Rocklands in South Africa is an iconic bouldering destination with a great range of grades including some legendry test-pieces from Fred Nicole.
SCARPA Athlete Eliot Stephens head out to South Africa this June to revisit and explore some of the best which South Africa has to offer.
Read on for Eliot's trip report:
In 2017, I was lucky enough to visit South Africa’s Rocklands for the first time. It was an eye opening and jaw dropping experience. 5 weeks of seeing some of the worlds best boulders, landscapes and climbers, all in one place. Rocklands hits a little bit harder than any other climbing area, and in almost every area.
The boulders are that bit bigger, the rock that bit more colourful, the steaks that bit bigger, and the landscape that bit more picturesque.
I had an incredible first trip, climbing a host of classic boulders, and achieving some personal milestones along the way, like climbing my first 8B+ boulder (Golden Shadow), and flashing my first 8th grade boulder, Tea with Elmarie.
After that trip, it was almost a foregone conclusion that I’d return again a year later in 2018. And so 2018 came around, and once again Rocklands delivered. I was able to climb another bunch of amazing boulders, and have a great time with another group of friends.
Fast forward to late 2024, past a pandemic and years of prioritising other areas, and it was time to book a return.
Suddenly June 2025 had come around, and it was time to fly to Cape Town. Driving up Pakhuis Pass on the first day of the trip, I couldn’t believe it had been 7 years since my last visit. There were things I’d forgotten about the place, and things that were exactly as I’d remembered them. Holds that felt bigger, and moves that felt smaller. But most importantly, the place felt just as special as it had during my first visit. I was almost annoyed that I’d been away for so long, but so glad to be back.
I spent the initial days of the trip getting acclimated and repeating some boulders from previous trips, reminding myself of the rock and movement quality. But soon enough, I wanted to sample the harder boulders I’d been thinking about. I spent a couple of sessions familiarising myself with the climbing in the Ray of Light cave, and was able to finish off a fun, basic boulder called Bloody Mary (8B+), which I probably just didn’t have the minerals for back in 2018.
Next up was Monkey Wedding, one of Fred Nicole’s hardest boulders, and perhaps one of the first 8C boulders in the world, climbed back in 2005. In 2018 I’d done all but two of the moves, and they didn’t even feel close. First session this trip I found myself one move closer, but still missing the extended bump out right to a small and tricky to hit hold. I was optimistic but also aware that in a 3 week trip, time would be tight.
So a week later, a second session firmly unlocked this final move, and straight away a link to the end of the boulder, which I managed to make 3 times in that session. Suddenly I saw it was possible, and that was a great feeling. When a boulder that is firmly on your life list goes from uncertain to possible, it’s often a more exciting experience than climbing another boulder of the same grade.
The importance I can place on a particular boulder over another always surprises me, but Monkey Wedding is an all time boulder. It may not be the prettiest, or the tallest, or the hardest, but it’s sitting there in Rocklands most famous area, as a test piece from a man who shaped bouldering as we know it. It took the likes of Daniel Woods and Jimmy Webb multiple seasons, and repelled many climbers for years. These days however, it’s climbed in a session or two by some of the worlds best.
So after completing the last move, it only made sense to invest a little more time. As the trip went along and we revisited old areas and sampled new ones, I began to feel the draw back to Monkey Wedding. My skin was poor, but I felt confident in having some meaningful goes each session. With only a few days remaining in the trip, I took a day to sample other boulders; some ‘moderates’ as our young American friend would say.
I enjoyed climbing a few brilliant 8A’s with very little concept of beta, and just climbing intuitively and working out sequences. Maybe the most fun way to climb, but hard to justify with beta videos of almost everything you want to try available on hand! But that is a wider topic for discussion elsewhere.
So the last day of the trip, I decided to have a final session on Monkey Wedding. Whilst my skin had improved, the discomfort of the holds still presented itself. Digging your left hand into the crux hold became painful quickly, and any millimetre of inaccuracy was enough to thwart an attempt.
I began to realise that the crux of this boulder wasn’t where I thought it was - a rare experience. Often, the crux move is the crux. But here, the crux was getting the crux hold precisely where you needed it, early enough in your session to make the difference!
This time, it didn’t work out, but I wasn’t frustrated or disappointed. The feeling was what it should be for me; the excitement for the opportunity to succeed in the future.
See you next year Rocklands…
