General
Climbing
Key

Located directly opposite of Sentinel Peak, and forming the Northern most edge of the Escarpment proper and continues West to the chain ladders. Overshadowed by The Sentinel, the climbing on Beacon Buttress is less developed and not as classic. The addition of The Via Ferrata will change this and offers an exhilarating intro to the vertical world that is Drakensberg Climbing.

The Northern and Western flanks are owned by the Batlokoa Traditional Authority.

At the time of writing (2022/2023) the road between Witsiehoek and Sentinel Car Park is heavily eroded and best negotiated in a high clearance vehicle or 4x4. Witsieshoek Hotel offer a shuttle (free to their guests, paid if not).

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Camping & Bivi-ing

As a general rule, most climbers will not overnight, however there are a number of options

Sentinel Cave (8 ppl)

From the neck between Sentinel Peak and Beacon Buttress, continue toward the Chain Ladders (West) passing the prominent Beacon Buttress Gully. Approximately 150m past the Descent gully and c60m above the path is the cave.

  • Water is often scarce
  • Good shelter even in foul weather

Gavin's Bivvy (3 ppl)

Located on the just around the right hand side of the rocky ridge immediately behind (when climbing) the chain ladders. The bivvy looks out North over the Ewa Ewa valley and is very picturesque.

  • Water is often scarce and the bivvy is
  • Not suitable as foul weather shelter

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Multi Pitch

Beacon Buttress North

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Boulder
Sport
Trad
Big wall
Alpine
Ice
The Buttress between The Chain Ladder and Sentinel offers a handful of alpine rock routes and the most wild Via Ferrata
35
min
-
45
hr
3000
m ASL
Aspect - AM Shade
Rack - Special
Style - Face
Rope - Double
No Properties found.

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Icons and Symbols

AM Shade
Morning ; Afternoon ; All Day or NO Shade
10B | Ch
Equipped with x number of Bolts & Chains (lower off rings)
Alpine
Area's or routes located in mountainous regions and requiring multiple mountain skills (navigation ; extreme weather ; self sufficiency ; remote )
Ice
Area or Route requires Ice Climbing and associated Winter skills
Sport
Area or Route is fully equipped as a sport climb. Separate distinction for # of PITCHES
Sport & Trad
Area or Route is a mixture of SPORT & Trad climbing styles
Trad
Area or Route requires Traditional equipment and experties
2 Pitches
Indicates the typical # of pitches of the area or route
Special
Indicates that a specialised Rack or Traditional equipment is typically required and will be mentioned in the Route Description BETA
Standard
Indicates that typically a Standard Traditional Rack will suffice. Typically in ZA that is a 8-10 Cams + 10-15 wires/nuts.
50m
Indicates the minimum length rope needed to typically climb safely.
Double
Typically climbed using half ropes
Corner
Climbs or mostly climbs a corner system. This often requires stemming as a technique.
Crack Climb
Follows a crack-system predominantly and may require good jamming technique.
Overhang
Indicates the overall style. Face climbing is steeper than slab usually on small holds and edges, often feeling delicate / insecure.
Overhang
Overhanging, usually involving roofs.
Powerful
Powerful style is often in conjunction with another style but feeling more powerful than is common for the style.
Slab
Usually not quite vertical and requiring smearing and friction techniques.
Steep
Consistently steeper than Vertical but not overhanging / roof-y
Technical
Additional to general styles, requiring careful sequence and thoughtful climbing.
Vert
General vertical climbing with no other defining style.