Around a decade ago, an illegal  Via Ferrata was built by some intrepid rock climbers in the Drakensberg.  At the time I was at war with sponsored foreign climbers coming to South Africa with their “courage in the rucksacks”.  They were dumbing down climbing routes at Yellowwood Amphitheatre by placing unnecessary bolts.  A certain climber also illegally placed bolted anchors on Table Mountain.  

The commodification of climbing had begun.

The dragon was aroused and a legal and social fire storm raged for months that engulfed and polarized the climbing community.  

Huge fines were imposed and the VF was taken down. 

Yet, now it exists and with a Shrek adventure in mind Margaret, Duncan, Lucy, Seb, Erin and I  headed to Witsieshoek to climb the Dragons’ back and rescue the metaphorical Fiona.

From the beta we had garnered from different people we expected the Dragon to be a nasty piece of work.  This dragon does indeed spit fire better known as lightning and indeed she did on the day but fortunately only when we descended.

Our group of 6 consisted of 5 proficient climbers but only Margaret and I had experience climbing Via Ferratas.  Erin has no outdoor climbing experience and given the reputation of the dragon there was some concern as to how this would go.  Lucy was also talking of bailing because of what she had heard about the exposure on climb. 

But Fiona needed saving so we had to climb the dragon and so we did starting off at 6am on Tuesday the 23 December 2025.  The 40 minute trip from the hotel to the start of the trail was bumpy and unpleasant.  We set off at a brisk pace and everyone walked well.  

We found the start of the VF and set off with Erin cruising up the first pitch behind me.  I could see with every steep bit that she was gaining confidence.  She was not only getting the hang of clipping in the biners but also using her feet and balance better.  In fact we were faster than the rest of the party and we often had to pause and wait for them to catch up.

After the first two pitches we realized that this was actually a girl dragon. “Oh sure. I mean of course you are a girl dragon! You are just reeking of feminine beauty!”

We topped out in about 2 hours with ease and aplomb and had lunch at the Tugela falls but Fiona was nowhere to be found. 

We headed back to our bumpy shuttle and then on to Cathedral Peak Hotel. 

The Beta:

1. Do not get intimidated by the write-ups or the drone footage on youtube.  Yes, it is exposed here and there but all the exposed parts are short, on balance and not especially strenuous!  You can hire a guide at Witsieshoek but this is unnecessary if you have a core of climbing experience in your party.  Perhaps the best reason to hire a guide is to help manage the logistics of getting to the start if you do not have a 4X4 vehicle or the weather appears stormy as people get lost on top in the clouds from time to time.
2. Download a map of the area on Google maps in case there is mist on top when you finish so you can follow the GPS signal to find the chain ladder descent.
3. Start early to avoid thunder showers and to get there first.  
4. Walk about an hour and a bit from the Sentinal car park to below the neck between Sentinel and Beacon buttress.  GPS coordinates -28.7430004,28.8877337
5. Ascend to the nek (about 40m) or so and a little higher the cable can be seen up to the right.  It is also visible from the trail.
6. Follow the cables and staples for 3 pitches trending up and left around the outside of Beacon Buttress.
7. Do not rush if you have inexperienced people with you.  Take it really easy!  You are at altitude and the air is thin.  Getting out of breath adds to anxiety!!!
8. VF’s allow for very fast movement over steep and sometimes strenuous sections, far faster than roped climbing.  
9. There is an escape route after the first pitch.  If any of your party is panicky they should exit here.  It will be very difficult to top out if someone loses their shit higher up and going down is not a realistic option after this point.
10. If you are concerned and have experience as an outdoor rock climber, take a 20m rope and belay device in case someone loses their shit and wants to go down.   
11. If you are in cloud or mist at the top or the weather is deteriorating it is probably best to head down the gully which is ahead and to the right.
12. Otherwise head towards the Tugela river ahead down and left (south and east) and then follow the obvious trail west to descend via the chain ladders to the west about 1km away.

Equipment:  Proficient experienced climbers do not need VF sets. Two 60 or 70cm slings made from dynamic rope are fine.  

Proficiency:  Anyone that can climb between five and ten grade 14 to 16 routes at CityROCK should have no difficulty.  If you have no climbing experience at all the exposure may upset you. But it is technically doable by anyone who is physically reasonably fit and sporty and of medium build.

I am sure that kids that have done proper rope climbing out doors will be fine if they are older than 8 or so and if supervised by an experienced adult.  However I would not recommend the route for kids under age 15 or so unless they are very sporty and adventurous.

Our party did the whole trip in 6 hours and that included a leisurely lunch at the Tugela falls.