TSARANORO: THE YOSEMITE OF AFRICA

TSARANORO: THE YOSEMITE OF AFRICA

Due to a series of freak geological events that took place between 165 and 100 million years ago, when the super-continent of Gondwanaland broke apart, it is a place of exceptional biodiversity and environmental importance. Madagascar has its own group of charismatic primates collectively known as Lemurs, of which there are almost fifty species in five families. As a whole, the island harbours 4% of the earth’s total plant and animal species, an astonishing 85% of which are endemic.

In the hot and arid south of Madagascar, the Andringitra National Park stretches across some of the most spectacular granite terrain in the southern hemisphere. For more than a decade it has been explored by climbers worldwide in search of exotic big-wall adventures. The first route on the Tsaranoro Massif, Rain Boto (7a obl. / 7b+ max) was climbed by big-wall veterans Kurt Albert and Bernd Arnold in November 1995, and the area has remained the focus for big-wall climbing in Africa ever since. Today, there are over fifty free climbs between 6a and 8c+ at Tsaranoro, varying in length from 50 to 800 metres, and artificial routes up to A4.

And it is not just for rock climbing that Andringitra is celebrated: the national park is criss-crossed by hundreds of kilometres of hiking trails and is a consummate walker’s paradise, with numerous excursions possible from mildly demanding day treks to multi-day, full blown wilderness expeditions for which a high level of fitness and a local guide are essential. Madagascar’s second highest mountain, Peak Imarivolanitra (or Peak Boby) lies at 2658 metres at the geographical centre of Andringitra. Ecologists, too, will be enchanted: the region is a primary habitat of the ringtailed lemur, or lemur catta: these loquacious creatures with their distinctive striped tails (see image 8) will inevitably be encountered during any trekking or climbing expedition. The area is also home to over thirty species of orchid, several species of falcon, innumerable lizards, chameleons, snakes, and spiders. This exceptionally rich biodiversity is partly the result of the collision of subtropical and alpine climates within an ecosystem found nowhere else on earth, and partly due to Andringitra’s unique variety of landscapes and habitats. 

1)    The Tsaranoro Massif: Karimbony (500m) is the central monolith, with the 800 metre Tsaranoro Be (or Big Tsaranoro) on the left.

2)    Jack Geldard (leading) and James McHaffie on pitch 3 of Rain Boto  (450m, 7a obl. / 7b+ max) on the central arête of Karimbony – the first route climbed in the region back in 1995.

3)    The beautiful red flowering cactus known locally as calanchoe is prolific on the harsh rocky summits of the granite domes in Andringitra.

4)    James McHaffie redpointing the second free ascent of the current 10th pitch (8c/8c+) of Tough Enough?, the remarkable big-wall project line on the West Face of Karimbony. This pitch is the hardest single pitch in Africa to date, and was first free climbed by Francoise Legrand in 2007. Legrand's plan was to link the pitch below (currently pitch 9, redpointed by both Legrand and McHaffie at 8b) into this one, to create a monumental 60 metre slab pitch of the utmost difficulty and quality. Legrand very nearly succeeded, but his final attempt at this 'super-pitch' ended with a huge fall from the desperate upper crux at 55 metres. When finally climbed free, the 'Gecko' pitch will be almost certainly the world's hardest slab climb in its own right, and probably the crux of Tough Enough?

5)    Dave Pickford on pitch 2 of Crabe Au Pince D’Or (350m, 7a obl. / 7b+ max) on Tsaranaro Atsimo. This route was established by big wall ground-up bolting expert Michel Piola back in 1998. Photo: James McHaffie.

6)    Nephila Madagascariensis: this colourful and imposing spider builds webs in the jungle gullies that provide the descents from the summits at Tsaranoro. It is harmless to humans, fortunately.

7)    Stephen Horne setting off up the grand arête of The Swiss Guide’s Route (100m, 6b+) on the right hand side of Lemur Wall.

8)    Lemur Catta (ringtailed lemur) up to mischief.

9)    James McHaffie (leading) and Stephen Horne on pitch 5 (7b) of Always The Sun (400m, 7a+ obl, 7c+ max) on the south face of Karimbony. This impressive route was established by UK climbers Steve Mayers, Twid Turner, Louise Thomas and Grant Farquar back in 1999. It has been onsight flashed by several teams, but remains one of the more exacting climbs in the region.

10)  Dave Pickford making the third free ascent of the 2nd pitch of Tough Enough? on the West Face of Karimbony. This excellent pitch was first redpointed by Daniel Gebel in 2005 (one of the original pioneers of this line), then repeated by Giovanni Quirici in 2007 at a grade of 7c/7c+. The loss of a crucial foothold on the crux section when Pickford was working the pitch made it slightly harder (8a).

11)  Jack Geldard seconding pitch 2 (7b) on the first ascent of Yellow Fever (160m, 7a+ obl, 7c max) on Lemur Wall. This pitch follows the obvious traverse line, gained from a wild body-bridge out from the shady gully in the background. The third pitch, a 50 metre 7c, is the crux of the route and was dubbed the ‘Thunder Bird II’ pitch by Geldard, who made a successful free ascent.

12)  Looking east from the summit of Karimbony towards Tsaranoro Be in the late afternoon.

13)  James McHaffie redpointing pitch 3 (8c) of Tough Enough? on the west face of Karimbony.

14)  Morning light slanting over Dondy (2100m), the mountain opposite the Tsaranoro Massif.

15)  Jack Geldard attempting the direct start (8c?) to the completed new route Yellow Fever (7a+ obl. / 7c max). The pitch was dubbed ‘The Sand Paper Simulator’ due to its exceptionally abrasive nature: a problem inherent to all the harder pitches in the region.

www.madamax.com – topos to the climbs at Tsaranoro plus the northern coastal limestone

www.wildmadagascar.org - information on wildlife and ecology

www.campcatta.com/home.htm - accommodation in the heart of the Tsaranoro Massif, catering for travellers of all budgets

www.newsearoc.com - accommodation and information on the climbing near Diego Suarez (Montagne des Francais) in the north of Madagascar

The team wishes to thank Karrimor, Marmot, DMM, Wild Country, Scarpa, Boreal and Red Chilli for their support.