From Climb.co.za

My foothold has just broken off.  The resulting shock load has broken off the twig I had for my left hand.  Above me is a band of grass that does not inspire confidence.  Life is not good right now, and I have clearly tugged on one grass tuft and trusted one dodgy piece of weetbix too many.  I slowly reach down to my last piece of gear and hope it is good as I load it as a means of retreat.  I am halfway up the 5th peak of the day in the high Drakensberg and things are not going well…

Hector had come up with the idea a year or two before: to climb all the peaks along the Eastern Buttress ridge, starting on the outside up Lion Ridge and working inwards as close to the skyline as possible (Lionheart Pinnacle, Eastern Buttress, Devils Tooth, Toothpick, North, Central and finally South Inner Towers).  We would then climb onto the escarpment and descend via the peaks on the other side of the Amphitheatre (Beacon Buttress and Sentinel) to complete the traverse.  The rules of the game were simple: to do the entire thing on foot, in a single, alpine-style push.  In order to do this, we would have to take all our gear across most of the peaks (9 summits in total).

Read More at : http://www.climbing.co.za/2012/04/tealess-climbing-in-the-drakensberg/

Dear Mountain Club members

It is with great sadness that we advise that Francois Junod has passed away at 7:15 this morning (22 April) – 12 days after his 84th birthday.

Our sincere condolences go to his wife Sheila, son Alex and Les, Alex’s wife, as well as to all Francois’s family and friends.

Further announcements will be made via the Club mail list. Attached is an article (in Afrikaans) with reflections on his life and thoughts.

Best regards,

Petro Grobler