Girls are weird

I sit here and scratch the last bit of scab off my elbow; it’s irritating me as it rubs on my Great Auntie Joan’s antique writing desk. It was quite a substantial roastie actually; a nice deep burgundy rose colour and I acquired it when clobbering my elbow climbing ‘Xena’ (19) during the night climbing session at the Roc Rally in Waterval Boven a couple weeks back. Crikey it was eina, but I tried not to moan about it lest I sounded like a…girl?

Girls are funny creatures hey, we really are. I don’t want to say that girls who climb are any weirder than the others, but…that would be complete denial. Actually, my theory is that it’s more girls who are into individual sports as opposed to team sports. We really hate hockey. As Rachelle said, “People say I’m so tough because I rock climb, but put me in a goalie net and I’m running the other way as fast as my co-ords can carry me…”

Girls are weird and they grow on trees

There is an appeal in the individuality that is allowed by doing your own thing. Be it on a rock, a bicycle, in a canoe; alternative sports just attract people who are kinda…well I could say interesting, but what I really mean is they’re not even marching to the beat of a different drum; they’re using the drum as a bowling ball to smash down a pin set made of quart bottles. Those kind of people.

I spent a few extra days after the Roc Rally climbing with three effing strong women. Rachelle De Charmoy, Candice Bagley and Illona Pelser; all hailing from KZN. Each one has a distinct personality, and each one climbs super differently too. But at the end of the day, we relate on the level that we are female.

Waterval Boven is a great place to pretend nothing else exists

It only took about one hour out of male company for the conversation to swing towards relationship dramas, periods, alcohol, sore fingers, taping techniques, plans for climbing trips, sex, drugs, some rock ‘n roll (but more Indie rock and metal), and many serious discussions about favourite climbing tights and crop tops. A boy’s worst nightmare; but completely normal for us. Climbing in bikini tops, telling jokes, poking fun at who has the biggest back muscles, burping, and occasionally farting…if Faye had been around there would have been more of that…but it was truly cool, something we should do more often. And we climbed some too.

* To check out an open FB album of most of our pics click here

Candice Bagley

Candice Bagley is the youngest of the lot, and is one of those 21 year olds who just takes charge. Running on energy from some other plane, she absorbs psyche from just about anyone. Confident, competitive and currently not supposed to be climbing on her damaged finger; she will always be the first to run up and hug you hello, offer you a sip of whatever she’s drinking, or take her super warm gloves off her own hands for you to use. Candy worked on African Rain (26) before her finger gave up on her, and During the Roc Rally managed to onsight a 23 in the dark.

Candice Hyper Excitable Radical Bagley

Rachelle De Charmoy

Rachelle De Charmoy used to be a sport climber, and then she went to Rocklands and changed her mind! This little lithe muscley thing is ridiculously strong, and it has to be said, can drink more beer than your average 45 year old male with a tache who was born with braai tongs in his hand. I dare anyone to try and out drink Miss De Charmoy. I know I lost. Check out more on Rachelle here.

Rachelle De Beer Drinker Supreme Charmoy

Illona Pelser

Illona Pelser is known to many as the Ninja, and describes herself as Afrinese (a mixture of her Chinese mum and Afrikaans dad). She is a ‘sport climber in a boulderer’s body’, something we can attest to as she worked on Raptophilia (32). It was pretty darn flabbergasting to see her doing every move on this brutish route, and makes one’s blood tingle with the possibility of a female whacking that grade on the head. Seeing her power up there makes me think it’s not too far off.