Devil’s Tooth from Tooth Gully
\
“MOUNTAINS ARE NEVER
REALLY CONQUERED. RATHER THEY ARE CONFRONTED AND FOR A BRIEF MOMENT STOOD UPON.”
DAVID BRISTOW
Mist envelopes the Devil’s Tooth
Taking into
account beauty, stature, technical difficulty, approach, reputation,
exposure and mountaineering challenges, the Devil’s Tooth is regarded by
many mountaineers as the peak of peaks in southern Africa. This
sinister looking spire, piercing nearly 3 000 meters into the sky,
stands affixed between two molar-like freestanding peaks, Eastern
Buttress and Inner Tower. These three peaks form an extruding ridge
flanking the eastern end of the Amphitheater, while the Sentinel and the
lesser Western Buttress form the feature’s western edge. It is in this
fantastic setting, that the Tooth points heavenward.
Its lonely
summit, roughly the size of a double bed, remains for the most part
hidden by the enormous peaks that stand to either side of it. When
visible from below, the thin line of basalt rock silhouetted against the
skyline lies distant and high above, particularly when viewed from
amidst the rushing waters of the restless Tugela River.
Climbing the unclimbable
For those
who aspire to its final reaches, the Devil’s Tooth is situated in an
extremely inaccessible position. Near vertical slopes of grass and rock
sweep down into KZN on both sides of the peak, incised by treacherous
gullies fraught with waterfalls and boulder strewn valleys, Classically
proportioned, the peak itself is a thin, rounded column, with no
discerning features such as faults, gullies or ridges. The lower
sections are for the most part undercut and overhanging, while the upper
sections are relatively more on-angled and less challenging. Between
the peak and the Inner Tower, a smaller replica of the Tooth, known as
the Toothpick, flanks its western wall.
For many
years the Devil’s Tooth was considered unclimbable. Pioneers of the
1800’s did not even consider attempting it. But the lure of such a
pristine summit soon caught the imagination of ambitious summiteers. As
with the Matterhorn in 1865, the Tooth soon became the greatest
unclimbed summit in its range. Despite many attempts in the 1940’s, the
Devil’s Tooth remained unconquered in the middle of the century. Of all
the major climbing summits in the Dragon Mountains, only she and her
equally challenging sisters, the Injasuthi Triplets, stood unscaled.
Devil’s Tooth from Inner Tower
The main
obstacle on the Tooth is an overhanging barrier that surrounds the
lower reaches of the tower. This was finally breached in August 1950 by a
team of three highly experienced mountaineers. The three climbers spend
five hours on the crux, making use of bold and innovative, if not very
graceful, climbing and aid techniques. To this day this route is still
the only line established on the peak. It remains a testing, timeless
and classic climb. Negotiating the overhangs via a bulging recess on the
Tugela Gorge side, the crux is aided, made all the more severe since
half of the pitch fell off in the 1980’s.
There is
great scope for new routes and the Tooth is likely to be a focal point
of future climbing developments in southern Africa, luring summiteers
full of courage, innovation and determination.
Devil’s Tooth Route
1 First climbed: 1950
2 Grade: F3/A1
From
the neck between the Tooth and the Inner Tower, descend to below the
Toothpick. The route begins below the base of the gully separating the
Tooth and the Toothpick, about 7 meters to the left.
‘Danger and Delight grow on one stalk’
We as hikers, explorers, and
adventurers have the absolute duty to respect and protect our Wildernesses.
Nobody else will do it for us. Take ownership!
The End.
Safe Hiking.
References and Acknowledgements
Photos – From the Book - “Serpent Spires” – D Souchon
From the Book - “Serpent Spires” – D Souchon
Compiled by - Willem Pelser
No comments:
Post a Comment