Far from being a just single peak Mount Kenya is in fact a massif consisting of a multitude of imposing spires, cliffs, complex ridges and peaks. These are the weathered remnants of a large extinct volcano that was active several million years ago. Mount Kenya straddles the equator but is sufficiently high to receive significant snowfall and to be circled with several glaciers.
The main summits are the twins Batian and Nelion, and these can only be reached by means of technical climbing via a variety of rock or ice routes. The third highest peak, Point Lenana, is a popular destination for trekking parties. Point John and some of the other subsidiary peaks also offer good rock climbing routes.
Mount Kenya is the second highest peak in Africa and stands somewhat unjustly in the shadow of it's taller neighbour Kilimanjaro, which lies some 320km away in the south and is visible on a clear day. Kili may see much more traffic - due to the possibility of summitting via several non-technical trekking routes and due to the sometimes dubious honour of being one of the Seven Summits - but Mount Kenya offers a wealth of excellent and diverse climbing possibilities on rock, snow and ice.
The rock on Mount Kenya can be of variable quality but is at it's best high on the mountain where the syenite rock is similar to granite - rough, hard and well endowed with features.
Apart from the superb climbing potential on Mount Kenya, its tarns and alpine meadows; exotic, equatorial, high-altitude vegetation; sunbirds, hyrax and soaring eagles make the walk around the peaks one of the most beautiful expeditions in the East African mountains.
History
MOUNT KENYA CLIMBING HISTORY
1880s to 1890s
Early exploration and attempts on Mount Kenya by Count Teleki, Dr J W Gregory, George Kolb and others.
1899
First ascent of Mount Kenya by Halford MacKinder, C. Ollier, and J. Brocherel. They ascended Nelion as far as South Ridge, traversed onto the Diamond Glacier and then summited Batian via the Gates of Mist.
1929
First ascent of Nelion via what is now the Normal Route by Eric Shipton and Percy Wyn Harris. They descended into the Gates of Mist and then climbed Batian, thus making the second ascent of Mount Kenya.
1930
First traverse of Mount Kenya by Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman. They climbed the West Ridge of Batian from Firmin Col and then descended via the Nelion Normal Route.
1943
Italian P.O.W.s , Felice Benuzzi, Giovanni Balletto and Enzo Barsotti, inspired by the magical sight of Mount Kenya, escaped from their wartime internment camp near Nanyuki and made an attempt on Batian by the West Ridge, with improvised equipment, sparse food and no maps or prior knowledge of the mountain. They didn't summit Batian, but were able to plant an Italian flag on Point Lenana, thereby thumbing their noses at their British captors. They then returned to face the music at the prison camp. Benuzzi recounts their fascinating story in his book "No Picnic on Mount Kenya."
1944
Arthur Firmin and P.H. Hicks made the first ascent of the Batian by what is now the North Face Normal Route.
1970s
Most of the major remaining lines on the mountain were opened by Ian Howell, Iain Allan and others.
1973
First ascent of the Diamond Couloir by Phil Snyder and T. Mathenge.
1976
Ian Howell and D.J. Temple open the Diamond Buttress original route.
1980s to present
Steady ongoing development of new and mostly harder routes between the existing lines.
Getting There
Mount Kenya is about 200km north of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and is accessible by road by a variety of transport options. Buses, minibuses (matatus), taxi or a hire car will get you to the close to mountain on tarred roads to the nearest town: Nanyuki for Naro Moru and Sirimon routes or Meru for Chogoria route.
The last stretch from the nearest town to the various trailheads (typically +/- 25km) will be on dirt roads and these can be in poor condition (especially in wet weather!) and require a 4WD, or an approach on foot.
Trekking Routes
There are three principal trekking routes on Mount Kenya that approach the base of the technical climbing routes and the popular destination of Point Lenana.
MOUNT KENYA TREKKING ROUTES
Route Name:
Aproaches from:
Major camps and landmarks en route:
Route Overview:
Naro Moru
West
Naro Moru Gate (2500m)
Met Station (3000m)
The "Vertical Bog"
Teleki Valley
Mackinder's Camp (4200m)
The Naro Moru route is the fastest and therefore also the most popular route onto the mountain, being used by many of the tour and outfitting companies guiding clients up to Point Lenana. It is not particularly scenic and the rapid ascent profile makes it unsuitable for climbers wishing to acclimatise more gradually and sensibly. The Naro Moru route also features the legendary "Vertical Bog", a steep quagmire of wet moorland that is extremely taxing and unpleasant after rains. The final climb up to the Austrian Hut tackles a long, loose and uncompromising scree slope up the side of the Teleki Valley. Basically, you don't want to do this route unless you're in a hurry to bag Point Lenana on a quick 3-day programme. Descending via the Naro Moru route is fine though.
Chogoria
East
Meru Mt. Kenya Bandas (3000m)
Gorges Valley
Lake Michaelson
Minto's Hut / Hall Tarns (4300m)
The Chogoria route is said to be the most scenic and interesting of the three main routes on the mountain. The route passes the enchanting Hall Tarns and looks down sheer cliffs into the spectacular Gorges Valley and onto the beautiful Lake Michaelson. The Austrian Hut is reached via Tooth Col at the head of the valley.
Sirimon
North
Sirimon Gate (2500m)
Old Moses Camp (3300m)
Liki North Camp (4000m)
Mackinder's Valley
Shipton's Camp (4200m)
The Sirimon route is the least used of the three main routes, but features the most gradual ascent profile and best acclimatisation options. The route passes through impressive Yellowwood forests in the lower reaches and features abundant wildlife and beautiful alpine scenery higher up. The Austrian Hut and Point Lenana are reached from the head of Mackinder's Valley via Simba Col.
There are several other trekking routes on the mountain (such as the Timau, Meru or Burguret Routes) but for various reasons these are not frequently done.
There is also a Summit Circuit path that circumnavigates the whole mountain in a day or two's walking, passing along the way (in clockwise direction) the American Camp in the Teleki Valley, Two Tarns, Hausberg Col, Kami Hut / Shipton's Camp, Simba Col, Tooth Col, Austrian Hut and then back down to the Teleki Valley.
The Austrian Hut at 4800m is the base camp for the parties doing the Nelion Normal Route and this is reached easily from any of these three routes. Parties doing the North Face Normal Route on Batian will use Shipton's Camp or Kami Hut as a base.
Climbing Routes
The following table gives an overview of the climbing routes on Mount Kenya:
(*) For any ice routes see the warning below. Ice routes are still climbed on Mount Kenya but they are generally significantly harder than on the opening ascents and may require modern mixed trickery.
The easiest descent from Nelion and Batian is the bolted abseil route described here.
East African Climbing Grades
Most of the Mount Kenya guide books and route descriptions classify routes by means of the East African Grading System, which combines both the technical difficulty as well as the overall seriousness of the route. A rough translation to other grading systems is given below:
EAST AFRICAN GRADES
East African
French (alpine)
American (rock)
I
F
5.1 - 5.4
II
PD
5.5
III
AD
5.6 - 5.7
IV
D
5.8
V
TD
5.9 - 5.12
VI
ED
VII
ED+
When To Climb
The highest rainfall occurs between late March and the middle of May, and slightly less between late October and mid December. Maximum rainfall occurs in the forest belt and on the south-east side of the mountain where it reaches 2500mm. per year at 3000m. Rain and, higher up, snow can however be encountered at any time of year - even in the driest periods (January and February). Normally the drier seasons are associated with clear, dry weather which can last for many days on end. The best weather is generally in the mornings, and convectional rainfall, if any, tends to come in the mid-afternoon.
Temperatures vary considerably with height and with time of day. At 3000m. frosts can be encountered at night while day temperatures range from 5 to 15°C. Night time temperatures on the summit are well below freezing. The south-facing side of Mount Kenya receives more sunshine in the December to March period. During this time rock climbs are "in-condition" and snow and ice climbs gradually deteriorate. In the June to October period the north-facing rock climbs and south-facing ice climbs are best.
Global Warming and Melting Glaciers
We are cooking our planet. Global warming is having a pronounced effect on our environment and this is clearly evidenced in the rapid melting of many of the world's glaciers in recent decades. Mount Kenya is not immune and of the 18 glaciers that were recorded on the mountain by early explorers in the 1890's at least 7 have disappeared completely. The rest are all shrinking and may still disappear within our lifetimes. Similarly dire predictions have been made about the glaciers on Kilimanjaro.
The implication of the increased mean temperatures and changed precipitation patterns is that any of the snow and ice routes on Mount Kenya should be tackled with extreme caution. Any statements made in the guide books about snow and ice conditions should be treated with suspicion and are probably no longer applicable. An attempt should be made to get updated current information before setting out.
Some routes, such as the famous Diamond Couloir ice climb, have in fact disappeared completely and are unlikely to re-form any time soon before the next ice age. The inclusion of this the route in the overview above is of historical interest only. Furthermore, the melting glaciers have lead to increased risk of stone-fall on some routes. (NOTE: see the update below)
The Mountain Club of Kenya puts it quite succinctly: "Anyone attempting either the Diamond Coulouir or the Ice Window between Christmas and March is stretching the limits of calculated risk."
Having said all of that, there are actually still snow, ice and substantial glaciers to be found on Mount Kenya. Snow and ice routes are still climbed when they are in condition - it is just a bit more of a lottery than it was previously.
Recent Ascents of the Diamond Couloir
It seems that tales of the demise of the famous Diamond Couloir are premature. There have been some recent ascents of this route in August to October 2005, though at a substantially harder grade than the original ascent and requiring modern mixed techniques.
Post by Dougald MacDonald on the Climbing magazine message board or here.
Climbing magazine issue # 246, January 2006.
Flora and Fauna
Mount Kenya is home to some fascinating high-altitude alpine vegetation including giant groundsels and lobelias.
In the lower-altitude forest zone trekkers may come across some rather large and uncompromising african wildlife such as elephants and buffalo - fortunately these are mostly active only at night. Lions, leopard, rock hyrax, various antelope species and a wide range of other creatures large and small occur in the park.
Red Tape
Park fees are payable at the three main park gates, and the current tarrifs are available on the Kenya Wildlife Service website.
The mountain is open all the year round.
Huts and Camping
There are a number of huts around the base of the mountain and on the various trekking routes. Additional fees are payable for staying in any of these and reservations should be made in advance. The major huts are as follows:
MOUNT KENYA HUTS AND BIVI'S
Name
Location
Altitude
Managed by
Judmaier Hut (Old Moses Hut)
Sirimon Route
3300m
Mountain Rock Hotel
Shipton's Hut
Sirimon Route Mackinder's Valley
4250m
Mountain Rock Hotel
Met Station Lodge
Naro Moru Route Met Station
3050m
Naro Moru River Lodge
Mackinder's Hut
Naro Moru Route Teleki Valley
4200m
Naro Moru River Lodge
Austrian Hut
Lewis Glacier
4800m
Mount Kenya National Parks
Top Hut
Lewis Glacier
4800m
Mountain Club of Kenya
Baillie's Bivi
Normal Route on Nelion
5000m
Mountain Club of Kenya
Howell Hut
Summit of Nelion
5188m
Mountain Club of Kenya
Note that Baillies Bivi on the normal route of Nelion is essentially in an unusable state. The Howell hut is however a superb facility that enables one to spend a (reasonably) comfortable night on the summit of Nelion. It can accomodate 3 persons - maybe 4 at a tight squeeze.
Camping fees are included in the Park Fees, and camping is thus essentially free once you're in the park.
Guides, Outfitters and Porters
There is a fairly well established range of outfitters, guides and porters that specialise in arranging and supporting trips to Mount Kenya. For example
www.kws.org Official page of the Kenya Wildlife Service.
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The table I gave previously was based on information for Iain Howell's "Guide to Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro", but I agree that the translation to rock grades seemed to be a bit out. I have edited this based on my own experience on Mount Kenya, but keep in mind that these translations are always difficult, especially for alpine grades.
For example, the Normal Route on Nelion is given IV- in East African grade, and the hardest rock moves were about 5.8 (American) or 5 (French). An overall alpine grade of AD+ or D seemed appropriate.
I've updated the Mt Kenya coordinates based on both the Google interactive map, and on Mike Savage's 1:50000 Mt Kenya map that has a UTM / WGS-84 grid.
If you look on the Google interactive map now the relative positions of Mt Kenya (i.e. Nelion and Batian) and Point Lenana are correct, but there is still a problem with Point Lenana and it doesn't end up being anywhere near the correct position. It's too far to the south-east.
Where did you get your coordinates from? I get for Lenana:
-0.15192
37.31215
cheers,
Ben
P.S. I've updated the Mount Kenya page so that all references to Point Lenana hyperlink though to your Summitpost page. Maybe you can do the same in reverse, since these pages are closely related?
As mentioned before, the edited table is a rough guideline based on my own experience on Mt Kenya. The hardest moves on the Normal Route on Nelion are on the De Graafs variation pitch and there is no way that these are 5.5. A grade of 5.7 to 5.8 seems fair. The majority of the other pitches are, however, much easier and a confident party will move really fast on these.
There are in fact only 3 pitches with any significant technical challenges:
1. Pitch 4: Mackinder's Chimney or the "Rabbit hole" variation.
2. Pitch 12: The De Graafs variation - best pitch of the route!
3. Pitch 14: Tricky crossing of the Amphitheater.
Bear in mind also that this is an alpine scale mountain and you need to factor in not only the difficulty of the individual climbing moves, but also the fact that you're climbing at altitude, possibly in big boots and wearing a pack, and will be having quite a long day out.
I felt that the technical crux of the climb was the traverse, which I'd call YDS 5.7 or so (I followed the pins & slings I saw along the way; Gordon took a slightly different line & found a slightly easier way, I think). deGraaf's variation & the crack leading up to the ledge below the One O'Clock Gully were slightly easier, maybe 5.6. I would not call the cruxes of the climb 5.5.
I think that your translation chart is not accurate.
I haven't been to mt. Kenya but then I've Benn climbing the franch alps quite often and for example a typical rock grade for D/D+ route is around 5.10 American scale = (6a franch scale) witch is far above the grades you mention in your chart.
There are several comparison charts in the web that can help you with a more accurate chart.
Cheers
Roy
The table I gave previously was based on information for Iain Howell's "Guide to Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro", but I agree that the translation to rock grades seemed to be a bit out. I have edited this based on my own experience on Mount Kenya, but keep in mind that these translations are always difficult, especially for alpine grades.
For example, the Normal Route on Nelion is given IV- in East African grade, and the hardest rock moves were about 5.8 (American) or 5 (French). An overall alpine grade of AD+ or D seemed appropriate.
I think you may want to check the summit coordinates of Mt Kenya. They seem to be a bit off. Lenana ends up to the east of Mt. Kenya if you look at the interactive map.
I had:
-00.1533
37.3178
I've updated the Mt Kenya coordinates based on both the Google interactive map, and on Mike Savage's 1:50000 Mt Kenya map that has a UTM / WGS-84 grid.
If you look on the Google interactive map now the relative positions of Mt Kenya (i.e. Nelion and Batian) and Point Lenana are correct, but there is still a problem with Point Lenana and it doesn't end up being anywhere near the correct position. It's too far to the south-east.
Where did you get your coordinates from? I get for Lenana:
-0.15192
37.31215
cheers,
Ben
P.S. I've updated the Mount Kenya page so that all references to Point Lenana hyperlink though to your Summitpost page. Maybe you can do the same in reverse, since these pages are closely related?
From what I can tell, the conversions shown here do not correspond to those given in Cameron Burns' guide ('Kilimanjaro & Mt. Kenya, A Climging and Trekking Guide, P. 56), the one advertised on this page/site) as well as Iain Allan's (The Mountain Club of Kenya Guide to Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro, P. 49).
For instance, both of the guides seem to suggest that East African grade I corresponds to 5.1-5.2 YDS, & East African IV corresponds to 5.5 YDS. As your chart shows East African IV (difficulty of the normal route up Nelion) to be equivalent to YDS 5.8, this is a major difference in difficulty!
Wanting to do this route in less than 2 months, I want to make sure I know the difficulty of what I'll be attempting! Have you climbed in the US enough to have a feel for the difficulties in the YDS system?
As mentioned before, the edited table is a rough guideline based on my own experience on Mt Kenya. The hardest moves on the Normal Route on Nelion are on the De Graafs variation pitch and there is no way that these are 5.5. A grade of 5.7 to 5.8 seems fair. The majority of the other pitches are, however, much easier and a confident party will move really fast on these.
There are in fact only 3 pitches with any significant technical challenges:
1. Pitch 4: Mackinder's Chimney or the "Rabbit hole" variation.
2. Pitch 12: The De Graafs variation - best pitch of the route!
3. Pitch 14: Tricky crossing of the Amphitheater.
Bear in mind also that this is an alpine scale mountain and you need to factor in not only the difficulty of the individual climbing moves, but also the fact that you're climbing at altitude, possibly in big boots and wearing a pack, and will be having quite a long day out.
I felt that the technical crux of the climb was the traverse, which I'd call YDS 5.7 or so (I followed the pins & slings I saw along the way; Gordon took a slightly different line & found a slightly easier way, I think). deGraaf's variation & the crack leading up to the ledge below the One O'Clock Gully were slightly easier, maybe 5.6. I would not call the cruxes of the climb 5.5.
I saw there were links to various guides for climbing Mt. Kenya. I wanted to contribute the link to the guides at TrekMtKenya.com. They do various Montains in Kenya as well as, Kilimanjaro. We climbed with them in February 2015 and found them to do a good job and be well respected among their other guides.
Global warming was not caused by man. It is part of the natural process of cyclical climate change. We are currently still in the era when the ice age is ending. This is also why the glaciers, which are a remnant of the Ice Age, are receding. Mountain glaciers don't actually melt. Most of the loss is caused by sublimation, which is greater with lower temperatures and more sunshine. This changes the ratio of the ablation zone to the snow convergence zone. The consequence of the warming of the planet is a new height stratification of the temperature, when it is warmer near the earth's surface, but on the contrary it is colder at heights above 5000 meters. Therefore, there is less snowfall and more sunshine. This means that more ice sublimates than is added by snowfall, and the mass balance is therefore negative. But not all glaciers are retreating. Where there is more precipitation and higher humidity, glaciers are stable or even growing, as is the case with some glaciers in Norway and Patagonia.
Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. For example, the
Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' The
Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children.
Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.
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1 Mountains & Rocks
ben jammin - Oct 3, 2005 5:24 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHi Roy,
The table I gave previously was based on information for Iain Howell's "Guide to Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro", but I agree that the translation to rock grades seemed to be a bit out. I have edited this based on my own experience on Mount Kenya, but keep in mind that these translations are always difficult, especially for alpine grades.
For example, the Normal Route on Nelion is given IV- in East African grade, and the hardest rock moves were about 5.8 (American) or 5 (French). An overall alpine grade of AD+ or D seemed appropriate.
cheers,
Ben
ben jammin - Oct 12, 2005 4:40 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHi Corax,
Thanks for pointing out this discrepancy.
I've updated the Mt Kenya coordinates based on both the Google interactive map, and on Mike Savage's 1:50000 Mt Kenya map that has a UTM / WGS-84 grid.
If you look on the Google interactive map now the relative positions of Mt Kenya (i.e. Nelion and Batian) and Point Lenana are correct, but there is still a problem with Point Lenana and it doesn't end up being anywhere near the correct position. It's too far to the south-east.
Where did you get your coordinates from? I get for Lenana:
-0.15192
37.31215
cheers,
Ben
P.S. I've updated the Mount Kenya page so that all references to Point Lenana hyperlink though to your Summitpost page. Maybe you can do the same in reverse, since these pages are closely related?
ben jammin - Nov 3, 2005 4:46 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHi Dirk,
you're right that the grade conversions shown here don't correspond to those in the literature.
See my previous comments below for the rationale.
As mentioned before, the edited table is a rough guideline based on my own experience on Mt Kenya. The hardest moves on the Normal Route on Nelion are on the De Graafs variation pitch and there is no way that these are 5.5. A grade of 5.7 to 5.8 seems fair. The majority of the other pitches are, however, much easier and a confident party will move really fast on these.
There are in fact only 3 pitches with any significant technical challenges:
1. Pitch 4: Mackinder's Chimney or the "Rabbit hole" variation.
2. Pitch 12: The De Graafs variation - best pitch of the route!
3. Pitch 14: Tricky crossing of the Amphitheater.
Bear in mind also that this is an alpine scale mountain and you need to factor in not only the difficulty of the individual climbing moves, but also the fact that you're climbing at altitude, possibly in big boots and wearing a pack, and will be having quite a long day out.
Hope you have a good one on the mountain!
cheers,
Ben
ben jammin - Feb 7, 2006 2:31 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHi Diggler,
now that you've successfully been up the route, can you give some feedback on the grades?
How would you assess the technical difficulty of the crux De Graaf's variation pitch in YDS grades?
cheers,
Ben
Diggler - Feb 7, 2006 1:54 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentI felt that the technical crux of the climb was the traverse, which I'd call YDS 5.7 or so (I followed the pins & slings I saw along the way; Gordon took a slightly different line & found a slightly easier way, I think). deGraaf's variation & the crack leading up to the ledge below the One O'Clock Gully were slightly easier, maybe 5.6. I would not call the cruxes of the climb 5.5.
Great, well protected climbing, at any rate!
duxe1975 - Nov 16, 2004 2:43 am - Voted 5/10
Untitled CommentHi!
I think that your translation chart is not accurate.
I haven't been to mt. Kenya but then I've Benn climbing the franch alps quite often and for example a typical rock grade for D/D+ route is around 5.10 American scale = (6a franch scale) witch is far above the grades you mention in your chart.
There are several comparison charts in the web that can help you with a more accurate chart.
Cheers
Roy
ben jammin - Oct 3, 2005 5:24 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHi Roy,
The table I gave previously was based on information for Iain Howell's "Guide to Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro", but I agree that the translation to rock grades seemed to be a bit out. I have edited this based on my own experience on Mount Kenya, but keep in mind that these translations are always difficult, especially for alpine grades.
For example, the Normal Route on Nelion is given IV- in East African grade, and the hardest rock moves were about 5.8 (American) or 5 (French). An overall alpine grade of AD+ or D seemed appropriate.
cheers,
Ben
Corax - Oct 11, 2005 7:09 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentI think you may want to check the summit coordinates of Mt Kenya. They seem to be a bit off. Lenana ends up to the east of Mt. Kenya if you look at the interactive map.
I had:
-00.1533
37.3178
Thanks, JC.
ben jammin - Oct 12, 2005 4:40 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHi Corax,
Thanks for pointing out this discrepancy.
I've updated the Mt Kenya coordinates based on both the Google interactive map, and on Mike Savage's 1:50000 Mt Kenya map that has a UTM / WGS-84 grid.
If you look on the Google interactive map now the relative positions of Mt Kenya (i.e. Nelion and Batian) and Point Lenana are correct, but there is still a problem with Point Lenana and it doesn't end up being anywhere near the correct position. It's too far to the south-east.
Where did you get your coordinates from? I get for Lenana:
-0.15192
37.31215
cheers,
Ben
P.S. I've updated the Mount Kenya page so that all references to Point Lenana hyperlink though to your Summitpost page. Maybe you can do the same in reverse, since these pages are closely related?
Diggler - Nov 2, 2005 6:41 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentFrom what I can tell, the conversions shown here do not correspond to those given in Cameron Burns' guide ('Kilimanjaro & Mt. Kenya, A Climging and Trekking Guide, P. 56), the one advertised on this page/site) as well as Iain Allan's (The Mountain Club of Kenya Guide to Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro, P. 49).
For instance, both of the guides seem to suggest that East African grade I corresponds to 5.1-5.2 YDS, & East African IV corresponds to 5.5 YDS. As your chart shows East African IV (difficulty of the normal route up Nelion) to be equivalent to YDS 5.8, this is a major difference in difficulty!
Wanting to do this route in less than 2 months, I want to make sure I know the difficulty of what I'll be attempting! Have you climbed in the US enough to have a feel for the difficulties in the YDS system?
ben jammin - Nov 3, 2005 4:46 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHi Dirk,
you're right that the grade conversions shown here don't correspond to those in the literature.
See my previous comments below for the rationale.
As mentioned before, the edited table is a rough guideline based on my own experience on Mt Kenya. The hardest moves on the Normal Route on Nelion are on the De Graafs variation pitch and there is no way that these are 5.5. A grade of 5.7 to 5.8 seems fair. The majority of the other pitches are, however, much easier and a confident party will move really fast on these.
There are in fact only 3 pitches with any significant technical challenges:
1. Pitch 4: Mackinder's Chimney or the "Rabbit hole" variation.
2. Pitch 12: The De Graafs variation - best pitch of the route!
3. Pitch 14: Tricky crossing of the Amphitheater.
Bear in mind also that this is an alpine scale mountain and you need to factor in not only the difficulty of the individual climbing moves, but also the fact that you're climbing at altitude, possibly in big boots and wearing a pack, and will be having quite a long day out.
Hope you have a good one on the mountain!
cheers,
Ben
ben jammin - Feb 7, 2006 2:31 am - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentHi Diggler,
now that you've successfully been up the route, can you give some feedback on the grades?
How would you assess the technical difficulty of the crux De Graaf's variation pitch in YDS grades?
cheers,
Ben
Diggler - Feb 7, 2006 1:54 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentI felt that the technical crux of the climb was the traverse, which I'd call YDS 5.7 or so (I followed the pins & slings I saw along the way; Gordon took a slightly different line & found a slightly easier way, I think). deGraaf's variation & the crack leading up to the ledge below the One O'Clock Gully were slightly easier, maybe 5.6. I would not call the cruxes of the climb 5.5.
Great, well protected climbing, at any rate!
hgrapid - Jul 12, 2009 1:03 pm - Hasn't voted
CoordinatesCoordinates are slightly off - missing by 0.12 miles
CJ - Jun 21, 2015 4:36 pm - Hasn't voted
additional guide contactsI saw there were links to various guides for climbing Mt. Kenya. I wanted to contribute the link to the guides at TrekMtKenya.com. They do various Montains in Kenya as well as, Kilimanjaro. We climbed with them in February 2015 and found them to do a good job and be well respected among their other guides.
ben jammin - Jun 27, 2015 2:09 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: additional guide contactsThanks, CJ. I've added the link to the "Guides, Outfitters and Porters" section on the Mt Kenya page. cheers, ben
Magiosa - Mar 9, 2024 11:53 pm - Hasn't voted
Magiosa - profesional meteorologistGlobal warming was not caused by man. It is part of the natural process of cyclical climate change. We are currently still in the era when the ice age is ending. This is also why the glaciers, which are a remnant of the Ice Age, are receding. Mountain glaciers don't actually melt. Most of the loss is caused by sublimation, which is greater with lower temperatures and more sunshine. This changes the ratio of the ablation zone to the snow convergence zone. The consequence of the warming of the planet is a new height stratification of the temperature, when it is warmer near the earth's surface, but on the contrary it is colder at heights above 5000 meters. Therefore, there is less snowfall and more sunshine. This means that more ice sublimates than is added by snowfall, and the mass balance is therefore negative. But not all glaciers are retreating. Where there is more precipitation and higher humidity, glaciers are stable or even growing, as is the case with some glaciers in Norway and Patagonia.