Dion was born in Johannesburg in 1968, so exactly he’s 10 years older than I am.
He grew up in Woodmead and went to KES (King Edward VII Boys School).
The Magaliesberg and Drakensberg were Dion’s stamping ground as Dion’s Father, Boris Van Der Riet, had been raised on a family farm in the foothills of the Drakensberg. Boris was also a climber and an electrical engineer.
He worked for Marconi’s in the UK, the company that built the first transistor radio and for the rest of his career he worked for the NITR (National Institute of Telecommunications Research) which had a generous annual leave policy. This led Boris to drag the family out on numerous adventurous holidays each year throughout Southern Africa.
Boris was a keen rower at varsity and was part of the South African National rowing team that unfortunately didn’t make it to the Olympics due to sanctions. His rowing fitness is was what got him into climbing.
Some of his contemporaries amongst others were Mervyn Prior and Paul Fatti.
Boris, Kathleen, George, Mervyn.”
Dion’s mother Ann was the secretary of the Johannesburg Mountain Club from 1965 to 1985. She spent her childhood scrambling and climbing on Table Mountain with her father and brother along with the family dog and cat.
Ann had a special harness made for her cat and dog who often accompanied them on the mountain.
As one of four children, 3 Boys and 1 Girl, Dion had to develop resilience to survive.
Dion’s sister Ingrid married Phil Uys who opened climbing routes at Oorlogskloof in Montagu and De Mond in the Tankwa Karoo region of the Cederberg.
For those of you who don’t know De Mond is a campsite and climbing area on the banks of the Grootrivier which is well known for its spectacular swimming.
Dion’s youngest brother, Adrian lives in Bishop California and is a mad-keen off road unicyclist, because ordinary mountain biking just isn’t exciting enough! 😊
Having been raised on a diet of camping trips to the Magaliesberg and forced route marches in the Drakensberg and beyond, roughing it was second nature to Dion.
His parents owned an old VW Kombi that they modified for off roading. They removed the back seats and the 4 children and friends would sit on top of all the camping equipment.
They explored all over Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and around South Africa.
After school Dion went to the Army for 2 years and that’s where he learnt to be even more hardcore.
After the army he cycled around Scotland and Ireland which is obviously not for fair weather cyclists.
Dion went to University in Kwa-Zulu Natal and studied Agricultural Economics and was part of the UKZN Mountain Club along with the likes of Evan Wiercx, Steve Bradshaw and Andrea Nattrass.
His claim to fame was doing pinch grip pull-up’s in the Monteseel Hut.
Together with the University Climbing Club they did climbing trips to Krakadouw and Wolfberg in the Cederberg and hiked the Amatola and Outeniqua hiking trails amongst others.
Dion spent a lot of time in the Drakensberg and did peaks such as the Devils Tooth, The Rhino and The Sentinel and attempted The Western Injisuthi Triplet.
After graduating from University Dion travelled the world and climbed in Europe and the US. On his return he tried his hand at Agri Business consulting and agricultural development finance.
Y2K played a big part in the rapid acceleration of Dion’s career now as a SAP IT consultant, around the time when the world faced the Y2K problem, or Millennium Bug. For those younger readers, Y2K was the potential computer glitch arising from the widespread practice of computer programs storing years as two digits and requiring an “update” from a 2-digit date to 4-digit date.
As a SAP consultant he worked with Henkel (the Pratleys Putty glue guys), Toyota, Sekunjalo, Total, Sasol and now BMW amongst others.
As a good consultant, Dion “borrows the clients watch to tell them the time”.
He attributes his success career wise to being able to work with people, regardless of their position. He treats people with the respect they deserve and is an excellent communicator and gets things done.
Dion has two sons, Jeremy and Jonno, who have both contributed to Dion’s climbing, but in different ways.
Jeremy is now a 4th generation climber who has ticked off a number of sport routes above the SA Grade 30 and is the perfect rope gun for Dion.
Jonno is studying Mechanical Engineering and has ambitions of flying a rocket to the moon, but in the meanwhile has built a rotating climbing wall for his final year engineering project. This wall now resides on Dion’s stoep and is his secret training weapon.
During Covid Dion’s work became remote so he sold his property in Johannesburg thinking he would move to Stellenbosch to be closer to his boys at Varsity.
However, after visiting and climbing in Montagu and more importantly meeting the local climbing community he very quickly decided Montagu was the place to be!
He still makes work trips to Johannesburg every other month and lives happily in Montagu with his partner Cailin and the neighbor’s cat, Blossom, who adopted him soon after his guests started feeding it.
Dave: Do you have any interests other than climbing?
Dion: I have an interest in birding which was developed by my ex out-laws and Sister who are all mad keen “Twitchers”.
Dave: What do you enjoy the most about living in Montagu?
Dion: Apart from the views and easy access to climbing, the Montagu climbing community is second to none and continues to grow.
Dave: Where were you during your compulsory 2 years Army service and do you have any epic hitch-hiking tales from then?
Dion: I was in Oudtshoorn for a year. It was lucky I didn’t know about the Oudtshoorn crag back then as I would have been AWOL more often.
Dave: What were your first climbing experiences like?
Dion: When I was a kid we spent most weekends in the Magaliesberg. We were given two choices, either hike or climb. I chose climbing, barefoot with a rope around the waist.
Dave: What’s your biggest climbing epic story?
Dion: At varsity a friend and I attempted The Western Injasuti Triplet in the KZN Drakensberg. We got half way up and slept on a ledge. During the night a howling gale sprang up and blew our dangling ropes and equipment all over the place. We had to abandon our attempt and down climb.
Dave: Was Y2K a real issue or was it just a perceived problem with consultants benefitting?
Dion: Y2K was a legitimate threat but had minimal impact to our global systems. It was a bit of an anti-climax especially for those expecting the worst and those who bought expensive home generators and stocked bunkers full of canned food.
Dave: Having worked at Henkel (the Glue Guys) did you ever put a tiny bit of Prestik under your climbing shoe to help stick a small foot hold?
Dion: “No comment”, just jokes I would never do that, anyway Bostik makes Prestik.
Dave: I’ve seen you trying extremely hard while projecting routes in Montagu. What do you tell yourself psychologically in order to give that little bit extra when your needle is already red-lining.
Dion: I tell myself to “believe” that it’s possible!
Dave: You don’t drink alcohol and you eat healthy foods. What is your one vice?
Dion: I sniff Henkel Glue! No just joking, I enjoy good coffee and “Sending Treats” from The Pastry Place in Montagu 😊.
Dave: What’s your favorite Montagu climbing area?
Dion: The Guano Caves climbing area development has been a game changer for Montagu climbing, but I love Keurkloof and the feeling of remoteness it gives me.
Dave: Marmite or Bovril?
Dion: Peanut butter and jam!
Dave: Longest project in Montagu and hardest send?
Dion: The longest project must be Monkey Pump (29) and hardest send, The Vice (30) in Oudtshoorn.
Dave: Do you have any climbing goals for 2025?
Dion: Yes, avoid injury at all cost and just to enjoy my climbing.
📷 @Oan De Waal
That’s all for now, folks! Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram pages for the next climber profile, and give Rainbow Glen a visit if you head out to Montagu!
ABOUT RAINBOW GLEN
Rainbow Glen, owned and operated by climbers Dave and Tara Webster, provides superb self-catering accommodation in Montagu, with seven cottages of different sizes available for big and small groups. Plus, along with being located right at the start of Bad Kloof and close to all of Montagu’s other crags, Rainbow Glen offers discounted rates for climbers!
Visit www.rainbowglen.co.za to find out more and make your booking.
Along with operating Rainbow Glen, David also runs Route 62 Mountain Adventures, which offers guided hiking, mountain biking and climbing experiences in and around Montagu – visit this link for more information and start planning your adventure…
Special thanks to David and Tara for allowing GoodBETA to re-share this interview, first published in the Rainbow Glen May 2025 newsletter. All pictures are courtesy of Rainbow Glen.
