2024 Black Diamond Tradathon: Wolfberg Wrap up Report

The 2024 Black Diamond Tradathon at Wolfberg Cederberg brought together South Africa’s trad climbing community, from newcomers to veterans, for a successful event filled with new route achievements, inspiring talks, and camaraderie against the stunning backdrop of Wolfberg’s iconic sandstone cliffs.

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Photo Competition – WIN !

Did you capture the magic of the weekend? If so share your photos and stand a chance to win a 3-month City ROCK membership, redeemable at any of the three City ROCK gyms.

To Enter:

Email your best images to marketing@rammountain.co.za, limited to 5 photos. 1 Photo = 1 Entry. Entries close on the 15th November, Winner will be announced by the 20th November, Judges decision is final. Once everyone has submitted & we close the competition – we will create a gallery of the best pics for all to see.


Friday Night Kickoff: Registration and Mountain Quiz

The weekend began with a lively Friday night, featuring a Mountain Quiz hosted by Tony Lourens. The evening was full of fun and camaraderie around the campfire, where new and familiar faces connected in the Cederberg mountains.

Prizes for the Mountain Quiz:

  • 1st Prize: Black Diamond Captain Helmet
  • 2nd Prize: Scarpa Garb
  • 3rd Prize: Cederberg Wine

Saturday: Climbing at Wolfberg Cracks

The main event kicked off bright and early, with over 100 climbers starting their ascents at first light to maximize their day on the Wolfberg Crack routes.

Climbers engaged in four workshops throughout the day. Unfortunately, the rescue workshop was postponed due to Sunday’s weather forecast.

There were ascents of all grades; multi-pitches on the big walls and single pitches in the gullies; old classics and new routes opened the day. Routes included Eclipse, Omega, Day of the Jackals, Wolfgang, Celestial Journey, Alone In Space, the SE Composite Route, Knobness Robot, Little Bot, Prisoners of the Sun, Peaches, Snail Eyes, Little Red Rooster and Mildred/Energy Crisis combo – and more.

The oldies showed off the newbies with some notable events including a new route by Hilton Davies & Deon van Zyl Pearly Gates at 24 A1 in the narrow gully approach area and a proper lead whipper on Knobless Robot by Charlse Bowker. Massive undertaking at 73 years old !

Saturday Evening festivities:

The evening started with Dawie from Sustainable Ceder sharing details of important environmental projects in the Cederberg. You can learn more about their initiatives on their website.

Ant Hall then entertained us with a fantastic presentation on the history of Wolfberg and Cederberg climbing intermingled with his own personal journey collimating in the hardest, boldest trad route at Wolfberg – Cold Fusion.

Unfortunately, due to dinner delays & the approaching storm – we did not get to enjoy Greg & Andy’s slide show about big walling in Kyrgyzstan.

Prize Highlights
The day ended with an incredible prize-giving session, thanks to our generous sponsors: Black Diamond, Scarpa, Cederberg, Driehoek, City ROCK, ClimbOn, and Life Ventures.

Some of the Prize Categories included:

  • Most Impressive Send of the Day
  • Most Encouraging Spirit of the Day:
  • First Trad Follow
  • First Trad Lead
  • Greatest Number of Pitches
  • New Routes Opened     
  • Youngest Climber
  • Oldest Climber
  • Most Squats After the Ascent/Descent:

The Trad Raffle Winner (lucky number 84, drawn by Kate Larmuth) went to Bianca Carter. Overwhelmed with joy, Bianca and her partner Duncan decided to sponsor their current Trad rack to Julia Wakelin Bird for her Trad Mentorship program. A beautiful gesture of giving back to the climbing community.

Catering Challenges

Despite a breakdown in Malmesbury, two and a half hours away, our caterers managed to serve nearly 100 hungry climbers a delicious dinner, even pulling off second helpings!

A huge shoutout to them for overcoming the odds.

Weather and Weekend Recap

The forecast threatened a major storm in the Cederberg, but we were fortunate to get a full day of climbing and celebration before the weather rolled in.

Behind the Scenes Thanks

A big round of thanks goes to our guides, who gave their time at reduced rates to make the workshops possible. Your contribution to the climbing community is invaluable.

Special thanks to:

  • Megan Beaumont
  • Tony Lourens
  • Garvin Jacobs
  • Justin Lawson
  • Ant Hall

Our heartfelt appreciation also goes to our event medic, Thomas Vermaak, our photographers Franco Kellerman and Paul De Villiers, and the crew at RAM Mountaineering for all the behind the scenes work.

What’s Next?
We’re already looking ahead to the next adventure! Keep an eye on our social media for updates on Black Diamond Tradathon 2025. See you there!

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