Saddle Face (via Els Ravine) | Table Mountain's Toughest Scrambles

Route 12 in my efforts to find Table Mountain's toughest ascent!

The top pitch of Saddle Face is one of Table Mountain's most iconic scrambles, and since I first learnt about it, I knew it would be a must do for this challenge. As the route only starts quite high up the saddle, we chose to combine it with Els Ravine, an absolutely stunning watercourse to the south of Newlands Ravine with some very enjoyable c-grade scrambling. All in all, it made for one of my favourite routes up the mountain, with a perfect balance of wilderness and lush vegetation in Els Ravine, good technical challenges on the bottom pitch of Saddle Face, and stunning exposure for a great mental battle on the final pitch.

Enjoyment Rating: 5/5
Difficulty Rating: 8.5/10
Challenges: Els ravine is a straightforward enough C-grade scramble in Summer, with a couple slippery pitches, but becomes almost impossible in Winter, when some key scrambles turn into waterfalls. While it's the massive exposure on the top pitch of Saddle Face is the most notorious, the climbing here is actually pretty straightforward. The lower pitch, however, is what merits the 8.5 rating - the moves here are quite technical and very physical, and the exposure is still big enough to mean a fall could have serious consequences. Shouldn't be underestimated!

Introduction: 00:00
Approach via Els Ravine: 00:22
Saddle Face (lower pitch): 03:21
Saddle Face (main pitch): 06:19
The summit: 08:11
Outro: 08:33

Music: MorMor - Pass the Hours
Sun-El Musician ft. Msaki - Best Friend

Contact me: @daniel_johnson_pmbpk (instagram)
danjohnsonpeter@gmail.com