Rocklands: An Unforgettable Climbing Adventure!
- Tomaso Greksák
- Jan 9
- 9 min read
Updated: Jan 23
Every trip is different! Some are more successful, while others may not meet our expectations. I’ve been going to Rocklands since 2011, and I’ve experienced the full spectrum of trip outcomes. From sitting for a month with a book under the rocks with a swollen finger to this year’s incredible adventure, each visit has been unique.
A Memorable Experience!
This year was truly exceptional! Three independent climbing groups I know came together, and everyone had a mega successful trip. Sure, there were some complications, but that’s all part of the experience, right?
This was my seventh return to bouldering in the Cederberg and my fourth trip to Rocklands, organized through Climbingbus. Each year confirms that Rocklands should be on every boulderer’s bucket list! The thousands of boulders and endless potential are just the beginning. The community and atmosphere created there every summer are simply unmatched!
I envy those who can enjoy seven-week adventures, but the last three years have shown me that even in just two weeks, you can accomplish a lot and leave feeling pleasantly exhausted. Plus, when you gather a good group, those two weeks become a high-quality social experience!
The Perfect Group
I was lucky with my group this year! I had a small but very relaxed crew, and I already knew them well from previous trips. I train Martina, so I had to be careful not to overwhelm her with coaching. Dominik, Simona, and David are regulars on my trips, and we all had different expectations. Some worried about the cold, safety, and even dangerous creatures. Would we climb anything? Fortunately, none of those fears came true! The weather was perfect, and the inevitable rain fell on our rest days. The temperatures were pleasant, and Rocklands felt like an oasis of peace. We spent 90% of our time there, so safety was never an issue. Sure, there are creatures, but they mostly hibernate in winter. If they’re around, they’re more afraid of us than we are of them! And did we climb? You bet!
In areas like Rocklands, you always climb something! The sheer number of boulders and the variety of styles make it a climber's paradise. Transitioning from the gym to the rock is straightforward here. Just like in a bouldering gym, there are holds or there aren’t—no confusing foot holds to distract you. It’s all about pure power moves between clear holds and smooth rock. And those dynos! There’s been a brutal dyno boom in recent years, with eight and seven-grade dynos popping up daily!
Dominik's Dyno Adventure
This dyno boom attracted Dominik! After he climbed the Rainbow Rocket 8A in Fontainebleau, he was eager to tackle unique dynos in Rocklands. As a parkourist with strong legs and great spatial awareness, he was crushing it from the start. After a few climbing days, he had a breakthrough day, ticking off two amazing climbs: Flying Guitar Thief 8A and Dynosaurio 7C+ (8A). That whetted his appetite, and a few days later, we tackled the daring Albatros 8A together.
For Dominik, it ended up being “only” Hole In One 7C+, but since it’s one of the most iconic jumps in Rocklands, there were no tears! He also added Fruchtzwergs 7C and, to mix it up, sent Poison Dwarf 7B. After a rest, he threw himself into Barbie Girl 7C, a long backbend dyno with an endurance finish. He slipped off a few times but ultimately fought it off! He also added White Arrow 7C. For parkourists, Rocklands is a "promised land," albeit a dangerous one. Dynamic moves require coordination, and on the last day, Dominik almost had a costly visit to the dentist! While running up to a boulder we invented, he tripped over the crashpad. Luckily, his parkour reflexes saved him from a nasty fall. Like a true tough guy, he wiped the blood from his torn palm and sent it with another attempt. He left behind not just pieces of skin but also a new boulder on the Star Wars boulder—Fart Vader 6A+!
Martina's Mid-Comp Season Trip
Martina usually doesn’t get to the rocks much due to her busy competition season. But when the opportunity arises, it’s a joy to watch! This year hasn’t been the best for her. She was battling a shoulder injury, which affected her competition results and climbing style. She arrived in Rocklands at full strength, but her body remembered the injuries. I secretly hoped Rocklands would boost her confidence in dynamic power moves.
At first, she struggled with some boulders, but soon she realized that in Rocklands, you can’t “cheat” with heel hooks—you just have to push through! The first few days were all about sevens, but on the first day, she sent Distance 7C. The next day, she added Anna's moonkick school SD 7C, Revenge of the Gym Rats 7C, and after a rest day, An Amal Roof 7C.
But she really kicked into gear after the second rest day, climbing the 8A+ Tail of Caracal in just an hour and a half! She flashed Scoobie Doo 7C and added three more 7Cs by the end of the day: Question Sit, Overwhaleming, and Chopping Block. She sacrificed a lot of skin that day, but it was clear she was on fire!
Martina also climbed Amateur Hour 8A, Fruchtzwergs 7C, and the bold but beautiful boulder Cinquieme Soleil 8A. As the cherry on top, she climbed In The Middle Of Ass 8A on the last day, a feat accomplished by Katka Fickuliaková, the first Slovak female to climb 8A during my first visit to Rocklands.
Every day, dozens of other boulders rolled into this remarkable ticklist, making it a brutal training trip for her. But for Martina, it wasn’t just about climbing. She shared, “The biggest experience for me was the trip to the rocks on one of the first days. Even on the farm, we came across several unique species of African fauna—Kudu antelopes, zebras, and baboons. The trip continued between hills dotted with orange-colored rocks and hundreds of small bushes and colorful flowers. Of course, beautiful nature was also present in the individual sectors between the boulders. For me, it was a joy just to be there and watch the world around. The opportunity to climb those breathtaking rocks and tackle a few difficult boulders was, of course, a great experience, making this trip unforgettable!”
David's Culinary Climbing Journey
David came to Rocklands to push his limits and broaden his horizons. He was captivated by the diverse nature and stunning views of the Cederberg region. He said, “From a climbing perspective, it was when I climbed Minki and moved to a higher level. Outside of climbing, it was definitely nature; whenever we traveled somewhere, I couldn’t get enough of it. But I certainly can’t forget the dinners; that was the highlight of every day for me, whether it was home barbecues or at the farm.”
Dinners were a vegetarian's nightmare, with 300g steaks served as appetizers! The South African traditional dish boboti won us all over. Despite the high-quality nutrition, David was surprised by the trip's intensity. He joked around in Short And Stout 7A and Last Boyscout 6C, a playful boulder he tackled in several ways. By the end of the first week, he was so sore he could barely walk! He thought he might be done climbing for the trip. But fortunately, the soreness didn’t stop him from climbing! Just a few days later, he sent one of his ticklist boulders, Zanzibar 7A+, and moved his maximum by half a degree!
The harvest began! He climbed Minki 7B in two sessions, moving up the grade again. On the same day, he jumped two 7As: Sanan and Schnoiz. He also collected iconic boulders in the Roadcrew sector, like Roof Is On Fire 6C and Mary's Roof 6B.
On the last day, we were all running low on strength, but David jumped on Lord Greystoke 7B, giving it his all. That day was playful, as there are few areas where a no-hands boulder is officially marked in the guidebook. Han Solo 6B is one of them, and of course, we all had to climb it! The icing on the cake was the first boulder ever climbed in Rocklands—Up The Spout 6A.
Simona's Journey of Discovery
Simi worried she would struggle with our performance-oriented group and arrived in Africa with mixed feelings. She was concerned about the cold, vermin, crime, and her climbing ability. It took her longer than the others to adapt to the daily rhythms and fully enjoy Rocklands. Stress and fear are connected, so until she relaxed, she couldn’t climb anything challenging.
The first few days, she hesitated to climb, but we always encouraged her and found her nice, lowball, motivating boulders. After the first rest day, she tackled more challenging climbs, and on the fourth day, she climbed 6B in the 8 Day Rain sector. Fortunately, Rocklands is an all-sensory adventure trip, and climbing is just one part. We also indulged in various excursions. Our first trip was to the ocean and a visit to Bird Island in Labert's Bay, home to a large bird colony.
At the end of the first week, we enjoyed a safari at Aquila Private Game Reserve, where we saw elephants, hippos, rhinos, buffaloes, giraffes, and even lions! An authentic African experience! Simi started climbing before the safari, conquering a few nice sixes in Danger Zone and later adding the beautiful overhanging boulder One 6A+ in Road Crew.
My New Milestone
And finally, there’s me! I experienced one of my most successful eight-grade trips in terms of time and number of climbs. In the past, when I spent 4 or 6 weeks in Rocklands, I never felt the pressure to climb quickly. But these last three visits have been a lot of work to fit into just two weeks.
While my first year was about quantity, climbing 100 seven-grade boulders, and last year focused on a few pre-selected gems, this year was a mystery! In the end, it exceeded my expectations! A bunch of motivated young climbers helped a lot. Their fast climbs and the growing ticklist of eight-grade climbs made me lose respect for grades. I went for climbs I had previously deemed beyond my strength.
Whether it was ultra-crimping sevens like Anna's moonkick school SD 7C and Revenge of the Gym Rats 7C or the tricky 8A by Nalle Hukkataival, Amateur Hour, I was on a roll! I would never have climbed Springback on my own, but when Marko tried it, I joined in. To my surprise, it wasn’t as scary as I thought! By the fourth day, I had already climbed two 8As.
It became a rhythm, and I regularly climbed 8As. I thought I had it all figured out. I also tried Tail of Caracal 8A+ with Martina, but it was too much for one session. However, I managed to send the two-move Smack Attack 8A right next to it, marking my hundredth boulder of 8A and above! I achieved this milestone just before Kubo Fabric, who took five years to reach his hundred, while I had been collecting mine for 15 long years. At least I managed to hit my first hundred before turning forty!
I feel the next hundred will be a bit tougher. But since I was celebrating in two days, I had to start the second hundred as soon as possible to make it to sixty. The next day, I donned my brown pants and tried the daring dynamic boulder Albatros 8A. Fortunately, I sent the upper scary part on my first go!
After a rest day, I kicked off my fourth decade with two eights on the same day. I had already scouted Cinquieme Soleil beforehand, and thanks to the French group, we created a massive landing area. I quickly nailed the final sketchy move and started the “sending train,” which Martina and one of the young Frenchmen jumped on right after me.
On the way back, in the dark, we stopped at Barbie Girl, which Dominik jumped, and I tried the direct version for 8A, Barbie's bro/ho ratio. After many attempts, I finally made it to the top in that same go! After such a day, I felt like I had been in a car accident, but I still moved around with the others in the Roadcrew. On our rest day, I convinced them to visit the 8 Day Rain sector before the predicted rain.
I had flashed the Boulder Scorpion 7C a long time ago, so the sit start for 8A was a clear choice for easy prey. The problem with flashed boulders is that you don’t learn much, and your body doesn’t retain much. Even though I unlocked the sit start on the fourth climbing day, I wasn’t able to climb the rest. I had a few rough falls during that first session, but luckily, I didn’t have to deal with that for long in the second session.
I exhausted my eight-grade karma with this boulder, so I aimed to keep the bar high in the last few days. My best moment of the trip came right before leaving Rocklands on the last day when I climbed my 14-year nemesis project, Kingdom In The Sky 7C. I’ve tried this boulder every single time I’ve been to Rocklands, except for last year, and it always held up. The clean, crimpy line through the middle of the otherwise smooth wall was love at first sight back in 2011. And I don’t even like crimps! Now it’s finally in the bag, adding another beautiful piece to my climbing puzzle.
I can’t wait for next year’s adventures and to show a new group the beauties of Rocklands!
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