Rocklands Sportclimbing at The Pass yields a range of sectors and crags with different orientations, all fully bolted and single pitch. Routes across the grades from beginner to advanced, with some test-pieces including South Africa's first 9a, bolted by Frederic Nicole at Cedar Rouge Boulder.
This area holds the largest concentrations of sport climbing sectors and number and range routes - all good. Climbing is in a magnificent setting with sectors along the start of the path on left and right (Wild West Wall, The Island, Biscuit Wall, Chapelle Rock and others) ; and then by way of split either :
1) the good footpath path to right at large cairn after Wild West Wall path, to The Fortress and Bastille sectors, or
2) carry on the main jeep track until you reach the Roadside Boulders; all the sport climbing sectors are found along the foothill and the cliff band at the top; Cedar Rouge, Cattle Rustler, Orange Plasma and Sun Block walls stand out as particularly good.
The Pass can be 3 degree Celsius cooler than De Pakhuys and areas at the bottom of the pass. However, in summer it takes full sunlight.
In Summer while generally too hot and sun-baked, The Bastille wall may offer some relief depending on the time of day.
Winter is best, with walls such as the Wild West Wall and The Island
Jono Fisher, Sean Maasch and Paul Scholtfeldt with Mike Roberts, Andy De Klerk and Dave Davies first started opening sport climbing routes here in the early 1990s, and this area was hush hush for a while as prime lines were found; initially Cedar Rouge Boulder and then Andy opened some test pieces at the Sun Block area.
Todd Skinner came over and joined the crew for the sport climbing, and on his first visit jumped out the car when he saw the boulders, shouting and screaming. Rocklands was born - but not before Todd snatched some magnificent sport lines.
There was a bad patch for many years when climbing of all types was banned (all of the The Pass and the Campsite areas) - over years long with tedious, knife-edge negotiations with a public land owner who had never had to consider climbing activities before. Environmental Management Audits and Plans were drafted and redrafted and miraculously access was restored with careful conditions, against all odds.
This magnificent climbing destination was almost completely lost - sport and boulder.
Instead, the Permit system enables a balance of sorts. Take care. Clean up. Buy a permit every time. Stay on paths. NO BOLTING at all, ever, without going through the MCSA WC (Western Cape Mountain Club of South Africa to Cape Nature) for approval.
Later, Todd was to invite Fred Nicole and friends over to open boulder problems; notably at Roadside area which is on the walk-in to The Pass Sport Climbing - the first area to be climbed in Rocklands, and then the Campsite Bouldering area, because, well, it was near the old camping site.
The Rocklands Sport Climbing history is therefore part of the Rocklands Bouldering history.
While you'll want to bring your pads, I recommend to bring a light single pitch sport rack and enjoy some excellent athletic climbing on very hard orange sandstone.
