms. When the climbers are going on climbing, they will meet different kinds of path and the difficulties, and in these condition, the climbers will choose their own way whether they choose to trudge on rock, ice or snow. The climbers should be physically fit and technological knowledge to shield from injuries.

Firstly, ice climbing means climb on the ice, so this may be much danger than other sports. When they are climbing, they should take care of the icefall, frozen waterfalls and other unwanted accidents. On the other hand, the climbing way is full of the ice, so this will be very hazardous, for the climbers may fall down and injure themselves. Climbing water ice and alpine ice are two important forms of ice climbing. Alpine ice is generally done on mountains and a very different approach is required to move ahead and complete the task. While on the other, hand water ice sport is done on cliffs. You should know that frozen water flows and the extreme temperatures make the task very difficult. This condition is very normal in the nature, but to climbers it surely increasing the difficulties. As we all know, the ice is soft, tough or even brittle in different weather conditions, so when you are go on the ice climbing, you should pay more attention to your own safety.

The rock climbing is one of most famous sports in the world, and the fans of it is getting increased. If the person climb the natural rocks or he climb the man made rocks. In his heart, the end line or the highest point is his last goal. So reach the peak is a different thing, for you should face a lot of challenging conditions, although this is very similar to scrambling. Before the climbing, you should learn more about yourself, such as if your own body constitution fits this climbing, if you have enough confidence to defeat the difficulties which meet on the way of your climbing. Different forms of climbing should be learnt so that all conditions can be easily coped by the climbers. Although the mountain climbing is not the Olympic event, but more and more people would like to enjoy it, for they can feel happy after the climbing, and it is also considered as a challenging and an outdoor sport.

Enriched experience, different forms of climbs should be mastered and usage of all the equipments would make a climber face any challenge with confidence.